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Marc has been very frown-y lately. Steven thought that maybe all of the recent events must’ve been a bit much on him, given the fact that he almost left his wife, went dormant, had Steven find out about him and had a whole internal crisis about that. Then they’d went to Egypt on a wild goose chase, got shot and died and had to relieve a ton of crazy memories in the duat, got resurrected right after being ‘eternally’ doomed and then they fought a crazy crocodile lady and her even crazier avatar who had a full cult under his belt. Then they’d been freed from moon knight duties, went back home, had so much things to work through with Layla, found out about another alter, who inconveniently was Spanish AND a little shit and went back to being moon knight under the condition that Khonshu would be less of an asshole. That Jake and Steven wouldn’t take any of his shit really was helping Marc learn to talk back as well. But Steven had to be fair, all of this really was a mouth full. Not even adding the fact that they apparently owned a limousine on Jakes behalf.
Steven had been watching a bit more attentively lately, Marc seemed like the gears in his head were turning so hard that he became afraid they’d go up in smoke and fire at some point, he’d like to be ready to take over and deal with the stress before that happens.
Jake had added his thoughts on the matter too after Steven asked him if he knew what was going on.
“El jefe is… how do you say? Lost the plot! That’s it” he claps his hands while nodding with a proud smile making Steven snort, blowing a raspberry through his pursed lips. “Jake you wanker! This is serious so tell me what you know. And stop trying to throw British into every single sentence you speak to me!” He crosses his arms while looking at Jakes face grow into a smirk, he wouldn’t admit it but he’d actually really liked seeing it, it was a nice improvement to where they started from.
“Okay mate, Lo consideraré. And I don’t know what his problem is. I said I know everything about ya not that I can read ya minds, besides have ya ever considered that everything is all hunky-dory, hermanito?”
“Oi now! I’ve never even said that phrase!” Steven looks at him scandalized.
“Museum computadora friend of yours” Jake gestures his hand around wildly, trying to remember the name. “Con los vídeos des nutrias” he closes his eyes with a frown tapping his temple “Mierda, es tan irrelevan-AH!” He suddenly exclaims and points at Steven “Scott” he nods proudly.
“You talked to J.B…. you know what! You’re changing the topic!” Steven crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at Jake.
“Tú fuiste el que casi se cae de sus zapatos debido a mi inmaculada jerga mate” he retorts, mirroring stevens posture as he crosses his arms and Steven just shakes his head with a sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Look mate, this is a bit of an important matter innit? If he goes all bloody mental and has a breakdown and sods off it’ll be our problem just as much ¿No estás de acuerdo hermano?” Steven says, deciding to beat Jake with his own weapons. He’d started learning Spanish in the 5 months that they’ve known about Jake now, it started out as the only way he would communicate making them think he wasn’t even capable of speaking English just to one day throw a proper temper tantrum about being woken up before 12. Nowadays it’s just nice to understand a bit more of what Jake is saying and he’s sure the other also appreciates the effort to make him feel included but Jake just laughs. “That is not how you pronounce acuerdo Stevie!” He laughs as he looses the tensed posture.
He quickly catches himself again when Steven just shoots him a nasty glare.
“Fine fine!” He chuckles and rubs at his eye softly “has anyone ever talked to you about the birds and bees hermanito?” He smirks and watches Stevens face knits in confusion “I mean… yeah? I know how it works sure why?”
“Option two: maybe he just misses his bird” Jake nods slowly as he looks at Steven “like… his flower… to… pollinate”
“Oh Jake!” Steven looks at him disgusted and drops his arms “you’re unbelievable, put a sock in it.” He scrunches his face as Jake laughs “fine fine I’ll talk to him would that make you happy hermanito?” Jake asks with a laugh.
“Yes indeed it would make me very happy.”
“Then I’ll do it just for you mate” Jake winks at Steven with a smirk making him roll his eyes annoyed. “You’ll do that and you’ll clean the bathroom.” Steven stated as he walks away from the mirror to the desk, grabbing his bag.
“WHAT?!” Jake exclaims shocked “¿Cómo me lo merezco exactamente ahora?!”
“Hey, it’s you who complains he doesn’t get to do normal life and normal people things” Steven nods as he walks to the door “you do me that favor and I do you this favor it was a pleasure” he finishes as he closes the door, ignoring Jake groaning in his head.
Marc has been sitting in the vanity mirror for approximately five minutes now. He watched the scene play out in front of him with a confused frown, more shocked than perplexed to be totally honest. He was sure his mouth had gaped open without him noticing.
Jake was moving around the bathroom, spritzing and spraying some type of specific antibacterial bathroom cleaner around the place, wiping off the tiles and tops, thoroughly cleaning every inch of every surface and every crevice. He was cleaning like his life depended on it, like it was the most important job he’s ever been given and it wouldn’t be fulfilled until everything was shining and he was sure that not even a water stain would stay.
Definitely not what Marc had expected to wake up to to say the least. Especially not to Daddy Yankee being blasted over Jakes AirPods, that he for some reason had a pet peeve about sharing with the other two despite it being… well… the same exact ears.
Jake picked up another cleaner, straightening up again to clean the mirror but flinching back hard with a surprised shriek as he was unexpectedly met with Marc smirking back at him. His hands thrown up defensively, the spray bottle held out threateningly like it was a gun.
He groaned and took out his AirPods. “Mierda, jefe, ¡no hagas eso!” He breathes out with a hand on his heart.
“Sorry mister clean.” He answers with a smirk.
Jake rolls his eyes and sprays the cleaner on the mirror before starting to wipe it off, cleaning the mirror as thoroughly as the rest of the bathroom.
“So… how did this come to be?” Marc asks curiously.
“Stevens punishment work” Jake nods “cause I called him mate and he acts like the British language belongs to him.” Jake shakes his head half seriously making Marc laugh, “really? That’s it?”
“Totalmente.” Jake nods convinced.
“You really are taking the youngest, oldest brother banter stereotypes seriously aren’t you?” Marc smirks again.
“Steven comenzó!” Jake argues while shaking his head mockingly, like he couldn’t believe Marc’s reaction. “He’s also peeing his pants about you again.” He adds while spraying some more cleaner.
“About me?” Marc frowns at him, ignoring the slight annoyance the cleaner being sprayed basically at his face causes him for the sake of being happy that somebody else in this household takes cleaning as seriously as he does.
Jake nods “thinks you’re gonna go apeshit crazy about some crap and that you’ve been going down a spiral in your head again forever and won’t tell him about it” he says and finishes the mirror “has him going all frustrated and crazy” he finishes and Marc just looks at him, raising an eyebrow. “Lo sé, lo sé” Jake waves off “he takes this whole having a job thing too serious, lo sé, he’s gotta get over it but it doesn’t work when I tell him not to worry. When he thinks something is going on with me he traps me in my own car until I explode on him!” Jake looks at him in disbelief as he turns around to approach the shower to clean the glass there.
“Ho-How exactly…. Does he do that?”
“Steven is much more of a little shit than you know.” Jake just retorts and keeps cleaning. “So is something going on yeah or no? I kinda promised him to report back to him with fundamental results.”
Marc snorts with a chuckle as he shakes his head, something about this whole situation felt weirdly comfortable to him. Some type of familiar warmth spreading through him that he’d only ever known from Steven, Jake and Layla. Something that made him know and feel that he wasn’t alone. That he was loved. That he was cared for.
“I’m just thinking is all.” He answers.
“¿Sí?, ¿Ni una mierda, jefe?” Jake snorts sarcastically making Marc chuckle. “I’ll tell him about it when Layla is coming over tonight… it’s kinda something I’ve thought about telling her about. Honesty and all that you know?” He explains watching Jake finish his cleaning.
“Si. Está bien.”
Jake reports back to Steven once the bathroom had been finished, as promised. Marc snickered in the front while making himself a sandwich.
By the time evening rolls around Steven was practically on the edge of his seat in the mind space. The doorbell startling him and making his hands go clammy. Even Jake had to say he wasn’t quite uninterested in what Marc would tell them. Something about how much of a big deal he made of this made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Some dark and twisted corner of his mind silently whispering every worst case scenario from Marc has cancer and they’re gonna die to Marc doesn’t want him and Steven anymore and is gonna get rid of them at therapy to him even tho he tried to desperately ignore it.
“So” Layla suddenly cuts in, catching all of their attention. “What was it that you wanted to tell me?” She looks at him with a smile, soft and gentle, letting him know that this was a safe place and that he could trust her with anything.
She’d been so understanding after everything, that sometimes all three of them at once wondered how they deserved her.
Marc had told her about everything. About mom and dad, his brother, the military and all the mercenary jobs as well as khonshu and whatever might have been in between. Steven took over for him and told her what he couldn’t, had his back and caught him when he couldn’t keep going anymore. Occasionally Jake would tune in too, telling her something that they hadn’t known or just adding his point of view to a story, the three of them drawing a colorful picture for her that was their lives.
And once it was all finished and laid out in front of her she didn’t laugh about it or threw it away or belittle it like it was no big of a deal. No she touched it with the gentlest of hands and handled it with love and care even more so than how she’d done it before already.
Marc knew he’d never consider divorcing her ever again. She was his everything. His sunshine on a cloudy day.
“So… we were talking… about honesty right?” He starts, taking a quick glance into the mirror to look at Stevens and Jake slightly frowning faces before directing his gaze back at Layla.
“Yes… we did.” She answers.
“So there is something I might have forgotten to mention.” He continues as he grabs his phone from his pocket.
“Which would be….?” She tries to lead the conversation into the finish line, not being able to take much more of the tension, Steven silently thanking her for it.
“Well… I’m honestly surprised that none of you guys ever figured it out” he starts as he types around on his phone “I bought Steven an apartment, paid off his museum bathroom debt sorry again by the way” he quickly glances at the mirror “don’t worry about it mate”
“I mean… we were living in a pretty fancy place in central London too and I don’t know if you’ve ever properly looked at your wedding ring bef-“
“Marc. Cut to the chase” Layla looks at him determinedly and Marc nods in understanding and leans back against the couch as he opens his online banking. The second account that wasn’t connected to Laylas. Layla leaned over to him more, peering over his shoulder as the screen loads, frowning in confusion about what he would show her until the number popped up and her mouth fell open.
It was dead silent in the apartment for a good couple of minutes, shock and tension sitting in the air until Steven breaks the silence “WHAT?!” He shrieks out and knocks Marc so hard out of the front he could swear he had gotten motion sickness for a moment. He inspects the phone and the page, searching for traces that this was fake and some sort of twisted prank that Marc was playing. But it wasn’t. He sits up more as he scrolls up and looks at the number again while shaking his head. “Bloody- I… wha-…” he shakes his head again, speechless and lost for words.
Layla takes the phone out of his hand, bringing the phone closer to herself like she was imagining things and the number would shrink down if she took a closer look. It didn’t.
“We’re bloody billionaires Marc Spector?!” Steven shouts at the mirror with wide eyes.
“Can you… do you want to yell it a bit louder so that the sketchy people two blocks away hear it too and know where to pull off their next robbery?” Marc snorts.
“Marc that’s… what?!” He exclaims, standing up from the couch.
Jake starts laughing suddenly and Steven shoots him a glare “what’s so funny about that Jake mate?! Why are you reacting so calmly in the first place?!”
“Hermanito… do you think I just found that limo on some curb here in London and decided to steal it?!” He laughs hysterically, wiping his eyes as tears were starting to fall. “Dios mio this is so good” he looks back at Steven after wiping his eyes dry, falling into a new fit of giggles upon seeing the other expression, his laughter slowly infecting Marc, making him chuckle.
“You mean to tell me I’ve been working bloody part time jobs while we have… we have-“
“2.3 billion”
“We have 2.3 billion on our hands?!” Steven exclaims, ignoring how jakes laughter increases even more.
“That’s 2.3 billion…” Layla whispers in disbelief.
“Oh, no, creo que está teniendo un ataque al corazón” Jake chuckles breathlessly, trying to calm down, his head red like a tomato.
“She’s not having a heart attack she’s…She… congratulations Marc you’ve shock killed your own wife!” Steven exclaims and Marc snorts, pushing back to the front and walking over to Layla again. He takes the phone out of her hand and kisses her cheek as she keeps starring at her hands in shock.
“Well… I was saving up… and In the army I made around 60 thousand for three years in service… and then I was a mercenary for six years… I don’t need to say how much that made and then I had some time to… invest… and now here we are.” Marc explains and looks from Layla to Steven.
“I thought all that money in that duffle bag was sketchy but this is a whole new level mate” Steven shakes his head in disbelief. At least he seems to be wrapping his head around it slowly.
“And I thought you were having a mental brea- hell! Now I am having a mental break down!”Maybe he’s not wrapping his head around it just yet after all.
“That’s six zeroes Marc!”
“It’s nine zeroes Steven”
“Oh my gods” Steven whispers and puts a hand on his head “I think the shock has left permanent brain damage” he mumbles and shakes his head.
Jake starts laughing again.
“So” Layla cuts in suddenly sitting up more straight again “my husband is a billionaire but he didn’t want to let me buy a car for getting around London”
“Hey I never forbid it, you got second thoughts about it by yourself!”
“Well… at least you’re humble” Layla nods and gets off the couch to walk to the kitchen.
“Uhm… thank you…” Marc frowns a bit confused as he watches her.
“I mean… literal billions and you decide that your every day outfit consists of 25£ cotton shirts and 45£ jeans with the same pair of sneakers for anywhere and everywhere. That’s how you know the power hasn’t changed you darling.” She nods impressed while grabbing a pan.
Jake by now can’t control himself anymore and when Marc looks back at the mirror and Jake is nowhere to be found anymore he’s pretty sure he fell to the floor in his hysterics round about two minutes ago.