Important announcement
First of all, happy New Year everyone!
Second of all: I've started a new Moon Knight story that will run in parallel to this one. Both are already completed and I'm just editing and uploading so you don't have to worry about one being abandoned. "Why I'm here" is a separate story that has nothing to do with this one. There's no David and it focusses more on Jake instead, though I've given him a different characterization and background. The idea is that Jake woke up way before Marc after the shiva incident and that Steven and Jake, neither of which knew the other ever existed, get to know each other and become friends long before Marc ever wakes up. It's fun but it's also dark at times because we're definitely addressing the whole trauma thing there too. Go check it out, especially if you like this story!
XxX
Chapter 7: Daylight mission
Two weeks passed. Marc and Layla had two more session with Dr Moore, both of them absolutely horrible. As you'd expected, the doctor was much too interested in making Marc talk about things that had absolutely nothing to do with his marriage.
Marc only managed to get through one session without incident and had to switch with Steven again for the other half-way through. The conversations were so exhausting for him that he didn't have the energy to front or even just talk much for the rest of the time. This left Steven with control of the body, which he used to deepen his relationship with May.
As nerve-wracking as the sessions with Dr. Moore were for you, Steven's part of the life was like vacation. You managed to sneak in a few more hours hanging out with Peter, pretending to be Steven, playing games with him and listening to him talk about school. You didn't do it because Steven needed the help. You just… genuinely liked Peter. Jake though warned you about stealing too much time.
"Look, I'm happy if you can find a friend out there, I really am", he said. "But Steven is eventually going to notice. We went through all that before."
"I know! I know. I just…" You groaned, rubbing your face. "I'm just… I'm torn between being bored with Steven's romance and super anxious about Marc freaking out in therapy. I just need an outlet. It's just so easy to hang out with Peter."
"I get it. I do. Just… be careful", Jake said.
However, it was not your time with Steven that was the problem in the end, you told yourself. It was Moon Knight.
Khonshu called Jake up three more times. One was about following a group of thugs that had broken into the home of a private collector and made off with yet another bag of stolen Egyptian artifacts.
One was a regular job, busting a human trafficking ring that left nine people dead and had you take over from a panicking Jake when it came to shuffling a dozen half-naked woman out of their cells. This was the second time you donned the suit yourself, the previous jobs having been all Jake's. And though it was a joined effort of the two of you, when you met the moon god again after making sure the women were safe and luring a patrolling police car towards them, it was you Khonshu had praise for.
"You did well as my Moon Knight, little Chameleon", he said and you couldn't help but puff up your chest a bit at the praise.
"I didn't do much… Jake did most of the work", you admitted.
"Jake is well trained and experienced. You are only starting on your path. Don't think I haven't noticed you aiding him in combat all these years. It won't be long until you can hold your own."
You blushed red all the way to the roots of your hair and stammered a thanks. You were unaccustomed to anyone talking to you like this. Jake sometimes told you when you did well but Jake was like your brother. Khonshu was the only being in the game who knew about you. Who saw you. And he liked you. He liked your work.
In that moment, you lacked all understanding for why Marc and Steven were so against working as Moon Knight. Moon Knight saved people's lives. He punished those that deserved it. He was a divine champion, for Khonshu's sake! What was there not to like?
The third job the god had for you involved trying to meet this Blackwell guy, a name Jake had also gotten out of the second group of artifact thieves again. For that you had to hijack one of Steven's dates with May. They were in town visiting a museum and, while Steven was off for a moment using the loo, Jake slipped in, took over and made his way as fast as possible three streets over to where Blackwell was having a shareholder meeting in a nearby skyscraper. He climbed up the facade of the building, avoiding the windows until he was on the correct floor and could peak into the room.
Khonshu, bound to the general location of his avatar as he was, was looking over his shoulder, beak almost touching it as he gazed at the man that had brought him so much trouble.
"And? Should I kill him?" Jake asked the god quietly.
"Hm", Khonshu made, regarding the middle aged man who was mid-presentation about his company's financial situation. "He is certainly deserving of punishment. No human rises this high without stepping on others. But I see no deaths weighting on him."
"Jake, we can't just shot or beat up this guy. There'd be no point unless we take him out completely and with that much power, he could really make trouble for us", you told your friend.
Jake repeated your concerns to Khonshu.
"There is something off about him", Khonshu said. "I sense a familiar aura… This is not good."
You fiddled with your glasses and typed quickly into your keyboard, sending a request to Jake to enter multi-player mode. He accepted and you now saw through his eyes and could use his mouth.
"What is it, Khonshu? Is he an avatar?" you asked.
"No", Khonshu replied. "Wait here."
The god glided through the window with none of the humans inside noticing his invisible presence. Soon he vanished from your sight and you and Jake just hung there at the facade, balancing on the windowsill of one of the windows with their blinds down. As convenient as it was to have a non-physical, invisible entity do your reconnaissance for you, you felt kinda exposed out in the open.
Suddenly there as a thuk to your right and Jake and you turned around.
You groaned as you recognized Spider-Man, now crouching horizontally at the same building facade as you a few steps back.
The spider tilted his head, regarding you.
"I recognize that costume", he said. "Did you change the designer, Moon Knight?"
"Friend of yours?" Jake asked you amused, using the chat function.
"Kinda", you replied. "Not sure he sees it the same though. Stall for time, we need to remain nearby until Khonshu's back."
"Mind your own business, cucaracha", Jake said, giving Spider-Man his most intimidating sneer.
You did a face-palm.
Spider-Man got to his feet, somehow managing to defy gravity while sticking to the side of a building.
"I heard about the massacre someone with your description instigated a few days ago", Spider-Man said darkly.
You borrowed Jake's voice, snapping back: "Then you'll also have heard how those bastardos sold and abused people! I did the world a favor."
"You should've alerted the police when you found out about them!" Spider-Man replied hotly. "Not… Not just spread their body parts everywhere!"
That was hardly fair. The more sins a human had on their heart, the more… explosive Khonshu's weapons reacted to contact with them. It wasn't Jake's fault.
"I'll be spreading your body parts everywhere if you don't stay the fuck out of my way", Jake growled.
You send a quick prayer up to the sky, hoping Khonshu would return soon.
"Jake, come on, this is a hero. An Avenger. Don't say stuff like that!" you begged your friend.
"I can't help it!" Jake protested, his inside-voice sounding slightly panicked. "It's like word-vomit! You take over!"
Jake tried to retreat but you ripped off your VR glasses, ending multiplayer-mode to prevent Jake from pushing you up front. The last thing you needed now was for Spider-Man to witness an impromptu costume change.
"Okay, that's it. I'm taking you in", Spider-Man decided.
"Oh thank you", Jake made relieved and readied himself for a fight. This at least was familiar territory for him.
You groaned and hit your head on the table.
Spider-Man lunged first, shooting a web aimed straight for Jake. He dodged to the side, the webbing narrowly missing him and sticking to the building instead.
"Is that the best you've got?" Jake taunted, a wild grin spreading across his face. "Throwing sticky little strings?" He drew his two white handguns from their holsters, the sunlight gleaming off their polished surfaces. "Don't worry, I won't shoot to kill… unless you force me to."
Spider-Man's body tensed, muscles coiling as he prepared for the fight. "Seriously? Guns? You know I'm not the bad guy here, right?"
"Then stay the hell out of my way!" Jake shouted.
Before Spider-Man could respond, Jake fired a couple of warning shots, the bullets whizzing through the air. He didn't aim to injure but rather to keep Spider-Man at bay. The rounds ricocheted off the building's facade, creating a shower of sparks.
"Hey!" Spider-Man exclaimed, dodging to the side as Jake continued firing. "That's dangerous! Didn't you think yourself a hero?"
"Hero?" Jake echoed, scoffing as he took a step forward, still keeping his guns trained on Spider-Man. "I'm the farthest thing from a hero you can possibly imagine, amago."
Before Spider-Man could respond, Jake fired another shot. Spider-Man lunged to the side but Jake had expected the movement, aiming slightly to the side. The bullet hit the hero's shoulder but the spider only hissed and stumbled, barely hurt.
"Khonshu's weapons won't do much against someone not deserving of punishment", you reminded Jake. "Just stop it, try and talk to him!"
"And say what!? It's not like I can promise to stop killing people!" Jake protested.
Spider-Man moved quickly, vaulting onto a nearby ledge to gain the high ground. "You're making a mistake, you know! This isn't the way!"
"Yeah?" Jake shot back, his voice dripping with venom. "Tell that to victims of the bastardos I just took down. They got what they deserved."
With that, he abandoned his guns, holstering them with a quick snap. The thrill of combat ignited something dark within him, and he charged at Spider-Man, fists clenched.
Spider-Man tried to swing down to dodge, but Jake was quicker, launching himself forward with a powerful leap. He threw a wild punch that connected with Spider-Man's side, sending him sprawling backward. Jake's cape flapped open, preventing him from spiraling as he caught himself on the next windowsill.
"Ugh!" Spider-Man gasped, caught off guard by Jake's ferocity. He quickly regained his footing, feet sticking to the glass and launched a counterattack, but Jake was already moving again, dodging Spider-Man's punch by jumping to another ledge.
"You done warming up sometime, amago?" Jake spat, pushing the attack. He landed a solid jab to Spider-Man's midsection, causing the web-slinger to stagger back before he glided back to his previous position. "I thought you were supposed to be some kind of superhero!"
"Oh, I'll show you", Spider-Man growled and slung more webs at him, forcing Jake to glide away using his cape. He circled the building once, trying to come up behind the spider again. But of course Spidey was long gone, shooting his webs from above instead. Jake cursed as his cape was hit and he was forced to grab onto a windowsill in order to not plummet to the ground.
By now people were either hurrying to evacuate the building or scrambling to look outside.
"If you truly cared about protecting people, you'd work with me, not against me!" Spider-Man shouted from above as Jake ripped the webbing from his cape.
"Sorry, cucaracha. Not really my call to make", he muttered and jumped forward, his cape billowing behind him as he aimed a kick with both feet at the hero. It connected with the sound of breaking bones that made you wince, catapulting Spider-Man away.
"Please tell me you didn't just kill an Avenger", you groaned, too scared to really look.
"No te preocupes, I see him slinging away", Jake said. "He'll be back."
Someone else was back too. Khonshu had appeared on a nearby ledge, staring down at Jake.
"Jefe?" Jake made, turning towards him. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Yes and no. I have identified the aura I sensed. It is my belief that Blackwell has come into possession of the Staff of Anubis. This does not bode good. You must retrieve it from him."
"Is it here?" Jake asked.
"No. He must keep it at a secure location. This is of utmost importance, my warrior. Anubis never liked to rely on avatars. He bound his power to his staff instead. Thousands of years ago, the Ennead banished him, as they did many others, for not following the majority when they decided to turn their backs on humanity."
"So what could Blackwell do with that staff?" Jake asked worried.
"Nothing, without Anubis' consent. But the staff allows his power and his will to bleed into the mortal realm even while he is bound in stone. Anubis' first goal will be to break out of his prison."
"That's why he has Blackwell go around hiring thugs to steal ushabtis", Jake guessed.
"Exactly. Anubis is the god of death. He laid the deceased to rest. Before he was banished, he tried to prove his right to worship by showing humanity what would happen if the dead were not… resting. Thousands of years of isolation will not have weakened that wish."
"I don't like the sound of that", Jake made. "I'll find that staff."
"Jake", you reminded him, "we have to head back to the museum. Steven's date – we've been gone for too long."
Jake cursed. "Fine. Another night then."
"You cannot afford to wait", Khonshu protested.
"I'm sorry, jefe, but if Marc or Steven find out I'm still working for you, they'll shut me down and then you'll have no weapon at all. I have to give the body back to Steven. I'll go looking for the staff as soon as I can", Jake promised.
"If you do not focus on your mission", Khonshu said, suddenly much darker, "the squirming worm and my disloyal fist will be the least of your problems."
"We have no leads on the staff's location yet and I can hardly go and interrogate Blackwell now, with all these witnesses!" Jake argued. "I'll complete the mission. I will. Later."
"See that you do", Khonshu warned him in an almost threatening manner. "Or I will chose someone with more control over your mind to do it!"
With that the moon god vanished, leaving Jake to merely scowl at the reflection in the window of the building he was still hanging onto.
You met his gaze and shrugged your shoulders.
"Hey, don't look at me. We both know you're a hundred times better at this job than me. He's just worried about a possible zombie apocalypse."
"David, you can be so stupid sometimes", Jake muttered.
"What?" you made, affronted. "What did you just call me!?"
"Just stay away from Khonshu", Jake growled and pushed himself off the building, gliding back towards the way he came.
"Hey, I never asked for that job!" you replied hotly. "You wanted me to try out the suit!"
"Yes, so you'd know what to do in case of an emergency, not to – oh, forget it."
Jake landed, dismissed the suit and slipped back into the museum through one of the side entrances, narrowly avoiding the security guard making his rounds. He hurriedly made his way back to the bathroom where he first took over.
You were still stewing over Jake calling you stupid when Jake turned towards the mirror.
"I'm here. Make the switch", he said.
You huffed, still a bit mad but pressed Steven's button, smoothly switching him out with Jake.
Steven blinked, glancing around, his brow furrowing as if trying to get his bearings. He left the bathroom, back to where he'd left May.
But she was no longer there.
"May? May!" he called out but there was no answer. Steven started to look around, asking people if they'd seen May. Some of the visitors started to look at him strangely.
Fuck.
You'd forgotten it over your small argument with Jake, but… Your window had always been small. The job had just been supposed to take a look at Blackwell to see if he was in need of punishment. But then Khonshu had left and Spider-Man interfered and everything had just dragged on and on.
Too much time had passed. So much time Steven's date had left. It would be impossible for him not to notice a blackout like that.
"Damn. We're screwed, aren't we?" Jake said from his screen on the left.
Any thoughts of Khonshu and Jake's weird reaction vanished as you anxiously followed Steven's movements on the screen.
He pulled out his mobile phone, the phone that would very clearly show him the time. For a moment you still held hope that he might not notice. He'd been so invested in his date that he hadn't really kept track of time, so what really was one measly hour?
But he didn't check the time. He checked the messages.
"Steven, where are you? You've been gone for a while. You didn't just leave, did you?"
"I asked a guard to look for you but the bathroom's empty. Where are you? I'm waiting in the atrium."
"Steven, this isn't like you… Please tell me you're alright. I'm starting to freak out."
"I'm heading home. I hope you're okay. Please call me when you get this."
Steven's eyes went wider with every SMS.
A big great clump of something thoroughly uncomfortable grew in your stomach. You actually started to feel nauseous.
"I'm sorry, David. I came back as fast as I could", Jake said quietly.
"It's not your fault", you said automatically. "Khonshu…" But no, it wasn't Khonshu's fault either. His mission was an important one. You couldn't just skip on your duty. You couldn't just not help. You owed him.
Steven ran a hand through his hair, the anxiety clear in every twitch of his fingers. He looked at the messages again, a pained expression crossing his face. He stopped the next tourist to ask what the time was, just in case his phone's clock was wrong.
But of course it was not. As far as Steven would remember, he had merely gone to the bathroom for a few minutes. But not only had an entire hour passed, May had sent someone after him to check and he'd been gone.
"Maybe it'll be fine?" you asked in a small voice. "Steven is… Steven is really good at deluding himself. Maybe he'll just think he was sick on the throne or something?"
"Yeah… maybe", Jake made, sounding very much not convinced.
Steven did not delude himself and he did not dismiss the hour he'd lost. He did, in fact, do the most horrible thing he could've done in that situation – he called for Marc.
"Marc!" he whispered, holding his phone to his ear as if he was making a call. He was pacing now, nervous energy bubbling to the surface. "Marc, wake up! I—I blacked out. She's gone, May's gone and I've no idea what happened. Was it you?"
You watched the screen, waiting, hoping Marc would just stay asleep. Marc was hard to rouse these days unless it was his designed day of the week or Layla was nearby. Finally, there it was – Marc's green-framed monitor flickered to life, showing Marc in his own little personal pocket of headspace, mirroring the storage unit he used to keep in London. He looked exhausted and not quite all there yet. You tried to put him back under, hitting multiple buttons as you went and you actually did manage – but Steven kept calling for Marc and Marc kept tossing and turning and waking up.
"David, do something", Jake urged you. "Pretend to be Marc or something!"
"I can't if the real Marc won't stay asleep!" you hissed back.
"What's going on?" Marc asked, his tone thick with grogginess.
"I don't know," Steven replied, his voice edging on panic now. "I was on a date with May, and I— I blacked out. I lost a whole hour. She's gone, and I don't remember a thing. Was that you?"
"David", Jake hissed. "Do something!"
For a moment you seriously considered knocking out both boys. But that would only delay the inevitable. You could speak to Steven as Marc at a later point, making up some excuse. But then Steven would be mad at Marc for interrupting his date. So mad he would speak of it again, which would make everything blow up even worse. Besides that though, you also didn't want to endanger the friendship the two had managed to build. It was so precious to see them together, to support each other. Driving a wedge between them was the last thing you wanted.
"I can't", you whispered. "I'm sorry, Jake."
Marc went quiet for a beat, probably trying to process what he'd just heard. He suddenly looked a lot more awake.
"It wasn't me."His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Steven stopped pacing, his face slackening with shock. "What do you mean it wasn't you? Then who…?" His gaze met Marc's reflection in a display case. Both of their eyes were going wide at the same time.
"Marc?" Steven's voice was barely a whisper now, tinged with fear. "If it wasn't you, and it wasn't me, then… who the hell was it?"
Marc's lips were pressed together into a thin line. His face was pale and his eyes were moving around as if checking whether or not they were being watched.
"Maybe you… Maybe you fell unconscious?" he offered tightly.
"May sent someone to check on me in the bathroom and they didn't find me there!" Steven protested. "I lost a whole hour, Marc! I wasn't unconscious! This is… This is just like..."
He trailed off but the implication hung heavy in the air.
"Look, mate, if you had something important to do nearby, you can tell me, I just-" Steven made but Marc interrupted him:
"It wasn't me."
He didn't sound defensive. Or guilty. Or angry.
He sounded scared.
That made Steven stop. He raised his phone in front of him, looking worriedly at Marc's reflection in the black glass.
"Could there be… someone else?" Steven asked, his voice shaking. He too looked scared of the idea, like it was something he'd been trying to avoid thinking about for a long time.
"Fuck, Steven, I… No, I never saw anyone else, never… There was only ever you. I don't…" Marc trailed off, not convinced enough of his own words to reassure Steven.
Steven took a shaky breath, rubbing the back of his neck.
"There was a third. Back in the Duat", Steven said quietly. "A third sarcophagus. Like the one I woke up in. Do you remember?"
"Fuck. I do", Marc replied and buried his face in his hands.
"We walked right past it. You and me. And our hearts never balanced, even after everything", Steven continued. "Taweret said… Taweret said it's as if they were incomplete."
There was a beat of silence. Marc looked tortured, as if someone had stabbed him.
"It doesn't have to mean anything", Marc tried. "Maybe…. Maybe you just got overwhelmed. Maybe it's ordinary forgetfulness."
"And if it isn't?" Steven's voice was softer now, almost pleading. "Marc… What do we do?"
But Marc had no answer for him.
"Jake?" you asked in a small voice as you watched Steven pocket the phone, shoulders slumped, and make his way out of the museum.
"Jake, what are they talking about?" Steven had sounded as if this wasn't the first time he'd suspected there to be a third alter. A sarcophagus? The Duat? An incomplete heart?
Jake's face in his reflection looked grave.
"I… I don't know. I didn't get to watch that episode. It was class restricted", he said quietly.
The Duat was the name of the place the boys went to when they died. But how could they have gotten a hint about a third alter from there? How was that fair? The win conditions of the game clearly stated the players had to remain hidden. They couldn't just insert hints about you in an episode that wasn't even playable!
"It must be a glitch or something. They… they can't know about us. They mustn't!" you protested.
Jake let out a shuddering breath. "David…"
"The blackout – okay, my bad! But there's amnesia and alzheimers and, and like Marc said, they could've just fallen unconscious! They almost had it!" you complained, your own panic rising. "What the fuck happened in the Duat!?"
But Jake had no answers for you.
XxX
Steven went home. He called May, voice still shaky, and apologized many times, claiming he got really sick and left to get some fresh air but then his phone's battery died. May was not pleased, scolding him for not even replying to her messages and making her worry. But after she chewed him out, she forgave him and was more worried he'd caught a virus and told him to go to a doctor if it got worse again. She also demanded he make it up to her by paying for the next dinner. The implication of a next time had Steven cry in relief.
Both Jake and you were practically sitting on hot coals, anxiously watching Steven as he arrived back at his flat. He went to feed the fish, staring at Gus and Finn as they hunted for the flakes.
"You there?" Steven asked the fish tank. "Mysterious number three?"
Jake and you remained silent.
Steven sighed and rubbed his face. "I can't do this. Not again. Just… Just let me sleep a night. Please."
With that he turned away from the glass and headed to the shower.
"Maybe they'll forget about it", Jake said hopefully later on when Steven crawled into bed. "We'll be more careful. You have to stop playing with Peter and I'll tell Khonshu no more day missions. Maybe we can still save this."
"Yeah", you made hollowly. "Maybe."
You half expected Khonshu to show up and demand Jake go hunt for the staff right that night. You hoped, prayed that he would not.
And maybe he heard your prayer because for once in his life, the moon god had the decency to leave your boys alone with their misery.
XxX
The next day Marc had the body. Steven was aware too, waking up shortly after him. That was already not good. Both of them needed rest after the realization they'd had and yet Steven was forcing himself to pay attention and Marc, Marc wasn't even due to get the body for another two days. He'd had a session with Dr. Moore just yesterday and was in no state of mind to deal with anything right now. But Steven was upset and no matter how horrible Marc felt, if Steven was upset he would take over because Steven always came first to him.
So it was Marc who readied them for the day. It was Marc who sat down at the table and who held the pen as him and Steven started to put together a list of all inexplicable instances of time passing too quickly or dizzy spells or mornings they woke up way too tired in the last couple of weeks.
"We're so dead", Jake muttered desperately when Marc started to note down several violent instances. There was that time Jake had taken on Harrow's cultists in the cupcake van or later in Cairo, when he'd stabbed all but that one kid, leaving Marc with blood on his hands. "They'll hate us. Once they know we exist, they'll pull up walls and they'll repress us and we'll never get to be out again. And then we can't protect them and we'll all die. We're done for, David."
"No we aren't", you protested, despite your own desperation. "They… So far they just know you've saved their lives. They don't know there's two of us. They don't know you killed Harrow. They don't know about Khonshu. It'll be fine, you'll see. Maybe they'll get you your own goldfish, huh? That wouldn't be so bad."
"That'll never happen", Jake made silently, dejected. "Maybe you can get one one day but me… No. They… They wouldn't give me something living."
Marc made them breakfast and gulped down three cups of coffee to stir his tired brain awake. Steven suggested more instances. He had noticed Peter acting weirdly towards him sometimes. Not even bad weirdly but making references to things that hadn't happened to him. Your heart started to sink.
Then Marc picked up the newspaper from the letter box. And right there on the title page was one giant photo clearly showing off Moon Knight mid-combat with Spider-Man.
Marc spit his coffee all over the pages.
You pinched the bridge of your nose. "Okay", you admitted. "Now we're done for."