Moon Knight Imagine 2✔️

89. Inevitable

Steven Grant x gn!Reader, Marc Spector x gn!Reader

Summary: You're pulling away from your boyfriends, distancing yourself, in order to prepare for when they will inevitably leave you.

Warnings: A lot of self doubt, pulling away from loved ones, isolation, mention of a parent leaving, mention of abuse, swearing, Steven and Marc change who fronts frequently, lots and lots of angst

The moment you stepped through the door you knew you were not alone.
You placed your keys on the little table to the side, hung your jacket on the coat rag and put your shoes underneath them before slipping into your way more comfortable fluffy slippers with a sigh.
"Hiya, love, I thought I heard you coming in," your boyfriend greeted you from where he was waiting at the end of the hallway.
A soft smile was plastered on his lips, his eyes wide and glowing, but you didn't see any of that. All you saw was that he was still wearing his work clothes, probably hadn't even gone home to his own flat to change or relax for a little while before coming over to yours.
"I hope you don't mind me just showing up, though that's why you gave me a key in the first place." You just nodded, slowly making your way to the bathroom to wash your hands. "I actually have a reason for just showing up. I finally found that prosecco you said you liked at dinner last week, had to go to like seven different supermarkets 'cause it was sold out everywhere, but I found it."
Usually something like this would have brought a smile to your face, you would have dried your hands, turned around, and given Steven a big hug and a happy kiss on the cheek. Not today. Today all you heard was that Steven had felt the need to go through so much trouble for you, had felt obligated to do something you were sure he didn't want to do, to waste his precious time on looking for some damned prosecco.
"Maybe we could cook a quick dinner together and enjoy a glass, yeah? You have some tomatoes and vegan mozzarella left, we could just make a quick salad."
You didn't even register his words, too preoccupied with your reflection staring back at you from the mirror above the sink. Your hair was greasy, there was a huge pimple on your chin that hadn't been there this morning, and it looked like you had gained some weight. You were a mess, and if Steven weren't still standing in the hallway behind you, you'd have said so out loud, but you didn't. You knew that the moment you said something negative about yourself Steven would feel the need to deny it, to tell you how amazing and beautiful you were. Right, as if that were true. You bit your lip to hold in a sigh as you turned off the lights and walked out of the bathroom.
"Did... did something happen at work, love? You're being awfully quiet."
You had reached the end of the hallway, Steven still following your trail, and were just about to cross the living room to get to your bedroom and change into something more comfortable when you thought better of it. You knew that the moment you changed into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized jumper Steven would see it as his sign to cuddle up with you on the couch.
"I'm fine. It's just... I'm going out with friends later, I'll meet them at a restaurant in like half an hour."
The lie slipped past your lips easily, something you weren't proud of, but you knew that Steven would feel obligated to stay in with you and drink that prosecco if you admitted to not having any plans.
"Oh," he simply said and looked down at his feet, which were clad in a pair of socks with hieroglyphs all over them, a birthday present from you.
You turned around, back to the hallway, and into the kitchen. The sight of your kitchen took you by surprise. It was quite small and most of the counter space was taken up by a bouquet of red roses, carefully placed in your favourite vase that Steven must have fished out of your cupboard.
"I walked by the florist on my way back from the supermarket, thought you might like them."
You turned around, away from the flowers, to look at Steven standing in the door. His hands were toying with the sleeves of his shirt, an unreadable expression on his handsome face.
"I do like them," you told him. "Very much. But you shouldn't have."
He shrugged as if to tell you that he knew, but didn't care.
"I guess I'd better leave you to it then, let you get ready for dinner and all that," Steven said, now shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
For a split second surprise took over, until you remembered your lie from earlier.
"Right, dinner with friends."
You turned around again, not wanting to look at Steven, to lie to his face. Instead you bent down to sniff at the flowers, to hide your face in them. It worked, until you felt a strong pair of arms around your waist and a kiss pressed to the back of your neck.
"Can we get a goodbye kiss before leaving?"
The voice had changed, it was now Marc talking to you. You closed your eyes for a moment, both enjoying and dreading the hug and his lips against your skin. As much as you hated lying to Steven, it was easier than lying to Marc. Steven couldn't read people the way Marc could.
Finally you turned in his arms, staring straight at his lips, not even daring to meet his eyes.
A quick peck was all you had been planning on, but Marc only pulled you closer as one of his hands left its place on your waist and moved up to your neck. Just as he tried to deepen the kiss though you pulled away, and for good measure took a step back.
You didn't want to deny him the affection he clearly craved and deserved, but you knew the moment you let it go any further Marc would focus on your pleasure rather than his own, and that was the last thing you wanted.
"You should go now."
A bold statement. Something you usually wouldn't say, but you couldn't stand looking at him, at either of them, for a moment longer.
"What about my goodbye kiss?" Steven asked, his expression all playful innocence and longing.
This time you really did only peck his lips for a short second, not even giving Steven the chance to deepen the kiss before you stepped away, out of arm's reach.
Steven, ever the empath, seemed to realise that it was time to go.
"We'll see you tomorrow for date night, right?"
Any other day you would have noticed the slight anxiety in Steven's voice, but not today, today you interpreted it as his way of seeking a way out.
"If you want to, we don't have to do it, you know. We've had date nights on Friday for months now, I can totally understand if you guys don't-"
"No!" Steven interrupted you before you could finish the sentence. "No, we'd like to go on a date tomorrow. Besides, Marc has been going on and on about wanting you to see that old movie."
From the way Steven tilted his head to the side you could tell that Marc was saying something to him, probably telling him that he had no right to call any movie "old" when his interests were literally ancient.
"I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye Steven, bye Marc."
You barely gave them the chance to say goodbye to you, the sound of Marc's voice drowned out by you closing the door in his face. You rested your forehead against the closed door and took a deep breath. Shutting them out like this was hard, maybe the hardest thing you had to go, but there was no other way. You needed to give them space, to let them breathe, otherwise you knew they'd grow tired of you sooner rather than later, just like everyone else.