The night was peaceful. At least, for a little while. The summer heat had gotten to the point of keeping everyone indoors all day, so the only safe haven was the sweet, cool air of night after the blistering sun took mercy on the human race for the time being.
Fresh, crisp air flowed into Brittany's room through a generous crack in her window, filtering out the stuffy heat with a chilly, different kind of cozy atmosphere. It draped over the young woman's form as she slept, cooling her body from the possible heat stroke that everyone in the city was also probably recovering from.
All was well, and all was quiet. Serene even, and it provided the best sleep the brunette had in a while. She sighed, her frame sinking even further into the mattress.
Meanwhile, someone else didn't have the best of slumbers. All it took was a couple nightmare to jolt them awake and panic with the sudden urge to just get out.
The horrid dreams had been a reoccurring thing, but nothing this individual couldn't handle. They were all that was, after all! A ruler! Petty little thing like dreams wasn't real, and therefore shouldn't be taken as such.
However, they only persisted, increasing in vividness and violence. It was like they had a mind of their own; realizing that their victim wasn't phased enough, and decided to become as gruesome and gut-wrenchingly dreadful to the point of making the poor soul's composure break and, just like not a strong ruler would do, run for comfort.
Without a second thought, they bolted from their home, the museum, and let their short legs take them somewhere, anywhere from that scary place. And, to add to their shame, the owner of the legs had an idea of where they were taking him. Like a child running for their mother. Pathetic, really, but they couldn't really focus on that when the flashes of murder and loss crossed behind their eyes, or when open, ugly sobs escaped their throat, calling out to the one person they needed the most.
Brittany wasn't awoken by the RUSTLES, SNAPS, and CRACKS of the tree by her open window being climbed in a hurry, or the tumble of a body to the carpet floor after the intruder oh so gracefully fell in. And she certainly wasn't awoken by the silent trudge of footsteps leading to her side of the bed or the small sniffles that came with them.
However, she was finally awoken by another body climbing into her sheets, skin being poked and prodded by pointed-like finger and toenails and rough, scratchy linen wrappings. Her brain kicked into overdrive, and after a couple seconds, her deep sleep was like it wasn't ever there.
"What the hell?!" She gasped, fear striking her to the core. She sprang up. "Who are you?! Get out of my bed!" Brittany was quick to grip the arms of the assailant, shoving them back to get a good look at them before knocking them out cold, where she'd call the police and then get chain locks for her windows.
The chances of someone in this darling city breaking and entering and possibly raping someone was slim, so slim, but it just happened to her, and this thought rang through her head like a mantra until her eyes landed on who they actually were. Then, that thought faded completely.
Instead, glowing, yellow eyes, so familiar she could know who they belonged to from ten miles away stared straight into her soul. They shined like diamonds of a different kind, and it wasn't just from their supernaturalness. Tears glazed them over, the water soaking over grey cheeks and collecting down to the dip of his chin until droplets reflecting the moonlight fell from his face to the sheets and linen wrappings below.
"Tutenstein?" Brittany called out softly, in utter shock. The undead boy didn't seem to struggle against her grip but certainly looked like he wanted to, his body trying to gravitate its way toward her own.
The kid shook like a leaf, his face scrunched up in an expression Brittany had never imagined she'd live to see on him: pure, utter fear.
Sure, the boy king had been scared before, whether it be from underworldly monsters giving chase, or all those times when she took great pleasure in spooking him from around corners just for laughs. However, that was nothing compared to this, and at that moment, Brittany was reminded that, no matter how high and mighty Tut put himself out to be, deep inside, he was just a dumb kid that made mistakes and got into trouble at every turn. He looked so vulnerable, and from the way he managed to fight out of her hold and throw himself onto her, clinging to her nightshirt with tiny, shaking hands, and face buried into her chest with muffled sobs, Brittany knew this really was different. Tutenstein was never the kind to seek comfort like this unless something was terribly wrong.
The woman's heart clenched tight, cracked, and shattered.
Forcing herself to get over the confusion of the situation, the woman gave the boy the comfort he desperately grasped for, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her lap to secure him against her chest. He responded to the touch without a beat, his body instinctively curling into her warmth and face moving to tuck itself into the crook of her neck. His cries only increased, and Brittany honestly had no idea what the hell was going on. What happened? This was so out of character, and it scared her. Did he have a bad dream? Did something happen to Luxor? Cleo? Did someone hurt him?
That last one sent her heart into a rage for a second, and she briefly imagined all the toxic, horrible things she'd like to do to the person who thought it would be okay to kick a kid around, even if Tut did look like something out of a mild horror movie to new people.
Well, she had to get an answer soon. Otherwise, the anticipation might eat her alive.
"Tut, love," she cooed, rubbing a hand in circles on his shoulder blades. The boy didn't respond - he only continued to whimper and stay put, claw-like fingers gripping her shirt tighter - and probably digging some nicely sized holes through it. Brittany furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if an articulate kid like Tut could really shut down from emotions like he seemed to start doing now. Another reminder that he was just a kid.
"Tutenstein," she called again in a firmer voice, but nothing to make him flinch. Again, there was no response but the act of him trying to fuse their bodies together. Brittany's lips drew into a line. She was flattered that the boy king chose her, of all people, to come to in need. Tut always did feel like a little brother to her, and she thought he might feel the same. The woman never said anything though, even if it was evident that she was sort of the mother friend to the two younger children (and cat) throughout their adventures. It just seemed more...natural that way, considering her age of 19. Acting like a kid and not being a good example for them appeared strange and irresponsible, so the brunette quickly gravitated into the supervisor position. Of course, there were times they all fooled around like idiots, but when it came down to it, the scientist in training was like the group big sister.
So, did that mean that Tut understood this dynamic? He must have because it seemed that he trusted her enough to cry to the only parental figure he had in three thousand years and not have to worry about her shaming him later.
That realization was groundbreaking, honestly. Still, it didn't help the fact that he wouldn't answer her. Maybe it was best to merely calm him down first? Yes, that seemed a bit more ideal than expecting him to give her his life story after something traumatic clearly went down.
So, the young woman did just that. She sighed, pulled the blankets over as much of them as she could to escape the nightly chills, and rubbed his back, nuzzling the side of her face into his head. The mummy boy's body relaxed a bit, his face now not bruising the side of her neck with the force he pressed into it with, but just let it lay there, his cold flesh practically inhaling all of her warmth. His whimpers still echoed throughout the room, only a tear or two now soaking into her skin and shirt every now and then. The nightmares seemed like a distant memory now.
The cherry on top was when Brittany began to sing one of her favorite songs: "Pure Imagination" from one of her favorite movies: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory from 1971. It was beautiful, and she hoped that the lovely song of worlds of imagination and paradise and candy would calm him like it always did her. The brunette made a mental note to show Tut that movie (Cleo and Luxor too, if they hadn't seen it before).
Eventually, the soft melody of the woman's voice brought the crying boy king to a doze, his small body completely limp in her arms. His shaking stopped, as well as his cries of anguish, and Brittany thanked both the Christian God she was brought up with and the Egyptian ones she was introduced to a year ago.
"Shhh..." she hushed the boy when he sniffled once more, and he pressed back further into her when a kiss was placed onto his temple. Finally, it was over. He was relieved from the ordeal of bottling up all of those demons inside of him, and, even though there was no explanation to his actions, at least he knew he was able to let them out at last; to force them back to the pits underworld where they belonged.
And poor Brittany wouldn't know this until morning, it seemed, now that Tut had fallen into a deep sleep, his soft snoring completely overtaking her right ear.
She hoped he wouldn't completely blow her off in the morning (If he stayed, that is. Brittany knew he was an early riser.) and return to his usual self just yet. Not that she didn't want him to be himself. The brunette just wanted the kid to open up and not close his problems off from everyone because of his view of how leaders should be: wholly fearless and perfect all the time.
Ah, but that would come later, wouldn't it? It was no use doing anything about it now; the poor thing needed rest after...whatever happened to him.
Brittany decided it was time to return to her sleep as well and shuffled back under the sheets at smoothly as possible, careful not to jerk around the new appendage attached to her. Lying on her side, she silently cursed to herself when she realized that Tut's rather large headdress was getting in the way of everything that called for comfortable. Carefully, she pulled the garment from his head and set it on the table beside the bed. The woman then noticed how strange it was to see him without that iconic accessory on. He looked utterly bald, and on a whole new level apart from him actually being bald. It wasn't a bad strange, per say. Just...foreign.
Shoving her wild thoughts back, Brittany cleared her head and pulled the boy close, her chin resting on his bandaged head and arms wrapped protectively around his torso.
After a few more rogue thoughts about how naked Tut looked without his headdress, she joined the boy king in sleep to the soft breeze of wind and moonlight through the window.
Ah, I remember Tutenstein. I used to watch that show religiously. I remember the first time I'd seen it: in elementary school when one of our teachers put on "Green-Eyed Mummy" to sate us for the time being. Immediately, I was hooked, and, after years of searching on Youtube for more episodes only to be constantly teased with every one found being in another language, I finally realized that people do this really cool thing where they upload episodes from shows to websites that AREN'T JUST YOUTUBE. I eventually found all of the others I thought I wouldn't ever be able to watch, and I was so happy.
I still watch some here and there, and Tut's character design makes him fun to doodle! Recently, I've been getting into my childhood spirit and have thought about the show more in-depth. The poor mummy kid has certainly been through a lot when you think about it, and I felt compelled to write a story about it. Of course, though, it has to be my persona to give him that resolution ark, because hey, self-insert is hella fun (Yes, she's the same person from my How The Grinch Stole Christmas story. She'll always be the same). The lil' egypt boy needs hugs and movie nights, and Brittany's here to provide that! :D
This story kind of came out of nowhere with no planning involved, so we'll see how it goes. I hope you guys enjoy and don't worry! ANOTHER HUMAN VISITOR CHAPTER IS IN THE MAKING!