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Marc would say that working with the Avengers has benefited him more than it has led to annoyances.
Mostly.
They have joined forces a lot over the last two years and although Marc suspects that they think him crazy, the joint missions have been mostly successes.
He even agreed with Steven and Jake to let the heroes in on them being... well, them being three of them and not only one. They are not sure that the Avengers really got the concept, other than 'Sometimes he is Jake, sometimes he is Marc and sometimes he calls himself Steven.'. At the time the whole Moon Knight system was not the most well versed in the DID terminology, not helped by the fact that the task of actually explaining themselves fell to Jake. Even on a good day he is not the most eloquent one of the three.
Marc heavily suspects, that the Avengers think of them as some kind of Deadpool. He is not stupid, he can see the superficial resemblance. An apparent healing factor (well not really, sometimes Khonshu plays fast and loose if and to what degree he heals them. Marc still has the best chances to get some godly treatment. The others try not to be bitter about the skullhead playing favorites. They have the best chance to get some godly juice if they are actually close to death but even then they prefer to leave the chance up to Marc. He doesn't think it's fair but what can they do?), the talking to himself (they just need to work somethings out sometimes. And there are worse things than talking to yourself.), and of course talking to the air (It is really not their fault, that Khonshu is invisible to their eyes. He IS an Avatar. Not a medium). SO yeah. Some similarities. Well, Moon Knight has a slightly more straight moral compass. Or at least they like to think so. It really depends on who is donning the suit at the moment.
Steven can and will avoid any deaths. He is the most resistant to Khonshus urging. Maybe that is why the god likes him the least. Not many hearts for the poor starving Egyptian god.
While Jake and Marc try their best not to devolve into bloody slaughter like Khonshu demands, they do sometimes take lives. If only to quieten the irritating chatter of the moon god down to an acceptable level.
On that topic Marc is pretty sure: The Avengers do not believe in Khonshu.
Now, that would not be a problem. There are very few people who still believe in the Egyptian pantheon. He knows that the Wakandan people and the black panther would believe his claim to be an Avatar and if the Asgardians showed themselves more frequently than once every two years or so, they could probably also corroborate Marcs story.
As it is, the Avengers not only not believe that he gets his powers from a moon god with roots in Egypt, they have coupled what they know about DID with what they know about Deadpools background and concluded some weird mash up story for how Moon Knight came to be like he is.
Not that they ever told that to the system themselves. Marc picked up on it first, wrote down some notes in their shared notebook (That was Jakes idea, to be honest. He was frustrated by Stevens habit of wandering into places and then taking a mental nap, leaving it up to Marc or Jake to find their way back. Jake had bought a notebook and titled it aggressively 'Information that is IMPORTANT for all of us' and marked a few pages 'Where are we and why'. It soon expanded to include some pages, where all of them occasionally scribble down observations they want the others input on. After all, they don't always share everything they experience.).
The note had been a simple 'Cap told me he would be open to listening to my problems today. Did he do that to you too?'
When he had checked the book a few days later, Steven had left 'Me too. I think he thought I was you though. Caught me complaining to Khonshu and got all worried.' written under the note.
After that all three of them keep an eye on the Avengers. Marc is unpleasantly surprised to find that they think he has hallucinations (a fair assumption, if he has to be honest but wrong nonetheless).
The Avngers try not to be asses about it and they kinda got the gist about the DID but they appear to think that having one mental illness means it's fair game to assume he has more without asking him about it.
Instead they try to handle him with care, sometimes even going so far as to explaining something around them as if to make sure that Marc knows what is real and what is not. It always seems to be the wrong time to correct their assumptions. Mostly their attempts don't interfere in the missions so Marc grits his teeth and tries to bear it but he knows it grinds Stevens gears to be thought to be mad. The poor brit has had enough problems adjusting to being part of a system. Having people additionally treating him to be not in his right mind is a strain.
Jake is mostly indifferent to what others think about him but he too is annoyed when it affects how people let it interfere in combat.
Like now for example. They had chased some errant prototype Doom bots through and abandoned facility right in north Florida (what ever had them possessed to build some experimental lab THERE they would probably never know). The bots were equipped with strange devices but the Team, consisting of Moon Knight, Captain America, Iron Man and the Scarlet Witch had not yet been able to catch one of them to decipher what exactly the drones were build to do. Valkyrie was supposed to catch up later and fly them back out but they had still some time until she arrived.
The Team had been led into a wild goose chase deep into the winding tunnels of the facility and Jake, who had volunteered for this mission instead of Marc, had the bad feeling that this chase was exactly what the had drones meant to do.
He had next to no time to voice this idea when he felt a shudder going through the ground. He looked to his left and met the eyes of the Scarlet Witch.
“Shi...” the rest of the word was apruptly cut of as an explosion shook the air and they were propelled forwards, further into the room they had just been about to enter.
Dust filled the air, as walls crumbled and even amidst the chaos Jake was kind of glad that the fabric over his mouth filtered the air somewhat.
Scarlet Witch had no such luck. She coughed and threw herself forwards to avoid any rubble, falling from above.
Jake rolled out of the way of a chunk of concrete and came to a stop right next to Cap who was cradling a most likely sprained wrist.
The rumbling had stopped and slowly, very slowly the dust began to settle.
“Team, Copy” Steve coughed into his comm.
“Copy.” Jake groaned from the ground and shot the Captain a thumbs up. He heard Stark respond through the comms as well as from the other side of the room. The Witch also gave an affirmative.
Jake propped himself up on his arms but before he could even get a good look around, he had to dodge one of the drones, that had managed to get itself trapped in here with them.
“Watch it!” The Moon Knight grabbed one of his crescent darts and slid behind the machine, intent on taking it out for good this time. Where the dart sliced through metal and plastic, a foul smelling gas came out and Jake made haste to step back. Before he could think up a new strategy or warn his teammates, something large and round shot past his head and embedded itself into the hull of the drone. More of the slightly green tinged gas shot out but the drone was down for the count. Steve had thrown his shield at the thing. And maybe hit some more gas containers inside the errant bot.
Shit shit shit. Jake did NOT want to know what kind of gas that was. He held his breath and tried to get further away. The room most of them were trapped in sadly didn't give much room to back up.
“Gas!” he bit out and finally found where Stark was still half buried under rubble. Jake didn't think the man needed any help. With the suit, the Iron Man was probably stronger then him anyway. He could get out of the debris on his own.
“What?”
“Seal up your helmet, Stark” His lungs felt wrung dry. He didn't have that much experience with holding his breath. Steven was better at it for whatever reason (Jake had no idea why some decidedly bodily things didn't translate between them sometimes.).
Starks helmet hissed and presumably sealed shut. The suit probably had some kind of air filtration system in place.
“Captain?” Scarlet Witch seemed to be in the same room as them then. Jake could make out her red misty magic curled tightly around the woman through the slowly settling dust. It seemed that she had Jakes comment about the gas.
The comm crackled to life. “Are you all alright?”
“Valkyrie.” Stark answered. “We are all accounted for. There was a bot with us and it's leaking some kind of gas. Not sure about it yet but we're all still standing. I sealed the suit and I think Scarlet Witch gets by with her magic but I don't know about the Cap or Moon Knight yet.” The man tilted his faceplate up at Jake. “I'd guess Moony here is holding his breath but Cap...”
He was interrupted by Cap emerging from the light dust and hacking up a lung. There was no blood on his lips but he seemed to have problems breathing. Scarlet Witch stumbled over and pressed a hand to Caps sternum. The red mist that enveloped her grew thinner and transferred partially over to Steve.
The super soldiers breaths evened out and grew lighter.
Jake was feeling lightheaded by now and he was not sure if he preferred breathing the gas or falling unconscious and THEN breathing the gas. He bit the bullet and breathed in. It stung but not much worse than the cigarette habit, that both Marc and Steven hated. But the air seemed... empty almost. Devoid of oxygen. Within seconds Jake was having to breathe deeper to get the air he needed.
“Can you give me a hand too?” He asked the Scarlet Witch, who was by now sitting next to Stark who had pulled himself out of the debris. She had one hand pressed to her own chest and the other to Caps.
“Sorry. It's bad enough to shield Steve and myself.” She frowned. “I thought you have some kind of healing factor?”
Jake swayed his head, sitting down on a boulder. “Well, kind of but...”
“Steve would have problems breathing. You'll be fine.”
Jake felt lightheaded again. What a day. He leaned back against the wall and decided to forego the argument. She was right in a sense. They would be fine. Eventually. From his peripheral vision, he saw Khonshu sitting crisscross on the ground, his skeletal bird head cocked to the side thoughtfully. Jake ignored him.
“I have located where you are closed in. It'll probably be a bit before we can get reinforcements and dig you out.” Valkyrie said over comms. Jake heard Stark grumble under his breath. “Are you okay until I have an ETA?”
Cap looked over to Scarlet Witch. “You got this, Wanda?”
Wanda nodded. “Yes, but don't move to much around. No idea how potent the gas is.”
Jake saw spots appear in his vision and felt his shoulders slump. He kinda felt like he was buzzed.
HM.
Khonshu stepped closer and peered into Jakes eyes. Jake could vaguely make out that Cap and Stark were talking.
The 'fuck off, pigeon' laid heavily on Jakes tongue but he figured he would have to rely on said pigeons healing soon and chances were better to get it, if he didn't piss off the god.
“You gonna help me or no?” He hissed but Khonshu just clasped his hands behind his back and studied him.
DON'T WORRY. I'LL RESURRECT YOU.
“Really?” it grew more difficult to draw breath. A painful cramp constricted his chest and his arms came up to hug his torso. Faintly he felt alarm from Marc and Steven. Then he knew nothing.
–
The thing is, being resurrected by Khonshu is not like having a regular old healing factor. When the god is feeling merciful, he will heal grievous wounds almost instantaneously. It still hurts like a bitch, depending on the wound but the Moon Knight can handle that.
But sometimes, especially if they get out of the fight in a timely manner, Khonshu will wait until they die and then simply resurrect them.
He had explained it once, after Marc had not fronted for over a month and made Jake and Steven worried enough to make them confront the moon god about it.
HE CAN GET OVER HIS WHINING TANTRUM. He had said. I GRACIOUSLY RESURRECTED HIM AND HE DID NOT APPRECIATE IT. IT IS LESS... TAXING THAT WAY.
The gracious resurrecting had involved some heavy injuries and a few hours on a proverbial deathbed before Marc had died and gotten the gods favor, they had found out. Jake had been the one to front but Khonshu had offered no further explanation as to why the Moon Knight suit was in horrible disrepair and had just said, that the mission was successfully finished.
Seeing, that such sudden switches were not that uncommon with their system, Jake had resolved to going home and getting more info about the mission later. But that had not happened. And when Marc finally fronted again he was quiet and just left some very pointed notes to Jake and Steven to be more careful when fighting in the future.
So, yeah. Not fun. But Jake had had the dubious pleasure of dying before. It was not just the dying. It was death itself. Jake was not sure if either of them had been dead long enough before to pass on to whatever afterlife would await them. He just knew that as soon as he felt his life slip away there would be this incredible pull and push. As if something violently wanted his body and soul and Khonshu would rip them from it.
Steven had once compared it to a maelstrom and Khonshu was hovering at the side, hooking them out with a thousand fishing hooks. It felt – for lack of a better word, like being ripped apart from all sides.
Granted – heh, Grant. - it often didn't take that long for the Moon God to bring them back and most times he would have repaired their body in the meantime, but... well, sometimes the bringing back was worse than the dying.
And this time was no different.
Jake snapped his eyes open as soon as he felt his senses returning, shaking lightly from the aftereffects of the resurrection.
Khonshu was standing off to his side, a hand still hovering over Jakes chest.
WHAT A PECULIAR GAS. Was all he offered.
Jake clenched his teeth. He was not out of the danger zone yet.
He straightened from his slouched position and looked over to where the others were. He could not have been out for very long. Stark was carefully scanning boulders, maybe looking for weak points in the build up. Cap and Wanda were still kneeling on the ground, red mist surrounding them.
“Well, awake again?” Stark had turned to Jake. “You know, instead of playing sleeping beauty, you could help me move some rocks, since our other heavy lifters are a bit occupied.”
Jake did NOT want to exert himself. That would just accelerate his breathing and the poison in the air.
“I can't, Stark. Bit preoccupied, staying mostly alive here.”
“By sleeping?” Oh no. The Cap had pulled out his vaguely disappointed voice. Well, tough luck. He was not Marc, who tended to fold under that a lot faster.
“Yeah. I don't have fancy witch powers protecting me.”
“You look fine. My sensors say that the poison would kill someone in under five minutes and we have been here almost double that time.” He could almost hear Stark roll his eyes. “Speaking of.” Stark cracked on his comm. “Val, any updates on your ETA?”
“I think we can get you out in under an hour if we're lucky and pull some support off a mission nearby.”
Stark answered something but Jake found himself spacing out. His lungs stung as if he had breathed in frozen air and his head was beginning to spin again.
YOU KNOW, I COULD FILTER THE AIR FOR YOU. IT WOULD BE EASIER THAT WAY.
“You mention that now?” Jake hissed through clenched teeth and scooted over on his seat to turn his back to the other Avengers.
WELL, IT WOULD FILTER EVERYTHING. INCLUDING OXYGEN.
“So I have the choice between a poison death and suffocating over and over?”
ESSENTIALLY.
“Got any other options? Like giving temporary immunity or something?” Jake imagined he could feel his Teammates concerned stares in his back.
NO.
“You're not helping.” Jake wheezed in another poisonous lungful. How delightful. He suppressed a coughing fit.
FILTERING THE AIR WOULD BE LESS PAINFULL.
“On a purely pain scale yes.” Jake gave in and tried to give his lungs some relief through coughing. “But have you ever...” He breathed deeply. Probably a mistake. He could feel one of the other system members nearby. Someone wanted to front. Jake pushed himself upright and tried to gather his wits. It would be unfair to let Marc or Steven into this situation unbriefed. He probably only had one or two more minutes before passing out again. The chances of them switching after a death were not very high but still probable.
He fished their notebook out and opened a new page.
'Gas in the air. Don't panic. Bird said he'd help.'
“Trying to jog your memory or something?” Stark asked from beind and Jake sighed and tucked the pen between the pages to mark the note.
“Just trying to prepare.”
“In case you... Become someone else again?” Jake can hear that Stark was hesitant about the wording. He decides to let it slide and not bitch back.
“Yeah. Just in case.” He lets his head lean on the wall and before he can think about how to explain it to Stark in detail, he has lost consciousness again.
–
“I guess the mission took more out of you than we thought” Of course it was Stark who was the first person to greet him, when Jake woke up again. “Or wait. Are you someone else now? Do you know where you are?”
“Still me, Stark." He grunted, weaving his fingers together to hide their tremble.
“You say that everytime. How would I know?”
“If someone else fronts, we'll let you know.”
“So you're still, y'know... I don't know, you? Do you always go by Moon Knight?”
“Jake. Just call me Jake.” He was quietly grateful for Starks chatter. It was distracting.
SO YOU DECIDED TO DIE BY POISON?
“Takes longer. I can handle the sting.” Jake muttered under his breath. Sark looked at him weirdly but said nothing.
AH WELL, IT IS YOUR CHOICE. BUT I HAVE TO CLEANSE YOU BODY OF THE POISON EVERY TIME. MAYBE YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER.
“You've never suffocated before, have you?” He had meant to say it to Khonshu but Stark surprisingly had something to say on the topic.
“In fact, I kinda have. I mean drowning is kind of like suffocating, right?”
“You what, Tony?”, the Captain asked from the sides.
Stark waved it off. “Years ago. I take it you just skimmed over my stint with the ten rings? Let me tell you torture is not what I had planned for that day but hey, what can you do?”
“I hear you, brother.”, Jake said. He never thought he would be able to relate to Tony Stark of all people. He hit his own comm and connected to Valkyrie. “Valkyrie?” He coughed. Today was miserable. He tried to keep his feelings from the others. Steven would probably fuss endlessly if he found out how bad they were actually off.
“Moon Knight?”
“Yep, its Jake. You got an ETA yet?”
“I told Cap just a few...”
“Repeat it please? I didn't catch it.”
“We can get you out in about four hours. There was a sorcerer from a sanctum available to get you out sooner but he was needed in some kind of barricade situation. Cap said you could wait it out. That Wanda can hold out this long.” There was an unspoken question in Valkyries voice. 'CAN you hold out that long?'
Jake thought about it. Could he hold out that long? Well, physically yes, he could. But was it that necessary? Damn it was hard to think straight.
He didn't realize that he hadn't answered Val until Stark shook his shoulder. Jake hadn't even noticed that he had nodded away again. Shit. Not another one.
He tried to look up at Stark but his head was too heavy. He sighed and closed his eyes.
–
“You gotta wake up, Jake.”
Jake snapped up, adrenaline flooding his body. He already felt the poison sting of the gas entering his lungs again. But for now he was okay.
“I'm alright, Stark.”
“Jake?” Shit, Val sounded majorly concerned but looking over at Cap, she was probably the only one. The Captain just frowned.
“Moon Knight. Jake, answer me. What was that? I can still call the sorcerer over and he can sling you out. It'll take a few more minutes but...”
Cap decided to speak up for him. “He is needed elsewhere. We are fine. Don't divert resources that are needed elsewhere. Moon Knight is just nodding of in the down time.”
“Jake?” Jake was surprised that Val not so subtly questioned Caps orders.
“Khonshu has it handled. Kinda. We'll be okay.” He saw Wanda mouth 'Khonshu'? At Cap but the soldier shrugged and hey, there was some concern there. But not the concern Jake liked to see. More the 'our teammate has lost his marbles and I will do something about it.' concern.
But Vals voice is anything but gentle. “As far as I know, your god is not usually merciful. How is he handling it? The poison is still in your air, right?”
Jake mumbles a non committal answer.
“What was that?”
“He just reverses it eventually.” He bites out. He is not about to get pity points from another pantheon.
“He just...” She stops. “Stark.”
“Yeah?”
“You said, he was nodding away?”
“Well , technically Cap was the one...”
“How often?”
“What?”
“How often has Moon Knight died so far and not one of you noticed?” She sounds pissed off and Jake can hear her bark something to someone else in the background.
Stark whirls on him. “You WHAT?”
Jake breathes deeply. He knows that will just accelerate the poison but he has the feeling he has just run a marathon. “I'll be fine. If we can just hurry this up, please?”
“What kind of fucked up healing factor do you HAVE?”
“It's not a... Khonshu just...” His body gives into a violent coughing fit. It's draining.
“Stark.” Val demands.
“Uhm, yeah right. Three times so far?”
They can hear her curse colorfully.
“Wanda, if you are able, please extend your magic to him. We cannot be sure if his patron will keep being merciful. I'll get the sorcerer as fast as I can.” The comm closes with a click and by now Jake has to strain again to keep his focus.
“Patron? What Patron?” Cap sounds confused.
“Khonshu”, Jake grits out.
“Not the voices you are hearing?”
“I may be not the most stable but I am not that far gone Stark. Khonshu is real. Mostly.”
“Mostly?” Cap asks.
“Well as his avatar I have the unique pleasure to be the only one to see and hear him if he wants to.”
“And you didn't think to mention that before now?”
“You thought so so far. Would it have changed anything?”
Stark throws his hands up. “To know that you have not cracked your head this badly? Yes, probably!”
“We explained it. Not our fault that you went from, He is the Avatar of an Egyptian god to He hears voices.” Jake tugs at the binding around his throat. It feels constricting. He'll probably die again in a few moments. Weird how someone can almost acclimate to this.
He thinks he can hear Cap start to ask something else but by then he is to far gone to register it.
–
“Shit, I don't know. The sensors just...” Starks rambling is suddenly cut off. “Oh, hey, your back.” Jake groans and rolls to the side from where he is laid out on the ground. The aftereffects are worsening every time. Every nerve ending feels like is has been frozen solid and then dunked into hot water.
“I'm back. I'm okay.” Jake ignores Khonshus light tittering off to the side. Motherfucker.
“Yeah, no. You were dead for a few moments there. Cut off like a rag doll.” Jake thinks he can hear Starks voice shake ever so slightly through the voice modulator.
“Not the first time.” Jake grunts back and pulls himself to his knees. He regrets it immediately and folds over, forehead pressing against the cold ground. Not that he can feel much of that through the mask.
“Yeah, like four times in the last hour?”
Jake risks a glance to the left where Cap is furiously whispering with Scarlet Witch.
Stark follows his eyes.
“They have been at it since you flatlined. Cap is trying to find out how fast the gas will kill him.”
“No, don't.” Jake groans. “I will come back at least. Probably.”
“This is about this patron thingy right? How can there be a probably?”
“Depends on his mood. He's a god. He can look for another avatar. He doesn't have to keep resurrecting me if he doesn't feel like it.” Jake feels Iron Mans hard gauntlets on his shoulder and is rolled over to lie back on his back. For whatever reason – Khonshu probably, he feels worse with every rise from the dead. He hopes there will be no lasting damage.
Fingers snap in front of his face. He tries to swat at them but he can't bring his arms to move. He is exhausted.
“Wanda” Stark snaps and sounds uncharacteristically serious. The arguing on the other side of the room stops and a few moments later Jake feels a slender hand touch his chest.
The magic that pours onto him feels heavier than Khonshus magic and he can feel the magic in his vestments straining against the foreign force.
“Stark, he is fighting me. I can't help if he keeps...”
Jake doesn't let her finish and instead calls his vestments back. They start to unravel around his chest and the rest of the suit follows, well suit. He feels the heavy magic sink into his skin and deeper, deeper until it hits his lungs and suddenly he can BREATHE.
He gulps deep breaths of non stinging, clean air and suddenly he feels the exhaustion deeper than before.
He is vaguely aware that he is no longer masked but at the moment he gives a rats ass about that.
“Hey, hey Moony, no nodding off again. Stay with us, yeah? Is it not working?” Stark directs his second question to the Witch.
“It is. I don't know why.” She sounds terribly strained. Jake can make out that she is holding a hand out to both him and the Captain. The magic swirling around all three of them.
HE IS JUST EXHAUSTED. HE'LL BE FINE.
Wanda shrieks and Stark reels back so fast, his head hits a low hanging boulder. The metal gives a strangely satisfying clonk.
Khonshu is standing upright next to Jakes prone body and Jake thinks of a memory from Marc. It looks eerily similar as to when Marc had taken up the Moon Knight mantle for them.
“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck.” Stark chants under his breath.
Jake frowns up at the Moon god. Of all the times he needed proof that the god does exist, the murder bird decides to exude his strength NOW?
Khonshu cocks his head and stares down at Jake. Although the god has no eyes, Jake can feel his unimpressed look.
“Okay, okay. Egyptian god. Got it, sorry Jake. Call me Thomas. What the fuck.” Jake shuts out Starks nervous babbling and focuses on Khonshu.
“So why abolish your plan to make everyone think I'm insane?” he asks because why the fuck not. He'll probably not die in the next hours again.
Amazingly the god does seem vaguely amused.
I WEIGHED THE SATISFACTION OF YOU FALLING TO MADNESS EVEN FURTHER WITH THE SATISFACTION OF PEOPLE DISPAIRING OVER THEIR IGNORANT WAYS AND MADE MY DECISION.
Jakes answering 'Just great.' is drowned out by Starks incredulous “Satisfaction of him becoming crazy!?”
“Leave it Stark. To him we are not really worth it anyway.”
“Yeah, no. Tony is right. Your patron is a shit protector if he gains amusement out of driving you crazy.” Jake looks over at Valkyries voice and sees her standing in a sling portal, glowering at Khonshu.
AH; A VALKYRIE. HYPOCRITICAL OF YOU TO SPEAK OF PROTECTING. TELL ME, WHERE ARE YOUR SHIELD SISTERS, HM?
Val doesn't answer that and just strides into the room, apparently not at all concerned about the gas in the air. She bypasses Stark and removes Wandas hand from his Chest. Then, with Asgardian strength, she hauls Jake upright.
He needs a moment to get his feet under him but soon enough he is pulled alongside Val, as she brings them through the portal. He is not proud of the fact, that his legs crumble under him as soon as they leave the room with the poison and step into the clearing where Valkyrie had parked the jet.
This time it is Stark who catches him.
“Ugh, sorry about that”, Jake says and blinks heavily.
“How often?” When he doesn't answer right away, Val lightly shakes his shoulder. “Jake, c'mon. How often did he pull you back through?”
“Four” he says and hey, the side of the jet is surprisingly comfortable, now that he is leaning against it.
“What is wrong with him?”
“What is... Stark, dying is not just sleeping and waking up. It is taxing for body and mind. Imagine getting yourself being stripped bare to the bones and dragged over a road of blades and back again.
And that four times.”
Silence. Then, “We fucked that up didn't we.”
“Yes but you should for once not put your own feelings in the spotlight. Help me get him onto the jet.
Just when Jake doesn't see the helping hands coming does he realize that he had closed his eyes at some point.
He goes along with them pliantly and doesn't that say something about how out of it he is. Now that the imminent danger is gone he can feel that he'll probably be out soon.
He can feel himself being lowered into the jets medical bunk but after that he doesn't even have the energy to listen to the others conversations.
–
Steven woke up in an entirely different environment. He was not overly surprised by that. As far as he was aware Jake had been the last one to front for an extended period of time. He was far more likely to sleep somewhere new. This time he seemed to have crashed on someones penthouse couch.
No, what was causing Steven some concern was the absolute ACHE that their whole body was. This was not just just sore muscles. This was 'getting pummeled by a whole pantheon of gods' bad.
Groaning, Steven rolled over on the mattress and tried carefully to stretch. It worked surprisingly well. Looking his body up and down, he didn't even see injuries. At least not ones that were as bad as he felt. Just a lonely bruise or two on his knuckles. So Jake had went out on a mission then.
“Oh, you're awake.”
Steven looked over to where someone was coming out of what he assumed to be a kitchen. A someone who happened to be Tony Stark.
“Uh, yeah. Mind telling me where I am, mate?”
Stark looked taken aback. “Uh, at Avengers Tower. We took you back after...Oooh.” He seemed to have some kind of Epiphany. “You're not Jake, then?”
“He actually trusted you with his full identity, huh?” Steven just noticed that he was sans costume. “I'm Steven. Nice to meet you.”
Stark shook his hand. He took this rather well, if Steven had something to say about that.
He did. Say something about that that is.
Stark looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, well the last mission opened some eyes and I took a bit of a deep dive into Egyptian gods and uh, DID.”
Steven raised his eyebrows. “I'm impressed. Didn't think anyone gave a shite besides trying to get us into a psych ward. What happened then?”
“We got in a bit of a cave in and there was a gas. You, or rather Jake kept dying and we didn't realize until Valkyrie gave us a stern talking to.”
Steven furrowed his brow. “That'll do it I guess.”
“And we got an introduction to your creepy skeletal bird guy. He was not happy with Jake. At least I think so.”
“Dying a few times? I guess he was a right twat about that, yeah? Well the pigeon can go fuck off for all I care but Marc seems too attatched at this moment and Jake will probably go along with it. I don't think either of us really likes the guy but hey, what can you do?”
“So there are... three of you in there?”
“Yeah. I guess Jake'll go take a nap for a while. Dying is not as fun as it looks.”
“Valkyrie told us as much. She was worried Khonshu would not keep bringing you back.”
Somehow Stark had managed to frame this as a question.
“He likes Marc the best but I think secretly he just threatens to not save us one day to keep all of us relatively safe. If only to amuse himself. I think he likes how broken we are.”
Stark, if anything looked even more uncomfortable. “I don't think.. I mean... You're not b...”
“Broken. Eh, it is not quite common for there to be three people in one brain, is it now? But thank you. We are good as we are. Not alone at least. And I just meant that Khonshu thinks us broken. I don't think that he realizes how much stronger we are as we are.”
Stark grinned. “Okay then. I think I have met Jake and maybe Marc before. But I think I would recognize that accent. I get to introduce you to my liquor cabinet all over again. Let's get wasted, celebrate the kind of successful mission and bitch about life. Got any preferences?” The man pushed himself up and strode over to the other end of the room.
Steven glanced outside the window. Sure enough the sun was already low on the horizon.
“Fuck it, why not.”