Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When every fiber of your being is made of the vibration of the cosmos, you get used to having a constant jitter in your skin. When the energy that powers the speed of light and sound sparks in your bones, you tend to be permanently restless. Yet, Makkari never felt such a hum of the celestial gift buzzing in her like this.

It’s 3 in the morning when the surge within her jerks her awake and then seizes her in bed. Druig’s at her side in one of the guest rooms of Ajak’s old South Dakota home. They decided to home base together for at least a year, waiting on the Celestials' judgment about their act of defiance against them for the sake of humanity. It has been 2 months already.  

 Makkari fears she is the first to get taken out by her creators. 

Her head and chest hum deeply with overwhelming vibration in an unobtainable rhythm. She can’t distinguish any vibration of the world due to it, even as she lay in the bed staring desperately at the wall and her partner. Her soul begged for a thing she never asked for, stillness. She’s dizzy and sweltering on the inside, it makes her nauseous like the first time she did her tornado run or ran so hard and high she flew higher than Ikaris for a moment. 

She thinks she is whimpering, she can feel her heart desperately trying to beat for itself but it keeps getting caught in the uncontrollable vibrations that take her breath away. She can’t breathe deeply to save her life. She shakes and desperately hums in her throat trying to will the violent and disorienting beat to a steadiness she can breathe with. 

She only has enough control to be afraid.

It wakes her Druig. 

Druig had gone to bed a wreck due to a flare-up of injury from the Emergence. Even though Ikaris foiled him before he could put Tiamut to sleep didn’t mean Druig wasn’t able to make contact with the emerging Celestial raw mind. The sheer rush of the exchange from a crashing awakening consciousness from both the being itself and the thousands of years of human emotional, mental and spiritual energy was overwhelming and reeling.

The violent ripping of Druig from that connection left some lingering effects on the empathic Eternal. The migraine that pulses in his head from it is so intense his eyes become red, nearly swollen, and his entire head and body are so tense his veins stuck out in his neck. He can hardly stand the feeling of his own cold skin and the voice of his mind let alone the open wire that’s his powers during the flare-ups. The senses, emotions, and feelings of the whole upper hemisphere take their chances in stabbing his mind.

His lovely Makkari is the only thing that can help him mute it. She blacks out any light in their bedroom and uses the humming of her powers and energy to dull over his hypersensitivity. The energy within her mind wraps around his, giving him clear instruction, a guide path of places in his head to organize his power, and the crashes of input. Once they are organized in his mind, Makkari prompts him to make them fizzle into themselves, then each other, then into a heavy uniform of contentment. He can contain it until the only thing rattling his mind was tiny pinches to his shield that faded as soon as he fully registered them.

They become background twinges as Makkari massages his neck and temple until he melts to sleep, which helps to further repair the rips in his mind and powers. Muting the pinches. He was expecting to wake up to Makkari’s soft breath and her even lighter mind. Her kind and mischievous eyes and a smile.

So to hear a croaky and tight gasp, punctured by frantic whimpers and Makkari slamming his mental shields with fear, it jerks him awake. 

He bolts up then groans, his head still pulsing, eyes and neck sore. He winces when Makkari’s panic slams at him again. He shakily turns on the lamp before he turns over to Makkari. Dread and danger override any of his lingering pain when he looks at her. She's locked in her position, crumbled to the side, her legs hanging half off the bed, he could see the seizing of all her muscles. She gives a tiny jerk in-tune with her humming pants for air or control. She chucks a cry of hurt when her sight goes out of focus and swirls even more. 

“Makkari!” Druig mouths. He grabs Makkari by the arms and positions her back to his chest before winding his arms around her middle, pulling her tight and close. He takes big exaggerated breaths that raise her with each swell of his chest, tears run down her face as she desperately tries to follow his breathing, but the only thing her senses could preserve was touch. Druig angled her head and pressed his forehead to her.

“Let me in.”  he pleads into her mind. 

She lets him in before he can even finish the pulse. He seizes up for a moment as well, all the energy sending a painful distortion through him. He scrambles through her mind, grasping for the trail ends of the uncontrolled and hot energy. His mind pulses a call for stillness into hers.      

  ‘Steady, steady. Bring your power back to your core. Steady, steady.’  

He repeats the mantra both in her mind and from his lips. In her mind, he finally caught the sizzling and jerking lines of energy and laid them over the coolness of his mind control. His hand presses over her heart, thudding a slow beat on her skin with his fingertips that she latches onto. The other presses against her diaphragm and keeps her body rising in check to his own steady breathing. After seven terrifying minutes of this, Druig lets out his own tension as Makkari gasps and goes limp. He winces at the loud and sharp bodily crack of all her joints at once. A sudden fever over her skin, she curls down and sobs into his shoulder, cradling her middle as soreness fills her torso. Druig keeps exaggerating his breaths so she can follow and re-establish her breathing. 

His mind and power pulses feelings of perpetual calmness over her, like the steadiness in the soft flow of a stream, of feathers ruffling in the wind, the sway of palm trees, of linking fibers into fabrics, the smoothness of stones eroding in water, the vibration of instrument strings. Things she can steam all the energy in her over to tame it back to her core. 

He pulls back from her mind when a sympathy gag pulls at his throat from the sudden spike of nausea and illness in her. In an instant, he has her lean over the edge of the bed as she vomits up dinner. Druig hates that he has to look away at his own throat hiccups when she throws up another wave instead of further comforting her. It takes him a few moments to firmly pull up his empathic shield so he is not puking along with her. Makkari moans weakly after the last of the retching and shakily tries to get out of bed. 

“Stop, take it easy here, I’ll clean up after you,” he says and signs one-handed, the other still steadying her to sit on the bed.

Makkari gives a tiny shake of her head and tries to move again as another soft gag pulls from her belly to her chest. Her hand flies to her face forcing her mouth shut, her other hand trembles against her throat as she tries to swallow it back. 

“Damn it,” Druig mutters as he pulls back from her. He swallows the lingering sour urge in his own being as he gets up. He takes a deep breath before slipping his arms around Makkari.

Sprite is wandering out of their room for a drink when Druig staggers into the landing hall with Makkari and pays them no mind as he hurries into the hall bathroom. He slams the door shut behind the two. The teen cringes at the sounds of Makkari throwing up again then frowns as a croaky sob follows. Sprite turns from going to the kitchen to Sersi’s room instead.

In the dark of the bathroom, Druig sits behind Makkari as she cries and heaves over the toilet. Rubbing slow and soothing circles onto her back. He frowns at the heat of her skin, he wets a washcloth and starts to delicately rub it on her neck and the side of her face. 

It is tense ten minutes of vomiting and crying before her body decides it is empty enough. Then another five minutes before her vision and equilibrium resets allow her to uncurl and lift her head. Druig clicks on the light and she fully rests back in his arms. He lays the washcloth over her forehead and she gives a sigh of relief. He continues to rub her shoulder and neck, feeling the knots of tension finally melt there. She weakly grasps his wrist and moves them to her middle. He starts to massage her tense torso. 

“How do you feel?” He asks after a while, she barely processes the signs in front of her twitching, half-lidded eyes or the rumble of his words. Druig waits patiently, his other hand keeps its trek of loosening her up. After a soft moment, she shakily brings her thumb up to her bottom lip.

 “Sore.” 

Druig nods and she slowly forms a claw with her hand and juts it from her face.

 “ Hot.” 

Before Druig can respond there is a soft knock at the door. 

“Hey, are you guys alright? Sprite said there was something wrong with Makkari?” Sersi asks.

“I think we’re good right now, can you bring some new pajamas for Makkari and me here?” Druig tells through the door. He reaches around Makkari’s body, closes the toilet lid, and starts to help her up to sit on it from his kneel.

“Uhm, okay.”

Druig listens to his Eternal sister walk away as he settles a slumping Makkari to a sit. He starts for the trashcan when she gives a dangerous dry heavy but is stopped when she clings to his arm. She leans her throbbing and warm head against his shoulder, Druig rubs a soothing circle on her leg as she collects herself. 

“Let's get in the shower, rinse off all this sweat, try and cool down yeah?” he signs and says.

She nods and starts to shake her fingers to get the feeling back in them. He slowly leans back in case she needs him again, turning on the water and then adjusting the knobs until a spray of tepid water starts. Makkari has her sleep shirt halfway off by the time he comes back to her. She plants her feet, Druig stays firm and still as she uses his shoulder as leverage support to wobbly stand against him. He helps her out of her shorts then stands himself. He maneuvers around Makkari leaning against him to disrobe as well then leads her into the shower. 

Meanwhile, Sersi catches Sprite peeping from the crack of their bedroom door and gives the teen a tight smile from heading into Druig and Makkari’s room. She looks surprised at the disarray of the room that the couple didn’t notice. The sweated sheets, the tiny cracks feathering the wall and window, how the lamp was flickering. She pulls off the sheets and takes them down to the laundry, grabbing some cleaning supplies on the way back up. She makes quick work of cleaning the vomit from the wood floor and remaking the bed before grabbing pajamas out of the dresser to deliver them to the bathroom where she hears the shower running. 

She cracks the door open, leaning her arm in to place the clothing on the sink. Her heart breaks at the little muffled sobs of Makkari.

“It's okay darlin’, we’ll figure out what this is,” Druig says. Sersi quickly leaves.

Druig leans wearily against the back shower wall with Makkari slumped to his chest. He didn’t realize how ill and sore he was as well until the cool shower gave him some achy relief. The feeling of Makkari’s humming body helps as well, she twitches a bit as he pushes off the wall and switches them. The shower beating on him instead. He leans in closer, arms over her shoulders. And they go forehead to forehead. 

They both sigh as the little cove of their faces shadows out the bright bathroom light, Druig goes further and closes his eyes. Makkari can see Druig trembling as well from the pain pulses in his head, his eyes twitching under puffy lids. 

He winces when she brings her hands to hold his temples, thumbs gently sweeping under his eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asks, signs against his chest and he gives a shuddering breath.

“Let's get out of ‘ere and go to bed yea?”

It is a bit past noon when the other sees the couple again. Sersi is washing grapes. Phastos is expanding the dining room table while Ben and Jack walk over with their plates. Thena glares at the  (unplugged)  toaster as it holds tight to her poptart meanwhile Kingo is poking at Sprite to talk. When Druig and Makkari come down Sprite looks relieved at Makkari’s state. The speedster has her hair out of the usual braids, her dry curls held back by a headband, she is swallowed in Druig black T-shirt and her own worn leggings. She even has some pallor back to her warm brown tone. Druig looks just as vaguely okay, clothed in a gray sweatshirt and jeans, the only tell something was wrong was the puffy, hurt look of his tired eyes. Makkari clings to his arm and he leans into her.

“Well if it isn’t Bell and Beast gracing our presence this fine brunch.” Kingo teases. Makkari gives a tight and small smile at it, but Druig frowns ahead to the man. He sets Makkari at the table and turns to get them food. Makkari sighs and raises her hands to retort when Sprite gives two quick claps to get Makkari's attention via the vibrations. 

The sudden and unaccounted vibrations send Makkari wincing and cuffing her forehead in pain as the vibrations ping around painfully through her skin. It gives Druig wincing goosebumps and the others silence at the straggled gasp that leaves their speedsters lips. Sprite looks crushed as Druig comes back over to Makkari and rubs her temples. The speedster sits back up after a minute and shakes out her hands, they blur for a moment as she gets the energy out and tiny static cackles. She looks over at Sprite.

“I'm so sorry! I didn't know that was going to hurt you! Are you okay? What was that?” Sprite asks and signs frantically. Makkari feels her eyes hurt as energy vibrates off Sprite's fingertips. She looks away from Sprite and tugs at Druig's arm instead. He sighs and steps behind her to rub her tense shoulders.

“Makkari's sick. It’s got her power act up.” Druig says the others wince at how croaky and quiet his voice was.  

“Sick? None of us have gotten ill in thousands of years.” Phastos comments.

“The last one of us that got sick was Gilgamesh. We were in Nepal, it was right after humans invented the cannon if I'm correct. He had a rattling cough and no energy. He was down for two weeks and Ajak couldn't do anything for it besides ease the symptoms now and then.” Thena says. She walks over to Makkari and places her cool hand on Makkari's forehead, frowning at the heat there.

“You're hot to the touch,” Thena notes, Makkari swallows as she nervously shakes her hands.

“I always run warm, it's part of my powers... I just want something to eat right now.” Makkari signs. Thena hums and goes to feel Druig as well making the man quickly back away and go into the kitchen to get food.

“You feel like the fire stove Gilgamesh would use to fire my pottery with,” Thena says and signs. Makkari winces at the sign of her brother-in-arms' name. 

“That's definitely too high,” Sersi mutters. Phastos puts on his thinking face. 

“I could scan you in the Domo later?” Phastos offers. Makkari nods at the offer. Druig comes back in, sitting a plate of eggs and hash browns in front of her. She frowned to see his plate filled with cut fruit and turkey bacon. 

“Give me some of that.” she signs before pointing to the melon cubes on his plate. Druig frowns.

“You hate honeydew, you say it tastes like cantaloupe’s sad cousin.”

“It does, but I want it.”

“ ‘Ere, take what you like. I'll get more later.”

The atmosphere of the room lightens some at Druig's quick response of sliding his whole plate her way to pick over. They all drift back into casual conversation and planning for the day as the couple eats. Druig keeps his arm wrapped around Makkari's waist as he pops back pomegranate seeds. His thumb rubbed a soothing pattern on the skin of her side. She presses her legs to his under the table, she’s slow and picky as she eats but Druig ignores it. His concern favored how hot she was and how sweat was gathering on her neck already. Makkari smiles, a flush under her brown as he carefully gathers her hair back to the side before he kisses her temple. Kingo gives a   BLAH   and sticks his tongue out at them.

“Can you guys be all icky lovey gooey somewhere else? I get you guys haven't seen each other in like 500 years but this is desperate.” Kingo says, causing Sprite to snicker. Makkari rolls her eyes but smirks at Druig as he snags a bit of her eggs.

“Who said that?” Druig says over the bite and Kingo frowns. 

“None of us had seen Makkari in 500 years.” Kingo reiterates, making Druig huff a laugh.

“No,  you  haven't seen Makkari in 500 years. I'd seen her only 2 weeks before you came to commune for me. She visits for the rainy season festival. Kids love her.” Druig says. The others aside from Thena gape at them.

“I saw Makkari about a year ago, she visited Gil and me for about a month so she could rob the British control Museum and return artifacts to the peoples of the land.”

“Makkari! Stealing from museums is bad!” Sersi scolds. Makkari gives a so-so gesture to her as she drinks some water.

“The elder asked me to get it. I got it. I left a replacement.” Makkari excuses, making Druig chuckle.

“Wait so you have been running around visiting everyone else but me! I thought we were battle buds! I could have put you in the film Makkari. Stop letting jungle man hog your beauty away from the people! You have great facial expressions, you'd make great reaction gifs!”

“No. After we split, I left Druig to simmer for about a century before we reconnected again. I know you haven't noticed but this jungle man has my heart. No matter how much he broods,” Druig bumps her shoulder at that, taking the apple slice in her hand back. She chuckles at the antics but continues.

“I made the Domo my base and that is why my collection is there. Tracing the artifact inspired by us or what inspired my love for humanity. I spent most of my time moving between deaf communities, helping those humans make their own sign languages and cultures or rescuing humans caught in natural disasters. You became too public, I didn't want fame or to be treated like a celebrity or a god again. If humans knew I was so close with a person like you they may try and use me for prestige I... I was sore about Ajak for a while and since Sprite, Ikaris, and Phantos stayed with her for a while I just avoided you all. I visited with Thena and Gil once a year to help and catch up. I...I guess I just got complacent in waiting for the call home to bring us all together again. I thought that time would patch us up and the call home would fix the wounds.” Makkai signs. Her hands slowly started to tremble and her eyes watered. 

Her finally putting her thoughts out there, manifesting them outside her buzzing mind. The hurt of what she missed. She had been waiting for  nothing . The blind and empty mission of the Celestials lead to her never reconciling with her family. She lost so much time, something she'd never thought would happen with a woman of her power set. 

She never got to share the treasure of humanity she gathered with Ajak or told her about the lives she touched. She can never again laugh over legs of meat as she teases Gilgamesh about his apron collection. She could have been there more for him in helping Thena. She can't even think of the connection she and Ikaris may have had in the past. That time was too far gone and too full of disdain and emptiness. She missed making so many memories with Kingo, Sersi, and Phantos and now there were the limitations of mortality and age on Sprite. 

 What if she had lost Druig? 

Even with him being the only one she saw regularly, she often went months or a few years without seeing him. Without living with him, journeying solo to fulfill the buzz of fast energy living within her. Yet she always came back to him and he was always there with sweet open arms ready for her tales and philosophies and trinkets.

 How would she ever satisfy the energy in herself if he was not there to absorb it? 

Kingo frowns at the sadness that fills Makkari's eyes and the tremble of her hands. Druig goes strong but stoic to hide the pressure of sadness and hurt he feels rolling of his love. He presses against her side, sending waves of comfort again but they fizzle in Makkari's soul.

“We all have our regrets about what we did with the wait. But also our triumphs. We lived life and found meaning, I think that is most important, and look at us now! Together as we can be.” Kingo says and signs to comfort her. 

Worry fills the others as tears wobble off Makkari's face, each hitch of breath hurts her gut and she presses her head to the table to hide. Druig moves his hand to rub her back

“Oh, Makkari! It's okay to cry.” Sersi says as the speedster pushes up from the table. They all hold their breath as she sways a bit, grappling onto Druig's shoulder for a moment.

“I need to run.” Makkari sloppily signs to Druig who shakes his head.

“Makkari, I think it's best if you rest. Your powers are still off, I can feel how sick you are.” He says and she scowls. 

“I need to run. I'll be back.” She sharply signs and before anyone can make a move, a wobbly flash of gold is jetting out the door. 

Makkari only makes it 30 miles before her stamina zaps away and seizing muscle cramps force her to a stop. She's on the slope of a hill overlooking woods and a stream.

Nausea and dizziness fill her again, as she watches her calves clench and bulge out. Her jaw clicks with hurt as she clenches her teeth in pain. She desperately rubs at her legs with her shaky hands trying to focus on the feeling of her own sweat-damp and smooth skin to combat the vibration of the world suddenly overwhelming her again. What seems so still and serine is teeming with  buzz.   The stream flowing, the dirt and pebbles eroding, the march of ant feet, leaves wilting off trees. It hurt like a million pinpricks to her core and head. The flap of a bird's wings nearly sends her heartbeat out of rhythm again. 

Makkari grits her teeth and forces herself to breathe deeply, to waver the energy over her body evenly. She reached deep within herself for anything to latch her vibration rhythm on. 

There’s a beat under her. It’s right under her core, a string of beats akin to the pace and vibration of dragonfly wings. It’s tiny and steady. Slowly the vibrational fritz climbs down until she can control it. With closed eyes, she allows her ability of sensation to silence.

The only thing she senses is the warmth of the sun, the firmness of the ground, and the faint just out of rhythm beat under her core.

Meanwhile, Druig sits tensely on the back porch wrapped in a throw blanket as his ill mind chills his body. After glaring into Kingo’s soul and batting off the others’ concern for his own well-being, he finds himself in his usual spot of waiting for Makkari’s return. He looks over letters from Ocotlan the appointed leader of the community telling him the exciting news that they were alright, prospering, and decided to continue the isolated life. That they hope he and Makkari see to visit them after saving the world. 

“Whatcha reading?”

Druig looks up from his letter and gives a small smile to Jack. The 8-year-old was playing with a Rubik's cube and  (like children from the past millennia)  gave no care to the brooding energy Druig liked to put out, plopping right next to him. The boy had gotten one side completely blue.

“Just a letter from some friends.” 

“That's cool. I don’t get letters unless it’s from the mom. I talked to my friends on Roblox though. I told them Dad is like a magic Cyborg like in the comic books and they said I was weird again. But Baba said being weird is cool, like Lilo. I asked dad for an alien dog and he said I can’t have one until I’m 14. That's a long time to wait though.” Jack rambles. Druig can’t help the chuckle the kid brings to him.

“You only have to wait 6 years for a dog.”

“That’s a long time though! I’ll be in like high school and will be tall!”

“You don’t want to be tall?”

“Well yeah, I wanna be tall! I’m gonna be taller than both dads, it's what the doctor said. He said I have to eat a lot of vegetables and drink milk to get there. But… I don’t like milk though unless dad puts the heresy strawberry or caramel sauce in it, but that’s a secret. Baba doesn't want me to have a lot of sugar stuff. “ Jack explains before frowning as he looks around. 

“Where is ‘Kari? She’s really cool. She spun me super fast on the merry-go-round in town! Then dad started doing that rambly thing talking about whiplash and vo-los-it-ee. I think it's right that I’m weird because Dad is weird.” Jack says. Druig frowns as he looks out over the fields she wobbly sped through 30 minutes ago. 

“She’ll be back soon. She needed to run off some energy and clear her head.” Druig says, unconsciously signing as he did  (every time Makkari was on his mind, he signs)  and Jack stares at his hands. 

“Is that stuff like a peace sign?” Jack asks when Druig finishes. Druig hums. 

“Kind of. It’s sign language, your dad hasn’t shown you?” 

“I can count on my fingers and do a peace sign.”

Druig settles back against the post he was sitting on and nods.

“That's a good start. ‘Ere I’ll show you basic stuff, Makkari is way better at this than me. I still have to talk to fully get my words across, she can use just her hands for it. “

“You can be a spy with sign language because you can tell people stuff without talking” Jack deduces. Druig agrees with the logic as he starts with the alphabet.

It’s 4 o’clock by the time Ben and Phastos realize their son has a new tutor. Druig had the boy down packed in signing a greeting and a goodbye along with a few other common signs and was helping Jack use the alphabet to spell his name.

“Out of all the people in our family, I thought you would have been dead last for babysitting duty with Thena.” Phastos jokes. Druig rolls his eyes as he gently corrects Jack's hands.

“Children are always the first proof I look to, to prove that humanity is amazing. I know we can't have biological kids but this one is all you Phastos, he’s pretty bright and learns well. Show your dads your name.” Druig says and Jack excitedly stands. Using his pinky he drops it into a J, pulls his finger back into the fist for A, forms his hand into a C, then clumsily forms the K with his thumb through his pointer and middle finger. 

“But! Watch when I do this!” Jack places his pointer finger against his opposite palm and pulls it up against it then spells his name out again, “It means  Tall Jack! ” Jack explains excitedly and the two fathers look proudly at their boy.

“Well, if Jack wants to be tall, he needs to start eating the snap peas I bought for him to snack on. Come on.” Ben says. Jack nods, signing a goodbye and Druig name sign before following after his Baba. 

“Cute kid,” Druig says to Phastos as he looks back to the fields.

“Has Makkari made it back yet?”

“No, and I’m starting to get worried. It's been 2, almost 3 hours, I tried nudging her with my mind but she’s either too far or shut me out.” Druig grumbles and rests his throbbing head on his hand.

 Phastos analyzes his brother for a moment. Remembering the shared winces he and Makkari had earlier and his current appearance. He was more sickly pale than his regular pale, he had taken off his sunglasses and his eyes looked horribly red with shadows under them. He was further bundled in that blanket despite the small sweat stain on the back of his collar.

Druig startles when Phastos lays a hand on his forehead, then moves it to the side of his neck.

“You’re feverish, tense too. What did you and Makkari do?” Phastos asks and Druig shrugs. 

“Nothing I can think of. We sleep together but whatever is ailing her isn't affecting me as it did her. It was terrifying last night. It was like all the energy in her body seized control of 'er. I’m worried she had another fit while runin' and is stuck somewhere.” Druig says, he runs a hand over his neck and reaches his mind out for hers again. 

“I’ve been looking for anything about our bodies in Ajak’s old study but I’ve come up short. Decided on taking a vital scan of you two in the Domo. I’m going to see if Sersi still has some connection with Aireshem and see if that can give us any answers.” Phastos offers. Druig scowls at the last bit.

“I refuse to seek anything from the bastard of a creator.” 

“I know what you think. I get it, he screwed us and lives of billions over for the sake of him and the Celestials but… he may have the answers we need to treat you and Makkari.”

“The last time he and his pawn leader had an answer to problems with us. Ajak soft-threatened to reset Thena. What if his   ‘solution’   is to strip Makkari of her powers? Reset her? It’s risky. Let's just wait until the scans or whatever. Plus… I’m not sick.”

Phastos scoffed at that.

“I’m serious I…damn… I’m still healing from an injury.” Druig confesses.

“At the Emergence. Before Ikaris snagged me up, I got into Tiamut's mind and was fusing a connection when I was ripped out. It left some damage on me. My mind is still trying to seek him out to finish it. There's nothing but the remains of all the intellectual life energy that is really vast for me. It gives me a migraine. I’ve only told Makkari and she helps me.” Druig finishes reluctantly, pushing into the wall as Phastos leans in to look him over.

“Where’s Ajak’s study? I’ll look for- wait” Druig drops the conversation as Makkari’s mind finally nudges him back, he closes his eyes and focuses.

She let him feel her.

Feel where she was, how she suspended her senses to the feelings of the light, temperature, her own heartbeat. He watches the energy whirling in her body tame itself to her core. He felt his own tense body relax at how melted and calm she was. He tries to focus back to her active consciousness so they can speak when he feels a soft dulling pulse come over his mind from hers. 

Like they were taking turns laying a heavy quilt over one another, the blanketing has a song beating off it. A fast and light stutter followed by 4 deep and dragging beats. It tickles his mind like brushing butterfly wings. It makes him physically shiver, then go limp. 

Phastos startles and catches Druig as he starts to slide down the wall, pillowing the telepath’s head on his lap. He furiously texts Sersi for her help.

Druig jolts from floating in the warm dullness with Makkari when a sharp pain from his mental injury nearly rattles him out of the connection. It spurs Makkari’s active consciousness to snag him before he fully leaves her mind. Mental hands fold into thoughts.

“Sorry, my beautiful Makkari.”

“It’s fine, my lovely Druig.”

“Are you okay? What are these pulses, they’re pretty hypnotizing.”

“I don’t know. I can’t really feel myself right now. Just the beats and I feel heavy. ‘

“Heavy?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to come get you?”

“Yes.”

Druig gently closes the connection and his eyes open to Phastos looking down at him.

“Whoo, you’re alive. What was that?” Phastos asks, helping Druig sit up. 

“Makkari reached back, I know where she is now. I’m leaving to get her. We'll meet you in the Domo?”

“Are you sure you can get to her on your own? I think you're getting worse. I can send Kingo to go get Makkari and get you to the Domo for a scan now.”

“No Makkari needs me.” Druig brushes off, getting up and stretching with a slight pop of his spine. 

“Druig, have you ever tried to pour from an empty cup?”

“Nope, sounds like something you should invent. We’ll meet you at the Domo.”

Chapter Text

It’s 6pm when Druig drives under the Domo on Ajak’s old 4-wheeler with Makkari wrapped close to his back. Sersi, Phastos, and Jack stand waiting for them. Jack holds his dad’s hand and sways with excitement, Makkari can’t help but smile at him and his youthful charm. The boy steps away from the man and then repeatedly signs,  “Hello! I am J-A-C-K and I am tall ,”  to the two as they get off. 

Makkari gives him a big smile as she signs back, “Hello Jack! I am Makkari, you are singing very well!” to him. Jack nearly vibrates like she can when Druig translates for him. 

His bright vibrations make Makkari flick her fingers and Druig smooths down her hair, kissing her temple. His mind brushes over the feeling of her body and he’s starting to get what she meant by heavy. He would describe it more as overfilled but lets it go.

“Dad said I can look at stuff while you get a check-up!” Jack explains, Makkari only catches his hands making the sign Dad paired with gears and fingerspelling of doctor and Domo. Makkari stops Druig from using more complex signing to fully translate the boy better. The boy was learning just for her at his own pace.

“He’s on an ancient Egypt kick too. I told him you stole a sarcophagus and now he thinks he is going to meet King Tut.” 

“Or Hatshepsut!”

“Or Hatshepsut.”

Sersi steps up making Makkari frown as she feels both her and Druig foreheads.

“You were right, they both have pretty high fevers. Makkari is hotter though.”

“I second that. My Makkari is extremely beautiful.” Druig says while Makkari lightly slaps his chest. 

“Stop trying to distract us with your charms. Do you still feel sick too?” Makkari asks and Druig gives a nervous swallow. 

“Only a little. My head and eyes hurt but it wanes,” he confesses. Makkari and Sersi glare at him as Phantos leads them in. 

“I wish you would have told me you were still sick. I wouldn’t have stolen all your fruit, I know that’s your comfort food.”

“You’re my comfort Makkari, you are feeling 10 times worse anyway. It’s fine, We are both going to get scanned,” Druig side-eyes Sersi for a moment, “ Just scanned right?”

“Oh yes, sorry. I found some journals written by Ajaks about us.”

“Us?”

“Yeah! It seems we were one of her more common groups of Eternals to lead from previous times. She journaled about the progress of us as beings from previous times compared to now. There were some diagraphs of our physical bodies with our power sets but nothing about our sort of nervous systems or anything. Hopefully, the scans can add more context to her writings.” Sersi says as she waves a big leatherbound book.

“She was really attached to us huh?” Druig mutters. They go a little downcasted for a moment and continue their walks down the hall in silence save for Jack’s awes. Phastos observes the random junk food wrapper still cluttering the floor, his foot dodging an empty green tea KitKat box.

“What’s with all the wrappers, Karri?” Pastos grumbles, Makkari gives a sorry smile and shrugs.

“A few days before you guys came I was craving Japanese snacks. Have you ever enjoyed the pleasures of seaweed salt chips and Choco Pie?” Makkari asks, Phastos sighs as they enter his old lab. Jack takes off to the random sarcophagus placed against the wall. 

Phastos gives a small smile at his son as he commands a slab to rise in the lab. Makkari lays on it, the cool stone making her shiver a bit. Phastos mumbles under his breath, calculation flicking through his mind as his hands work and translucent circles of energy form over Makkari. They all watch them gently blink and skim over Makkari. Soon a holographic cast of her body hovers over Makkari’s, her vitals highlighted in a silvery blue.  

The room goes  still.

“Those aren’t supposed to be there. Right?” Phastos whispers to Sersi and she gives a shallow shake of her head.

Phastos calls up another slab right next to Makkari.

“Druig get on the slab, right now.”

Druig looks at the two wildly before looking at Makkari with concern. Sersi gently pushes him and he does as told.

The couple watches their family fret as they scan Druig as well then start muttering and pouring over the journals and the scans. Makkari gave a nervous glance to Druig and he instantly held his hand out to her. She visibly relaxed as she took it. “Oh my!” Sersi mutters, Druig groans and sits up.

“Okay, what’s going on guys! What's wrong with us?” he demands. Sersi gives an uneasy smile to Makkari as Phastos gives a nervous chuckle.

“I think I should have Ben ask these questions.” 

“He’s human Phastos.”

“Well this is a very human situation and I really don’t want to know about my family S-E-X life.”

“Sex life?!” Makkari signs sharply, sitting up as well and clapping.

“Why do you need to know me and Druig’s sex life? You guys didn’t even realize me and Druig have been together since the rise of the Byzantine Empire!”

“You guys have been together since Byzantine?”

“Nah, we’ve been together since Perisa, we’ve been fucking since the Byzantine Empire.” Druig cut in. All went silent again when Jack dropped the gladiator helmet he held with a loud clatter. Makkari winced as the vibrations cramped her core.

 “Bad word.” 

“Hey, buddy. If I remember right, your baba is making custom mini pizzas. If we hurry you can steal all the spicy chicken chunks.” Phastos excuses and it gathers all of Jack's attention away from the cuss words. Makkari repeatedly hits her partner’s shoulder as he barely holds his laughter. 

“Don’t lea-” Sersi lets go of her plea as Phastos high tails it out of the Domo with Jack under his arm. 

“Sersi?” Makkari asks and Sesi dismisses scans.

“When was the last time you guys had sex?”

“...Two weeks before the Emergence.” Druig answers nervously and Makkari starts to take deep breaths to center herself.

“So about 18 weeks ago?”

“Yes! Why do you need to know?’ Makkari signs sharply.

“Because… you’re pregnant and the last time an Eternal was pregnant with another Eternal was Ajak herself 25 eons ago.”

* * *

Phastos and Sersi watch Druig and Makkari with nervous curiosity. The couple stare at the projection in front of them. Makkari huddles into Druig's slack hold, their heads resting on one another's. 

It’s a baby. About the size of a large bell pepper or yam. It is a tiny and steady heartbeat. 

The reasons her ability to sense the vibrations of the world and the control of cosmic energy in her body was out of whack. It was accommodating the heartbeats and energy of the baby Those tiny fleeting pinches in Druig's mind was the baby exploring a mental pulse as their new mind start to feel.

“Well… are… are you guys okay?” Phastos asks after a 20-minute standoff with the squirming circle and their heartbeat song.

“Try nudging them.” Makkari signs half-heartedly.

Druig gives a hum and wraps his hand around her waist and rests it on her belly. They all watch with bated breath when Druig’s eyes glow gold. The shape on the screen starts to jitter so they could start pressing forward to Druig’s hand. 

Makkari gives a short whine of surprise and grips his hand at the blatant and direct movement in her.

 “Dark and warm always. New company is here? Move. Dark and warm always. touch it. Move. feel it. Move. Hello! Dark and warm always. Hello! New Company big and bright? New Company is flat and smooth? Move, move. Touch, feel. Dark and warm always. Still. New Company is big and bright. New Company is flat and smooth. Still. Dark and warm always. New Company not here. No touch. Move, move. Dark and warm always.”  Druig says and signs as they all watch the shape move forward. For a minute it is Druig repeating these lines before the shape resettles back and Makkari lets out a short breath. 

“What does that mean?” Sersi asks and Druig gives a chuckle. 

“It's a rough translation of what they are observing. I sat my conscious there for them to nudge along with my hand and that is what they are projecting. Very loudly and disjointed. I try not to look into infants' minds much for this exact reason. They do nothing but think about their observation of the world and the needs of their bodies. It's rudimental, repetitive, loud, and kinda cute.” Druig explains and Makkai gives a squeaky laugh.

“You already think they are cute.” She signs and taps his temple. 

“I think this is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life and I tapped into a celestial awakening consciousness,” Druig says. He finally turns to Phastos and Sersi. They wince at just how sick the couple looks now, Druig is so pale his veins stick out, his eyes half swollen and glassy. Makkari is jittery, flushed and eyes teary as well. 

“How are you feeling right now?” Phastos asks carefully as the couple sits and wearily lets go of each other. Druig curls over and places his head in his hands while Makkari leans against him, arms curled around her middle.

“Fuckin’ terrified and exhausted.” Druig summaries and Makkari nods in agreement. 

“You said Ajak was pregnant before right? What happened to her, her partner, and their baby?” Makkari signs. Sersi sits next to them and flips through the first journal. 

“They were punished. The celestials are the only beings that should be able to actively fuse and create beings with pure cosmic energy. If this had happened with an eternal and an organic non-cosmic being like a human or Kree it wouldn’t be anything to worry about because these fusions can’t happen but… this is different. And when it happened with Ajak, Airshem wasn’t pleased with the possibility of its potential. Ajak's partner Rion was destroyed and his energy repurposed into stars. Ajak was only spared that fate because the baby protected her when Airshem tried to rip her apart. She was pregnant for 10 months and when she gave birth her punishment was to have her son taken and his fate was never explained to her. Airshem just healed her back to her regular state and put her back to work.” Sersi reads. Tears were in all their eyes at such a fate. Makkari buries into Druig’s shoulder and he holds her close.

“If he did that to Ajak and she was a Prime Eternal. What does that mean for Makkari? Us? We are still waiting on the judgment for killing Tiamut.” Druig says and silence answers him back.

 None of them knew what to do. 

 Why was this happening? 

 Why was it Makkari and Druig for this to happen too? 

“Are they okay?” Makkari signs after a while, direct at Phastos who hums. He flicks through the other journal he holds before comparing the diagrams from the book to the live feed of the baby. 

“Ikaris shot me in the side, my belly, it could have harmed them.” Makkari signs slowly, thinking aloud and Druig rubs her back.

“First I thought he had killed my Druig and then he would have harmed our baby… all because Airshem ,  all because Ajak …” she signs, her hands getting sharper as they go and a chilled fury comes to her face.

“He didn’t know that, Makkari.” Sersi solely signs.

 Makkari's muscles coil, every joint tight and her head pounding with rage as her hands shake with every sign, “...he still tried to kill my Druig. Druig is still hurt. He chooses to shoot me in my belly instead of my head wha-"

“The baby is fine Makkari!” Phastos signs in front of her face as she started to spiral. He held up the diagram.

“They are the right shape and size and they are on time in development. Please, calm down. I have a theory that they can feel you mentally. If you get too riled up it can upset them too and it could send your powers into a fritz again.” Phastos explains and Makkari swallows.

Druig kissed her temple and gave a strong hum that rumbled to her soothingly. He presses their foreheads together, one hand rubbing the tension from her neck and the other laying on her belly again. He is gentle as he pulls her consciousness with him and guides her to nudge it against the one in her. She steadies herself as the baby feels like dragonfly wings again, these tiny brushes to her mind burst with energy, a high rhythmic vibration. Like tiny pings of a satellite, it bounces between her and Druig’s mind. 

 New Company? I feel New Company. New Company feel I? Dark and Warm is here. Hello? Big and Bright is here. Hello! New Company is Smooth and Warm. Together! Hello! 

It relaxes Makkari to the point her head tilts off of Druig’s to rest on his shoulder instead.

“They are fine. You did so well in carrying this baby. In caring for me, ‘Karri. We are going to get through this. Airshem and all the rest of the Celestials and any of their other soldier Eternals be damned. We both know we’d die a thousand times for each other, so we are going to live for each other and for the baby.”  He projects to her mind. The flutters of their children's minds and energies become background chatter under his thoughts to her. 

“This is scary. All these changes…I can’t believe we are beings that change.” Makkari projects back.

“Change is good. Especially since we change because we want to. We change because of love.”

“Yes… The baby is tired now. I can feel it… their father has worn them out pestering their mind all day.”

“I can tell, but I think it's because their mother kept them up running around all day.”

Makkari pulls out their connection with a smile and huff. Druig closes the connection with a tiny smirk and kiss on her cheek.

“Are you guys okay now?” Sersi asks and the couple nods. Sersi gives a sigh before another awkward look comes to her face.

“So, how are we going to break this news to the others?”

* * *

“So… there is another Druig or Makkari in there? What was the point of saving the world if you're going to unleash that chaos in 7 to 8 months?” Sprite says. Druig has to fight the urge to hit them with another rock.

“I don’t know what’s worse. The fact we’ve possibly angered the Celestials with the impossible again or the fact that you let the jungle man defile you Makkari.” Kingo rambled.

“Tarzan has nothing on Druig,” Makkari signs, taking the time to fully finger spell and draw out the O in   nothing , “We made Sersi and Ikaris doing it on the beach all the time look like armature po-”

“Aht Aht! Child on board!” Phastos interrupted, grasping her hands and giving a side look to Jack who was happily cracking open pecans with Thena. 

“Sorry.” Makkari mouthed with a grin as Druig laughed. 

“Welp, I claim cool older cousin status. Anything else too much potential responsibility and I need to live a little.” Sprite said and Kingo nodded.

“I get cool uncle status all to myself.” Kingo proclaims and Druig rolls his eyes.

“No, that Phastos.”

“What?! But he’s lame! I saw him cutting the crust off sandwiches earlier.”

“And that’s why you can’t be a cool uncle, you have to understand the needs of the kid to be a cool uncle. Children hate crust unless you trick them and I’m a sucker for Jack. Plus look at Ben, he has 5 nieces and 6 nephews, we have qualifications and experience. Logic Kingo, logic.”

“What’s their powers?” Sprite asks as Kingo grumbles about studying for Cool Uncle status.

“We don’t know anything for certain besides the fact they have awareness of us,” Druig explains.

“It was cute to feel them! They already gave us names” Makkari signs, she flicks her fingers of excess energy and smiles brightly. 

“What?” Druig asks and Makkari snorts.

“It was clear as day Druig! I’m Dark and Warm. You are Big and Bright. When they realized it was both of us together they called us Smooth and Warm. Isn’t that amazing?” Makkari tells them. Druig grin is full of softness, love, and admiration for Makkari as he watches her eyebrows raise and her smile crinkle her eyes. 

“Yeah, they are pretty amazing. I mean, have you seen their mama? How could they not be?”

“Any more of this gooey love crap, I'm going to puke.” Kingo teases and Sprite gives an appropriate fake gag.

“Fu-”

“Child on Board!”

“Duck off you two. Anyway, Ben and Phastos…how do we have a baby here? Babies need paperwork and cost money here right?”

“Babies cannot write Druig.” Makkari signs with a deadpan look that sends Ben, Phastos, and Sersi in laughs.

“They’ll need a dagger. Or a spear? What do you think, Little One?” Thena says, looking at Jack who gives a hum.

“Ninja stars! Like in Ninjago!” Jack surmises and Thena looks smug and pleased under Phastos glare. 

“Rule number one should be,  no  unauthorized Thena contact,” Phastos told them. Makkari smirks and tilts her head up at him.

“Unauthorized Thena contact is  a necessity .” She signs before yawning.

“Are you tired? We should head to bed, it's been a long day.” Druig says, getting up. Makkari yawns again and follows after him.

“Make sure to drink plenty of water and try to stay cool. I don’t know much about your guys’ bodies but uncontrollably fevers can have negative effects on pregnant people.” Ben informs. The couple nod at his information, bidding the other goodnight before turning in for the night.

Druig and Makkari have spent centuries close to one another. Pressed to each other's sides, forehead touches, resting weary heads on one another’s shoulders, playing footsie at dinner, playing with one another’s hands when bored, and more. Yet Makkari couldn’t help but huff and roll her eyes when Druig’s hand plaster to the front of her belly as soon as they lay down, snuggling her back into his chest. His eyes softly glow under his lashes, Makkari stretches for a moment before settling into him, hands over his. She feels the hum of the extra vibrational energy of the baby but also how it mixes in with the vibrations of both her own and Druig’s bodies. The four of them fell into a lulling and steadying state. 

“They are asleep,” Druig mutters and signs with his free hand. He gives her belly one more rub before sinking further in, arms encasing her as his nose tickles into her neck. 

Everything is changing for them, but never the feeling of being in each other's arms.

Chapter Text

Makkari scowls at the paper in Ben’s hands as the man tries to read it off. 

“You can’t run, but-”

  “NO.”  

“ - you can do a human-paced jog.”

“Jogging pace???  A JOGGING PACE!!!”  Makkari signs sharply. Ben gives her a somber nod as he writes. She gives a croaky whine as another strong tremor of her power flaring locks her to shake for a long moment. Ben is quick to pillow her head with his hands again, once passed, she reads his paper.

“Even though it seems your baby is progressing at a different pace than humans, you have to consider how delicate they are right now. The baby sending you into a power flare-up is probably a defense mechanism. Your body wasn’t typically made for this and may be inclined to reject them when pushed too far.” Ben hypothesized. 

He’s currently sitting on the floor of the kitchen next to a prone and slightly jittering Makkari. He had come down to start breakfast when he watched Makkari blur in front of the back door and was  just  able to stop her from slamming into the wall.

If he wasn’t a nurse himself and having the unique experience of being married to an immortal cosmic-powered hero, he’d have panicked watching Makkari’s body vibrate so much she cracks the stone floor of the kitchen and vomits as soon as she is still.

Ben props her against the sink cabinet once she’s stable enough, wetting a clean dish rag and placing it on her forehead. 

“Where’s Druig?” Ben asks as he makes her a cup of water and holds it for her to drink from. Her hands trembled. 

“Asleep. His headache came back and he needs rest.” She said through jerky signs as Ben hums. 

“Can you handle eating?” he asks, doing rudimentary signs, and Makkari swallows.

“Something light?” she signs, face twisted in nervousness. 

“Toast and applesauce it is.” Ben writes. He gets up, grabs one of the seat cushions off the dining chair, and helps her to lay curled in the recovery position on her side. 

Makkari’s breath hitches in pain as the last of the flare-up tremors through her, she places her hand on her belly and feels the lulling flutter. She watches Ben as he goes around for the light snack for her. She sighs as she feels the distant steps of Thena and Sersi approaching the kitchen.

“Makkari!” Sersi gasps as soon as she sees the speedster sweating and prone on the floor.

“Ben?” Thena questions as the two Eternal women kneel next to Makkari.

“Don’t move her too fast! Her body is sensitive right now. Her pregnancy triggered another flare-up of her powers. Her fever is trying to climb back and she got sick.” Ben explains quickly as he grabs the light toast bread and spreads a layer of apple sauce on the bread. Thena frowns and rubs Makkari’s back in a soothing pattern that Gil once did to her to get her to calm down and steady herself.

“I’ll get Druig.” Sersi signs, but before she could leave Makkari grabs her wrist. 

“No. He needs rest too.” Makkari signs. Sersi sighs and sits back down.

“He’s not going to like that you’re going through this without him,” she warns and Makkari rolls her eyes.

The three help Makkari back to a propped sit. She sighs as she flicks out the excess energy from her fingers and can hold the toast with a steadier hand.

“I don’t think he put up his mental shield last night. I felt him hissing and mumbling in his sleep. His face was red and looked hurt when I woke up. He didn’t feel me get out of bed or respond to me nudging his mind.” Makkari explains. She nibbles through the first piece and shakes her head at the other slice, going back to nursing a cup of water.

“Did Phastos do a scan focusing on Druig’s head last night?” Ben asks and Sersi shakes her head.

“No, we got distracted by the discovery of the pregnancy. Do you have any idea when he may be up to it, Kari?” Sersi asks and Makkari pauses in thought.

“Maybe a few hours after he wakes up on his own. I’ll head back up and rest with him after this.” Makkari signs. Thena continues to sit on the floor with her as Ben and Sersi start to cook breakfast. 

“Bun in the oven.” Thena hums and Makkari looks at her. Thena gives a sad smile and signs as she says it again. 

“That would be a joke Gilgamesh would say about this. He’d cook all kinds of buns for the joke too. We’d have baked buns, steamed buns, and fried bread all over this place.” Thena reminisces about the would-be actions of her soulmate.

“I’m sure that more of a gift for Druig than me. My handsome glut.” Makkari jokes.

“If it wasn’t me, Druig was his designated taste tester. He’d made a really good blackberry pie the day before….Druig didn’t get a chance to eat it I think.” Thena says and Sersi bites her lips. 

“None of us did Thena, he dropped it.”

“Oh… I must not have been there when that happened. He’d throw a fit that you're eating applesauce on toast, I know for a fact Ajak had to have had some jam around here.” Thena argues, catching Ben’s eye. The man huffs a laugh.

“She needs light food right now. The apple sauce is homemade from what the jar said.”

“Toast without jam is blasphemous, Ben.”

“I think it tastes pretty good actually,” Makkari argues and Thena rolls her eyes and stands.

“You have a weird taste.”

“You were spoiled by Gilgamesh's breakfast. Help me up.” 

Later the day, Druig and Phastos stand side by side as they look at the scan of Druig head and compare it with the labeled sketches of the journal. 

“It’s healing for sure but… it’s greatly slowed.” Phastos says after a while.

“Yeah, I can see that. The journal said Ajak couldn’t really heal my mind because of my power set. It would have had her lower her mental shield and risk me finding out the truth. She could just supply extra energy for me to use in knitting everything back together. Now that she isn’t here to supply that, it’s taking longer and more taxing for me to knit things back together in my head.” Druig rambles and Phastos bites his lip.

“I could make another Uni-Mind and you could sap the energy you need from us until you get enough to jump-start fixing your head.”

“Maybe, could we do it without including Makkari?”

“It should, the first one didn’t include Ikaris and Sprite.”

“Yeah but not when the connection was fully complete, when it was fully complete it brought them in.”

“We could take a trip to Thena and Gil’s old place and hook you up to a solar panel.” Phastos jokes and Druig laughed.

“Ikaris would turn the sun off the moment I hook up to whatever machine you invent.” Druig snorted. 

“We could have Sersi stand next to you and glare up at it.”

“That just might work.” 

The two Eternals smirk at one another before Druig winces and sits down on the slab. Phastos frowns and dims down the scan.

“Or, just let your mind keep repairing at the pace your body has set itself too. Humans heal from concussions in similar ways. We don’t have Ajak to heal us to 100 percent anymore. Whatever level you can heal yourself to will leave scars behind.

“Uhg…why is it so slow though? Why is all this healing pain flaring up now?”

“Maybe in your initial healing process, your body focused all its energy on healing your chest and back and it’s just now getting to your head. Is the reason for all this flare-up?”

“I’ve been healed of that for about a month now, I just have scabs and scars there.”

“Hmm… well. What if it’s because of the baby? We aren’t human or natural organic beings. So we aren’t necessarily limited to one partner doing the brunt of the whole making a baby process. You also have a unique power for an Eternal because you aren’t necessarily just a thinker or fighter. You said they reached out to meet your mind. Maybe your power and energy are subconsciously helping them along as Makkari’s body develops them.”

“That sounds like the best explanation I’m going to get right along with how in the Hell did I get Makkari pregnant in the first place,” Druig says, he lays back and closes his eyes for a moment, resting them from the light of the Domo.

“Well, in our false memories of Olympia. We were supposed to be sterilized as part of our decision to join the celestial mission.” Phastos side comments and Druig hums. 

“But we weren’t,” Druig said.

“No, we weren’t. We are just supposed to be incapable of evolution or transferring our DNA of our own volition with one another.”

“...with one another?”

“Yeah, that's what the journal says.”

“Just one another?”

“Well yeah. We are beings constructed from a level of cosmic energy that only Celestials are supposed to create and manipulate. Us sharing DNA and making something new with it should have been like trying to put the matching sides of magnets together.”

“Yeah, I get that part but uhm… all of us  have been believed to be sterile right?”

“Yes?”

“And the truth is the only thing we  shouldn’t  be able to do is procreate with  each other  because we aren’t supposed to evolve or mix cosmic whatever to make a new thing.”

“Yes?”

“So…how many half-Kingo- half-human children have been left scattered around the earth?”

“Druig!”

“I’m just saying! Besides you with human men. The only other one of us that was willing to have some kinda physical relationship with humans was Kingo and that was regardless of what sex the humans were. I think it would be cool to know if Jack and the baby already got older cousins out there. I bet Kaurn knows and is just hiding it.” Druig laughs.

Phastos tries to roll his eyes but can’t help but laugh along as well. 

"Let's give your brain another month or two. Then we will check in on the progress. See what we have to do."

* * *

As the month progressed on, it was time for the strange little family to discuss going back to their earthly lives.

“I think Kingo is an idiot and we shouldn’t consider his input.” Sprite declared when the man laid out brochures of fancy private or boarding schools on the table. 

“You are literally 13 years old now, Sprite. You haven’t socialized with people your bodily age since the Victorian era.” Kingo deadpanned and Sprite scoffed

“I have friends!” they argued.

“While being pen pals with the elderly in 9 different countries is good fun and all. You need to navigate the world as a functional growing human now.”

“I have friends on my WhatsApp and Instagram now!” She argued again and Sersi patted their shoulder. 

“Now Sprite. You said you wanted human experience and the ability to grow. Being in a group of people your age and observing how to grow with them is critical to that goal. You’ll learn how to be a modern human, learn how to love, and learn to chase a passion. You're starting an adventure by going to school… Also, this is the best way we can falsify records so you can actually live in some place.” Sersi tacked on and Sprite groaned. 

“Druig put all the skills or info or whatever I need into my head!”

“No.” Druig deadpanned as he peeled oranges for Makkari as she was writing out a list of things she and Sersi would be going into town to buy both for the house and for the baby tomorrow. 

“Oh Come on! Call it payback for hitting me with a rock! You know all about this brain development business. You were even helping raise kids in the forest!” Sprite said and Druig rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s why I know it’s a bad idea. Also, the rock was payback for what you told the Saxons about me  and  my brain is currently out of order.” Druig surmised as he hands a piece of fruit to Makakri and she grins at him. 

“What did they say to the Saxons?” Ben asked and Druig scowled down at the mischievous grin that broke over Sprite's face.

“There is a very distinct reason that the word Drugs is the way it is my friend Ben the human.” Sprite bragged as Druig launched an orange slice their way,

“Not this again.” Sersi sighed as Sprite cackled.

“You’re a fucking brat,” Druig argues, launching another orange slice, which Sprite catches before continuing. 

“At least I didn’t get caught by Ajak wandering the rural countryside half naked and high off my ass because I took shrooms and wine from the sketchy goat herder ladies in the hills of Athens.”

“Hey! She told me they were sacrifices, I didn’t want to be rude.”

“You went on a 3-month binge with a pack of crazy forest-wandering goat ladies getting either high or drunk or both then you gave them superpowered insanity. All you had to do was say thank you.”

“You’re the base for Dionysus!?” Ben exclaimed and Druig buries his head in his hands. 

“Tragically.”

“Every time you're upset, you run away to the forest.”

“Enough of that! Stop trying to distract yourself from this topic by antagonizing my Druig.” Makkari interrupts before Sprite can start a tangent.

“School can be a very fun environment! I wandered around going to random universities in the '70s. It was pretty cool!” Makkari offers, and Sprite scoffs.

“Yeah but that is college, this will be middle school  AND  Kingo wants to ship me off again.”

“No, I don’t! I just thought you would prefer to be immersed and connect with people your bio age and also in an environment where you can fit in best. You can go to school here in America and have Phastos and Ben be the home address or in India with me or Britain with Sersi. We can put you in regular schools or performing arts ....”

Druig slowly tuned the arguing out in favor of leaning and reading over Makkari’s shoulder, his hand unconsciously laying on the swell that was starting to poke from Makkari’s slender frame.  

“No more! Bad!”  a tiny voice pings in his mind and Druig frowns as the smell and taste of orange overwhelms him. It’s so strong he almost gags. He harshly rubs his nose and smacks his lips through a cringe. He almost misses Makkari stilling next to him, her hand tightening over his on her belly for a moment. She lets out a slow and deep breath to taper down the swell of nausea the orange suddenly gave her. Druig is quick to gather all the slices and peels, going as far as to toss them into a smaller grocery bag and leave them to throw it in the outside dumpster. The table goes quiet at the display, Thena frowns as she watches Druig hurry to dispose of the offending fruit.

“Are you okay Makkari?” Sprite asks, Their hands nervously lingering in the air as Makkari takes a few more breaths and palms her stomach.

“Maybe… I,” Makkari’s hand pauses in thought as she swallows a few times, “I need to brush my teeth or I’m going to get sick.” She finishes. She pushes back from the table and tentatively makes her way to the stairs before sprinting up them with a gag. 

The others watch as Druig marches back in grabs another plastic bag and start to gather all the oranges out of the fruit basket on the table, then from the shelves in the kitchen.

“Uhm…Druig, whatcha doing there?” Phastos asks cautiously as Druig yanks open the fridge door and grab the half-empty orange juice carton. He marches over to the sink and promptly pours the remaining juice down the sink.

“No more oranges, they’re forbidden. They make Makkari and the baby sick,” Druig mutters. He ties the bag off and starts to head back outside to throw them away.

“You can’t just throw away all th-!” Kingo shuts up as Druig whirls around to glare at him.

“No more fucking oranges in this house!” Druig snaps, eyes flashing gold in a warning. Kingo gasps at the quick rattling he feels over his mind for a moment, akin to a smack on the shoulder, as Druig goes back to his one-man mission to rid the house of oranges. 

“Welp, there’s another reason for going to boarding school, Sprite. You can enjoy oranges whenever you want and not have to worry about scary baby daddy Druig snapping at you.”

* * *

“Druig…”

“I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Druig…please let me build this crib before you injure yourself further.”

“I’ve built multiple homes!”

“I know Druig.”

“In the jungle! With limited tools and supplies!”

“Druig, give me the screwdriver. Go sit on the porch with Thena or something! You’re going to mess up this crib and give me anxiety when Ben, Jack, and I leave at the end of this week.”

“But-”

“If you were going to miss Makkari this much, you should have gone with her, Ben, and Sersi for the trip to town.”

“But they're going to be in town for hours, I can’t be around that many humans right now!”

“I just watched you hit your head 2 times, stare off into space for 3 minutes and bruise your hands trying to build a crib and a changing table. Go ice your forehead and lay down before I facetime Makkari that you’re being an idiot!” Phastos ended the argument, shooing Druig out of the bedroom 

Thena perked up from her pastel drawings as Druig grumbled out and laid on the porch swing behind her, a bag of frozen peas on his forehead. She gave him an acknowledgment hum before going back to her blending of blues, lavender, and green to make a water scene. He breathed deeply and loud for a while before it lost under the soft hum of cicadas outside with them. 

“Any art request for the little one’s room? I’ve been working on this ocean scene from a memory for them so far. ” Thena asks after 30 minutes of them enjoying each other's silence and Druig hums shortly from under the wet bag of vegetables.

"I was thinking of adding a tiny figure of Makkari to it, running on water is one of her favorite tricks. I could make a portrait of you lounging with goats." she chuckled. She waited for a moment for the mind manipulator to chuckle or quip back. She gave a heavy flinched and quickly scrambled up from her seat when a pitiful, whining moan and heavy thud from his side of the porch answer her. Her mind stings for a moment making her twitch and pause as she stares down at Druig.

He wasn't good. He rived on the ground, hand clutching at his temples, his pale face was bright red in the cheeks and wet with a fever's sweat as he gave guttural groans of pain. Blood smeared his cheeks and the fallen bag of peas, blood dribbles out his eyes as he spasmed to his back. Thena presses one hand into her temple as the other clutches her dress to fight off the haze of her Mad W'hry. Visions of him just like this, flailing on his back in pain, flash in her mind. 

****   Centri Six, Druig was dressed in his black and red armor, his right eye begging into Thena's as he clutch the hole in his face where his left once was. Sprite is screaming, Ikaris beams her next.

Rontay Eleven, Druig's fighting off the grip of Ajak, Makkari, and Kingo as the Prime Eternal heals the self-inflicted slit to his throat as the slave revolt of the Rony was being tampered down by invading Huelans. 

Atalo One, Druig cradling a twitching Makkari as her lower half is crushed between the thundering rocks as the world implodes and an electric blue hand rises from the icy mountain top. Thena cries out as the next avalanches crush them out of her view, the next glacier aimed for her. She going to die here, they are all-   ****

"Stop! Not here. I'm here, on earth with my family, I'm at home. and I remember." Thena whispers tightly to herself.

She forces the haze back. She collapses next to Druig to help him as he starts to sob and choke over the blood getting in his mouth. She rolls him to his side, straddling her arm over his shoulder so he wouldn't roll back in his trashing. With no care for the white fabric, she rips the lower half of her skirt off and uses it to wipe his face before pressing it over his eyes making him shutter at the pressure of her cool skin over his sweltering face. 

****   Era Four, Thena swears as she presses the bottom of her dress to the slashes racked down Kingo's leg. Ajak is running up the hill to them.

  Effina Twelve, Thena coos comfort as she presses the torn half of her shirt to the stab wound in Sprite's ribs. Ajak is wading through the creek to them

Netonia Five, Thena guides Ikaris to breathe as she presses the veil given gifted to her by the children of the village to the punctures in Ikari's chest. Ajak is standing and-   ****

"I'm here. I'm the only one here with Druig." Thena says tightly against the W'hry haze as Druig gasps.

"Then- Thena." He huffs out her name before it ends in a dribbly whine, blood in his mouth again as he nearly bites through his lips in muffles pain. Thena gasps and yanks her hand off pressing the cloth, his eyes shine a blinding gold that heats up the cloth sending a stinging heat to her hand. The hand she jerked back materializes a chakram for a moment and she forces it back to empty energy.

"I'm going to get you help Druig!" Thena command to both him and herself. She stumbles back from him before giving deliberate marching steps inside the Domo, temple, house, courtyard trying to right and calm the jittering and glitches of past lives in her vision. 

Two children block her path to her commander, they sit at a table covered in holograms, puzzle pieces, grapes, weaving, corn husk. The taller one instantly stands, their red hair swaying in the jerked movement to shove the smaller one behind them and cover the smaller one's mouth. They back into the corner the smaller one whimpering as the taller one gives panicked breaths as they stand at attention in a defensive stance. Thena instantly materializes a spear. They must be child soldiers so be prepared to fight after she caught them haven broken in. 

"Thena." the redhead whispers. 

"Thena, please! Relax, remember it's Jack and Sprite. Your family. Nothing is wrong Thena." The redhead mantras. 

"Wong. Druig... there is something wrong... Druig is dying. We're all dying. You are not my Sprite!" Thena utters right back. Sprite swallows as Jack grips their shirt in worrying fear. 

"No! I'm your Sprite, Thena. And this is your Jack and we are home on Earth together. We are safe. Please, please remember we are safe θηνᾶ. Your PHASTOS is in this house on Earth and safe. Your KINGO is in this house safe. Your DRUIG is in this house safe. Please remember we are safe θηνᾶ. " Sprite calls out calmly, eyes darting to the hallway.

Druig is hurt. 

Need our commander to fix him. 

Was the only clear thought in Thena's hazy mind as the scene of the world around her shifted. This intruder was lying, he wasn't safe. He was hurt. 

Before Thena can lunge forward to get them out the way so she could get to Ajak to get help for Druig who was injured by his own dagger, dying from the Deviant that slashed his chest, suffering from his flare-up. Thena is tackled to the ground from behind and the small intruders rush outside to Druig. 

"No!" Thena yells and starts to battle who dared surprise attack her as they send their troops to kill her injured brother. 

Jack yelps as Sprite tosses their jacket over his head and leads him to the driveway. They tense as they are forced to step over Druig who was whimpering, face covered in a bloody and smoldering cloth. Spite hurries and puts Jack in the remaining car's backseat. 

"Stay here and don't uncover your face until we come for you okay?"

"But!"

"This is your mission, Jack! Stay here, locked in, with your face covered!"

"Okay." Jack croaks out. 

Sprite sprints back to the porch. Using their foot to smash a hole into the lattice that block the underside of the porch until it was a big enough hole for a body to worm through. Sprite steady up then thunders up the steps. Crashes of Thena battling against Kingo and Phastos as they try to knock her out echo from the house. Sprite grunts as they drag Druig off the porch and then under it through the hole. 

"Did T stab you?" Sprite asks frantically once they are under, the fight thunders over them and then into the back lawn.

Sprite made the mistake of dragging the cloth off his face, gasping at the pain riddles through him, the blood crying from his eyes.

"Drui-" 

Sprite goes limp and unresponsive as something they'd only seen happen as an Eternal. Happen to their  human  mind. Druig mind control turns off their consciousness in a golden stun.

Chapter Text

Phastos and Kingo pant for air as they sit on the grass. Thena is knocked out. A quickly made damper cuff around her wrists that would hopefully keep her sleep until her mind fully comes out of the episode. The two men watched as Jack’s jacket-covered head popped up in the car window, Phastos quickly got up.

“I’ll find Sprite and Druig,” Kingo mutters as he follows after. Phastos just nods as he runs to the car and pulls out his sniffling son. 

"Did I do the mission good? Is Auntie T and Sprite gonna be alright?" Jack asks. Phastos take a deep breath and clutch his sweet boy to his chest. 

"We had to knock her out for a nap that will hopefully make her head feel better. Kingo's looking for Sprite right now." Phastos tells him. They move so that Phastos is sitting on the ground and Jack is cuddled on his lap. The two look up as a panic-faced Kingo gently pushes a golden-eyed and slacked Sprite their way. 

"We have to get Druig to a scan or something. I thought maybe Thena had injured him but there's no way she could do whatever is wrong with him. He's non-responsive but I felt his powers try and reach out to haze me like Sprite here when I tried calling out to him or touching him. My powers activate and I was able to shake it off but still." Kingo rambles an explanation as he coaxes Sprite to sit on the ground nest to Phastos. 

The inventor hums for a moment, stimming his hand to ruffle through Jack's curls, the boy humming in contentment at the feeling.

"I'll make a floating stretcher to get him to the Domo and call Sersi to get the to the other here. Kingo take care of Jack and Sprite for me. When I get back we can figure out how to snap Sprite out of this." Phastos rambles as he gently sets his boy back into the car and walks to the hole in the side of the porch. 

Kingo and Jack observe the slack Sprite. The teen's gleaming eyes looked vaguely in the direction of Druig, their posture alert for command.

"Is this like amnesia? It looks like Sprite's brain is turned off." Jack asks and Kingo gives a dry chuckle."

"I think that is the closest explanation we are gonna get right now kiddo."

"Oh, then I know how to fix it!"

"How?"

"Well, I saw on this cartoon once...."

***

Makkari is 1000% sure that her and Druig's little one was gonna be a speedster like their cool mom. She isn’t biased to claim so at all. She can tell with the tiny and steady fluttery movement her baby used in following her fingertips. Currently, she and the little one play a ticklish battle of footies and fingertips as Makkari taps a rapid pattern on the right of her bump. She nods as Sersi holds up a packet of plain black onesies and hats for approval. Still, she debates over just what to use the dark teal pacifiers that Ben had handed her is was for. 

“I thought babies need a breast or a bottle? This thing is not attached to a bottle, am I supposed to put it on my breast to help the baby eat?” Makkari signs, humming deeply as the baby kicks sharply to the fact that she dared take her hand away from their game. 

“Well, it's more for a placeholder comfort thing. At Least with human babies, they don’t really recognize that they are full, just hungry, so you use the pacifier to pacify them when they get fussy. It helps regulate them as well.” Ben says and signs as best as he can with Sersi throwing in more fluid movements.

“Can’t Druig just tell them in their mind they are fine and full?”

“Uhm… I... I don’t know the repercussions of mind-controlling or solely talking in a telepathic way to a baby. Plus they have to learn to regulate themselves. For when Druig or you or any of us can’t.”

“But Druig can mind control thousands at a time and project his mind. Once I learn their vibrations, I can be there in a blink!”

“Makkari, I took a bunch of infant development classes. Trust me when I say you want these dummies no matter how fast or wild this baby develops, they are going to want a pacifier every now and then.” Sersi says and Makkari squints in a teasing suspicion. 

“If you say.” 

“Trust me, now help pick out some baby so-” Sersi paused as her phone blasted  ‘Electric Lady'  by Janelle Monae. 

“Yes, Phastos?”

“You guys have to get back here asap. Thena had a Mad W'hyr episode and Druig’s head is getting worse and Sprite is. Out of it? We have to make a game plan.”

“Okay, we’re leaving now. I’ll push the car, we should be there in 2 hours.” 

Makkari frowns in worry as Sersi and Ben's faces morph into worry and fear when she hangs up.

“What did he say?” Makkari signs sharply. Sersi firmly grasps Makkari’s arm before signing with one hand.

“Something has happened with Druig, Sprite, and Thena.” 

Sersi braced herself and was able to use her weight to overload Makkari’s instinct to jet out of the store at inhuman speeds. She has to grit her teeth at the pure vibration of pounding off the pregnant speedster.

“Sersi!”

“You can’t run Makkari! You could cause another flare-up of your power and hurt both yourself and the baby. Relax.” Ben and Sersi sign. Makkari huffs and yanks her arm out of Sersi's grip to hold the cart instead. She gives a sharp breath as her body jittery over for a few moments but it calms. 

“Let’s go.”

***

“I think it’s prime time you join my Hit-in-the-Head-with-a-Rock Revenge list Kingo.” Sprite spits out as they rub their head. Kingo huffs as he rolls ice into a cloth and places it on their crown. The two stand in the dining room of the Domo as Phastos tended to Druig on the medical slab in his lab. Thena still rested in the power damping cuff in her old room, Jack being entertained by holograms in his father's old room.

“I’m sorry, but I know in human movies a whack over the head cures amnesia. I thought it was worth a shot to clear out the unconscious Druig haze. It if helps, it was just my hand and not a rock.”

“I’m gonna smack you when you least expect it.”

“Well if you were in school right now, you wouldn’t have to worry about this. Thena is dangerous to us, she’s deadly around humans.” Kingo barely finishes his sentence when Sprite sends a sharply placed jab between his ribs that send him gasping.

“I'm still part of you guys! I’m still part of the family!”

“Hey now! I didn’t say you weren’t. I love you Sprite, you’re my little sib but… you’re human now. We should have stuck to our code with no humans involved with beings like us. If you were still Eternal you could have handled Thena tossing you around or you could have calmed her with illusions but she easily could have sliced through both you and Jack. Now Druig has this Mad W'hyr. crap too. He could have sent you, Jack, or Ben into a coma or worse with this out of his control.”

“Druig doesn’t have Mad W'hyr,” Phastos says as he walks into the room. He runs a wary hand down his face as he leans against the counter.

“Uhm, then what the Hell was that?” Kingo grits out, pointing a thumb down to an upset Sprite.

“Because it looked a lot like losing control of your powers in a Mad W'hyr. episode. We should have seen this coming, his power set has been expanding, this whole weird connection thing he’s been having with Makkari and their baby…. This is our punishment. It’s coming.”

“Kingo-”

“No! Think Phastos! You guys kill Tiamut and disrupt the order of the celestials and the cycle of energy. Now suddenly Makkari is crippled by a thing that shouldn’t have been possible for any of us to do. Her and Druig getting so ill and now these flare-ups of Thena AND Druig going into a fit and losing control of his powers. Why doesn’t Airshem just pick us up at this point?!”

“Shut up Kingo! You sound like you want them killed!” Sprite yells and Kingo gasp

“I do not! I love you all but we were built for a mission that no longer exists. Tools that don’t get used get disposed of. And sorry to say Sprite you don’t have any say in this anymore, you’re a human.”

“Enough King! We, just need to get back together and figure out a plan like the first time. Yes, this is beyond our original mission and purpose. And that’s because that is over with, our new mission is each other. It is this family both the Eternal and the Human of it. You said you would never hurt us, well you already slipped out on helping the first time so calm the hell down.”

The three fall into a tense silence for a moment, the empty wind of the Domo the only comfort. Tears prickle in Sprite’s eyes. 

“I should have never taken Sersi's hand. I'm so fucking selfish. If I had been able to calm Thena we wouldn’t have got to this point.”

“Sprite, stop. This isn’t your fault. Would you blame Thena for this?” Phastos tries to soothe, them with a hand on their back. Sprite shakes him off, sniffling as they slide off the counter.

“Of course not but..she- my hair has grown. Our…. your bodies never change, my hair has never grown before and I’ve been so excited that I'm finally growing and the one time I needed to be the old me…I can never be that again and it hurt Thena. It’s going to hurt Druig, they will feel so bad that-”

“Hey, hey now. Don’t do this Sprite. Like Phastos said it's not Mad W'hry with Druig. We just have to figure it out and we- You  just  said I couldn’t calm her because I’m like this now and you’re right Kingo.”

The three lull to quiet again, Phastos checks his watch.

“Sprite, how about you go lay down until the others get here. They will be here in about an hour. That is enough time for some ibuprofen and a 30-minute nap at least. To recover a bit from that hit Kingo gave you.” Phastos excuses them. Sprite jumps at the opportunity and the two watch their petite frame hurry down the hall to their old room. 

Kingo sighs and sits in one of the chairs.

“I’m horrible, that was horrible.”

“For a writer, director, actor guy. Yes, you could have been better with your words. And you really need to reassess your mind about the value and abilities of Humans and learning Humanity. You need to learn how to change. Tools don’t get disposed of, they get put to rest to wait for their next purpose. We are beings, not Tools, we have the ability of a new purpose. But we don’t have the time to sulk on how you are gonna apologize right now.” Phastos says, sinking into the adjacent chair.

“We’ve done what we can for Thena at the moment. I’ll work on some kind of detector bracelet for her that can alert her and us for when an episode is going to start and get her in the cuff until it passes. But…”

“But with Druig?”

“He’s not gonna like my solution but I think it’s the only thing we got without Ajak.”

***

Druig came to, to the familiar sight and feeling of Makkari. She held one of his hands to the swell of her belly, gently pressing his palm onto her shirt as her other hand was replacing the cold cloth on his forehead and neck. Her face was tight and reserved in worry, brightness slowly filling it at the sight of his crystal eyes. 

 “Hello, my Lovely Druig.” 

“Hello, my Beautiful Makkari.”  They sign in the quiet of each other. 

“What happen? How long was I out?” he signs and Makkari bites her lip for a moment. She finishes placing the cold cloth on his hot skin.

“You’ve been out for about 8 hours, it’s nearly 2 am now. Your healing has hit a rough patch. It’s like a worse before it gets better moment and your body just isn’t devoting enough energy to it to get over the hill. It causes your mental wound to worsen and your power to get out of whack…. It triggered an episode with Thena and you took control of Sprite by accident. They are both fine now but…” 

“... I can’t heal by myself can I?”

“...”

    “I won’t do it.”    

“Druig!”

“No! I can’t have you get hurt because of me, I can’t have the baby get hurt because of me. I can suffer this, I’ve suffered for the beings I Love before and I’ll do it again for 1000 years if I have to. I-”

Phastos, Kingo, and Sersi walk in to check on the couple, Makkari glances at them as Druig frowns, curling his fingers into fists against his chest to stop his sharp words. 

“Hey Druig, how do you feel?” Sersi asks as they come over and sit on the edge of the other slab. Druig grunts as he sits up, ignoring his worried looks of Makkari. He groans and closes his eyes as the world goes dizzy for a moment with his movement, Makkaris tough and dainty hand in his is enough to re-stable him. 

“Achy. Phastos, what are we gonna do mate?”

“Still the same as before, we need a session with the Uni-Mind so you can get enough energy to fix your brain.”

“We can’t, it’ll drag in Makkari and it could hurt the baby!” Druig argues down and Phastos tosses up his hands. 

“It’s the Uni-Mind or you have more and more of these fits with your powers! I’m worried you’ll put yourself into a coma or … or you could develop Mad W'hyr. Ajak said herself it’s a disease brought on by the mind fracturing under the weight of its memories. And you already have the fracture, if you start having the flashback of past emergences or lives it may trigger your powers to do something worse than what happened today. I thought about making another damper cuff like Thena’s but it is clear you’re needed somewhat in the development of your and Kari’s baby. I’m stumped at this one Druig.”

All of them went quiet for a moment,

“The Uni-Mind, that was the thing that made me start floating in my jet right?”

The other four look at Kingo in shock for a moment before Phastos nods

“Yeah. So there goes a theory of sending Makkari away with Ben.”

“She cou-” 

Makkari cuts them all off with a loud clap that even rattles her own vibrational senses.

“Makkari is  right here,  with her  own mind  to make a decision with.  Always remember that !” She signs sharply to the whole room.

 She scowls at all others before her face softens at the downcast and worried look on Druig's face. She carefully takes his face in her hands, bringing their forehead together, her thumbs gently coax his eyes to close and she does the same. He lets her slip tenderly into his mind, making it come alive with mental images and signs.

 “You said I did a good job of taking care of this baby right? Of taking care of you?”   she asks to his mind, he gently nods against her forehead relaxing in relief at feeling her cool skin against his hot.  

 “Will you do the same for me?” 

“Of course, 100 times I will.”

“  Let me do this one more time while it is just the two of us, to take care of you by being involved in the Uni-Mind. If you can’t get past this with one big healing session. I’ll be raising this kid alone because you’ll be half dead or worse have to isolate again. Please don’t push me off again because you can only see long-suffering as your cure.” 

“I’m sorry I left you alone for those 100 years, made you leave me be. I… I was so angry I wanted all that was good away from me and that included you. I don’t want to leave you, I want us to change together to change with whatever this baby brings.”

 “Then let us do the Uni-Mind Druig. You’ve worked this hard so far and that with the baby chipping off your energy.” 

“I never thought I wished for Ajak so bad. Have her fix me.”

 “You can fix yourself again. Just without the 500 years You just have to let us help.” 

“We aren’t even all of us. Gil, Ajak….Ikaris…”

 “We are as us, as we are going to get. We are making more…Please do the Uni-Mind Druig. My lovely, lovely Druig.”   Makkari begs in his mind. 

Druig lets out a big sigh and gently pulls out their connection. Makkari opens her eyes, and Blue peers into Brown.

A tiny and steady flutter kicks at the hands pressed on the right side of Makkari’s swell.

“I’ll do it.”

Chapter Text

“Habibi, you’re going to melt into an old man frowning like that.” Ben hums as he creeps into the lab of the Domo. Phastos gave a dry chuckle as he once again repurposed the sphere from Sersi’s chest to make the bands of the Uni-Mind.

“Don’t tempt me, that means I get to grow old with you.”

“Who said I’m growing old?”

“For the last decade, I’ve found you my favorite thing to study. And you’ve gained 5 gray hairs on the back left of your beard.”

“Are you sure you're not Shakespeare?”

“Nah, that one’s Sprite’s ole pet project,” Phastos says warmly as Ben’s laugh lightens him. The man settles next to his husband and gives a swift kiss to his cheek as Phastos concentrates on whirling the bands again.

“Are you sure you don’t want me on standby in the house for Makkari? If she spikes a fever or faints after this she must have some help cooling down and gaining her energy back. You’ve shown me how to do the hologram scan glove thingy, I can pull her into the ultrasound while you all help Druig.”

“Tempting, but I’ll have Sersi and Kingo on the ready. I’m a little nervous the Uni-Mind drawls may affect you, Jack, or Sprite. I’ve programmed them to only detect Eternal cosmic energy signals but…you humans always seem to stump me or go beyond me. I still can’t recreate Greek Fire after all. The Celestials better bow in fear if Jack gets some accidental superpowers.” Ben curls over in laughter at that statement, nudging into Phastos' shoulder, making the inventor relax. Ben presses another kiss to Phastos' temple.

“He’ll beg for a replica of your suit.” Ben hummed as he touched one of the glowing floating pieces and watched it bat away back into the cosmic pull Phastos had on all the little pieces.

“Tragically, a tailor I am not.”

“I’ll commission mom to make it. She’ll go on a big rant about how  'finally one of those superboys has a modest costume for her sweet grandson.'  ”

“I'm so glad I impressed her by tricking out her sewing machine. I swore she was gonna kill me with a glare when you brought me home.”

“You're amazing Habibi, you impress us all every time.”

*

Kingo waits tentatively in Sprite’s doorway on the Domo, watching them explore the scrolls, paintings, and trinkets they had left behind (and that Makkari added). They carefully cradled a miniature bust of Thespis' head. 

“The wig I wore was so damn itchy. But we were leaving the area soon, I didn’t want Ajak to catch me sneaking out to act or for them to think I was a girl and kick me out.” Sprite says softly.

“I still think you could have pulled off the whole nymph thing for a little while longer.” Kingo joins in, perking up that he finally had something to say after their earlier blow-up.

“Nymphs, Spitfire, fairies… was I ever human-like to you? Was I always this tiny trickster thing? Was I always this nuisance that needed to be left behind?” Sprite says, their face redden with hurt and embarrassment, tears in their eyes. Kingo flinches at such a look.

“I’m sorry, Sprite. I- I made too many mistakes when it came to you. My head’s too big. I never really looked at you and saw you for the person you wanted to be. Some kinda big brother I am.” Kingo apologizes as he walks in. He picks up a scroll with a detailed painting of Thespi holding his acting mask high, light shining off it and displaying intricate curves to the audience. 

“You should take this and tell Jack all about it. I think I remember one of these nights…. I was serious on the plane when I said you inspired me to be an actor.”

“Well, now I’m just a lowly human. A tiny wimpy life that’s gonna whisper out in about 70 years into something no one really remembers as they were. Just remember the pieces that stuck around in time.” Sprite whispers and Kingo pulls them into a hug. 

“You’re gonna find what you want to be. I’m sorry I refused to understand you, while you wanted to be a being that grew and changed. I was privileged to my own ego, how I was already set. You are smart and scrappy and pretty damn strong in your own rights and ways. It was smart how you handled Thena and Jack, you used the ability of your new self just fine.” the two were quiet for a moment, Spite buries their face into Kingos shoulder and sniff back another round of tears/

“I don’t want to regret being human. Please don’t make me have to leave this family to avoid feeling that.” Sprite whispered into his shoulder and Kingo held them a bit tighter. 

*

Sersi watches as Thena jolts up with a quiet gasp, her skin flickering with sickly gold lines for a moment before she gives a hard blink and turns with clear sadden eyes to the matter manipulator. 

“Sersi! When did you get back home? Oh no Druig….I had an episode when Druig needed me.” Thena whispers hoarsely and Sersi grips her hand. 

“Even in that, you were seeking help for him. Sprite said you were marching in and repeating a directive to get Druig to the commander for help when you spiraled out. Phastos came to him just in time before a flare-up from his powers could cause more damage.” Sersi comforts and Thena hums and sits up.

“Sprite…. Sprite has longer hair now. It’s to their back and they have those layered bangs that swoop all over.” Thena hums.

“Yes, they do. You remembered it just fine.” Sersi reassures and Thena gives a pain-filled chuckle.

“I shouldn’t be around here. You guys, what if I hurt Jack or the new little one?”

“We know you don’t want to. We see you work against it, we will help you.”

“....Thank you. How is Druig? He was in a lot of pain when my episode happened.”

“He’s recovered enough but he needs help to get this last stretch of healing done. We are going to do a Uni-Mind session to get him the last bit of energy he needs. Phastos theorizes if he doesn’t get this mental wound healed he’s next to get Mad Wh'yr or go into a coma. If he’s not here to give energy to Makkari for the development of the baby. It may be a loss.” Sersi explains. Thena stands, stretching her body as if preparing for a sparring battle.

“Well enough lagging around with me. The family needs us to be ready to go.”

*

Jack waves out the back window at the Domo as Ben drives off from the house, down the long dirt road with Sprite next to him in the back. The prospect of room service and hotel pool swimming was barely distracting to the worry the boy had about his super-powered family and wearily little cousin still in Auntie Kari. Sprite pats his back and has him turn back in his seat. He yawns as he squints at the bright green 4:27 AM displayed on the dash of the car. 

At least he got to stay up so late, the sun was already coming back. At least 7 hours after curfew and he could sleep in into the afternoon.

Chapter Text

Gilgamesh wakes up naked, his legs entangled in fish nets, coated in wet ash and spitting up a mouthful of dirty water. He coughs and sputters as he drags himself to a half sit, kicking off the nets. A loud gasp gets his attention, he blinks hard and the worried looks of 3 young men greet him back. 

“Druig's friend from college is fine! Miguel, go get Ocotlan and some pants!” one of them commands. Another of the young men flaps dirt and fish scales off one of their burlap tarps. Gilgamesh, give a dry chuckle as he is wrapped in the fishy fabric.

“How did I get here? I was...wait...”

“Sir?”

“Thena! Oh no! I let Thena get killed.” Gilgamesh starts to cry.

“No sir! You came from the water.”

“What?” 

“Yes sir. We had just set up to fish for the morning when gold lighting stuck down in the water. The water start bubbling and then you floated up all glowing. We used the nets to pull you to shore.”

“But.. but that deviant. It was attacking us, he was going to get Thena an-”

“Sir?

“I died. It sucked the energy out of me and I-” 

The young men startle back as Gilgamesh lays back suddenly, groaning as he coughs up another mouthful of water. Something akin to butterfly or dragonfly wings flutters in his chest, helping him to cough it out.

*

Ikaris is falling. The air around him freezing and stale. His body is so hot and weak. The only light is tiny circles of energy pulling at him, making him fly in some unknown direction. They ping gently off his skin like dragonfly wings. He just groans and closes his eyes again, waiting for the sun or Airshem to repurpose his body again.

*

Ajak is sitting when she wakes up, naked with smokey lungs and a weary head. She sits on a green woven mat that Druig gifted her once upon a time (late Egypt she thinks before he starts hammering her more about him using his powers to stop the wars and hurts of humans) the shattered remnants of her favorite vase (a little red and white porcelain thing that Phastos made her in the 13th century. She usually keeps her cinnamon incense in it.) are around her, she's hidden in a little smooth cove behind a waterfall. She sticks her head out through the water and gasp at the sight she was at Agua Azul in Mexico her favorite summer spot that she frequently would travel to with Makkari or Sprite, or Sersi when they could be together. 

“Airshem! Tiamut!” she says out loud, she shivers at the light whisper on the breeze that answers her. It tingles past her ears like butterfly wings, the words gone before she can process them. She carefully stands, wrapping herself in the mat before bushing as many of the vase pieces into her hands and leaving out.

*

Druig is fine. Energized, cold, and a little dry-mouthed (a bit hungry too but who isn't?) when the Uni-mind disconnects, he doesn't even stumble as the five of them settle back to the ground. He jets over to Makkari as she sways dangerously on her feet. She huffs an unsteady breath, her body jittering as he scoops her up, and they all hurry into the Domo to Phastos lab to scan her and the baby. 

Makkari gives a harsh wince and shakes dangerously for a minute once he gets her on the slab. Druig kneels next to her, gripping her hand tightly as he meets his forehead to hers. Makkari mutely whimpers, shaking as she tries to breathe through harsh uncontrollable waves of energy burning through her body. Phastos expertly works around them as he pulls up past holograms on her, then readies the gloves to scan over her body.

“U- O- K? U-N-I work?” Makkari signs in shaky shorthand and Druig gives a reassuring hum that she lightly senses.

“With you? I'll always be,” he says as brushes back the fly-away baby hairs that had sweated out her braids. He frowns at the heat that absolutely  radiated  off Makkari. Druig presses her hand to his chest and gives exaggerated breaths as her steady breathing turns into harsh pants for air. She gives a strangled whimper as she starts to shake uncontrollably, the light rings and rays of energy that she gives off when she runs static-like around her body. 

“Phastos!” Druig half yells. He scrambles onto the slab with Makkari, bracing her to his chest just like that first night. He forcibly tries to guide her to breathe as the cosmic energy in her runs rampant. 

“Kingo! Sersi! Go get some cold water and rags. We have to cool her down quick. Druig, keep doing that. Help like you did last time! I'm going to look in at the baby next.” Phastos commands. The two free-handed Eternals race off to the kitchen while Druig slips into Makkari's mind.

Druig braces through the painful hit of the uncontrolled energy trying to overcome him as well and send pulses of calm to her. He is much quicker than last time. It's easy to wrangle the races arches into stillness before helping her to whirl them back to the source within her. 

‘Steady, steady. Bring your power back to your core. Steady, steady.’

Her consciousness barely responds to him, the scare of it nearly jolts him out of her mind but he presses on. Catching the sizzling and jerking lines of energy and laid them over the coolness of his mind control with ease, prodding her back to him as he does so.

 He thinks he's nearly done when the familiar pinging flutters of their little one suddenly radiate around their minds. Druig and Makkari feel a lulling heaviness overcome them both as the pinging flutters become tangible warmness and a soft glow in their shared mind space. 

“Shit!” Kingo curses as both Druig and Makkari suddenly go limp and he scrambles to catch them before they fall off the slab. 

“Oh my!” Sersi exclaims as she helps Kingo to settle the couple onto their sides. Phastos start to scan Druig as well and freezes for a moment. 

“What's wrong?”

“Uhm... I, I can't explain. They just suddenly went into stasis. It's familiar but-”

“What?” Sersi asks and Phastos groans in frustration and backs up from them all by a few steps.

“It's like how Ajak or you would go into a trance when talking to Airshem.”

They all back away from the two, standing in a still shock as if waiting for their consciousness to be called before Airshem. Sersi is quick to shake it off and wrenches the cuff of the Uni-Mind off prompting the others to do the same. 

"Shit, what if Airshem is talking to them? What if he has found out about this? We have to get the cuff off them!" Kingo shouts. He and Sersi are quick to come to the couple's sides and try to work them off. 

"Calm down. Calm down! It's, it's more like that time Druig passed out on the porch I think! He said that was him and Makkari talking and then, well- We have to keep treating Makkari's fever first." Phastos insists. The other two frown but abandon the idea of the cuff and go back to piling Makkari in cold cloths.

“ Dark and Warm is Hot! Big and Bright is gone! I hot! I sting! I move a lot. I scared, Big and Bright is gone! Dark and Warm is Hot and Glow bad! New company will fix it! I'll give the Bad Hot and Glow to Others. Others will fix it. New company is here? I touch it. Move. I feel it. Move. Hello! Hello! New Company is Big and Bright! Big and Bright make Dark and warm not hot. Company is Warm and Smooth now! Smooth and Warm! Smooth and Warm was gone! I feel bad. I feel hurt. I scared. I bring Others to fix! Now Smooth and Warm are here! Smooth and Warm are good feelings! Smooth and Warm and Others fix hurt and bad. Big and Bright? I am Hot still It Glows in Dark and Warm. ” 

Druig is stunned as the mindscape is suddenly shifting from a brain fog of nothing to a harsh white-warm glow, stifling heat, and the barrage of frantic thoughts coming from the baby. His head stings as the little one thoughts echo over and drown out his own and Makkari's 

“Let Smooth and Warm finish...fixing things. You won't be hot if you let us fix it.” Druig pulses back, he fought through the white heat and grasps the little ping that is his child's mind. 

The chill that lingers over his body and consciousness lays over the buddling mind. Quickly calmness and awareness fill the space of their connected mind. Makkari's mind connects back to them and signed thoughts of love and concern join them both and it dims the brightness and heat of the mind space. Until it is a relaxing darkness and cozy warmth that was usual to what Druig perceived from his Child's mind when he checked in on them.

“The Others didn't fix enough but Smooth and Warm finish fixing it all.”  the baby thinks sleepily. It is the only thought the rings from the baby before Druig and Makkari wake up.

Makkari gives a painful grunt as all her joints crack at once through chilly shivers. She swallows painfully as Druig groggily sits up with an arm around Makkari's waist. She frowns at her skin soaked with lukewarm water and sweat.

“Oh, you guys are awake! Are you okay?” Sersi says as she watches the couple rouse themselves. 

“What happened?” Druig asks. He clumsily grasps one of the damp rags that were wrapped around Makkari's arms and uses it to wipe off Makkari's face. Makkari hums, closing her eyes and relaxing back. 

“We don't really know. Makkari had another grand seizure and fever after you two passed out...or went into a trance, I guess? It's been about 8 hours since. Your stats were stable besides your body going impossible cold. You both stabled out about 2 hours ago. How are you feeling?” Sersi asks as she hands Druig two bottles of water. He shrugs as he helps Makkari to sit up a bit and drink.

“Just wore out I guess. Thirsty and hungry for me. I'm not sure about 'Kari.” Druig says softly as he settles Makkari back down after she drinks about half the bottle.

“How do you feel Beautiful?” Druig signs and Makkari gave a soft sigh. 

“Tired. Nauseous or uncomfortable I guess... Heavy again...sore,” Makkari signs sluggishly, stress tears gathered in the corner of her red-lined eyes. Both Sersi and Druig frown at that. Sersi places a soft hand on Makkari's forehead and tsk at the warmth over her skin.

“We could take a shower? Go to bed in my old room yeah?” Druig offers. Makkari just raises her hands as an answer and he is quick to wrap her up in his hold and stand.

“Sorry to ask you again m'lady. Can you get us some pajamas? Leave them in my old room, also...maybe something to snack on too?” Druig asks of Sersi. The matter manipulator gives a sorry smile and rubs Makkari's hand.

“Of course. Take your time. I'll update the others while I'm at it too.” Sersi says. Druig nods his thanks and is quick to whisk Makkari off. 

Druig remembers the first time he had re-visited the Domo. It was 1804, Makkari had taken him to visit Thena and Gilgamesh after a request for Thena to be put to sleep for a while was asked of him in their transition from Siberia to Australia. 

He was tired and wanted to spend time with  just  Makkari. He knew Makkari squirreled away her hoard in the Domo but not to this extent. She had filled Phastos rooms with inventions of the past as they slowly faded out of use along with any folklore about grand craftsmen or myths. Kingo's was full of things that pertained to precision. Various dart boards and the evolution of archery that mixed with theater memorabilia. Beautiful tapestry, recipe scrolls. ancient spices and bead-works piled on every surface of Gilgamesh's room and so on. 

Surprisingly, nothing had crept into the halls and old common rooms yet. Makkari's room only had narrow paths set through tens of selves that only her sly feet could navigate. The bed was gone it seemed. Druig had excepted his room to be overrun too, probably turned into a wine cellar or Library of Alexandra 2.0.

But oddly, nothing was changed. The walls were still dark and sparse save for the white wooden sculptures and still lives of fruit that hung on wires. His storage baskets of scrolls were still tucked neatly next to a shelf of books and figures. Even the marble jewelry holder that only held his bracelet of beads at one point (the first gift given to him by Makkari who had the matching one worn as an anklet) sat dustless on his old desk.

The only thing different was the bed. Among the twisted pillows and blankets were the human clothes he left behind, They were made into a nest perfect to fit a certain speedster and have her engulfed in the scent and texture of her lover. Whatever energy he had lost in helping put Thena asleep for a month was quickly found so he could kiss and make love to Makkari on every surface of that room.

But that was the past and this was now. 

Druig notes that the room is still the same way when he steps into the room after a cool shower. Makkari is naked, clean, and content in his arms. Save that the bed was made rightly with only their pajamas being the new thing on the wide mattress (ignoring that one of his stolen gray robes was being worn by a dark green body pillow) and a stack of pizza boxes and a hill of empty pudding cups live in the comer of the room next to the door.

“Listen, I know I'm a glut. But Kari... this was at least 9 packs of pudding cups.”

“Shut up your child wanted it. The butterscotch was atrocious when it came back up. The pizza was great though, beef and bell pepper with sweet-n-sour sauce, amazing stuff.” Makkari signs. 

Druig chuckles as he sets her on the bed, she leans into him as he gently dresses her. She watches through half-lidded eyes as he leaves her to dress in his own pajamas as well and sets the air to be cold. Before she can even think to shiver he's tucking her into the wool blankets and then clutching her close to his chest. Makkari melts at the steady thud of his heartbeat against her senses, unconscious her fingertips tap the pattern against her own chest.

“I love you.” Makkari taps against his pec in Mores code. He hums and taps it back as the two slip into a restful sleep.

 Makkari wakes up with a scowl at the harsh vibrations that come from the side table. Even with the rest, her body feels weak and heavy. She squints through the dim light at the items on the side table. Sersi had set both their phones, two bottles of water, and a bowl of grapes on it. Makkari blinks lazily at it before the vibrating of Druig's phone catches her attention again. She reluctantly squirms against the trap of Druig's arms around her, she frees one of her hands and promptly pinches Druig's cheek with a little pull. 

She gives a huff of a laugh as Druig snorts awake. His hair is a bit of a ruffled mess as he gives hard blinks to wake up.

"Kari?" he croaks and she nods her head over as the phone rings again. He sighs as he sits up one hand rubbing his eyes as the other stretches over Makkari, grabbing the phone and answering it. Makkari settles back to the pillows, watching with half-lidded eyes as Druig takes the call. His free hand idly translates some highlights of the conversation.

“ Ocotlan. The village is well. The orchard is well. No one is bothering them yet. Gilgamesh is-”

Makkari and Druig both jolt to attention at the last bit. Makkari scowls as she waits for Druig to listen and talk to Ocotlan. Reading his replay off his lips best she could from his half-turned face.

“When? Dragged ______ lake ? Is _ okay? Good. Does he____ anything? O____ We’ll be ____. Yea all of us you ______ Ikaris. Aye, Adiós y cuídate.”

Makkari gives quick and nervous taps to Druig’s back as he takes a breath to center himself and looks over at her.

“Sorry, I wasn’t facing you. Uhm…Gil… Gilgamesh is alive and back at the village, some fisher boys said some kinda lightning energy hit the water, Gil’s floated out and well, he was just remade.” Druig explains with disbelief written on his face and signs. Makkari frowns her face, cuffing one hand over Druig’s for a moment.

“Little One did it.” Makkari signs slowly after a minute.

“What?” Druig asks and Makkari grips his hand and presses it to her belly.

“Remember when you pulled us all into the same consciousness after I had another power seizure? Little One said they were scared and hurt that you were gone. They got too hot and got the others to help fix it.” Makkari signs, hands shaking a bit. 

“Talk to them!” She insists. Druig calms her with a rub on her belly and a kiss on her temple. 

“Relax, Beautiful.” he mouths and Makkari huffs but does as such. She watches his eyes close and the soft gold glow illuminate under his lids.

“Dark and Warm always. New company is here? Move. Dark and warm always. I touch it. Move. I feel it. Move. Hello! Dark and warm always. Hello! New Company is Big and Bright? Hello! I good. Dark and Warm are good. Big and Bright is good.”

Druig can’t help but smile at the babble of his child’s mind. He feels Makkari rub her thumbs over his dimples, fondness radiation off her.

“Hello Little One, what did you do to the Others when you were scared, hurt, and hot?”

“I got them to fix Dark and Warm. I gave them all the hot and glow. Then Big and Bright come back and fix it all. Then we sleep.”

Makkari frown as Druig silently signs the melded conversation with their child. What in the world was hot and glow? How did their little one give it away? Who are the Others they could have given it to?

“Who are others?” Druig asks. The baby's consciousness was silent for a moment before he was barraged with images of all ten Eternals being together pulled from Makkari’s memories. 

Braiding hair, gossiping, and foraging with Sersi and Ajak.

Cooking, battling, and doing beadwork with Gilgamesh and Thena. 

Watching plays, dancing, and gambling with Sprite and Kingo. 

Racing, drinking, and hoarding candy with Ikaris and Phastos. 

All ten of the Eternals; battling, talking, eating, celebrating, and living with each other. It was a fast-paced showing, like someone flipping franticly through a book yet pointing at every single letter on each page.

"I fix The Others. The Others fix Big and Bright, Dark and Warm. Big and Bright with Dark and Warm fix me!" the Little One's conscious rings out one last time. Druig pulls out the connection cautiously with a push for calm and sleep. 

Makkari yawns at it but gives Druig an incredibly worried look. He gives a small but tight smile as he cuffs Makkari's face. 

"My beautiful, beautiful Makkari. What the fuck did we make?" 

Chapter Text

“I fear our son will never recover from this Sugar Rush. I can't believe Sprite let him eat 4 ice cream sandwiches in a row. He's currently holding them hostage on the water slide.” Ben relays to Phastos over the phone. He watches Sprite be practically dragged by Jack up the watery neon steps to the top of the frog-shaped slide. 

“I rather it be sugar than cosmic radiation.” Phastos chuckles back as he cleans more of Makkari's artifact junk into a corner.

“Mom sent me an update picture of the replica suit. She's finished the top half, and added all of our initials on the back of it.” Ben relays. Phastos can't help the soft smile that breaks out on his face. 

“Mom is awesome.” Phastos sighs.

“How is everyone?” Ben asks and Phastos hums.

“Kingo got a call from Kaurn to come back to India soon. The halt on production for his film is getting a bit too long, it has his co-producers antsy. Sersi said she'll stay as long as needed. Thena...is isolating herself, she focusing all her energy on making art for the nursery or texting me updates about the more permanent damper cuffs. It's hard to see her like this, it's just like when she woke up at Tenochtitlan.” Phastos explains and Ben gave a sympathetic tsk. 

“I'm sorry Habbai. I'm sure we can get a plan to support her, we can't have her trying to leave the family.” 

“Yeah, Makkari and Druig are alright I think. Makkari's fever broke and Druig took her to his room to rest, I looked in on them and they were still sleeping.” 

“That's great! It's only four so I'll give Jack another hour to run off his energy then get us ready to return to the house.”

“Okay, see you here soon. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Phastos swipe the call off and went back to clearing the space. He had just got the cluster of medieval amours to the hall when Druig comes down the hall. He walks nervously but with a mission up to his inventor brother.

“Hey, Druig! It's good to see you up. Everything okay?” Phastos says and Druig takes a deep breath.

“Is the Domo flyable?”

“Yes? It's not enough for space yet bu-”

“That's fine, but we need to get the others now and get to the Amazons. It's important.” Druig drills through and Phastos frowns.

“Druig? What's going on man? I'm not dropping everything to fly off to the Jungle without good reason, especially with Makkari needing to be stable and resting.”

“It's about Gilgamesh. He's...he's back and back as himself. We need to get everyone and talk about how powerful the baby may be.”

Sersi wipes again and again at her tears as she and Kingo watch Thena and Gilgamesh embrace. Thena's prim and strong frame is desperate as she curls around Gilgamesh's broad body. Every ounce of super strength Gil has is seen as he crushes Thena tenderly to his chest locking her close with his arms. The two are so tightly held that they may not lose each other again but fuse into one another. The sickly lines of gold try to flicker over Thena's face but that further spur her to bury her face into Gilgamesh's shoulder and it fades them away. She would remember and live and enjoy holding the man whose care for her was beyond words once again. She deserves that.

When they finally let each other go, it's not reluctantly, the promise of finding a way to be by each other's side is permanent. Gilgamesh gives a hearty laugh as Sersi and Kingo run into him next for a welcoming hug.

“Listen, Gil, the next vacation you need is on me. I need you sitting up on the beach enjoying life and a grill full of kebabs.” Kingo promises and Gil shakes them both with his laugh.

“I rather just have us all around right now. I can't believe you guys did it. You saved the earth.” Gil says as they let go and lead him to the fan boat. 

“Don't look at me, it was all Sersi.” Kingo shifts the subject and Sersi flushes at his curious and proud look of Gil.

“I think it was a group effort. We can explain more when we are back home. Right Thena?” Sersi deflects and the Eternal Warrior gives a distracted nod as he looks up at the trees at something. Gil gives her hand a warm squeeze, and it draws a small special smile out of her.

“Mr. Gilamesh! It is very good to see you, sir. Your courage has been rewarded in new life!” Kaurn greets him and Gilgamesh nods.

“It's nice to see you as well. Thank you for sticking with King. Where are the others? I'm sure it would have been easier to send Makkari for me.” Gil asks as he all settles into the seat, he watches the bank for Thena as Kingo talks with the driver, and Sersi settles in front of him.

“Well, it would have been but she is a bit incapacitated right now. Druig stayed behind to take care of her while Phastos is finishing some repairs to our base house.” Sersi explains and Gil frowns.

“She didn't lose a leg did she?”

“No! No, her body is fine. It ju- Thena! No way are you bringing that, this is its home!” Sersi breaks off. The boat tips a bit as Gil roars in laughter, standing to offer a hand to Thena as she steps in with her cargo.

“It is for Jack. I promised to get him something cool.”

“Something cool would be a unique rock or craving! This is an iguana Thena!”

“Lizards are cool Sersi. I would think you being a science teacher of all things would understand.” Thena says, a fake pout on her face for a moment before smiling at Gil as he gets close so half of the iguana now rests in his lap and hers.

“Gil, please talk some sen-”

“Thena really loves her lizards. We had a group of them that like to lounge around the house in the outback or they would follow her on walks.” Gilgamesh responds and Thena is smug at his approval of her shenanigans. 

“No snatching iguanas from the Amazon. I don't think I can get him past customs, also Phastos would have a cow.” Kingo says as he settles into the boat. The driver gives a nod as he readies the motor.

“How come Phastos can have a cow but I can't have the reptile?” Thena hums. She gives the scaly creature a few more pets then she gently lays him back on the bank when he skitters back towards the trees in peace.

“I hope you still have some good bun recipes in your head, Gil.” Thena requests as the fan starts and they ride their way downstream. 

 “Of course,  Dòushā Bāo  is a pretty quick dish I could jump back in with. You'll have to be quick to get one Thena. Makkari and Druig practically inhale them all as soon as they are out of the steamer basket.” Gil teases.

“It'll be a nice treat. Makkari has been busy making a bun all her and Druig's own.” Thena hints and Gil gives a confused hum.

“The only dishes Makkari can make is sauces and the only thing you can trust Druig to do in a kitchen is cube fruit.” Gilgamesh jokes and the others have a soft laugh at it.

“Well, this is part of the big explanation I was talking about. After the incident here. I had an...evolution with my powers. I can now transmute organic beings. Phastos invited something called a Uni-Mind, it allows us to all be connected and share out energy with one of us to boost our powers. Ajak and the Celestials were wrong. We can evolve now, our bodies can learn along with our minds. Tiamut is gone and as of now poses no threat to destroying the earth. The other Celestials haven't appeared or called us. Ikaris... he is gone. Sprite is human now and Makkari and Druig...well, they have a child on the way.” Sersi explains the short of it. Gilgamesh sits stunned, Thena gives his hand an encouraging squeeze.

“But, that-that's impossible. Sprite human? Us being able to have children? I knew about the Celestials underestimating us, but this? Wow..I-” Thena squeezes his hand again. She pulls his attention with a soft hand to his cheek.

“I avenged you in the battle with Kro. He tried to use you against me, but I remembered the real you and the real me. I had another episode while you were gone but I was still able to hold on enough to get help and work through it. Phastos is even inventing a cuff to help detect and deflect the episodes. Our family is strong, loving, and strange and it's going to grow now. We don't have to be scared of this Gilgamesh, we just have to help care for this new part of our lives. We just have to love it, care for it, and we truly live.” Thena comforts. Gil gives her hand a soft kiss on the palm of her hand.

“This is pretty adventurous after a 500-year slump.”

“And it's going to be a grand time.”

Chapter Text

A soft dread fills Ajak as she listens to the loud dial tone. 

The cosmic healer sits in the office of a church in Frontera Corozal, Chiapas. She is tired, wet from a bath and dressed in an oversized brown dress that was pulled from the donation box by the nuns. She nervously rubs the rubber of the phone cord and prays (hopes would be a better word, she no longer had Airshem and the Celestials to pray to) that Sersi picks up. 

The matter manipulator was the only person she could think to call in this odd situation. Gil is usually out of service range with him and Thena's isolated home in the outback. Ajak's best communication with them was by mail. She had no cellphone to facetime or text Makkari with. Kingo had told her he would be unreachable because he would be filming arctic scenes in the out lands of Greenland. Phastos would be asleep with his family at this time and Druig... well last time she counted. Makkari had returned almost a thousand letters back to her, all those envelopes unopened, the messages in them never received. Sersi, her most kind and responsible one, was the first resort. 

“Hello? This is Sersi Sumer.” Sersi says in her soft, professional voice. Ajak relaxes a bit at it. 

“Hello Sersi, it's me Ajak..I..uhm.”

“Ajak!” Sersi shouts suddenly, cutting her off with a watery tone. Ajak takes a deep breath as her eyes tear at the beautiful sound of her family. She can't believe she almost never heard them again.

“It's me, Sersi. Yes it's me hun. I'm sorry to shock you but-” Please be there, we have an emergency. I've... I've been wrong, so wrong and I need you all to help fix this.”

“You guys! Ajak is alive too, how-” Ajak frowns at the chatter and gasps that fill the other side of the phone. Was everyone all together? Had Ikaris changed his mind and banded them together to stop the Emergence? Were they all on the Domo somewhere?

“Sersi! Sersi, listen, I don't know what's happened to me, especially as to how I woke up in Mexico, naked, with my favorite vase broken. The last thing I remember is I- uhm, I was fighting off a crew of surprise Deviants, up north somewhere. Could you please send Makkari to Frontera Corozal, Chiapas. I'm at the Iglesia Catolica, they have a teal cross on a white building.” Ajax says and the line goes quiet again.

“Ajak, things have changed. Uhm, oh it would be better explained in person. I can't send Makkari to you, but! If we talk with the pilot now and redirect, we can pick you up in Kingo's jet. It, hold on- Kingo!” 

The line muffles again as Sersi and Kingo have a rushed conversation, Sprite's and Gilgamesh's voice chatter happily in the background.

“Hang tight for 5 hours please!” Sersi says and Ajak sighs with relief.

“Of course, is Makkari okay?”

“Oh she's fine just... incapacitated at the moment.” Sersi explains and Ajak hums in worry.

“Okay, please hurry, I'll heal her as soon as I can.” Ajak insists and Sersi gives a huff.

“We are fine Ajak, just different. Please rest up, we will be with you soon.”

Ajak bites her lip in worry as Sersi hangs up. She softly sets the receiver back in the base and paces off to the empty bedroom the nuns had allowed her to settle into as she waits for her family. She was grateful at first, grateful for the working phone (and it's true inventor) , grateful for the pitcher of cold water, grateful for the lint-covered cotton dress, grateful for the small bed. 

She can't help but stare out the open window, gazing at the yellow moon. If she imagines enough, listen to the near-mute lingering of his overbearing voice in her body, it almost resembles one of the glowing hollow eyes of Aireshem. 

It was all starting to hit her, quickly ousting the content warmness of her gratefulness to the heat of  her guilt. 

Guilt for it all.

 Guilt her lies.

 Guilt for her complacency. 

Guilt for her sharp suppression. 

Guilt for all the hurt and death she subjected both her Eternal family and billions of lively beings too in the name of her faith to cycle of the Celestials. 

She sinks down to her knees as her eyes trail to the belt of 3 stars and five points. She thinks that was her first rebellion on Earth, to utter her lover's name after 20 eons to the one Eternal she knew to turn such a name into inspiration. To allow his image, no matter how removed from the real being, to be remembered after Aireshem refuted him. She wonders to the Celestials

“Did you ever think of the wonderful tiny things you made? Did you ever give them a care-filled thought of just how great they were? Or were they just specks of energy for you to eat and eat again?” Ajak mutters to the glowing hollow eye that is the moon.

 Ajak lays down.

 Memories of her laughing family, of her arguing family, of her loving family fill her mind at first. Then of that family making her fall in love with Earth. Most importantly, a memory she always played in her mind to get a crumb of peace and calm when the crack of raw emotion between the faith of her mission to feelings she crafted in living waned on her. 

She thinks of an Eternal, Rion. A fighter class Eternal. He had soldier-built stature with wise gray eyes, hot dark-brown skin, dimples over his sharp jaw and love in his gap-smile. His wide hands are soothing as he caresses her, one to her cheek, the other over the swell of her dropping belly filled with both them. His last kiss crashed into her then hurt with how quick he was snatched from her, his rumble of a voice lost to the wind as he was shattered into stars. 

Heat and pressure fill her, forcing her to lay down on the powder-sand of the planet Aireshem had caught them on. Her body glows as Aireshem tired but cannot pull her up. The green crane-like beast of the beach flocks over her and hides her from his sight, but his voice rings in her ear.

“Your abomination protects you now, he shouts at me to leave you and I cannot argue the energy of his pleas. You are part of his rule until his emergence from you. Very well, your punishment is later.” Aireshem roars over her and she sobs in his mercy as he leaves. She grips her belly as she is cooled by the wings of the cranes.

“Rion? Rion!” she croaks but only the rolling of the sand and the click of bird beaks answer her back as their baby is hot in her. 

Although she hasn't felt so hot in 25 eons, neither her lover nor her baby, Ajak misses that heat the most. She curls under the blankets and sheets, uncaring of the hot night air.

Makkari pops back grapes as she watches Druig carry the crib into his Domo room. He scoots it around to random areas before squeezing it between the wall and bed. He nods at his work before leaving again.

 Makkari polishes off the bowl and starts in on the stack of graham crackers with a jar of spicy peanut butter. He pushes in the changing table stacked with the bedding and baby clothes they've bought so far on it.

“Papa weird” she taps in Morse code on her belly. The Little One is thrilled with the attention and Makkari giggles at the flutters that answer her back. 

“ Papa is a Bird '' she taps again. Druig starts to haul in their stuff in laundry baskets. She gives four loud claps that gather his attention. He drops what he's doing to sit on the bed's edge.

“What's with moving out? Gilgamesh will most likely share a room with Thena. Kingo, Sersi, and Sprite are leaving soon too, we have plenty of room in the house.” she signs and Druig nervously grips his hands for a moment. 

“I can't stay around Ajak. I... I just can't” Druig signs after a minute and Makkari frowns.

“Ajak is dead...Little One brought her back too?” Makkari's signs and he nods.

“Yeah, she called Sersi when the others were about 4 hours out. I'm not that much of an arse to kick her out of her own home but I'm not living with her again. I don't want her in my life or Little One's.” Druig scowls. Makkari claps her hands.

“Druig! What did I say about including me in these things? We need Ajak! If we didn't, Little One would not have brought her back. She is the only one who's been through this, She can help us understand the pregnancy and how the birth will be. She our family, like our mother.” Makkari argues and Druig shakes his head.

“I can't trust her. For 7000 years she knew how I suffered, and was the cause of it. She lied and lied until she couldn't handle it anymore, not for our sake. She was punished for her pregnancy, what if she thinks we are wrong for this? I don't want to risk it. I don't want to be around her, I'm not ready.”

Makkari is shocked still for a minute. Druig rubs a soothing circle on her leg.

“Please Makkari, you know me. I'm still hurt by what she did before we knew the truth. I'm still hurt about the lies. I'm still..” Druig stalls off. Hands hovering and mouth agape for a moment but Makkari gives a soft whine at the beginning of the next words.

“You are still mourning her too? That’s fine Druig, we've been going through rough times. She loves us though, we’ll heal together, we need the help.” Makkari tires and Druig shakily covers her hands in his. Pausing the conversation, the two just breathe in one another for a few minutes before he signs and speaks again.

“I mourn Ajak long before Ikaris killed her. Her being family, this Maternal Eternal, I lost that feeling in the 1200s after... after she poison’ d me. Weak'ned me so I'd sleep through what those fuckin savages did to those slave kids hiding in the coves. She knew! Heard from the shipholders. She knew what I would fuckin do and she... she comfort’d me. She comfort'd me when the hurt of those kids woke me… but I was too fuckin' weak to save 'em. All those times she sick’d Ikaris on me when I stepped out of Aireshem rules to help others. What's gon’ change about her 'Kari?”

Makkari places her hand on his knee in comfort as his rant continues.

 “She and Ikaris are the same. Ikaris loved us, didn't stop em from trying to kill us until the end. If he hadn't loved Sersi so dearly... we'd be respawn, empty head, puppets on the next planet with Earth gone. She loved Ikaris but told him the truth so he'd suffer alone with that guilt. She loved Thena but was ready to make her a husk to hide her lies. She loved me and Phastos but always held us back and let us suffer from what built up. The Domo is your domain, all the things you've made value of, are here. I will follow ya and Little One anywhere in it. But I can't be in a place where she can interfere and play  a god's puppet master again.” Druig ends, he kisses Makkari's hands as they linger in the air in thought.

The two are quiet and watch each other few moments. Makkari brings his hands to rest on her belly, before raising her own.

“I see you Druig. I always have. I've lost count of all the times we've sunk off to save the humanity we love so much. I never want to see you as hurt. I nearly killed Ikaris right back and let him kill me to join you when he put you down that volcano. But I never got the chance to hate her or to even mourn. Not Ajak, nor Gilgamesh, even Ikaris and Sprite my heart is waiting for a safe time to break about it. I haven't slowed at all to think about it, of having those feelings sink into me. I still love my mom, so much. I want her so much. I think she's our best bet for information about how I'm supposed to grow and birth this baby. I... let's wait. Once Little one is out and I'm healed. We can leave this place, we can leave on the Domo or anywhere we decided to raise Little One and still have family support. We've let ourselves be lonely from the others for too long. If you will allow it, you never have to talk to her, I'll get any info.” Makkari compromises and Druig gives a shallow nod.

“I'm glad the others were blind to how much I love you.”

“What?”

Druig grasps her hands and kisses each finger gently before kissing her mouth with a soft peck.

“Because you're my biggest weakness Beautiful.”

++++++++++

“Baby.” Druig says. Makkari crosses her arms, palms up as she rocks across her chest. Like rocking an invisible baby to sleep. Jack gives a studious nod as he copies her movements. 

“Crying.” Druig says. Makkari gives a frown and uses her pointer fingers to trace tear tracks on her face. She gives a near silent huff of amusement as Jack's face exaggerates and he copies the movement. 

“Now sign, 'the baby is crying'. I think you can do it without us.” Druig instructs. Jack gives a scrunch of his brow in thought before attempting the sentence. 

“Baby. Crying.” Jack mutters as he flows through the two signs. He leaves his left hand palm up as he tracks his right pointer finger down his cheek. The effect of his facial expression is lost as he breaks out in a big grin when Makkari gives him a proud smile. 

“You're going to make an excellent big cousin! The Little One will call you Big Jack '' Makkari signs. Druig gives Jack a minute for him to translate the signs himself before asking him for confirmation he translated right.

“Hey guys! They others have just landed arrived!” Ben calls off the back porch. Jack runs off, leaving the couple at the table. Makkari was sitting with her back to the door and Druig at a protective angle to see the doorway. He gives a lost glare into the table, one hand nervously wipes at his thigh while the other makes a tense fist on top of the table. Makkari gives a soft huff, her hand slipping over his wrist and tapping out I-L-Y over his pulse. She guides his chin up from the glare into the table to meet her eyes. He melts for a moment.

She feels the familiar vibrations of her family’s steps as they clamor in, the brass bass of Gil makes her smile for a moment. But then she watches Druig’s eyes dart sharply to the side. Makkari looks over her shoulder and gives a mutes gasp at the sight of Ajak at the center of the door with the others either on the porch or to her side.

Ajak is frozen in the doorway in soft awe and relieved longing. This was the first time she's  seen him in person since she watched him storm down those stairs 500 years ago. The first time she's ever had Druig in her home. She thought she'd never see the day Druig would be in her home, comfortable at her table. Although, it seems he never lost that look of sadness, fury and suspicion he only saved for her. 

Druig stands, then steps forward until he is next to Makkari and has a grounding hand on her shoulder. She gives him a strong look that seems to give him the urge to speak.

“Ajak.” he says sullenly and Ajak feels her heart drop at it. 

“Druig. It so good to see you, to actual see you.” Ajak says softly as she comes forward. Druig gives two steps to her as well before she surges forward and engulfs him in a hug. He is firm and stiff but she doesn't care.

Ajak gives a sobbing chuckle as she takes in his scent, a soft fruit smell with a hint of cotton. He's had it since the day he was first assigned to her eons ago. She hated to remember that the last time she had him in such a hug to detect the scent was because she was forcibly healing his neck back together while he fought her on Rontay Eleven.

“Uhm,” Druig mumbles as he grasps her forearms and gently forces her off him. In an instant his hands retreat to their normal posture of clasp in front of him, almost protectively. 

“You're in my home.” Ajak whispers and he gives a sullen nod. 

“It's good you’re alive Ajak...Uhm Makkari.” He says, his hand absentmindedly doing her name sign as he reaches back to help Makkari to a stand. The gasp strangles out of Ajak as Makkari steps into Druig side, his hand in hers. Makkari gives her a coy yet nervous smile. 

“Hello Ajak. You've missed out on a few things.” Makkari signs with a slowness, like she was easing a test onto the Cosmic Healer. 

“Yes, I've...How...” is all Ajak breathes, her hands uselessly hanging in front of her hips. Makkari gives a slight bump of comfort to Druig's side before reaching forward and grasping Ajak's hands. She gently guides them to her belly and Ajax holds her breath as her fingertips graze the warm swell of it. 

“She is about 4 months along, five in a  week.” Druig says as Ajax fully holds Makkari’s belly.

“What have you two done? It’s always you two causing mischief together.” Ajak whimpers before tears leaks down her face in a soft sob. She curls over until her head rests on Druig’s chest and her hair brushes over Makkari’s arms.

“Ajak-” 

Ajak cuts off Makkari’s hands, ignoring the tense fury coming to Druig’s face. 

“What are you two still doing here? Phastos, hurry to the Domo with me! If we are quick enough we can disengage the trackers and autopilot systems, Sersi if you can jump start a garden they will have plenty of food an- Ajak! Stop! What are you talking about leaving for?” Druig cuts off her frantic commands.

Ajak gives him a wide eyed and confused look as he scowls down at her.

“Druig, I was wrong in my dishonesty. But I refuse to be cruel.”

“Coulda fooled me!”

“Airshem will come for you two. It is not a matter of if he will, it’s when he will. He does it suddenly, he’ll snatch you up first Druig. He’ll dangle you in the air and tear you back into cosmic bits while Makkari watches. Makkari, you’ll  be left to suffer alone. It was a blessing I was already a well established Prime with Aireshem that he just repurposed me after I gave birth. But with Makkari he may just destroy you after the birth. That may be better though, you wouldn't have to live the curse of never knowing where your baby was, if they were safe, of missing seeing them grow after feeling it for so long.” Ajak argues. The whole room I stunned silent at her confession

“Is that… is that what happened to you and your lover?” Sprite asks, tears coming to their eyes as they nervously hold Sersi’s arm. Ajak sobs and breaks her stare off with Druig. She turns from them, looking out the window instead to the fading sunset that’s rays still hide the sight of the stars. 

“His name was Rion. The stars that his body made are gone from the universe but only on earth can I still see them. I let the mission of the Celestials destroy a lot of things, a lot of life. Now, I have to be selfish and refuse him to destroy you all too. I love you all so much. I don’t know why he hasn’t come for judgment over the stopping of Tiamut’s Emergence but allowing Eternals to evolve enough to create life? That is the greatest sin to the Celestials.”

“But that’s the thing Ajak. He hasn’t come and… I can’t contact him.” Sersi says softly. She comes forward and gently guides Ajak until she is sitting in Druig’s seat while Makakri returns to hers. Druig stands behind Makkari’s seat as the others crowd around the table as well.

“To stop Tiamut’s Emergence, we repurposed the sphere you left  me into these braces called the Uni-Mind that Phastos developed. He refitted it back to the sphere to give back to me. We had to use it again to help heal Druig from a mental injury that he couldn’t heal by himself.”

“Mental injury?” Ajak asks, meeting his eyes again and he nods. 

“Our first idea was to have me just put Tiamut back to sleep. I was in a mental connection with him when Ikaris dragged me out of it. I was never able to close it before Sersi had to kill him. We found your notes and figured I could heal myself with a lot of rest. But, the baby needed me and my mental energy way more. So, I had to get help from the Uni-Mind.”

“Oh.” Ajak hums, she stares into the table in front of her. 

“Do… Do you think Airshem even knows then? That Tiamut is gone and that Makkari is preggers?” Kingo asks Ajak and the old prime hums.

“He has to know Tiamut is gone because he hasn’t reported to him to start creating. How long has it been since you’ve stopped him?”

“About 4 months.” Druig says and Ajak nods. 

“I see. Where is the sphere now?” Ajak asks Phastos and he reaches into his pocket. 

“I’ve reconstructed it but it hasn’t shown any signs of activity.” Phastos explains as he hands it to her. Ajak lets her powers light her hands and frown as nothing happens to it. 

“Very well. Sersi.” Ajak croaks and she steps forward. 

Ajak transfers the sphere to her hand instead, and the room holds its breath in wait. The sphere glows for a moment… nothing. It just hovers, then rises and fades into Sersi’s chest. She braces herself to be thrown into Airshem palm, the others wait for her to go into a trance.

But once again…  nothing.

Chapter Text

Makkari sighs as Druig massages down her ankles and feet. Even though he wasn’t in her mind at the moment, he can practically picture her running on a hamster wheel at a million miles an hour in there. 

They have made it to month eight. Two more to go. 

Two more months until they could meet Little One and give them a real name. 

Two more months until they could fuck off somewhere and Druig wouldn’t have to look at Ajak. To see her floating around with that sad-guilty look on her face every time he refused to be near her on his own.  

Two more months until Jack would visit again with his new arsenal of ASL mastery. 

Two more months… until Airshem decided if he wanted to punish them all. (Double abominations for the price of one divine punishment! As Kingo would say)

Druig and Makkari want it all over at this point.

 No matter how wonderful the deep naps as they all chilled in the same mind space were. Makkari is still dealing with the jitters and disorientation. Druig is dealing with secondhand restlessness and exhaustion from having to recenter her.  

No matter the victories the Makkari can finally claim over Druig and Gil in their unofficial eating contest. Makkari is still dealing with the sudden bouts of nausea, cravings, and intolerance. Druig was dealing with the empathy sickness as he comforted her.

No matter how beautifully Thena, Makkari and Ajak worked on the nursery both in Ajak’s house and on the Domo. Makkari still wants to tear off her skin and just run until she erodes. Take the world apart, beat the dust off of it then rearrange it for Little One. And she can’t watch a single piece of news because of the sheer dread and worry it fills her with. (dear god, Druig just felt this all the time, with no turn-off for how long?) 

Druig was actually cool with the sudden nesting urges. He was used to customizing a home out of spite and nothing. But he also just wished there was a perfect place for the bassinet.

Makkari gives a wince when feeling finally returns to her feet and Druig tiredly climbs up and lays next to her. Both were thoroughly tired of touching one another, Makkari in her skin bursting mood and Druig catching the pangs of it mixed with his own temporary hypersensitivity. 

(a possible side effect of having to spend double time centered in the Uni-Mind. His powers felt on fire and bass boosted. It was like he was only 80 years old again. Forced to spend time with Ajak and some monks learning to put up mental walls with building blocks again. Just for mental baby babble to randomly knock them all down)

Anyway, the only comfortable way to exist at the moment was just them lying together. Druig on his back and Makkari on her side, AC blasting coldly, with half a foot of sheets between them.

“Livin’ the dream” the motto passes seamlessly between their minds and they shake the bed with respective giggles. 

“You know-” Makkari signs to his side after a while, the sun having drifted.

“- I don’t mind the bread being a little undercooked. It just makes it softer right?” she finishes. Druig huffs a laugh as his hand goes over and cuffs her belly.

“Say that to Gil.”

“I would never be allowed to S-E-E an oven again.” she jokes, before one of her hands drift to cover over his. 

“10 months exactly is what Ajak said.”

“Our baby is cool tho. Little One can get this whole thing over with sooner.” 

“They got to bake all the way, my darlin’ ”

“Damn it.”

“Yep.”

“... baby is going to look SO CUTE in that teddy bear onesie I found.” Makkari says, picturing the fluffy thing she stole from a maternity boutique in South Dakota. This was before she was limited to walks around the ranch two weeks ago. 

“The Smithsonian better pray the Little One isn’t as klepto as their ma.” Druig chuckles. Makkari bats his hand off her with a  smile and huff.

“I have been thinking of something Sprite said lately.” Makkari signs after a while. Druig fully turns on his side to her and scoots closer until her hands are the only room in between them.

“What’s that beautiful?” Druig asks, Makkari shakes her fingers for a moment. She draws a S with her fist over his chest then cuffs her hand on his arm muscle

SUPERPOWER

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. About if the Little One will get mine or your powers or will they have their own thing.” he says. Makkari frowns in thought.

“I don’t think they will be fast like I am.” Makkari signs. Druig frowns his face in question and Makkari shakes her fingers in thought.

“I can tell they think with a voice like you do. Not with sensations and visuals like I do. I can tell they mimic the sounds they hear from out here. When they feel me tap on my belly. It is T-A-P, not the feeling of it being a tap. If they had my exact powers of speed and sonic booms, they would be deaf already.”

“Hum… I never noticed the difference like that.” Druig responds and Makkari gives a teasing smile and tugs at the bottom of his ear.

“Most that can hear don't. You don’t have the sense missing to notice life without it. Plus living in the jungle for some time, you are tuned to listen all the time. You like it here too much to notice it’s different.” Makkari gives a croaky chuckle as she brings their foreheads together. Druig makes her shiver in retaliation.

“They don’t like to go fast. When I feel them let out energy, it's like getting stunned or frozen.”  she finishes explaining, and Druig hums.

“You think their powers are more like mine?”

“Yes. What do you think?”

Druig kisses her temple a few times before shuffling back.

“It’s not quite like mine… I think it has something to do with energy convergence, a P-S-I-O-N-I-S kinda power. They did use all the extra energy to re-make Gil and Ajax after all, but only from where they were left off.”

Makkari bites her lips for a moment, her palm cradling the lower swell of her belly in concern

“What if they are as powerful as a celestial? That kind of power might scare the other celestials into doing something drastic or attach other evils in the universe.” 

“I thought we agreed on no more news for you?” Druig deadpans, Makkari hits his shoulder.

“Druig!”

“Sorry! Sorry, but I’m serious, My Darlin' Makkari. It may be because I’m still a pessimist or nihilist or whatever philosophy the humans made while I was in the village but… so what? So what if they are? They are already on the way. We’ve been waiting for our unknown suicide for 7000 years now! What's a few more months, years, or millennia for us? I think as long as we love each other, love the little ones, and do our best so they are safe and healthy. Who cares, we will get to the issues of their powers when they get here and start doing stuff with them.” Druig signs and says. He ends his explanation by holding her face in his hands, smiling as she relaxes under the smooth motion of his thumbs. 

He frowns when she does however, her hand slipping onto his chest until it rests over one of the fading scars.

“I… I still remember when you were taken from me. I love our family but I want death if you or the baby are taken from me like that again. I’ve felt the fierce vibrations of screams before, from humans, from animals, from deviants. I ‘ve never wanted to scream before, had no need to. Why scream when I can make the windbreak sounds itself? But when Ikaris put you into that volcano, made me watch his dumb face declare you dead and I couldn’t find the vibrations of your heart… I wanted to scream until I couldn’t breathe again. Run myself apart so I wouldn’t feel the pain of it.” Makkari confesses before she chokes off in a sob.

Druig is quick to hug her close to him. He trembles as he tightly closes his eyes and tucks her head under his chin. By all the faith in him, Druig wanted to damn near sink her into his skin so they were never apart again. It takes them both an hour of compressing into one another, muttering and kissing whatever part of the other was in front of them to calm down. 

Makkari is the first of the two to pass out and Druig follows in sleep after her. 

He hears and feels the uniformed thud of everything in the room levitating back to the ground. Like it was relaxing with them.

He pretends it is just his imagination as he slips asleep. 

Ikaris gasps as he wakes up, groaning at the familiar feeling of Earth’s gravity on his body. He trembles as he sits up and is surprised by the glowing blue blanket resting over his lower half, he looks around and is shocked to find he is on a fresh volcanic beach.

The beach of the emergence to be exact. 

It had greatly tamed from the last time he’d seen it. Black cliffs and ferny-like shrubs grew on the closer inland of the beach, seabirds floated around and crabs camped on the dark sand. The vast shadow of Tiamunt’s Marble head still juts out the ocean in the near distance, blocking the setting sun. 

“Good! You are awake. I was starting to worry that my cousin didn’t fully reconstruct your consciousness.” says a low and husky voice.

Ikaris whips around to find who appears to be a young man, going by Earth years, about 25. He wears a silver, dark cyan, and light gray Eternal’s suit. He is half a head shorter than Ikaris with a toned frame, a nicely handsome face with an umber brown complexion, and his wavy black hair in a rugged cut just under his chin. He gives Ikaris an easy gap-toothed smile and his gray eyes glow softly. 

Ikaris staggers to a stand and powers up his eyes in defense.

“Who are you? How did I get here?” Ikaris demands. 

The man gives a low chuckle that seems to echo in Ikaris' ears. The squawking bird quickly disappears from the sky,  and the crabs around them pause and then bury right where they stopped. Ikaris gasps as the world seems to go still and mute, even the ocean waves no longer lap, the water just seeps into the sand. 

Ikaris grunts and falls to his knees as the meager energy he zaps out of every part of his body but his consciousness. He can only watch out of blurry eyes as the man’s eyes glow brighter and little arcs of silver cosmic energy ping around him.

“While I do not mind the questions. You have no right to demand of me or threaten me. Airshem nor the rest of the Celeste would not dare to take away my playthings, do you want to become a Mahd Wyr’d husk?”  he asks Ikaris. The superman can only blink rapidly in response, the man sighs out his nose with a roll of his eyes, and with a blink of his own, the world turns back on. Ikaris sags in renewed exhaustion. 

“I am Astro, the First Abomination  Celeste. I’ve come to meet my new cousin and it seems she’s already requested you. Don’t know why from the memories I’ve gleaned from you. Once she understands what you did, she might just send you back to the sun.” Astro explains. 

His hand glows silver and Ikaris braces as he waves a hand over Ikaris's head. It heals the lingering injuries and scars over him with only a fiery sting through his body for a few moments.

Astro steps back and cranks his head back to take in the marble figure of Tiamat. Letting out a breath, silver arcs of light appeared under his feet and propelled him up until he was level with one of Tiamat’s upper eyes.

“Return to your core. You don’t have to suffer nor destroy the planet you love anymore,” he says in a ghostly whisper before he lays his forehead on the center peak of Tiamat’s.

Starting at the frozen celestial’s finger tips, he melts back into the ocean. The Earth’s Celestial disappears in golden drips and white fog, and the vast figure of Tiamat melts and evaporates back into the ocean. Not to be seen gone until the morning, when the government scientists check.

Astro comes back down and scoffs at Ikaris kneeling like some warrior hero to a king. 

“You know your way around here right?” Astro asks, his foot coming to sit on Ikaris' head and lightly tapping it.

“Yes.”

“Cool, I want to try these churros I’ve heard some ravagers talking about.”

Ikaris sits up in confusion, as sees the honesty on Astro’s face.

“Churros?”

“Yeah, they said Terrain Churros and something called Xocolatl is really good. Then after that, I want to relax in a hot spring.”

“. . . really?” Ikaris deflates and Astro rolls his eyes.

“Is this not the planet you and the others betrayed the will of Celeste for? I want to see the wonders of it and I want to try the things I hear first. Come on now.”

Meanwhile,

Sersi perks up as her phone rings and she sees it is a FaceTime from Makkari. With a little smile she puts her grading aside and answers but blinks to see the phone was being wrestled around.

“Makkari, this is damn embarrassin’ .” Druig hisses as his free hand rubs the sign to the side of his cheek. Sersi hears Makkari kiss her teeth and the tips of her fingers flicker in and out of frame.

“We just bought you a 5 pound bag of cashews and pecans!”

Makkari audibly gasps and her fingers fly again, Sersi catches the signs hypocrite flashing over and over.

“Fine!”

“Um… hello?’ Sersi finally says and the phone stills before it is filled with Druig’s sheepish face.

“Sorry about that, Sersi.”

“It’s fine. What is the issue? Not any more health problems I hope.”

“Oh none! None at all, Karri and the babe is doin’ fine it is just… um… could you possibly…” Druig flinches as Makkari impatiently shoves his shoulder and shakes him a bit.

“I'm getting to it! Anyway, do you remember the baklava we had in Pherae, Aeolia towards the end of the Bronze age?” he says and Sersi has to hold back laughter.

“Not particular instances, but I remember a many of baklava we had back in the day. What is the issue? Any recipe I’d have I’m sure Gilgamesh can make just fine.”

“Yeah well… we just learned that the specific type of tree nut used in the Baklava has been extinct since the 1200s.”

“Okay?”

“Could you be a great sister and transmute some walnuts into them and ship them to us? Express please.”

Druig looks off to the side and sighs.

“And Ansault pears.”

There was a series of happy claps and the roar of Gilgamesh's laughter.

“Please.”

“Of course Druig!”

“You’re the best Sersi.”

Chapter Text

Druig and Makkari sit on the gently swaying porch swing. Makkari dozes as Druig massages her swollen ankles and takes in the sunset. Druig's mind was too preoccupied to rest as he was tossing a mental pulse back and forth with the baby, slowly wearing them out. Gilgamesh is in a similar position out on the hill in the distance, holding Thena close as she works on a pastel sketch of some of the horses and goats. 

Ajak watches them all with a soft smile, glad to have some of her family near and thriving again. She focuses on Druig over her cup of tea with his eyes softly glowing, they flicker back and forth under his lids and his massaging hands. It reminds her of Rion and when he would use his powers to superheat his hands and rub away all of her aches from the pregnancy or how he would freeze Tak Syrup and mash it into an ice cream-like dessert for her cravings. 

She finally stops her stalking through the window and goes to the porch. She pulls up the wicker chair until she is about 4  feet from the couple and waits. Druig gives a weary sigh and tips his head back at her presence. 

After their initial conversation when she first arrived back, they hadn’t talked much outside of concerns for Makkari’ and the baby. Ajak greatly wished for some of those letters she had tried to send to him over the past 500 years. Past Ajak had her thoughts much more together than the current she. But then again, those letters still had much of the lies and delusions she’d been relieved of as of now. 

He sits up fully and blinks until the glow of his eyes is gone before giving his attention to her.

“What is it, Ajak?” he asks. 

“I… we haven’t had a chance to just talk in a while. 500 years.”

“I know, that was the point of me leavin’ so we never had to talk again. I hate lies and liars and that’s all you feed me for over 7000 years that I even know of.”  Druig snaps.  Ajak winces at the words.

“I am sorry Druig, I regret most of the actions I did for the sake of Airshem.  I regret hurting you by letting you suffer with the anguish of humanity and not finding ways to better help you. For punishing you for caring so much when that is what you were crafted for. To be honest, you scared me with how close you always came to the truth of things, how close you always seemed to come to reading my mind one day. I just knew that if you truly learned, you’d become a rogue, an enemy of the mission for the sake of beings, humanity just seemed to be the most daunting of them.” Ajak apologized and Druig scoffed.

“And how do you know I would have done that if you had just been honest when we first arrived!”

Ajak is quiet at that, the sun lowers and fireflies start to fly around them.

“There was a time when all the Eternals on a team knew of the truth of their mission upon landing. The fighters of the groups tended to view it as an athlete would view going overseas to play their sport for better pay and recognition. The thinkers like puzzles to unravel. But then too many started to fall in love with the planets and people they helped foster. Some did it out of empathy for the beings. Some just didn’t want their work destroyed and lost to time. Some just never grasp the concept that such powerful beings need more of themselves in sacrifice for what was already alive and thriving. Too many Eternals turned deviant. Too many started to challenge the Celestials directly. Too many proved that they could evolve and be just as powerful as Celestials but with the knowledge of how to tear apart that power and how to give it to the minuscule beings that never bothered the Celestials before.” 

“Pawns became knights that became kings.” Druig summarizes and Ajak nods. She lifts a hand, and lets a few fireflies rest on her skin.

“I had just been remade and my son flung off when I received my new mission to lead the nine of you. You may never remember what you started off as, but I do. I was in charge of deciding what traits of your personalities and manners were retained mission after mission. I was in charge of determining what needed capping of your potentials.” she trails off, thinking of an example as Druig’s eyes filled with even more disdain and disbelief.

“Sersi had no concept of abundance and balance in nature for a while. I could not stop her from overindulging in prey animals. For every one thing hunted by the people, she would make 10 of them. It wasn’t until the prey animals started to become predators on the beings that she loved. I told Airehsem she needs to be capped at affecting living matters. That was about mission 4. Makkari accidentally ran so hard then she stopped so abruptly, the sonic boom she made tore a great hole in the atmosphere. That planet and celestial were scrapped and repurposed. I had her speed capped. So on and so forth, you can get it.”

“What… What did you do to me? All this talk about pruning us, how did I end up like this!” Druig demands of her and Ajak flinches back.

“When you were re-foraged about 3 missions back from this one. I ask Airshem to cap the amount of people you could affect or control at once. It was later discussed that it would be too much of a liability for you to be unable to control mass amounts of lower beings at a time. So I offer that you should be given hyper-empathy and mental sensitivity. You used to have the ability to put up powerful mental walls inherently and that made you greater. I figured you would naturally limit yourself if there were constant consequences for casting your mind too far. I am sorry that created your long-suffering.” She confesses. 

Druig was stunned at the confession. All this time. The cause for the feelings and thoughts of humanity wearing him. His struggle to block it all out was meant to be a weight placed on him by the Prime and the Celestials. 

“You’re vile Ajak.” Druig says softly after a while. Tears came to his eyes and his throat felt thick.

“Those first 1000 years… taking me to all those monks, knocking me out when it was too much, ‘helping’ me to learn to build mental walls. You were breaking me in like a fuckin’ horse! All to hide your lies and the Celestials' intentions! How can you say you loved us? That you loved me? You had a direct hand in crafting my constant fucking misery!” He swears. Ajak sniffles at that as he gently resettles Makkari to lay out on the swing, then storms off.

“Duri-”

“I don't want another of your fuckin’ excuses! The moment the babe is here, we’re leavin’ and you will never see me again!”, he swears. Ajak collapses into herself at his declaration as he makes his way to the Domo.

Makkari wakes up half an hour later. Confused as fireflies landed on her nose and someone gently tucked a blanket around her legs. Makkari looks through the window and sees Gil simmering something while Thena chops tomatoes. No sign of Druig nor Ajak. She tries to send out a mental pulse on their connection but surprisingly, nothing answers her back. It was a wall. It gives her flashbacks to their time in the 14th century.

She huffs as she gets up, the weight of her belly pressing her diaphragm, and winds herself standing. 

Just as she stands, she is down. A heavy lethargy weights her down, she can’t even step back to the swing, just sinks to the porch floor on her back. Nausea makes her swallow but it’s inevitable, she throws whatever sound she can muster out, tapping her hands weakly on the wood. She can’t turn over, by the Celeste's she was going to die just like this. 

In an instant Ajax is by her side, rolling her to the left and patting her back as Makkari loses her dinner. Makkari can’t even concentrate on the vibrations of Ajax but she feels relieved as Thena rushes past the two to get Druig from the Domo. Gilgamesh is next, picking Makkari up, she can’t help but hang limply, desperately trying to make her hands grip his shirt. 

Gil gets her to her bedroom and carefully lays her on the bed on her side. Ajax is back at her side, waving her healing hands over her back Makkari fights to stay away but every stream of energy Ajax seems to put into Makkari is sucked away. Druig hurries in and grips Makkari’s hands, and starts to send waves of soothing energy and pulses of positive energy. 

“ --- Cold --- Why---is --- -old?” Makkari reads from his lips. It frustrates her because Makkari is sure that she wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on it if he signed either. SHe was entering a fuzzy and tired headspace. She wants nothing more to do than fall asleep but an inkling of dread fills her at her probability of waking back up. 

“She needs more energy. This is the final stage of the baby’s development, they are trying to get all the energy possible for it. Can you communicate with them?” Ajax asks Druig. Makkari finally puffs out a whine as Druig’s hand presses harder than it ever has to her belly and the glow of his eyes cast over her. 

“.... They are there but… they aren’t responding. Is… Makkari dying? Is our baby dying?” Druig yells and Ajax’s glow intensifies as she tries and tries again. 

“We need to get her to the Domo. Thena call Phastos, Sersi, and Kingo. We need to do that Uni-Mind thing. I can stabilize her on the Domo but she needs more. If we can’t stabilize her for the long term… she may need to deliver early or lose the baby.”

“Fuck!” Druig curses, he comes back to Makkari, her eyes blinky heavily, near slits, he presses his forehead to hers, trying to relay the information but feeling her barely concentrate or grasp the information. 

“She’s not responding much either,” Druig whines, running a hand over her sweated braids. He gasps as he sees that dreadful graying creep in and out over Makkari’s skin. 

“No! Makkari!” he shouts trying again and again to connect to her. Makkari whines once but goes completely quiet and still. save for the fast and shallow rise and fall of her chest.  Druig’s places one hand over Makkari’s temple and the other over her belly, Ajaz grips his wrist and throws his hand off Makkari before he can try and dive deeper into Makkari’s mind. 

“You will get caught in the energy pull and die yourself! We have to get to the Domo.” Ajax commands. Druig swears under his breath gathers Makkari into his arms and races to the Domo. 

++++++++++

Sprite misses not being able to feel time when ticking minutes meant nothing to them until they were a century.  For the 13 hours it took her and Sersi to get to South Dakota, that was how long Druig, Ajax, and Phastos had been barely holding Makkari and the baby on. Phastos had actually rigged a solar panel to Makkari at this point, Thena and Gil hustled around feeding and watering Ajax as the form Prime Maternal was the key component of life support at the moment for the eternal speeders. As soon as the tires of their car arrived at the ranch Spite was banished to the house as Phastos reconfigured the sphere into the uni-mind.

Sprite tries to stay busy, cleaning the house, making food, doing calculus and chemistry homework, fuck crocheting even. It had only been three hours. As they frowned over atom graphs there was a knock at the door. Spite goes silent, although having lost the ability to go invisible, Spite is still a small and stealthy thing, taking out their bowie knife, Spitre stalks to the front window, peering through the lacy curtains. 

Two figures stand there, the familiar look of one steals Sprite breath away. 

Ikaris sighs when no one answers the door, he takes the spare key from under the mat and lets him and Astro in. The latter looks around nervously, since last night the Abomination has felt uneasy, and their unborn cousin has been radio silent in their link. The two walk into the living room, Ikaris frowns as everything is the same yet slightly moved. 

“They may be in the-” Ikaris is cut off as Sprite takes a running leap and tackles him from behind around the shoulders. Their knife sinks into his left shoulder and twists. 

“You won’t betray us again!” they shriek. Ikaris grunts and tries to reach back and wrestle the teenager off, Astro jolts forward snags Spite by the back of their collar the throws them. Spite lets out a hurt cry as they smash through the coffee table and into a smallish crater on the floor. Their ribs on their left side break, their tibia bursting out the side of their skin and their arm limp pulp at the impact. 

Ikaris swears and staggers to a stand and holds the knife into the wound. He whirls to the sight of Sprite, ready to give them a thorough talking too before gasping at the sight of their battered body.

“Fuck, Sprite! Why did you toss her so hard!?” Ikaris yells. Astro holds his hand up in surrender.

“I-I thought she was Eternal. At most they should have just bruised!” Astro argues as he kneels next to Sprite as she whines in pain and tries to squirm away. 

“Easy, easy,” Astro whispers his tone a mimic of Ajax’s comforting croon. He taps their forehead and Sprite lets out a sigh of relief as they pass out. Ikaris grits his teeth as he watches Astro heal Sprite's injuries, once she is stable and fully healed he carefully rolls the teen out of the hole and table debris before reconstructing the hole and table itself. 

Ikaris ignores his injury to pick up Sprite and settles them on the sofa. He stands back solemnly and looks over them with guilty eyes. Astro heals him next with a quick stinging touch. Ikaris takes that moment and really studies Sprite. Usually after getting knocked out, Spite’s illusion would drop, however, the subtle changes they’ve given themselves that time remain. 

Their red hair was more a darker ginger and long down their back. New freckles peppered their cheeks and the shape of their face was more… mature, still very youthful but the baby fat was starting to diminish. They were at least 4 inches taller and gained more weight and muscle up top. 

“Sprite, are you doing okay? We are about to start the u-” Thena trails off as she spots the two men and the down teenager, instantly a spear appears and Thena rushes forward. Astro lets out a huff in annoyance and waves a glowing hand in front of her face then pauses the warrior. 

“Enough! Calm.” Astro commands and Thena does as such.

“Little One brought you back too?” Thena says in a restrained calm. Ikaris swallows harshly but nods. Astro hums, “Where is cousin?” he asks and Thena frowns her brows. 

“Little One?” 

“Yes, she hasn’t answered my pulses. Is something wrong?” he asks. Thena nods and slowly leads them out and to the Domo.

Chapter Text

“We have company.” Thena announce in a detached voice that jolts all but Druig, Makkari, and Ajax to worry. Gilgamesh hurries to guard in front of the trio, gauntlet glowing while Phastos configures a gun.

“Calm. We mean no harm. I’m just here to help my cousin.” Astro says, raising a glowing hand that sends a wave of calmness through the room. Ajax looks up from where she was flowing energy into Makkari's chest and gasps at the sight of him. 

“Who- they are dyin’! Fuck whoever ya are, unless you’re saving my damn wife and kid! Phastos!” Druig cuts in. 

The inventor nods, dropping the gun before finishing the Uni-mind and places braces on the others besides Ikaris and Astro. Astro carefully came forward until he was on the empty side of Makkari, looking her over before meeting Druig’s glowing glare. Astro swallows but holds out his hands in peace, “I am here to help. I promise, cousin sent for me and I picked up Ikaris on the way.” Astro explains and the room goes still.

“Cousin?” Druig whispers and Astro nods before looking over at Ajax.

“I am Astro, the First Abomination Celeste. Son of The Eternal Rion and Prime Ajax. 8 Terrain months ago, Cousin sent out an energy wave and signal. I asked her to guide me here to help and… so she wouldn’t have to face the Celestials alone. I… I understand how lonely being an Eternal child is.” Astro explains and Druig swallows.

“Her? We have a daughter?” Druig asks and Astro smiles.

“Yep. She is very persuasive. Insisted I pick up this one and talk to Tiamunt on my way in. She is usually pretty chatty but I haven’t heard from her for a night and day.” Astro explains. Druig stares back down at Makkari, his hand to her temple and belly.
“Druig.” Ajax warns and Druig frowns. 

“Let’s get started with the Uni-Mind. You two join in.”

* * * * * * 

Makkari feels light and damp, like she was midair during a rainstorm, slowing to a stop over the ocean before she hits the beach. Something is incredibly warm on her chest, soft rapid thumps coming from it. A cool hand cuffs her face, a thumb making slow swipes around her temple. 

“Hey, beautiful. Come on back to us, love.” Druig communicates to her mind. Lips kiss her cheek and she opens her eyes to meet Druig’s pretty blues. She's too weak to try and touch him back so she settles on smiling instead.

“You are amazing.” Druig says and signs. Makkari sighs into his lips as he kisses her deeply. Makkari hums as something rolls on her chest, then something soft and firm touches her chin.  She watches the delight of Druig chuckling as he sinks back to sit.

“Someone wants your attention.” He signs before helping her come to a sit. When he does as such, he presses something to her chest as he comes to a supportive seat behind her. Makkari blinks hard and finally acknowledges just who was on her chest. Druig kisses her cheek at the sharp and croaky sound of surprise that comes from Makkari at the sight of their baby, Little One, in the flesh.

She's a pretty and round little girl. She has light honey brown skin, a dark beauty mark in the middle of her left cheek with a headful of chocolate colored curls. She's bundled up and blinks at her parents with round charcoal gray eyes.

“Hi, Little One. Beautiful.” Makkari shakily signs before kissing her daughter's cheeks and the crown of her curls. She does it over and over again until she's too exhausted too to stay bent over. She slumps back into Druig and kisses his jaw from when she can reach. Druig keeps their baby supported to her chest.

“What happened to me?” Makkari asks after a bit of watching their baby blink sleepily. 

“We are Eternals. We weren't meant to do this, your body broke apart. Our little girl here took all your energy, then didn't have enough for more development. We did the Uni-Mind to hold you both stable while  Ajak and Astro did a human C-section on you.” Druig explains. Makkari bites her lips in thought.

“I see. She must be your daughter to have such a dramatic entrance.” Makkari signs, soft and croaky giggles coming from her. It makes their baby  coo in fascination at being moved around. 

“Who's Astro?” Makkari asks after a few more minutes and Druig hums.

“Apparently, he's Ajak's son. Our girl here called out to him and brought him to her for protection. Our girl is very persuasive, she wanted a big family and made it happen.”

“Beautiful.” Makkari signs, her fingertips gently following the swirl of one of their baby’s whisps after it. 

“Where is everyone? I’m surprised that Jack hasn’t stolen her away.” Makkari signs and Druig gently plucks the baby from her chest to hold her close.

“I kicked them all out once you were both stable.”

“Druig! You can’t just hoard us away!”

“Yes, I can. Already did.” he answers with a smirk. Makkari rolls her eyes but can’t hide the smile that the view of him and their baby draws from her. 
“We have to name her now. Can’t call her Little One forever.” Druig says and Makkari scoffs with crossed arms..

“The French do it all the time.”

“Please don’t make me claim the French darlin’. ”

Makkari sticks her tongue out at him and they share a laugh that makes their baby coo out in familiarity at the sound.

“I was thinking, B-I-A.

“Bia?”

“Yes, because even though she is so tiny, she is very strong in so many ways.” Makkari notes and Druig hums, then nods. He resettles to a sit beside her and Makkari gives her pinky to Bia, who clutches tightly with a grunt.  Bia blinks up at her parents, little white gold swirls light up her eyes and she coos brightly at them with little squeaks. Makkari gasps as Bia’s little hand warms up and squeezes again before settling again. Druig grins, his eyes a glow as well his mind tickles with the pings from his daughter. 

“Bia, tiny but mighty. I love it, I love you. Papa’s Bia.” Druig whispers. Makkari smiles with happy tears as she kisses Bia’s baby-soft cheek.

“Welcome home.”