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The slivers of moonlight that managed to wrestle through the blinds, the air was hot, sticky and clung to Marc's skin, basically suffocating him as he stayed awake, watching Layla next to him. She'd fallen asleep next to Steven who had been lay on her chest, her hand tangled into his curls as he breathed lightly. But Marc? He was wide awake- lay on his wife, who he'd wanted to divorce.
He had never actually wanted a divorce, why would he? Layla was his entire world, she felt fresh and new when he met her and for a while she made him believe that his past truly was in the past that it would never catch up to him. For a while.
Marc had always kept that part of him private. He kept most of that part private and away from her, as much as possible, he wanted to protect her.
But he should have known it would backfire, so divorce papers and on the run. But, of course Layla was smarter than that, she tracked him down, and even found him (after Steven turned his phone on), but when he looked at her now, in that beautiful light, she was stunning and he regretted leaving her, he always would.
"You think too much Marc." He turned, looking at his wife, her eyes weren't open but it was clear she'd woken up when he had moved. She just smiled at him, her eyes opening slowly. "What's the matter?" She asked softly, her hand dragging from his hair down his back.
She had always been a light sleeper.
Marc remembered everything about her, everything that he clung to desperately on lonely knights where the only thing he had. Everything about her was perfect. He looked away from her gaze, "I- I'm sorry- for everything-" Layla's face soured slightly, "one apology does not cut it Ma-" "I know-" he hastened to speak, shifting to face her and taking her hands, "I owe you more, you deserve more- but because you're still here- still in this bed with me- no more secrets right? No more."
Layla sat up, sensing the seriousness in his voice, the harder tone as he got fidgety, that was not like the Marc she knew. The Marc she loved.
Marc was trembling, squeezing her hands. "I had a brother- my brother Randall- RoRo," he said softly, his eyes darting to meet hers, expecting pity, but instead he just saw Layla, no pity just understanding. "He died- and I killed him."
He sucked in a breath, holding it and squeezing his eyes shut expecting something- anything- his mother had screamed and yelled and beaten him. But Layla was not his mother, and instead she gently rubbed his arm, a silent confirmation that he could keep going and she would be there.
"We went to this cave- and he said that we shouldn't go in because it was raining- he was right- the cave flooded."
Everything seemed more open- he felt better about spilling out like this. He knew Layla, his Layla, would never tell anyone, not even the other alters. He felt good and safe, a warm uncertain feeling settling into his chest. So he continued.
"My mother banned me from his shiva- I wasn't allowed downstairs for the entire period, my dad would bring me up food and drinks that relatives left behind- but who knows what my mother said. And after that? She changed almost completely, she got angry and she got drunk more often and she would- That is when Steven appeared, he was the kid with a normal childhood- he only really interacted with my dad but he got the good days with mom,"
The laugh that left him was almost bitter as he continued, "she hated birthdays- well she hated mine, she was drunk at all of them. I don't know why he didn't leave, I should visit him- ask him, but every birthday was about my brother and she would get drunk and ruin them, one year she just- made me throw away my cake."
"She died- when I left you- I lost the grip I once had- Steven started leaking through more and- I just let him-" He squeezed her hand, "I thought you would sign the papers- wouldn't want to stay with someone so broken but then you found me- and god I should never have under estimated you because-"
"Because I will always find you, no matter what Marc, I love you." Marc gave her a smile, reaching up and cupping her face, kissing her slowly, and when she kissed back everything just clicked into place. Marc was going to do everything in his power to make it up to her. She was too good for him and he knew it, it was insane how she was still here, still his after everything, it was nice, he felt so good about everything as long as he was there.
They talked until the early morning when Marc fell asleep, he woke up a few hours later to Layla sleeping next to him, he kissed the side of her head tenderly, getting up slowly to not wake her, heading to the kitchen- the least he could do was make her breakfast, when he saw what lay on the countertop, he just smiled.
A kids birthday cake, with candles next to it. 'When we both wake up, we'll sing happy birthday to you and you can finally have some cake, Layla <3'. He didn't know she had left the apartment, but he had never felt luckier to have her as his wife. He studied it, laughing a bit at the spiderman image on it, then he set it aside, focusing on making her favourite, catching Steven in the microwave he nodded, "she's good isn't she? Our Layla."
The grin that Steven gave him, told him everything.