morning sunbeams
"Jake?"
Layla looks over at Marc's concerned face as she turns the omelet over. "It's the only thing I can think of, if Khonshu is telling the truth."
"But why would Jake still want to be under Khonshu? We could be free." Steven leans his face against his hands, exhaling forcefully.
"With how…" Layla puts the omelet on a plate, sliding it over to them. "Protective he is, maybe he thinks it's the better option."
"Well, it'd be nice for him to say it himself," Marc scoffs, cutting a chunk of omelet off. "Give us some choice in it."
Layla sits down with her own omelet, leaning her head against their shoulder. "I just don't know how we're going to get him to agree to talk. He's so determined to stay away from you two."
"I don't know," Marc says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Could use those feminine wiles of yours. He did kiss you on your forehead, after all."
"And I still can't believe he did that," Layla mutters.
Steven looks down at his food with curious disgust. "I still can't believe you got me to quit being a vegan."
Marc rolls his eyes. "No, Jake and I having a fun road trip finding the scarab leading to Ammit was the reason you missed your date, therefore causing you to order the worst steak in the entire world."
"You went on a date?" Layla asks.
"I almost went on a date," Steven stresses. "I didn't even ask her out."
"Well, who did it for you?" Layla asks with a laugh. Steven's smile strains a little, and any humor she had evaporates in a second. "He didn't," Layla says flatly.
"To be fair, I never got a direct confirmation if Marc did it or not-"
Layla smacks their arm. "You're lucky you share a body with him, Marc Spector," She mutters.
"Hey, I would never!" Marc explains, pressing his lips to her hand. "Wouldn't have anyone else but you, baby."
"Yeah, well," Steven sniffs. "I'd rather her than anyone else too."
Layla quirks her lips. "Flattery won't distract me from this so-called worst steak in the entire world."
"I asked for the best part, and he gave me the center cut filet," Steven defends.
"Okay, but the center cut filet is good, like the best," Layla notes between her bites of food.
"He ordered it well done."
Layla groans, and Steven stammers out more defense. "How was I supposed to know that was bad?"
"You would know better if you weren't vegan," Marc snarks.
Layla closes her eyes, still drained from her combined patrol and conversation with Khonshu last night. "Oh, both of you stop."
"Oh, Layla," Marc sighs, wrapping an arm around her. "You're exhausting yourself."
"I'm fine," She mumbles. "I need to spend time with both of you."
"It's called quality time, innit?" Steven asks. "Even if we're just cuddling up in the bed while you nap, it's still time together."
"But talking, bonding-"
"Can wait," Marc interrupts. "You need your rest, Lady Scarab."
Despite her groaning, Layla lets them pull her up and over to the bed. The sunlight spills onto the mattress and blankets, and the comfort of being in the beam of warmth pulls a content moan from her.
"You lay there, I'm going to get books for Steven and I to read."
Layla is pretty sure she falls asleep before he comes back, but the weight of another person sitting on the bed makes her seek him out and curl against him. His fingers run through her hair gently, and she knows it's Marc as primary right now; it's what he would do to lull her to sleep during their chase for the scarab. "Wake me in four hours," She whispers.
"No."
She isn't sure who answers her, but it seems as if it's an agreed action between the both of them, and she falls asleep with the slightest pout on her lips.