Steven jerked and opened his eyes. He was still in his apartment, just as he remembered going to bed. Except maybe every joint in his body ached and instead of feeling pleasantly rested, he felt like maybe he'd run a marathon.
Of course, when Steven sleeps, Marc takes over. And he's flying all over the world with his body doing God knows what... But Steven has to admit that things have been a little better lately -- he and Marc have been able to communicate more, share control of the body, and sometimes they even sit down and talk (they don't do that often). This whole situation has the undeniable advantage of finally allowing Steven to get rid of all the silly things in his apartment, like the leg strap by the bed or the duct tape on the door. Now he knew Marc would take care of his, I mean their, body. Although not always in the way Steven would have liked.
"Please give us a little more rest next time. I understand that what you do while I sleep is important, but you might as well think about the fact that I have to wake up and go to work later," Steven muttered towards his reflection in the glass of the fish tank.
He half-sleepily stretched and tossed a few flakes of food to his new fish (Steven had known for a while that Gus had died while he wasn't here, but he appreciated Marc's efforts to preserve his idea of a normal life).
"I've been a little busier than I expected. Khonshu likes to change plans at the last minute. I'm sorry," Marc spoke through the reflection in the glass, hanging his head.
"I'm not mad at you. I just mean it's good for both of us, we need to take a breather sometimes or our body won't make it," Steven leaned down to look Marc in the eye.
He gently placed the palm of his right hand against the glass and curled his fingers as if to stroke the other man's cheek. Marc looked into Steven's eyes for a moment, but then looked away in shame. For a moment, Steven felt as if a tear had rolled down his cheek.
"Marc, could we... meet? I mean in my head, in that apartment you created just for us..." Steven asked hesitantly of his reflection as he nervously fiddled with his fingers.Marc just gave a slight nod of his head.
Steven went back to the bed. He buried his head comfortably in the pillow, closed his eyes and concentrated on his subconscious. It wasn't long before Steven woke up again.
This time it wasn't the sight of his flat in London that greeted him, but the completely different interior of the imaginary room Marc had created in their subconscious. It was the only place where they could meet each other in their physical form, not just as voices or reflections in shiny surfaces.
"Marc? Marc, are you here?" Steven called out, and for a moment it seemed that his only companion would be an echo before Steven heard muffled sobs from the next room.
With a brisk stride, he started towards the source of the sounds until suddenly Marc was sitting on the floor in front of him, curled up, his knees under his chin and his face all tears.
"Shhh, I'm here, that horrible bird can't get at you here, we're back together," Steven sat down next to Marc and gently traced circles on his back with his palm.
"Oh, Steven. Please forgive me, I've done so much wrong. And not just what he made me do, I was bad even before he found me. Sometimes I just wish someone would love me a little bit, but I know in my heart that no one who knows me properly can," Marc dropped his head to his knees again, a few more shaky sobs escaping his throat.
Steven wondered how to respond. He had never seen Marc this broken before. Marc was the stronger one, the one who didn't mess with anything, the one who was forever teasing Steven... But this Marc here, he was a broken man with a big heart.
"I can love you," Steven finally said in a determined tone that was meant to hide his nervousness.
"You have no choice, you must at least tolerate me if you are to share a body with me, but I doubt someone like you could love such a... A monster like me."
"What did you mean by that? Someone like me? Like I'm not good enough for you?!" Steven looked in horror at Marc, who was currently giving him his full attention.
Marc smiled that smile where one corner of his lips lifted and the lines around his eyes softened his face.
"No, it's the exact opposite, I'll never be good enough for you, silly," Marc explained his thought, leaning closer to Steven.
"You're talking nonsense..." Steven breathed. He could feel Marc's warm breath on his face.
Neither of them had any idea who had leaned in first, who had crossed the slight distance between them first, but suddenly Steven's lips were on Marc's and Marc's lips were on Steven's.
Some might think it strange, literally kissing oneself, but the two were so similar as to be different. It wasn't at all like kissing a version of themselves.
Steven had little experience with relationships and kissing, but his inexperience was made up for by his enthusiasm. Marc, on the other hand, was a very experienced kisser who wasn't afraid to bring out his best bits. So when Marc gently bit Steven's bottom lip, he made the sweetest sound he had ever heard.
Steven wrapped his arms around Marc's neck, deepening the kiss. But before he knew it, Marc had him in his arms and was pushing him down, continuing to kiss him.
It wasn't until they were both out of breath that they pulled away from each other.
"I'm not going to work today," Steven said proudly.
Marc leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.
"But you like going to work. And what would Donna say?" Marc wondered, a mock horrified tone in his voice.
"Donna can kiss her ass. Now you keep kissing me."