Marc and Steven were in the recovery position and breathing steadily, if not a bit shallowly. You sat, raking the sand through your fingers into small piles beneath your palms, thinking what to do. Khonshu was gone, and you never thought you'd miss his presence. Without the suit, Marc and Steven were vulnerable, and--
--Your ears pricked at the sound of an engine. No one would be out in the middle of the desert unless they'd followed you, and the only people who would have were Harrow's devout cult.
"Shit," you muttered, as bright headlights swamped the area. A yell echoed across the desert, and you threw yourself over Steven and Marc's body as someone open fired. You tucked your hands under their arms, and dragged them down the dune out of the line of fire. The sand was lose, and you yelped as the two of you went tumbling down, landing in a messy heap at the bottom. Marc and Steven had landed on their back, still in a deep sleep. You heard the assailants car fighting the sand as it sped up the dune, and you sprinted towards the van you'd driven in, hiding out of sight as the car drove down the other side. You could hear the rattling of ammunition. They'd come with the intent to kill both of you.
You felt like you couldn't catch your breath as the car slowed to a crawl, scanning the ground. The light fell over Marc and Stevens body, and you prayed to whatever God was still listening that they wouldn't shoot him. Under the assumption he was already dead, they didn't.
"I saw someone running!" one of the men yelled and you swore under your breath. Then you heard a second engine, one you presumed was more of Harrow's men. But a motorbike appeared, skidding across the sand and throwing a blanket of dust over the men, who's line of sight was obscured. Then the engine cut off, and you saw a figure running towards you.
"Layla," you cried in a whisper.
"You moved the whole sky?" she cried in a louder whisper, throwing her hands in exasperation as she hid next to you. You held up your hands in defeat.
"Not me," you said, swivelling and peering over the van bonnet. The top of your fingers went white as you clutched the metal, watching as the car slowly towards the side of the van. It was crammed to the brim with cases of bullets, like they weren't just there to kill, but maim beyond recognition.
The car was coming clockwise, so you and crept clockwise in synchronicity to the van. She slipped the latch off the back of the van and pulled open the door, and the two of you crawled inside, lying on the sticky floor as the beam of light shot across the windows, narrowly skimming over the both of you.
You rested your head to your left, eyes scanning the assortment of boxes stashed under the uncomfortably rickety bench. Then you saw it. A crate of flares. Why they were in this van, you had no idea, but did you intend to hunt down the person who put them there and thank them? Yes. You slid one out of the hole in the side of the crate intended as a handle, and turned back to Layla who caught the gleam in your eye.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" you asked, handing her one, and she nodded. "Wait," you hesitated. "I just thought that would sound cool. What are you thinking?"
Layla gripped your hand tightly and you felt a new lease of confidence. "I'll distract them," she said, climbing out of the van. You watched her go, astounded that a person could seem so calm in such a situation. You grabbed a second flare, and a third just to be safe, and followed her out, dropping into a low crouch as she ran out from behind the van and lit the flare.
It only took a second for her to be seen. "There she is!" one of the men shouted, and an instant barrage of heavy gunfire was thrown at Layla. She sprinted off into the night and the car engine revved as it followed. That's where you came in. Lighting the flare - something you'd never done before but was no harder than striking a match - you waited until the car had past you and then lobbed the flare into the back of it, where the flammable ignition took to the flame like paper in a wild fire. You covered your face with your hands as the car nearly flipped in the force of the fireball that enveloped it. The evening was already unbearably sweaty and you grimaced at the heat of the fire, taking several steps back.
"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.
The squawk of a bird drew you from your thoughts as the three of you emerged from the other side of the valley, you sheltered your eyes as the sun rose over the mountains.
"There they are," Layla said, nodding to a camp in the not too far distance, at the base of the rocks. Harrows followers had set up shop, with beige tents sprawled in a makeshift encampment, and as the three of you wearily approached, you realised that there was no one around. The place looked more than empty; it looked abandoned. Abandoned in a hurry.
"It looks like they're already inside," Layla commented. "We'll need to find another way to beat them to Ammit."
"Let's check for supplies," you suggested, and the three of you dispersed. As Steven headed into a tent, you walked around the side of it, intending to go to the next one, but you stopped as you heard Marc speak.
"You look scared," he commented and you scowled, wishing him and Steven could get along.
"I'm not," Steven replied.
"Well, you should be. Without Khonshu, there's no more suit, no more healing, no more power."
"Yeah, no more you, I thought. It's what you said, isn't it? 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," Marc sighed, and it broke your heart to hear him say that. "But unfortunately, I'm still here. If you're gonna go through with this, you gotta be smart, for y/n's sake. I've been in situations like this before."
"So have I," Steven replied. "It's the same body, isn't it? It's in there somewhere. Muscle memory and that."
"I'm not sure it works that way. Just... Whatever. I'm here. You're not alone."
You knew that Marc's comment was meant kindly, and you were proud of him. It was probably the first sincere word him and Steven had exchanged. But Steven wasn't about to be friendly back.
"I know I'm not alone. I know I'm bloody not alone. I've got Layla, and y/n..." Steven trailed off, and you felt your heart rise to your throat at the mention of your name. "She's got my back."
"Are you in love?" Marc asked suddenly. "Are you in love with y/n? Because I am, and I'm liking this idea of sharing less and less." Your heartrate quickened as Marc said those three words. He loved you...
Shit. You loved him. But you also loved Steven.
"I appreciate your concern, mate. I really do," Steven said, avoiding the subject completely. "But we've got it from here."
"I swear to you, Steven. I swear..." you jumped back as you heard crashing and banging from inside the tent as Steven grabbed a load of supplies, interrupting Marc's threat.
"If I need a recipe for a protein shake or something, I'll call you," Steven said and you laughed.
"I'll throw us off a cliff!" Marc yelled, but Steven ignored him, marching out of the tent with a handful of supplies. You quickly rushed into the tent opposite, grabbing a knife which you slid in your backpack, and a torch that clipped onto your belt. Then you made your way back to Steven and Layla who were in hushed conversation.
"...wasn't his call to make. I don't need protection. What I need is honesty," you heard Layla say. It seemed all her anger and resentment towards Marc was bubbling up, and Steven was trying to fix it.
"Yeah. I get that," he mumbled.
"That's more of a "you" thing, isn't it?" Layla asked him.
"What? Being... Honesty?"
"Yeah. Being honesty," Layla said, a smile on her face. You'd missed the first half of their conversation but agreed with his honesty. She turned to you and handed you a harness. "I'm gonna go down first."
"We'll be there in a minute." She nodded to you and walked towards a giant hole in the ground. The entrance to Ammit's tomb. You gulped. Steven looked excited; he'd studied Egyptology his whole life, and was about to enter a tomb that was practically undiscovered. But he was also scared. He had a harness around his legs and was fumbling to tighten it, so you put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. He let go of the harness and you wound the thick material through your hands.
"I have to say, I feel like I've been waiting for this my whole life," Steven said to you as you tightened the ropes around his groin. You stifled a laugh and he reddened. "The adventure, I mean."
"I know," you said. "We want what we never had." You finished tightening his harness and slipped on your own. You'd done rock climbing as a kid, and the memory served you well. As you tightened it, you felt Steven's hands on either side of your face, and when you looked up, he kissed you gently.
"I love you y/n," he said, and you couldn't stop the grin spreading on your face as you kissed him back, running your hands through his hair. When you pulled away, you settled your hands on his arms.
"I love you too," you answered. Steven pressed his forehead against yours, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Now come on. We've got a tomb to explore." You headed for the hole that Layla had disappeared into, and just as you were lowering yourself in, you heard a crack and a groan. You glanced over to Steven. He was holding his nose and shaking his hand as his knuckles turned red.
Had he just... punched himself in the face?