Marc was exhausted.
He had just finished a mission; some criminals had stolen ancient Egyptian artifacts with dangerous magical abilities, and Khonshu had demanded to get it back, take vengeance on them. He had been reluctant considering he hadn’t slept well the previous night, and wasn’t in the best shape, but the choice was taken from him.
He had been able to find them relatively quickly. The thieves had been in the middle of selling some of the artifacts when he interrupted them. He had managed to take them out, and get the artifacts back. After interrogating one of them, putting the fear of God (Ha!) into him, he went after the others. Marc, as Moon Knight, had spent the night retrieving what was stolen, dealing with the criminals, and handing out Khonshu’s justice. It took some time, but he finally dealt with everyone, though not before getting shot in the shoulder, as well as getting stabbed and bruised. Khonshu hadn’t healed him right away, leaving him to deal with the wounds on his own. It was only until far later that Khonshu healed him. Marc suspected that the reason he hadn’t done so earlier was because of the argument they had in the morning over Steven interfering in their business, and this was just Khonshu being petty.
It didn’t take long to return to his—Steven’s apartment. He got off the elevator, reached the door and opened it. The place was quite tidy as Steven liked to keep it clean. He took off his jacket and quietly walked through the apartment.
He paused, and stared.
You were sitting in his bed, reading a book with headphones on. You saw him standing there, and smiled at him warmly. “Hey, rough night?” You said. “You could say that.” Marc replied, giving a small smile back. You watched carefully as your lover eased himself into the room, bags around his eyes and half-lidded. His shoulders hung low. He was unsteady on his feet as he walked shakily towards the bed - towards you. His steps were heavy, as if he was still burdened by the weight of his ceremonial suit. You knew what that meant immediately.
It had been a bad night.
You’d known Marc Spector for almost a whole year at this point; your relationship consisted of nine months of that year. You had first met Steven at a park in London. Steven had been on his break, so he had wanted to spend it in the park. You’d been there for quite some when he first arrived, just soaking the calm atmosphere. After ten minutes or so of peaceful quiet, you’d looked over at the tired man who had joined you and, without much else to do or say, you offered him half of your pickle sandwich from the bag you were carrying. He had stared at you for a moment, visibly dumbfounded and nervous, before a soft laugh suddenly made its way out of his chest. You met up a few more times after that.
You met Marc on accident while you were in Steven’s apartment. Ha’d known about you, of course. It took a while for him to warm up to you, but after you cooked him a mean steak that had him moaning... Well, the rest, as they say, is history.
You’d known about Moon Knight for six months now, nearly halfway to seven.
It had been an accident. You’d spent the night with Marc and had lingered in bed to watch the sunrise. Marc had returned home from a rough night and was functioning on autopilot, entering his bedroom still in his suit without the mask and cowl and a black eye. Needless to say, there was a lot of questions that needed answers.
You got off the bed, putting your book aside, and taking the headphones off. You walked up to him, and cupped his cheek, your heart tightening a little when he sighed and leaned into the contact.
“Marc, are you alright?” You asked softly, noticing his battered state. "I'm fi-" you cut him off. "Be honest with me please," you said, stroking his cheek. "I'm tired, just tired." He said and sighed.
You shook your head and sighed, not wanting to pressure him too much. You decided to just drop it, and you’ll hear him out when he’s ready. For now, you’ll take care of him.
“Well, why don’t go shower, and try to get some rest, it’ll be good for you to freshen up,” you said as you brushed his unruly curls from his forehead. Marc nodded and didn’t resist when you took his hand, and led him to the bathroom. You always had been the one with the best ideas. Both him and Steven agreed on this fact.
With the shower running, Marc stripped out of his clothes and tossed it into the hamper. He stepped into the shower, not bothering that the water hadn’t heated up a lot yet. He focused on washing some of the blood off of him. While he was in the shower, he got lost in his thoughts. Thinking about you and how you were waiting for him outside, ready to offer your support in any way. Marc still couldn’t believe someone like you wanted to be with him. You were pure, kind and a wonderful person. Not at all like him who killed and had blood on his hands, unworthy of someone as bright as you. Though, you would lay it into Marc if you heard him think like that. He huffed a laugh. You were always protective of those you love, and wouldn’t let anyone speak ill of them, even themselves. Eventually, his mind made its way back down to earth. By then he had washed himself clean and stepped out.
Slipping into t-shirt and sweatpants, Marc left the bathroom and walked back over to you. You smiled at him and stood up. Reaching up tentatively, you brushed a lock out of the ex-mercenary’s eyes. Dark brown eyes peeked through and the corners of Marc’s mouth quirked upwards. "Hi...", he whispered as he leaned forward and butted his forehead against yours. You hummed in contentment. "Hey there. Did you have a nice shower? I have to say you look quite handsome, all cleaned up."
Marc chuckled, shaking his head with their foreheads still connected. "Does that mean I didn’t look handsome before?", he joked. Now it was your turn to chuckle. It felt good to just laugh with you after the rather eventful night.
He angled his head, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to your lips. They were soft, and so addicting he could get lost in the feeling. "Nope, you’ll always be gorgeous to me", you teased, earning another kiss.
He sighed contently.
“C’mon, sweetheart,” you said and offered your hand to him. He took your hand and you gently tugged him to bed trying to get him to lie back with you. You situated yourself against the bedpost and gently guided his head into your lap. He adjusted himself and wrapped his arms around you.
He hummed, feeling your hand through his hair, and a kiss on his head. “You should get some sleep, love.” You eventually murmured. He blinked at you slowly.
“...I love you...”
His voice was soft, roughness lost somewhere in his relaxation. His eyes stared tiredly into yours. You took a moment to just look him over, taking in every detail; the way his damp hair partially obscured his eyes, the faint dusting of a blush high on his cheekbones, the slight part of his lips.
God.
He was so beautiful.
“I love you too.” You replied warmly, leaning over and kissing him softly.
You opened the book and began to read to him; your voice was smooth and soft as you carefully read each page to him. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep surrounded by your warmth.
You felt him gradually relax, and his breathing became even. His eyes were closed, and for the first in a long time, he looked calm, and so peaceful in his sleep. You let a hand run down the side of Marc’s face, gently so as to not wake him up. You placed the book off to the side, and let sleep overtake you.
The next morning, Steven woke up feeling incredibly warm. He opened his eyes slowly, and realized he was asleep on your chest. Your arms were wrapped around him gently, protectively. The steady beat of your heart against his ear calmed him down. He should probably get up, and get ready for his job, but honestly that seemed like too much work.
He didn’t really feel like getting up, so he did the only thing he could think of. He closed his eyes, and surrendered himself to the safety and comfort you so openly provided.