Panic spreads through her body as she oh so desperately clings to the shared body of the men who've captured her heart. Cleo focuses on their body, and only that. Her hands grip their biceps with an iron grip, refusing to let go, even as they slip and fall down the dune of sand.
And yet, the sand seems to stick to her. It latches on to her skin like metal to a magnet. It doesn't dare falter, but rather is lingers all around as her mind attempts to free itself of her incoherent thoughts.
Her lungs bare the weight of the air as her breath is rigid and tense.
Layla soon slides down the dune of sand and rushes to her side to pull her up and away from the danger that Cleo's been oblivious to this entire time. She had no idea that Harrow's men were soon approaching.
Layla wraps her arms under Cleo's and drags her over to the truck as fast as she can, all while Cleo absolutely refuses to let go of the unconscious body with multiple identities.
Layla drops Cleo and attempts to shield her as the bullets come flying, but Cleo acts quicker and latches her legs around Marc and Steven's body to roll them both underneath the truck. She pears out to see multiple cars with multiple men coming in hot, and lets out an exasterbated groan. She presses a gentle kiss on their forehead before she lets go of the body and rolls out from underneath the truck. She sees Layla hiding from the lights of the cars as the men search for them both. And as the lights come closer and closer, Cleo grabs onto her wrist and pulls her to the trunk where they quickly climb in and lower their bodies as must as possible as to not be detected nor caught.
The lights flash through the glass of the window and only adds to their pounding hearts. The men call to each other in their native tongues, waiting for one to slip up.
But they're far too smart for that.
The lights fly by on the other side, and they wait for the men's backs to be turned before they sit up. As Cleo peers out the front window, Layla opens a box full of flares, and as soon as she grabs it, Cleo and her lock eyes and manage to have an entire conversation with just one look.
They climb out of the Jeep and stand their ground. Layla ignites the flare and holds it in her right hand, the smoking red flame casting her in a magnificent light. It catches the attention of the men, and soon enough their car turns around and speeds towards them as bullets fly once more. They rush back towards the Jeep where they drop the flare as a distraction and hide behind it, and once the car rolls close enough, Cleo ignites another flare and tosses it into the bed of the men's truck where countless boxes of ammo lay. The men don't notice until it's too late. Their car explodes and sends shrapnel flying it all directions, and Layla reaches for Cleo once more to pull her out of harms way. They shield their bodies as the car sparks and shatters, waiting for an ounce of silence before they even dare move.
The two women peer over the side of the Jeep before standing up straight to get a look of their good work, but when Cleo turns her head over her shoulder, she's met with the confused gaze of a nervous Britt.
A breath of pure relief escape her lungs as an adoring smile dawns her lips.
Cleo instantly leaps forward to bring him into her arms, resting her head on his chest as she nearly squeezes the life out of him from her strength.
" Um, love... I-I don't mean to be a knob, but... I-I can't really... breath," Steven croaks through his strained muscles.
" Sorry!" Cleo exclaims as she retracts her limps, earning a desperate gasp of air from him.
She allows a few seconds to pass while Steven catches his breath.
" Are you..."
" Good?"
" Yeah."
" Yeah, I'm alright, love."
A few more seconds pass, containing awkward eye contact between the two as Layla slams the driver's side door of the Jeep.
" Should we..."
" Go?"
" Yeah."
" Yeah, let's go."
Steven and Cleo walk to the passenger's side door, and he goes to open it for her, but comes to the exact realization Marc had come to just hours before.
" There's only..." He starts.
" One seat?" Cleo suggests.
" Yeah."
" I could... sit on your lap?"
" Y-Yeah, I mean... is that... alright... with you? Are you... are you cool with that?"
" I'm cool."
" Cool."
Steven takes his time and sits down into the seat first, then makes eye contact with Cleo as she goes to jump in as well. He fidgets around, trying to give her as much room as possible by scooting his bum far back into the seat. She sits between his legs and closes the door, and tries to reach for the seat belt, only to find that Steven had the exact thing in mind. Their hands clash together and the seat belt gets retracted back into its holder. Once more, they reach for it at the same time before Cleo decides to just let him to it. Steven struggles to wrap the seat belt all the way around them both, finding there's not enough room to connect it to the buckle on the side. He awkwardly holds the belt by her breasts, doing his absolute best not to accidentally touch them. Cleo takes the belt from his hands, somehow managing to push his hand into her shirt as she leans over to click the belt into the buckle. She goes to sit up straight, then tilts her head downwards to see Steven's hand currently cupping her breast, not that she truly minds. He instantly pulls his hand out from her shirt with wide eyes, ushering multiple apologizes for the possible invasion, despite the fact that they've been intimate with one another. Cleo assures him that it's okay, and expects the car to be moving by now, but turns her head along with Steven to be met with Layla staring at them as if they are the dumbest people on the planet.
" What?"
Their drive takes them all the way to sunrise, going over the vast terrain of the Egyptian desert and all of it's beauty. Cleo stays strapped to Steven's chest, who's arms stay planted to his sides as to not have another accident. The drive is smooth for the most part, with the occasional bump making Cleo jump in Steven's lap, an action that sends a blush straight to his cheeks as he fights off any impure thoughts he may have.
" We can't lose more time. Harrow must be headed back to the tomb," Layla states with a heavy sigh as she keeps her eyes focused on the sand in front of her, " Look, if he is... we're gonna need Marc, yeah?"
" Exactly. See, she gets it," Marc speaks to his double through the side mirror.
" No," Steven states.
" No?" Layla repeats.
" No," He says, " 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 Cleo and us killed, did it? That's not gonna fly with me."
Cleo's expression falls neutral as her mind rolls over the words that came from Steven's mouth, finding it brutally ironic that the one time she's been able to fall, the person she's fallen for won't be there to catch her.
" You guys made a deal?" Cleo asks, her voice creepily void of any emotions as she blankly stares out the window.
" Yes, but--"
" That he would disappear from my life... and you didn't think that was something I should know?"
Her words pull on Steven's heart strings, but based on Marc's glare through the mirror, he must pick his words carefully.
" Oh..." He trails, " Love, it's not--"
" Not exactly what he did to me?" Layla chimes in with a scoff, " You know what, Marc, maybe if you stopped being such a dick you'd have less problems in your life," she sighs, " Whatever. His suit was his best feature anyways, Leo. Doesn't even have that anymore."
Cleo continues to stare aimlessly out the window, face blank and eyes solemn. Her breath remains on track, despite her mind wondering down a rabbit hole of dark thoughts as her depression attempts to crawl back up to the surface at the thought of losing Marc.
The might Cleopatra Sa'd Hassan may be powerful, but so is her mental illness.
It plagues her mind and acts as a crutch. She thought the completion of her royal soul would mean that it wouldn't bother her, but depression is a disease that is not so easily cured.
" Steven, give me the body right now. This is a suicide mission."
" He'd probably just wanna lone wolf this whole thing. It's not happening. We're not gonna do that," Layla orders as her hands grip the steering wheel.
" We are not," Steven affirms, " It's just you, me, Cleo and the open road."
Just as those words are spoken, Layla harshly presses on the brake and turns off the engine.
" We go on foot from here," Layla states as she quickly climbs out of the Jeep.
Steven presses the buckle to release the belt from their confinements, but still remains planted in the seat. Cleo doesn't move, her eyes are focused on nothing and her mind is rampant with thoughts of doubt and deception that make her want to find the nearest cot and sleep for days on end.
" You okay?" Steven asks with furrowed brows as he leans over to try and get a look at her face, " Darling, what is it? What's wrong?" and all he's met with his silence, " Do you need some water? Maybe a bit of food or--"
" Change of clothes," Cleo mutters as she hops out of the seat and walks to the trunk where she pulls out a bag.
Steven stays sat in his seat as Cleo changes, finding himself needing to take a beat before returning to the adventure at hand. As Cleo pulls her shirt over her head, Steven's eyes flutter to the rear view mirror where all he sees is her back with a rather obvious scar by the shoulder, wondering why he's never noticed it before. Cleo roll the new black cotton shirt over her head, and Steven tears his eyes away, cursing himself for even looking in the first place.
Once she's done changing, Cleo pulls a backpack over her shoulders and passes one to Steven as he climbs out of the Jeep. Their feet on the sand, their eyes on the rocky pathway up ahead. They begin their walk in total silence. Cleo and Layla walk side by side, leaving Steven trailing behind, feeling the tension radiating off of the women as if it were a toxic gas. Steven pulls his hood over his head as the step through the narrow path between two rocky cliffs. Each placement of their boot covered feet must be taken carefully as they squeeze on by with the crows cawing over head as if to take the place on the God.
They come to a clearing with the sun bright and overhead. The camp made by the followers of Ammit becomes obvious to their eyes, and they make it their goal, for the tomb must be near. They slowly and cautiously climb down the steep cliff, and despite the silence and tension, Steven still keeps an eye out for Cleo, just in case she may need any help.
But of course, she doesn't. Or if she does, she won't admit it, something she has in common with the man who shares Steven's body.
They hide behind an abandoned red Jeep to check for any threats, and once the coast is clear they crouch down and enter the doomed camp. And as they pass by one of the camels, Steven can't help but give it a small wave, something Cleo bites the inside of her cheeks at to stop herself from smiling.
Layla leads them to the village of tents, and they split up to check for supplies. Layla with Cleo, and Steven with the voice in his head.
Cleo rummages through the supplies in the white tent with such aggression, that Layla just has to break the silence.
" You wanna talk about it?" She asks.
" No," Cleo responds as she shoves a few items into her bag.
" Leo..." Layla trails softly.
" What do you want me to say?!" Cleo exclaims as she turns around, " That I'm sad? I'm angry? I'm hear--" she stops herself from finishing the word as she feels the hot and salty tears already pooling the rims of her eyes.
" Heartbroken?" Layla suggests as she takes a step forward.
" Doesn't matter," Cleo states as she offers a pained smile and a sigh, " At least I have Steven."
" And me," Layla adds, " We may not be what we used to... but you're joking if you think you can get rid of me that easily."
" You can never leave me alone, can you?" Cleo sighs as she turns around to gather more supplies.
" Mm, I could," Layla starts as she closes her bag, " But where's the fun in that?"
If only Steven could be having the same comforting conversation.
But alas, it's not in the stars for him. He enters a different white tent and searches for supplies, but a special someone just can't leave him alone.
" You look scared" Marc comments as he comes up to a dirty glass table.
" I'm not," Steven corrects as he places supplies into his bag.
" Well, you should be. Without Khonshu, there's no more suit, no more healing, no more power."
" Yeah, not more you, I thought," Steven quips, " It's what you said, innit? But believing anything that comes out of your mouth just shows what a plonker I am."
" Look, I wish I could just disappear, I really do. But, unfortunately, I'm still here. And if you are gonna go through with this, you gotta be smart, for Cleo's sake. I've been in situations like this before."
" So have I. It's the same body, innit?" Steven asks, " It's in there somewhere. Muscle memory and that."
" Yeah, I'm not sure it works that way. Just..."
" Whatever, I don't care," Steven states as he turns around and heads towards the exit.
" I'm here. You're not alone."
" I know I'm not alone. I know I'm bloody not alone," Steven exclaims as he stops walking and turns around, " I've got... I've got Cleo. She's got my back."
" Are you in love? Huh? You're in love with my girl?"
" If she was really your girl, you wouldn't have made a deal to leave her--"
" If you lay one more finger on her one more time--"
" I appreciate your concern, mate."
" Steven, I swear to you--"
"I really do, but we've got it from here. If I ever need a recipe for a protein shake or something, I'll call you."
" I will throw us off a cliff!"
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[ ehehehe i love creating drama between marc/ steven and cleo... also yes jake is coming, i promise ]