Nicky doesn't take it personally when Ahkmenrah dismisses him unintentionally, it wasn't every day that one found out that your Murderous Older Brother responsible for your untimely death at such a young age was coming to your new home, the safety of this Sanctum the young Pharoah claimed as his own was being invaded.
It's a gentle dismissal, the older boy's attention turning elsewhere and remaining where it had ended up, the ten year old isn't dissuaded as he scoots in closer to the other. The Egyptian instinctively raises his arm slightly to allow him to curl into his side to offer physical reassurance when words seem to have failed completely.
The youth finds it irritating when he's left out of any plannings to ensure that their King of Egypt is protected from the Usurper as best as he can be, irritating but he understands, one doesn't grow up in a broken divorced family in New York City Public Schools without learning how to take a few punches of the metaphorical kind (and the physical kind but what they don't know won't bother them). It's understandable why Ahk is so against locking his brother in his Sarcophagus despite the fact he was the reason his life was cut so short so harshly, Nicky had uttered something, the young adult had elbowed him lightly when he heard him, and that was that.
It's really a wander why no one suspects anything when the big day finally comes, he's told rather firmly by a number of individuals to stay away from the Egyptology Exhibit until Kahmunrah can be contained properly, Ahk smiles softly and gives a gentle hug the night before the big arrival when he expresses his concerns and simply tells him to obey their directions.
Sometimes being a ten year old surrounded by adults on all sides is a pain in the butt.
Nicky quickly found a highway system among the ventilation system. He could easily maneuver around the entire Museum without being seen nor noticed in action. Which honestly was for the best. Lifting the crate above one of the Anubis statues heads, he drops onto the flat stone, and then slides down over the shoulder into the bend of the elbow. The Stone Giant shifts minutely as though to announce it's acknowledgement to his presence. Crawling down the length of the cold stone arm, he peers down between the Anubis's fingers, waiting for the moment the Tablet sparked Life into the Inhabitants of the Museum.
Lowering himself to lay on his belly, this is going to take a moment, the wait is on for the Pharoah and his Murderer to wake for the night ahead. A bright flare breathes Life into the room and follows through to the others, Ahkmenrah is the first to awaken, outside of his two Anubis Guards. The slight shift in the Sarcophagus lid alerts him and his large stone pal to the young Pharaoh's alertness. No movement from the invader yet. Ahkmenrah slowly lifts himself from the confines of his coffin and goes about his usual nightly duties upon first waking up. Nicky turns his attention from his older brother's doings when the Invader begins showing signs of rising.
He remembers all too well what happened in D.C.
Waiting until the sarcophagus lid is pushed free, the youth clambers to his feet, watching with apt attention as the older Egyptian rises for the night awaiting them. "Now Chester." The Anubis statue he's taken hideout on shifts into awareness, rock and granite shifts as it leans forward, free hand scooping up the Pharaoh's blood feuding brother. "Good catch!" The Stone Guardian sets it's friend on the floor carefully, lowering it's hand to allow the human boy to hop off, and rises to its previous sentry position with its new captive in grasp. "Keep him up there, Chester."
"Nicky?" The youth lifts his gaze away from the struggling bundle of mummy snagged in the large Anubis's grasp at the gentle call and the warm hand that curls around the back of his neck tenderly. "What on Earth?"
"I talked to Chester and Bowser the other day about this. You guys are so complex with your plans. They only obey you , Ahk, your douche of a big brother can hang out with them while we have a good time." Nicky grins when the other Anubis gives him a thumbs up. "They're cool!"
"Yes, though, as it appears, it is not just me alone they obey any longer." The young Pharaoh hums in amusement as he curls his arm around his young companions shoulders to tug him snug into his side, a smile curling his lips as he watches Kahmunrah gain total awareness and begin to struggle more fervently, kicking and flailing in a rather undignified manner. "They seem to be quite in tune with your orders of holding my older brother as your chosen prisoner."
A shift indicates the child moving, and they both turn to meet each other's gaze, the older boy narrows his eyes when the younger grins. "Guess that makes me the new king, doesn't it, fellahin ?" (peasant)
"Did you just call me–" Ahkmenrah is for all intents and purposes very much a proud big brother given the fact that his beloved baby brother is taking his lessons to heart. Despite the fact that he just called him a peasant . "You impish little–" Nicky shrieks with laughter as he makes his escape, darting out from under the Royal's arm, even more so when the elder makes chase. "Sa'adhid dhalik bikuli sururin!" (I'll gladly disprove that!)
The brothers, linked by the same love in the heart, not bound by blood, chase each other through the halls of the museum. With the unexpected interjection by the Pharoah's stone Guardians implanted at the soft command of their littlest friend from the Present, all the fail safes and such become unnecessary.
Truly, Nicky firmly believes they should really stop writing him off simply because of his age and short stature, even if the facade he's trying to build for himself is completely washed away by the wave of childlike laughter that explodes from him when arms finally manage to snag him by the waist. Yanking him back, up off his feet, and into the firm warm chest, no metal ornaments biting into his back, of his chosen big brother.
Anubis number two, otherwise renamed Bowser, still takes its primary orders from the Pharaoh when it comes to shouted commands from both Royalty and Adopted Royalty, when it disregards the Boy Prince's orders in the objective of following the Pharaoh's commands in scooping the kicking youth out of the older youth's arms.
…..
It's been something he's been pondering for some time now, as soon as the day after their first meeting, Ahkmenrah knew it was fated that himself and the young Daley were to meet. He was a superstitious man..young man..all the same. Their paths were meant to cross. There was no other way their relationship could have come so naturally so soon upon first sight.
A Boy Prince was what his fated kid brother was.
Brushing his fingers over the Pendant he holds so delicately, the royal teen turns, fingers closing around the Ancient Rune. "Al'akh al'akbar!" (big brother!) The mere sound of his heart brother's voice brings a smile to his features and that has nothing on the warmth that fills his being when the small form of the boy himself rams into him in the form of a greeting hug for their night. "Dad didn't let me bring my backpack this time. Something about feeling a Disturbance In The Force."
"Akh saghir (baby brother), you and I both know what you had hiding in your bag and we both know just as well why Larry did not allow you to bring it with you." Fondly, the Boy King brushes his hand down the back of the boy's head, whispering a soft egyptian blessing just as he does before their true adventures for the night began. "Can I ask something from you?"
"Uh, yea, what's up?" Nicky lifts his gaze, lifting his head from the man's chest, where his heart beats oh so slowly. Alive but barely just. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"
"No, no, nothing is wrong." He shakes his head, guiding his Boy Prince brother around gently, aiming for the Crown Jewels display. "I want to adopt you as my kid brother." The young man smiles when the boy giggles softly. "Yes, I know we've done so your way, but I wish to do so my own as well. Which may involve a little magic on my part and given what happened the last time I played with a spell or two, you wanted me to ask before doing so again."
The slight tinge of fear is understandable. "Will it hurt?"
"No, akh saghir (baby brother), it's painless." Ahkmenrah smiles, a bit more twinge of a smirk mixed in, when the boy shrieks as he pinches his side sharply. "Though, it might tickle just a smidge."
Nicky contemplates for a moment, leaning into his older brother's side a bit heavier, before coming to his decision in the form of a single nod. "Let's do it."
Never before has he felt such endearment and elation, as he prepares the ceremony, Ahkmenrah didn't live long enough as Pharaoh to make such decisions as this one. "I name thee Nikaure, Prince of Egypt, Vizier to Pharaoh Ahkmenrah." Winding a necklace of beads with a Pendant in the form of the Eye Of Horus over the Boy Prince's shoulders, the Pharaoh utters a bold statement in his native tongue, one the youth before him hasn't learned to translate just yet, and Nicky releases a startled gasp at the feeling that fills him. Warm hands curl around his cheeks, cradling his face gently, and for a moment as fleeting as it is, he becomes more than a single person. "May our scripts be forever intertwined in this life and the next."
…..
Nicky really doesn't mind the new deal with night tours, though it means al'akh al'akbar (big brother) was typically busy guiding guests around the exhibits, he didn't let it get him down. Too much. After all, he still had the animals, Chester and Bowser, even Dexter to keep him company.
Sometimes however, particularly after a bad day, he wished for nothing more than the safety and protection the older boy's embrace offered unconditionally. The sound of his voice, English with a twinge of Middle Eastern mixed just so perfectly, whispering stories and consoling his nerves. Ahkmenrah wasn't his , he was his own man, a Pharaoh, he had autonomy and such. He wasn't required to spend every waking moment at his side, but sometimes the ten year old sure wished he would, just sometimes.
Letting go of a breath, soft and defeated, the youth slinks away from the desk. From Rebecca's soft greeting to another round of guests and concerned glances, rubbing his fingers over the Pendant he's worn since the day it was bestowed upon him, Nicky lets his mind wander to the events just hours before and allows his feet to carry him to a destination of their own choosing.
Chester and Bowser shift when he enters the Lair, bowing as they do when their Pharoah appears before them, straightening once more when the youth has passed into the inner Tomb of the exhibit. Stepping out of his sneakers, the youth swipes at a single tear, unconsciously seeking the scent of the one that gives him the most comfort in times like these as he crawls into the absent man's open sarcophagus.
He loved his mom, loved her with his whole entire heart, her and Don. A choked sob echoes through the silence of the Egyptology Display. He's heard stories of kids from the Ex being pushed aside in the wake of the birth of a kid from the New . He never thought, not once, that it would happen in his own world. Sure, they'd been rather forgetful and neglectful for some time now, dad can attest to that given the number of times he's called him late into the night still waiting to be picked up from sports practice or school.
Late into the night.
Emma was his stepsister. Barely six months old. She is his replacement.
"Nick, Don and I discussed this quite thoroughly with each other and your dad, we can't afford to move into a bigger place and well, you're nearly grown as it is. You'll stay with your dad as primary and we'll give Emma your room here. We've already had your things packed and sent over."
No mentions about him coming to visit. Where he'll stay when he comes over to see them all. It's already out with the old and in with the new.
Dad catches him when his legs give out, on the sidewalk, sobbing brokenly in his arms at the knowledge that the parent who had been so adamant that he live with them had simply washed their hands of him.
"Limadha tabki ya akhi alsagira?" (why do you cry, baby brother?) Inhaling a shaky breath, just before another soft muffled sob can return for another go, the youth tenses. "Ma aladhi yuzeij qalbaki?" (what ails your heart?) The rustling of fabric, and then there's warmth pressing directly against his back, arms curl around him tight and snug to pull him even closer. Ahkmenrah hadn't even been on this side of the Museum, his rotation for the night was in a complete other wing of the building, and yet . "You called me here, Nicky. We're connected, remember?"
Snuggled up in that embrace he so wished to be within, the boy steadies his crying, biting back the tears as much as he can with as much strength as he can muster. "O–Oh. Right."
"Yes." The ancient teen behind him hums softly. "Tell me what ails your heart, dearest little brother, I can't bear to see you in such sorrow." At first, the child speaks nothing, not a word, snuggled in close with the older teen behind him curled in his much desired protective embrace, in the semi confines of the open sarcophagus. But then a single word slips free, another follows, and the entire evening replays before them in the words spoken by the Young Prince in the arms of his Adoptive Pharoah. "She knows not who she's losing, Nicky, and is a vile creature to think it acceptable to disregard and abandon her first child in the wake of the birth of the second. But all that mess aside, I must disagree entirely, you are the farthest from alone."
Nicky, despite his tears and swollen eyes and sniffly nose, smiles at that firm declaration echoing in the chest pressed against his back. "I m–mean."
"Absolutely not. You've got your dad. Larry loves you with his whole self, akh saghir. Teddy and Sacagawea of course. Chester and Bowser simply adore you. Dexter considers you a great playmate. Jed and Octavious see you as a brother in their eyes and hearts. Atilla considers you to be his duu (mongolian:little brother). Rexy, don't even get me started on him." His heart brother nuzzles into the back of his neck for a moment. "Lewis and Clarke are quite fond of you." Every inhabitant within the walls around them is named and relation status given. "And, of course, you're my akh saghir. I cannot speak for the rest, however, in regards to my own self, I can affirm that I am highly offended that you wouldn't even consider a fleeting thought of our relation to each other and the feelings my heart contains for you."
This is why Ahk is his favorite, why the king's his al'akh al'akbar, he knows how to lift his spirits even when they're at their lowest. "I d–did!"
"I have to admit I don't think I believe you." Ahkmenrah whispers in his ear gently from behind. "Considering it was your anguish at the preconceived notion that you were alone in this world, abandoned by all family, that called me here from my tour to find my Prince Brother weeping in my sarcophagus." Nicky tries as hard as he might in the position he's in to grapple for the Eqyptian's hands when they shift in position. "Which is why, under the bold face of your blatant lie, that I feel as though, as not just your Pharoah, but as your al'akh al'akbar as well, a punishment is deserved. One does not lie to the Pharaoh and one especially does not lie to their al'akh al'akbar."
From that moment, it's a fight of cat and mouse, the boy's childlike laughter bouncing off the granite tile walls as he reaches around desperately for expert hands of fingers clawing and wiggling here and there in just the right manner to drive him bananas.
His only saving grace is when he manages to turn over, leaving no room for evil fingers doing evil work over his tummy, inadvertently tucking himself under the young adult's chin, Nicky feels rather than sees the man sigh softly as arms curl back around him. "Be at peace, little one, for the loss of one knot leaves room for many more on the line."
…..
It's a sacred trust, when Ahkmenrah allows you to interact with his Tablet, one he does not give freely and has given to a sparse few individuals. There was no hesitation nor concern with him when he nodded at his Prince Brother, keeping himself planted firmly between the boy and the masked intruder, Nicky takes his silent command to the Letter as he snags the Tablet he guards with his life out of his grasp and uses his small size to his advantage as he slides under the masked criminal's reaching hands with the treasured artifact in his arms.
The small brunette tries to ignore the sounds of a battle in his wake as he sprints down the hall, the sounds of a war waging around him, echoing in his ears, haunting, it will follow him everywhere he goes for a long time after it's finally over.
It doesn't take long for the Tablet having traded hands to be noticed, nor into who's fingers it had been slipped into, his heart beats a thousand times a minute as he chased after. It's beating so fast he fears it'll break free from his chest. Or explode. Both were impossibly plausible.
"Nikaure, I'm only teaching you this curse in the event that we are all indisposed and you have no alternative, only use it as a last resort with no other choice in sight. Knowing how close I almost came to losing you to my Exiled Brother is a fright I wish to never face as long as my afterlife shall live."
Nicky loved the lessons his soul brother gave, paying apt attention when al'akh al'akbar taught him what he knew, he took them all to heart and recited them in his mind until he knew them like he knew the back of his own hand.
Cornered, heaving for a breath, frightened a reasonable amount given the circumstances, the young Daley boy swallows gulps of air just enough that he can form words. Ignoring the dark chucklings from his enemies cornering him like he's some runt lame animal ready for the slaughter, the boy inhales deeply, pulling at that one "in case of life or death emergencies" he wields because of his tutelage under a Pharoah.
Swallowing his fear as skillfully as a terrified ten year old can manage to do so, he turns the dials on the Tablet he's been taught to utilize by it's Owner watching as it glows with the magic ingrained within the gold, and takes a final large breath before reciting. "Maleum man yuqwidun baqi fireawna. 'Uwlayik aladhin yaksarun khatm hadha alqabr yajib 'an yamutuu bimarad la yastatie altabib tashkhisahu." (cursed be those that disturb the Pharaoh. They that shall break the seal of this tomb shall meet death by a disease which no doctor can diagnose)
A larger man, the closest of the bunch, laughs loud in the wake of the silence that follows. "What the fuck you tryna do kid, real pretty words ain't gonna stop–" "NICKY!" The laughing man, silent now, stares at the back of his hand, raised as it is, as a mound under the skin moves. It crawls over his arm, under the skin, up over his forearm and bicep, a beetle like he's never seen before crawls out of the man's ear over his cheek and up into his left nostril before the most soul rattling agonized scream tears through the sharp edged silence.
Gold magic swirls from within the Tablet the boy clutches onto for dear life, swirls around his form like leaves dance in a swirling breeze, before it explodes outwards.
He can't tear his eyes away from the horrifying spectacle of the man falling before him as he's eaten alive from the inside by an unknown ancient curse– "Nikaure, close your eyes!" Obeying the command as it comes, the boy slams his eyes closed, more screams, gurgles fill the air. The clicking of pinchers and buzzing of little beetle wings. Large warm hands curl around his, familiar and steady, still he keeps his eyes squeezed shut.
"Ahk! What the hell, man! The heck is Lil Bit doin'!"
"My Liege, I cannot fathom what is happening! What incantation did you just speak, parvus frater! (latin: little brother)"
"Nicky! Nicky! Ahk what the heck, kid!"
More and more calls mix into the pot around them with the screams and wet gurgles, Nicky shakes his head, clutching the tablet tighter as the hands curled around his squeeze just a tad tighter in turn with his. "Akh saghir, listen to my voice." Their hands begin to shake together when he clutches just that bit tighter and shakes his head once more. " 'Akhi alsaghir, kulu shay' ealaa ma yuram, 'aetini 'amr astieadat jihazi allawhi." (baby brother, all is okay, give me command of my Tablet back) Just like that, young dark brown eyes snap open, meet older even brown, and the young Pharoah smiles gently. "Give me my Tablet, Nikaure."
Of course, for one to lift the Curse of The Pharoahs, one must be a Pharoah. Makes sense. Nodding, the young boy slowly loosens his grip in the artifact, allowing the Divine Representative reclaim what was his by birthright. Stressing for something to grip onto, he lunges forward, as the Egyptian man turns to face the carnage his Curse is leaving in it's wake, Nicky clutches at the back of his silk cloak with the same knuckle popping intensity that had clutched at the Divine Artifact.
Even after Atilla and his men have cleared the intruders from sight, Nicky still hides within the folds of rich silk, fingers curled tightly around the bare skin of the Pharoah's bicep. "You've been teaching my kid Egyptian Curses!" Dad's not a happy camper.
Ahkmenrah is resolute, as one would expect from a man raised in preparation to be King from birth, Tablet tucked under one arm, and rubbing lightly at what his fingertips can graze of the boy's side with the hand of captive one. "Yes. As my Vizier, my Chosen Prince Brother, I did what any good older sibling in my time would do to ensure the protection of their younger."
"You were taught to curse people by your big brother–"
"No, I was betrayed and killed by my own older brother." And that's a bite in that quip right there. "I was taught to curse by my Tutors as a child." The older teen raises a hand, the one not scratching at what his fingertips can reach of his kid brother's side, to placate the protective father. "Larry, I will refrain from continuing to teach Nicky the harmful curses."
Larry Daley shakes his head as he crosses his arms firmly. "Yea, no, that's appreciated, but how about no curses?"
"By Ra, no! The bloodspilling ones I can fathom, to a degree, but there are others that are quite entertaining!" The grin that splits the young adult's face is rightfully troubling all things considered. "Like, there's a spell I used just the other night, akh saghir was being rather more stubborn then the norm and I'd warned him more then once to–"
"Ahk, did you curse my son!"
"No, no, I would never think to bring harm to akh saghir!" Tucking his Tablet in his cloth belt, Ahkmenrah finally pulls the trembling youth out from behind his other arm, still semi covered in his cloak, to properly hold him in the manner needed for the comfort he desired. "A quick incantation and–"
"Al'akh al'akbar, don't say it in front of everyone!" That, the knowledge, the memories of what transpired the night before this one in regards to the particular spell in question, breaks the boy's silence. "We said we'd never talk about it again, remember!"
"No, I remember you saying so, and I simply hummed in acknowledgment ."
Nicky went red in the face at his older brother's mischievous smirk and ducked back into his midriff. Dad seemed to understand if the lightened tilt of his tone is to go by when he agrees that his lessons in Egyptian spells and curses can continue so long as he's learning nothing dangerous.
Anymore.