MARC THINKS THAT this could've gone a thousand times better. The primary idea is that, maybe, if the stars had aligned – or, he figures, if they hadn't – he wouldn't have to deal with a soulmate in the balance. Then again, how could he be mad about that? His better half, from what he's seen through Steven's eyes, is everything he thought her to be. If anything, he just wishes she could have better than him. And he thinks, after their disastrous first date, that she might feel the same.
Still. There is too much at play, and if she gets involved, there's no way in hell he'll be able to do anything. He'd be too distracted on protecting her. This already happened with Layla, and she wasn't even his soulmate, so Noor?
It would be stupid to even think it'd work.
That's why, watching as Steven walks with Layla back to the flat, his breath catches in his throat, and suddenly he wants nothing else but to front, and tuck Noor away in a corner until all of this is settled and he won't put her in danger.
Because here Noor is, leaning against the door, rubbing her ring finger and her eyes narrowed at Steven. She doesn't need to check to know that it's Steven, from the way he holds himself, all slouched, and smiling at her, all happy. She figures Marc wouldn't react like that.
In all fairness, he wouldn't, but mainly because he temporarily lost all ability to speak.
"Hey," she smiles, and his heart skips a beat. Steven frowns at the feeling, before quickly realising that it's Marc reacting to Noor. "Sorry, got a bit worried back there. Figured you might need a hand with whatever it was when you got home." She leans to the side, and smiles politely at Layla. "I'm Noor. I'm a friend of Steven's."
Layla's eyes light up with frustration and a tiny bit of curiosity. "Steven, right?" she says, and Noor frowns at her tone. "I'm Layla," she introduces herself. "Marc's ex-wife."
Zagreus chokes on his saliva. "Who's what?"
The information fights its way up Noor's brain, and she stops blinking for a full minute. Marc, stuck in the background, figures that this is the absolute worst way to do this.
Thing is, you have one romantic soulmate. That's it. Just the one. Just like aromantic people have only one platonic soulmate – a kind of soulmate is unique to everyone. But there is only one person meant for you in this way. One romantic soulmate. One platonic soulmate, one twin flame, one unrequited love – though, those are rare, and painful. The point is, you get one.
Any other relationship you may try to build will ultimately devolve into a mistake. It won't work. It's not meant to, that's the whole point of soulmates. Layla and Marc were in love enough – or stubborn enough – to power through it. Or try to, at least. Their marriage ended fairly early on, but they remained friends.
Until Marc went missing.
And Noor still hasn't blinked. "Are you having a stroke?" Zagreus asks, feigning concern.
She finally blinks and shakes her head. "Right. Right, okay. He never said."
Noor isn't sure she's entitled to feel bad about this situation. It's Marc's ex-wife, yes, but Noor isn't sure who she is, to Marc. Their first and last conversation wasn't the smoothest in any way. They definitely didn't have time to talk about past relationships, of course. Just the killing part.
What she means to say, no matter how much she tries to talk her way around it, is that she's fairly sure it should not hurt that much. "Well," she starts again. "I'm his soulmate. Anyway."
From Steven's mind, Marc's focus doesn't waver, set on her, on her reaction. Until Steven takes matters into his own hands.
"Okay. Layla, Noor. Noor, Layla. Fun. Let's get in, yeah?" he says, opening the door.
Noor makes way for Layla to get in after Steven. Zagreus sees a chance. "You're so jealous."
She huffs, and mutters back. "If you weren't already dead, I'd be the reason you died."
Steven, watching the scene, decides that it's best not to say anything about their exchange, and closes the door after them. He sends Noor the most apologetic smile she's ever seen, before turning to Layla's watching Gus, the fish, in his fish tank.
In the reflection, Marc glares at him. "Layla can handle herself, I trust her, but Noor?" His burning gaze goes from him to Noor, awkwardly looking around. "She shouldn't be here." His voice turns almost pleading. "Get her out of here, Steven. You're way out of your depth."
Steven's face falls, guilty. "I just want my life back."
Noor looks at him, wary. She figures that wasn't directed at any of them, but at the American man he shares a brain and a soulmate with.
Layla, though, doesn't seem aware of that fact. "Yeah, I'm getting that."
He immediately starts shaking his head. "No, sorry, I wasn't talking to you, just talking to myself. Sort of."
Zagreus makes a face. "Well that's one way to put it." Noor hums in agreement.
Layla walks further inside the flat, to the bed. "Uh, this is your flat, Marc?"
"Um, I'm Steven."
She scoffs at the shackles near the bed. "Are you living here with Noor?"
Noor perks up when she hears her name. "What?" She notices what Layla is staring at, and blushes all the way to the tip of her ears. "Oh Jesus, no."
Her Greek god finds this hilarious. "Oh that is so awkward, it's like a live episode of Love Island."
She is so going to have his head.
Steven notices what's happening, and turns red, stuttering. "No, oh, no, no, no. No, this is my mum's flat."
Layla frowns. "Okay, so you guys are talking again?"
"Again?" Noor chimes in. "He calls her every..." Steven shakes his head at her, gesturing for her to shut up. "Nevermind."
Marc's ex-wife – gods, why? – picks up a book. "Marceline Desbordes-Valmore?" she reads out in a good french accent.
"Yep," Steven hums, before he starts reciting a poem in French. Layla hesitantly joins in.
Zagreus turns to Noor. "Oui oui, omelette de fromage."
Noor breathes in and out. "Right yeah. Of course. Good poem. Isn't she your favourite?" she vaguely recalls, asking Steven.
He nods, but Layla's frown deepens. "Um, no, she's my favourite."
"Right. That's one hell of a coincidence, innit?" She stares at Steven, but he has an inkling that it's not really him she'd be glaring daggers at.
Layla's eyes turn a bit apologetic. She doesn't mean to start an argument between the soulmates, but she figures Noor is entitled to the truth.
Noor retreats to the back of the flat while Steven and Layla talk about hieroglyphs, holding back the roll of her eyes. If Steven doesn't want to mention DID, it's his right. She'll wait for Marc to front to talk this out.
"What fun turn of events," Zagreus says in a sing-song voice. "The ex-wife and the soulmate. Bet Marc's having a breakdown somewhere in there." He is.
"Straight up not having a good time," she mutters under her breath. "Maybe I should leave?" she calls out to Steven.
"No, no, I'm sorry," he pleads, not ready to let his best friend go after everything he's discovered. "Look, Noor, I'm sorry. Marc, he's a right twit, yeah?"
Behind Noor, in the mirror, Marc scoffs. A muscle twitches in Noor's jaw. "One could say that."
"I don't know how to explain what I saw in the storage room," he starts, Layla listening in.
"Steven," Marc warns.
"I don't expect you to follow me on this."
"Steven, listen to me," his voice is growing urgent, almost panicky.
"I honestly wouldn't help myself. All I can do is show you..."
"You're making a mistake!"
"...try to show you what I found."
"Steven-"
He moves to the table. "I found this bag, in the storage locker."
"Steven, don't. Listen to me."
He opens the bag. "Inside of it is all sorts..."
"Stop what you're doing right now."
"...of things."
"Steven step away from the bag, don't show her what's in the bag."
"Most interestingly..."
"You're gonna get her killed. You hear me?" Steven stops moving, hands still buried in the bag.
Layla frowns, but Noor is the one to speak up. "What? What's inside the bag?"
Even Zagreus tries to peer inside. "Nope, can't see."
Steven, though, is completely frozen. "You show her that scarab," Marc is telling him, "you're responsible when they come after her. We wouldn't do that to Noor."
No, he really wouldn't. So he closes the bag, and gulps, stomach dropping. If anything happens to his best friend, he'll never forgive himself. "Nothing," he says. "Never mind."
Layla strolls forward. "What's in there?"
"Nothing."
Noor, using the diversion, grabs the bag and opens it. "Is that a gun?" It is. And money, and fake passports, and something glinting softly, tucked away. "What's that?"
Marc watches, horrified, as she gets the small, golden scarab from the bag. Zagreus straightens up. "Oh, there's magic etched to it. I can feel it." He shudders a little. "Dark magic."
"The scarab pointing to Ammit's ushabti?" Layla cries out. "What we fought side by side for."
Steven shakes his head, breathing heavy. "No..."
"This whole one-man show is just what? So that you can keep it for yourself?"
"No, no, I swear..."
"Woah, after all we've been through..."
"No–"
"Just stop!" she screams. "I'm supposed to believe anything you say with this shoved in what, a gym bag?"
"Oi!" Noor cries out, throwing it at her. "Take the flipping thing if you want it so much." She gets closer to Steven, holding his arm for support. "Geez."
"Take it," he tells Layla. "I don't want it. I don't want it, I swear. Have it." Layla huffs, shaking her head. "I am not Marc Spector. I'm Steven Grant. My platonic soulmate is Noor Dhawan – I work in a gift shop! Well, I used to work in a gift shop." His voice gets heavy with poorly hidden fear. "And I think I'm in real danger, and I think maybe that you might be the only person who can make sense of it all." Layla's eyes are teary now. "Please."
She looks down, then back up at the pair, at the initials on their fingers. "You really don't remember why we've been looking for this?" He shakes his head. "Our adventures. Or our life together?"
Noor looks at Zagreus, who looks back at her, pity in his eyes. It most definitely should not hurt that much.
There's a knock. The three people – and a half – freeze, before a woman speaks up from the other side of the door.
"Steven Grant, can we have a word?"
He gestures to the door. "See?" he whispers hurriedly. "Oh god, they've come for me."
"Why?"
"I vandalised the toilet."
Zagreus inhales. "That is so disgusting."
The woman knocks again. "Just a minute!"
"Steven Grant?" Steven and Noor get closer to the door.
"Yeah?"
"DC Fitzgerald and DC Kennedy here."
Noor makes an outraged face. "The cops? They called the cops on you? Oh I'm killing J.B. next time I see him."
"Less protective, more reactive," Zagreus tells her. "Let's focus on the fact that there's a bag filled with guns and fake passports maybe?"
Steven opens the door a crack, while Noor dives for the bag, trying to tuck it under the table, hiding it as best as she can. She barely has time to compose herself, that a man has forced his way in, and Layla disappeared.
She thinks she might be the one going to prison for punching an officer, so she restrains herself. She hates cops, as anyone with half a brain would.
They start walking through his flat, after nodding sharply at Noor. She didn't nod back.
"So um," Steven starts. "You're here about the toilet yeah? 'Cause it's been dealt with. Yeah, I've been sacked. And uh, yeah." The woman picks up the shackles. "I have a sleeping disorder."
"The museum said they wouldn't press charges," Noor says. "He's gonna pay in instalments."
"What's this?" They turn to the man, holding a miniaturised pyramid of Gizeh.
Steven stares at him. "It's a paperweight."
"Where'd you get it?"
"Paperweight shop?"
Zagreus walks back beside Noor. "This feels wrong. They're searching for something, and didn't show any sign of a permit."
"You're in possession of a stolen item," the man says, before glancing at the poorly hidden bag.
Steven starts stuttering, going red. "Oh. Yeah, I... No, I don't have it. I don't. No, it's not here."
The man takes out a fake passport. "Marc Spector?"
"That's not mine."
"Funny that." He walks to them, showing the picture. "Fella looks just like you."
Noor nods, uneasy. "It's a recurring problem."
The woman tuts. "Fake passport and a thief? I think you best come with us, son."
Noor is immediately in front of Steven, shielding him. "Hey, don't you dare. Where's your permit? What police station are even from, Shady Yard?" They take the cuffs out, and one of Steven's arms. "Don't touch him!"
They send her a warning look, and Zagreus tries to put a hand on Noor's shoulder, knowing that it wouldn't work anyway. "Noor. το μου μισό άμοιρη." She stops at the nickname, immediately calming down, if even slightly. "If you get sent in jail, you won't be able to help him. Step back. Find Layla."
Noor watches, eyes wide, lips parted, flushed and overall visibly outraged as the police take Steven and the bag away.
Her hands ball into fists. "We have to get them back."
"Them?" Zagreus asks, softly, because going by her husked voice, she's seconds from snapping.
"Steven and Marc."
"Right. Well we could try to ask Little Miss Disappearing-Act first."
Noor starts to breathe heavily, panicking. "Oh god, what if they really weren't even police? What if Steven and Marc are heading straight into a trap, to that Harrow guy!"
"Okay, calm down."
"You try to calm down when your soulmate is in danger!"
"Who the hell are you talking to?"
They turn to face Layla, climbing back into the room from the window.
Noor blinks. "Sorry what? You... Spider-Maned your way out, or whatever he's called?"
"Yeah," she says, as if it was nothing. "Come on. Let's get him back."
They watch, dumbfounded as she leads the way, leaving.
Zagreus huffs. "That was..."
"Hot," Noor finishes. "Shut up. Let's go."
author's note: how does one introduce his ex-wife and soulmate to each other anyway?