The Imagination Latibule: Moon Knight - The Rise of the Moon

Chapter 14

"See," Layla chuckled. "I was thinking what you were thinking." You let out a single breathy laugh. It was more relief that had you humoured than anything. Layla swung her arm over your shoulder and you wrapped yours round her waist, and the two of you turned back to the van. 

Steven was standing there. You were getting better at telling who was who. It was the way he carried himself. His eyes were wide in disbelief, shock, but he also seemed impressed. 

"What?" Layla asked casually. "Like I've never had to save your ass before." She seemed to know it was Steven, but it was Marc's body to. She kicked her head towards the van. "Come on. I wanna know the reason for playing marbles with the night sky." 

***

"You alright love?" Steven asked as he gently patted your knee. Layla was driving the van, Steven was in the passenger seat, and you'd been demoted to sitting in the back. Not that you minded. You nodded to Steven's question, putting your hand over his. He drew absentminded circles into your skin with his thumb as he leant back against the headrest, watching the desert go by, and you found yourself shutting your eyes as he did. But Layla put her foot on the gas and the two of you looked at her.

"We can't lose more time," she said. "Harrow must be headed back to the tomb." Then she sighed as she glanced in the rear view mirror, noticing your fingers intertwined with Stevens. "Look, if he is, we're gonna need Marc, yeah?" 

"Exactly. See, she gets it," Marc said. His reflection looked even grumpier through tinted windows as they darkened his eyes. 

"No," Steven said firmly, and you could see his nerves rising as he stood up to Layla and Marc.

"No?" Marc scoffed. 

"No," Steven repeated, softly this time, as he pulled his hand away. "See, the thing is, we made a deal, Marc and I, that when he was done with Khonshu, he would disappear for good."

"But that deal didn't involve you getting all of us killed, did it?" Marc said. "That's not gonna fly with me."

"You guys made a deal?" Layla repeated. You sighed, remembering back to the first night you'd spoken to both Marc and Steven at the same time. He seemed so broken, so desperate to not be in Khonshu's control. You glanced to the reflection but Marc was looking the other way. 

"He's changed his mind for now," you said.

"Still, you didn't think that maybe I should've been made aware of that?" Layla asked. "y/n, you may have known Steven for longer, but I've known Marc for longer. He can't just disappear. He's my best friend." 

"Oh. Well, hadn't he disappeared from your life already?" Steven asked.

Layla huffed a, "whatever," and Steven probably should have taken it as a cue to stop talking, but he didn't.  

"I mean, his suit was his best feature, wasn't it? Doesn't even have that anymore."

Marc's reflection hit the window and you could have sworn you saw it crack. "Steven, give me the body right now," he growled. "This is a suicide mission."

"Plus, I know him," Steven continued, ignoring Marc. "He'd wanna lone wolf this whole thing. It's not happening. We're not gonna do that. We are not. It's just you, me, y/n, and the open road."

Layla slammed on the breaks, and if the two of you hadn't been wearing seatbelts you would have gone flying through the windscreen. "We're gonna go on foot from here," she decided, getting out and slamming the door.

"Yeah," Steven said. "All right."

The two of you followed her, and with nowhere for Marc's reflection to be present, he fell quiet. You watched Layla storm ahead and into a gusty valley, feeling guilty that you'd never considered her friendship with Marc. You knew exactly how you'd feel if it was Steven who'd agreed to disappear for good. But now, you were feeling those same things about Marc. You wanted them both to stay.