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thebibliomancer · 11 months

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Essential Avengers: West Coast Avengers #35: The VOICE of DOOM

August, 1988

The man who would be DOOM!

Wait so Doom would be Doom? Why isn’t he Doom right now? Isn’t Doom primarily known for being Doom? What’s the deeeeeeal?

-flips ahead- Ah ha. Well then that’s wrong on two levels. Another lying cover smh.

Anyway.

What have the West Coast Avengers been up to?

Lots of drama.

Remember the time that Mockingbird manslaughtered a cowboy during cowboy times for drugging her into being his girlfriend? Phantom Rider remembers because he was that cowboy. And now he’s trying to ruin her life. Afraid that her teammates and husband would sympathize if Mockingbird came clean about what happened to her, Phantom Rider told Hawkeye, Wonder Man, and Tigra before she could. They believe this random cowbody and are mad at her for doing a murder.

Mockingbird did tell Scarlet Witch, the Vision, the Wasp, Dr Pym, and Moon Knight and they were sympathetic.

Oh yeah, Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and the Wasp are here.

The other half of the drama is Hank Pym drama. He heard a rumor on the net that his dead wife was not dead and the West Coast Avengers plus the Wasp flew out to Hungary to investigate. Turns out it was a ruuuuuuse by Quicksilver who is in one of his asshole phases again. He also teamed up with a bunch of Hank’s old enemies who captured the Avengers.

Thanks in part to Phantom Rider, the Avengers break out of the super jail and escape Hungary. But Tigra forgot to put on the anti-get-shot-down defenses so the Quinjet gets shot down and they crash in Latveria.

Home of Doom.

And that’s why Doom is on the cover.

And that’s why Doom is watching Hawkeye and Mockingbird sleep.

See, it all comes together.

You might think that’s a bit short for a Doom and maybe its some random nine year old that’s had Doom doomloaded into his brain but that’s clearly ridiculous sedition.

This is Doctor Doom.

And he’s very upset that the (West Coast) Avengers have invaded Latveria.

Mockingbird insists nuh uh, they didn’t invade, they crash landed. But she doesn’t want to tell Doom they were fleeing Hungary so she doesn’t.

Hawkeye yells that Doom is a nine year old and gets TZAPP for his trouble.

Let that be a lesson.

Do not yell at Doom.

Use your inside voice. So says DOOOOOOOM!

Doom graciously explains that they are ignorant idiots who have been fed misinformation by the Fantastic Four.

Yes, Doom inhabits the body of Kristoff Vernard. He does not dispute that. But Doom mind swapping into bodies is nothing new. He walked around inside Daredevil for a while. And was still Doom.

Therefore, despite this body being more compact than usual, Doom is Doom. And he’ll zap you if you disagree.

Of course, there is the matter of a completely different guy out there claiming to be the real Doom who has the convincing argument that he is in the original body.

Compact Doom says “that imposter is a dangerous lunatic who stole my true body!”

Englehart, I’m begging you. Please do not have the other Doom show up. I already have to deal with a bunch of Kangs in the East Coast Avengers book. I don’t want to have to be like Cape Doom and Beard Doom and Doom But Lady! Just... please. This Doom and no Doomer.

...

So Mockingbird says Reed Richards said that the other Doom is the true Doom and Compact Doom is like bah, but have you noticed that Reed Richards fucked off somewhere after coming to that conclusion?

And sure, he’ll argue that he was taking a leave of absence to spend more time with his son. WHICH IS A WISE DECISION TO MAKE WHEN THERE’S A BODY SNATCHING LUNATIC ON THE LOOSE!

DOOM’S LOGIC IS UNASSAILABLE!

Mockingbird wants to continue arguing with the dude who has an answer for everything but Hawkeye interrupts because he has some questions about why they’re in a fancy bedroom and not in a jail cell.

Doom: “Through no fault of my own, Clint Barton, I am in a war with the imposter! He is attempting to enlist allies in an insane plan to attack Latveria and remove me from my throne! Therefore, I seek allies myself!”

According to a friend who reads FF, this Kristoff plot is pretty damn stupid. But over in West Coast Avengers land, it looks funny to have Doom fighting a secret war with Doom, and one of them is stuck in a nine year old’s body.

I don’t want multiple Dooms in THIS book but I do want to know that somewhere out there, those multiple Dooms were in the same room at the same time yelling about how they were the one true Doom.

Doom reveals that he knows that they were fleeing Hungary. While the West Coast Avengers were unconscious, he contacted the Hungarian Ministry of Defense and got the low down.

Hungary has offered Doom an alliance if he returns the West Coast Avengers to them. But Doom would prefer to have the West Coast Avengers as his allies. So he’ll set them free if they agree to help when the time comes for him to engage the Imposter Doom.

He gives them until midnight to decide and then walks out of the guest bedroom.

Hawkeye tries to chase after him to continue the conversation but an energy barrier bounces him back into the room.

Hawkeye: “His finest room is still a prison! I’m sick a’ prisons!!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the West Coast Avengers (and guests).

In much less nice quarters.

Hank Pym has been put in a helmet that will squish his head if he tries to size change anything. Scarlet Witch’s hands have been put in those giant manacles people use in comic books - preventing her from making the hand movements she needs to do to do her probability manipulation. Some kind of energy barrier has been set up in the wall that prevents Vision from phasing through or from punching through in his diamond hard form. Wonder Man is wrapped in a harness that drains his energy. Annnnnd... Wasp has been left free to fly around the room but there’s no gap that she can slip through tiny sized.

(I don’t see Moon Knight or Tigra here but I assume they’re somewhere.)

Hank suggests Wasp try to grow antenna and summon ANTS. He can’t do it for her because of the head squishing helmet. So she clenches and goes UHNNNNNHH! and out pops the antenna.

But... dangit, there’s no insects in the whole castle! That wily Doom thinks of everything!

Aforementioned compact Doom comes in and informs the captured West Coast Avengers and guests that he will free them if Hawkeye agrees to aid Latveria.

Scarlet Witch defiantly says she and her husband will never help Doom! So Doom drops some continuity on her.

Doom: “I would remind you that you have done so before, witch! All of you have! It was before the Avengers split in twain -- Dr. Pym was Yellowjacket, and Wonder Man was newly risen from the dead -- but all of you were there! We joined forces against Attuma the Sea-Barbarian, because he was a threat to our common interests!”

Scarlet Witch: “We had different goals!”

Dr Pym: “We turned against you as soon as Attuma was defeated, and you ran! And it wasn’t you anyway!!”

Doom: “Calm yourself, doctor! With the defeat of Attuma, my purpose was accomplished, so I had no need of remaining! I always accomplish my purpose -- and whatever you think of me, the defeat of the lunatic who stole my body is clearly of benefit to everyone!”

Wonder Man points out that beating up Doctor Doom IS kinda what Avengers are about. Which Hank rejects because they’d be beating up one Doom to help another.

Plus: he’s only interested in finding out if his wife is alive.

Hank... what the fuck. You... you still think it could be legit? When Quicksilver all about said it was a ruse? WHEN HER DEAD BODY WAS FOUND AFTER SHE WAS KIDNAPPED??

This is just sad, dude.

Scarlet Witch backs up Hank, saying they should focus on Hank’s totally dead wife and that whole Quicksilver being a dick thing. Which Wasp seconds.

But Vision says, basically, ‘there is logic in what he says’ about Wonder Man’s point.

Doom shrugs and goes well you have until midnight to decide, toodles.

Elsewhere, we see where Tigra and Moon Knight are.

Doom doesn’t really know them so he’s put them in a gauntlet of deadly traps to study their strengths and weaknesses.

Tigra: “Study us? How?”

Oh that wacky Doom!

I’m really curious about that ribbon gun.

Doom watches the two heroes being put under various trials for about seventy minutes before stalking off elsewhere.

And time is tick tick ticking away.

It was sunset when Doom delivered his ultimatdoom to Hawkeye and Mockingbird. It’s been at least an hour past that.

So lets check on that drama bomb.

Hawkeye has spent the time moodily staring out a window so he doesn’t have to look at Mockingbird and she finally asks why he’s avoiding her.

Hawkeye: “You know why! The Phantom Rider told us everything, Bobbi! You as good as killed him!”

Mockingbird is shocked that the cowboy creep went and told Hawkeye but she asks if he explained why. But Hawkeye declares it doesn’t matter why, context doesn’t exist, Avengers don’t kill, period, end of story.

Mockingbird: “I didn’t kill him! I let him die, because he drugged me -- forced me to love him!”

Hawkeye: “That’s not what he says!”

Mockingbird: “What?! You believe him instead of me?!”

Hawkeye: “I don’t want to -- but you haven’t played straight with me so far!”

Mockingbird: “Why you big creep!!”

They’re both far too proud by half. So this conversation only escalates into yelling. With Mockingbird put on the wrong foot by not being able to broach the topic, she’s getting mad instead of showing the sincerity that made the jail buds listen with such sympathy.

Whether or not he believes Phantom Rider or Mockingbird, Hawkeye is mostly just hurt. Hurt that Mockingbird didn’t trust him enough to confide in him.

And why should she trust him, if this is how he’s going to be? shoots back Mockingbird. She says that he’s too caught up in the Avenger thing (to sympathize with what she’s been through, is the subtext) and he shoots back that if she’s not so caught up in the Avengers thing, she doesn’t have to be in the Avengers at all!

WELL SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE IN THIS MARRIAGE AT ALL THEN.

So despite the hope spot last issue that Clint Barton could be a people and sympathize with the extraordinary circumstances that led Mockingbird to not stop a cowboy from falling off a cliff, the two just yell at each other.

Alas.

And invisible, inaudible, intangible Phantom Rider is loving this.

Back in Doom’s finest jail cell, Wasp decides to grow to full size since she “can’t do much Wasp-size!” which Hank readily agrees with.

Wasp gets snippy about what Hank is implying but course corrects immediately by admitting that she’s still touchy around him.

Hank goes to go give her a hug with his manacled hands but Wasp moves away.

Wasp: “No Hank! Divorce means divorce!”

Not so amiable exes.

I shouldn’t but I’m laughing at Hank hanging his head sadly here.

Over at Moon Knight and Tigra’s unfun exam day, Moon Knight has a plan for how to get out of this.

He lets himself get bonked in the noggin with a mace, getting knocked out.

The technician running the gauntlet notes Moon Knight getting knocked out and continues the program for Tigra.

Meanwhile, Khonshu steps out of Moon Knight’s body... Huh! I guess Khonshu was driving?

Weird.

And Khonshu just goes for a walk.

Khonshu: “Marc Spector served me well before I gained an interest in the Avengers! But once exposed to Hawkeye’s triumphant spirit -- I felt the need for personal experience of his team!”

Meanwhile, Doom is done staring moodily from a parapet. The Hungarian representative is arriving by helicopter so Doom tells Boris to make the preparations for his midnight meetings.

Doom walks off and finds god.

The opposite, Doom.

Khonshu is overly dramatic as one might expect and introduces himself as KHONSHU, TAKER OF VENGEANCE! And tells Doom to release the Avengers or face AWESOME FURY!

Doom immediately tries to punch Khonshu.

He just falls through him and gets shocked for his trouble.

Punching not being an option, Doom doomduces from Khonshu saying he’s a god that he came out of Moon Knight.

I mean, the appearance should also give it away. Khonshu looks like a fancier Moon Knight.

Doom: “If I free the Avengers, will you ensure that they labor in my cause?”

Khonshu: “BEWARE, Doom! For those who displease me, I demand the STRICTEST JUDGEMENT!”

Doom: “‘Doom,’ you said! You know me to be Doom! For that reason alone you have earned my compliance, spirit! For know this: Doom bends to no one’s will! NO ONE’S!!”

Doom then presses the free all the Avengers button. A button that frees the Avengers. He just happens to carry it around with him for convenience.

Then he walks off, telling Khonshu to gtfo.

So if Doom has freed the Avengers because Khonshu asked, what’s he going to tell the Hungarian representative?

Well, that’s not going to be a problem. For Doom.

Because the Hungarian representative is Quicksilver.

And Quicksilver personally insulted Kristoff Doom in an earlier appearance. Also, he’s not acknowledging him as Doom which is just digging the grave deeper.

Quicksilver tries to flee but Doom slams the door shut and summons his robo-guards to attack. Quicksilver is able to outrace the guards but Doom also clicks a different button which shoot paralysis rays. And because of momentum, Quicksilver keeps going and bonks into a wall.

Ah, yes. Running headfirst into the wall. Just like the old days.

Doom rants to Quicksilver that he can’t understand what it’s like being trapped in a child’s body when you have an adult dictator’s mind. The struggle to command respect!

Anyway, Quicksilver did not respect him so now Doom is going to choke him out.

Then Scarlet Witch and Vision CRUMP through the wall.

OH YEAH.

Doom is like huh I know I freed them but I didn’t expect it to bite me in the ass so quickly.

Even though Quicksilver is being excessively Quicksilver, Wanda still doesn’t want him dead.

Doom really wants to kill him so he goes for his control panel to use the devastating technology at his disposal.

But get this.

He’s still in a nine-year-old’s body. Vision just physically restrains him. Just grabs his wrists and holds them above his head. What’s Doom going to do, kick Vision’s shins? Vision can become hard as a diamond.

And the rest of the West Coast Avengers and guests beat up the guards on their way into the room.

Quicksilver regains consciousness, kinda rendering the protecting him from Doom thing moot.

He regains consciousness and immediately starts whining.

So, like, remember how his new thing is that he wants to become the new Magneto and he wants to make all the Avengers suffer for various imagined crimes and also banging his sister in the case of Vision. He has made it very clear to them that he wishes bad things for them. He has already jailed many of them and tried to have the Hungarian government perform horrible experiments on them.

I have no idea why he thinks he has the moral high ground to proclaim Doom an attempted murderer and demanding the Avengers do something about it. And in the same breath he goes ‘kick his ass, he’s a nine year old.’

Quicksilver is really demanding that the Avengers do something about a child attempting to murder him.

Maybe out of contrariness or because the danger is passed, Vision just lets Doom go.

This is why Quicksilver was never going to work as the new Magneto, as the new boss of evil mutants.

He’s a chump. Nobody seems to want to write him as anything but a chump.

Anyway, Doom seems content with ending things here. The Avengers don’t do anything to him, so he has his dignity, and Quicksilver is the one who looks like an idiot. Especially once he runs away rather than do anything about Doom himself.

Doom tells the West Coast Avengers plus guests to gtfo out of his country. He’ll even give them a new craft to take them to America since theirs crashed.

But Hank decides he has unfinished business in Hungary and says that instead they’ll take Doom’s craft there.

Doom doesn’t care one way or the other.

But WHY ARE YOU GOING BACK TO HUNGARY!? Do you still think your wife is alive after all this time? Her dead body was found after she was kidnapped! The message about her being alive is very likely a ruse, just like the letter from Bova that lured Wanda and Vision to Eastern Europe!

What are you expecting out of this subplot??

But either way, the West Coast Avengers and guests leave. Doom marveling that they have no idea that a god walks amongst them unknown. And also briefly wondering why Mockingbird and Hawkeye are keeping their distance from each other.

Doom is not privy to their drama. Nor would Doom care.

SO SAYS DOOOOOM!

Follow @essential-avengers. So says Doom. Actually, I can’t lie. Doom does not care about this liveblog. But like and reblog and comment if you’d like. I’d appreciate it.

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mahalshairyballs · 2 years

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Some Jake stuff coming from my interpretation of him.

I might have mentioned these things before but I don't think I made any posts meta about them.

It will be separated into two main points : Emotions and Physical Touch

Emotiooons

Jake has *a lot* of emotions. But he has learned to hide them. Not by being stoic, he was far from it, but by looking to the outside world like he was well balanced he was also far from that.

To people interacting with him he was social, nice, even polite, warm, flirty, charming, he joked around, smiled more than Marc did (Marc your dark humor needs to come back!). He was just a joy to be around. No need to wonder what Frenchie saw in him.

With Layla it was a bit different since she lived with them. She saw him a bit more grumpy, snappy and contrarian (mostly when Jake fronted right after talking to Marc...). But she still had no idea how he really felt and what Steven and Marc had to deal with.

Inside Jake was boiling with emotions, sometimes totally opposite to what he was showing. He had been training himself a lot to do that, to 'pretend', to show whatever feelings he wanted to show, he'd perfected it.

Jake had to do something like that since almost day one, at least since Marc left their home. Because of what Jake's been through, every time he took control of the body - whether consciously or not, whether it was warranted or not - he was in a heightened state of alert. In a constant fight or flight mode - so in other words panic.

It took him a lot of time and a lot of work, but he managed to not always feel like that every time he fronted - especially when there were no imminent threats he had to deal with. This resulted in him having great control on his stress level, and how he showed his emotions (but didn't change how he really felt). Just existing didn't make him feel high anxiety anymore, but there were some things that could bring that anxiety back (see the 2nd main subject of this post below).

Which in turn made him the best at manipulating being social out of the three. It also made him an excellent liar. So much so that Matt (Daredevil) had the hardest time reading him. His heartbeat barely even changed - changed so minutely - when he lied that even Matt had a hard time noticing it (while Steven's heartbeat accelerated even when he was telling the truth ahah anxiety...)

Even when he killed, he didn't show any intense emotions. I used the word 'going bersek' as a shorthand one time before, but that's not accurate at all. Jake doesn't do that. He might feel anger or hate or whatever else, but he'll just show ruthless, surgical efficiency while doing the kill. And he could talk about the weather with you just after having killed someone.

In their innerspace it's waaay more difficult for Jake to hide or show something else to what he's really feeling. Their innerspace is like where their 'soul' coexist, so they're all pretty much open books there.

So when Steven once said to someone that Jake was 'very emotional, petty, immature, easy to anger, a lot to deal with'

Layla & Jean-Paul : He is ???

This was not their experience with him at all.

Jake and Marc were both quick to anger in their innerspace and quick to blame the other for anything. When they interacted tension could rise pretty damn fast. So Marc and Jake fought a lot in their innerspace. Jake and Steven did too initially, but it calmed down pretty quickly and they mostly got along well. So Steven found himself often in the middle of their fight like this :

(Without the blood and without Khonshu lmao)

Jake didn't mind doing small talk, he actually did it a lot. Surface level, flirty conversations were almost his specialty by now. Both because he couldn't bond with someone long enough to do more and because it helped him get what he wanted out of people. He flirted without intent other than manipulating people all the time. So here you could see how he could evolve into being the intel collector for the system, just like he is in the comics.

He didn't know how to deepen relationships however, he never had the chance to, and he didn't really want to by now. He didn't want to share anything personal or show his real emotions. He was inexperienced with that and didn't know what to expect. He didn't even know if he could love (he definitely can, but his feeling of love is in itself quite different, it's almost painful).

If he did open up though, he'd talk about most of the fucked up things he lived through in a very casual way. He had weird priorities and views of the world. He could be upset by small things but then brush off very awful things. I think there was a meme like that once. The meme enumerated three things, the first two weren't that bad while the third one was significantly worse than the first two but said as if it were equally bad (or was it a trope? ). That's Jake. He would be the kind to do that.

The only emotions you'd see him show outwardly when he felt them would be emotions that he was unfamiliar with. There's not a lot of those but there's a few, like love (or jealousy...). They would show in his behavior and body language because he wouldn't be able to deal with them. Being new to him, he hadn't practiced dealing with them and/or dissimulating them under another emotion. So maybe he'd look like he was feeling that emotion, but he'd mostly look lost or anxious...and then he'd leave control of the body to Marc or Steven.

Physical touch

Jake didn't like being touched, it made him very uneasy and brought his panic anxiety back.

However short or innocent the contact was, he wouldn't like it.

Especially if the touch was supposed to be good and innocent. It also didn't matter if it was under or above clothes, it felt the same to him.

Because :

1) he wasn't familiar with those feelings, both the physical sensations and what they did to his emotions. He didn't know what to do about it, how to react to it. So it made him uneasy and dislike the interaction.

2) he was used to all touches being painfull (except during sex*). Whether it was in his childhood, or later fronting to defend the body, while Marc was a boxer or in the army, or a mercenary, or Moon Knight. That's all Jake knew. So when the touches weren't painfull, his brain still thought it was going to be, any time now. So it prepared him by giving him this very intense anxiety, like a very loud alarm bell in his head.

As a cab/limo driver, he didn't have to be touched by anybody, and Khonshu couldn't touch him. So right then he was living his best life.

Jake wasn't making a big deal out of it either, like for everything else. If an SO tried to hold his hand, give him a hug or cuddle he'd find an excuse to get away from that physical contact as soon as possible. He usually pretended that he had to go somewhere to then put more distance between them, or subtly brushed away the hand on him. If the person did it again or insisted however, they'd get that direct rebuff.

It could be hard for some people who needed physical affection to be Jake's partner. For Duchamp, they were in a strange position. Jake was flirty, funny, teasing him, he was there for him and generous and helpful, but he never ever tried to touch him in their day-to-day life together. Not even a small casual touch on the shoulder, or a hug or anything. The only time Frenchie felt like he could touch him was when they had sex.

Jake never wanted to just make out, or cuddle while watching a movie. He did, however, do one thing. He gave little kisses. Dry closed mouth kisses of a few seconds, that he could do. And he did that often enough to show affection.

* The one major exception to that was during sex. Mostly because those touches were context specific and Jake usually concentrated on his dick and pleasuring his partners. So he managed to ignore or to deal better with these touches. The touches usually didn't last that long and it was mostly people gripping him or things like that so it was fine.

It made him a really good lover though. He had no problem touching other people, with his hands, with his mouth, with his cock, and he liked doing it. So he was very attentive to other people's body. He didn't really do foreplay either, except when he could treat his partners like that (ask Layla...).

If you wanted to treat him, or 'worship his body', or anything like that, he'd politely decline the offer, usually changing the focus on the partner.

Let me make it clear though that Jake only appears to be promiscuous out of necessity but he wasn't really. Sex was the best way he found to have physical intimacy with someone. He didn't need to be particularly close to the person, could do it quickly - since he couldn't front for long - and could get his physical intimacy needs met there.

He also didn't do French kissing, and he was fine with pillow talks...as long as there was a reasonable distance between him and the partner on the bed.

With Layla, he initially didn't even take the chance. He kept sleeping in the spare bedroom, even after she knew who he was and got to know him.

Jake knew he could learn to get used to the nice touches, like he got used to live without being in panic mode. He didn't see the benefit in doing that however. Controlling his panic mode had been a necessity, because he felt like that just by being. The panic he felt when someone touched him however could be stopped by simply...stopping that contact. It was easier than enduring countless of high-anxiety inducing interactions just so his body could be used to them. And since he wasn't familiar with what 'nice' touches actually felt like, he didn't miss them.

He didn't think he needed those for a fulfilling relationship. He saw though, that Frenchie really missed doing that kind of thing with his partner...

Steven doesn't mind touches all that much for someone on the spectrum. He actually really liked touches...but only with people he was really close to. He had two modes 'ew no touchy' and 'let me be all over you all the time'.

Marc has no issues with touches. It's surprisingly one of the few things he has no issues about. He liked touches well enough, he could be tender and physically affectionate when he wanted to be - and he usually did.

This is also why Matt and Jake would make a good fit. Matt is also super-sensitive to touches (for a different reason : his super-senses) so he'd understand Jake's boundaries there.

Bonus: relationship with Khonshu

Out of the three of them, it's definitely Jake who has a better relationship with Khonshu and who doesn't need to be as manipulated as Marc was.

There were many ways in which Jake's relationship with Khonshu could be important to him.

Khonshu acknowledged him without telling the others. Khonshu might've been the first other person to actually call him Jake. It definitely had an effect on Jake. Gave him respect for the ol' bird at least.

Khonshu didn't probe him about things Jake didn't feel like talking about. Khonshu didn't care about the Marc system's traumas, he already knew everything that was in their head anyway, so he never brought it up with Jake and Jake was appreciative of that.

Khonshu is immaterial in our dimension so he couldn't touch Jake. Jake was glad for that.

Khonshu trusted his skills, and appreciated him for who he was.

And Jake truly believed in what Khonshu was doing. He also wanted revenge, didn't mind killing or hurting people to protect others. He wanted to defeat the bad guys.

Marc might also have wanted revenge, an outlet for his rage, but the killings took more of a toll on him than it did Jake.

So if Steven & Marc try to convince Jake to break things off with Khonshu....eeeeeeh, they might encounter some strong opposition.

Tl;dr - So this is how I managed to combine both of the main portrayals of comics!Jake with what we got of MCU!Jake while still making sense character-wise, tadaaaaa : D

Thank you, thank you !

Have a nice Jake-filled day everyone!

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marvelhellscape · 2 years

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In the Moon Knight, Marc Spector's Dissociative Identity Disorder seems like an afterthought made into a plot point that the authors don't always portray in the best or most accurate ways. I want to look at Marc from a more informed point of view. I'm obviously not an expert, and I do not have DID, but I've done some research, and here are my thoughts...

Huge TW!! Read the tags!

During his developmental years, Marc was abused by his mother. She didn't want him, and she cursed his existence before he could talk. The whole time, Marc's father doesn't intervene, and he is left to suffer alone. When Marc's brother comes along, Wendy treats him differently, and this causes Marc further distress because he now knows there could be love, but it isn't for him.

Marc's DID forms due to the neglect and abuse his mother constantly subjects him to. He dissociates away from the physical pain, and he takes every word his mother says to heart; meanwhile, he becomes a good big brother who always takes care of his kid brother. They play as the fearless Dr. Steven Grant and his companion, and Randall never sees the side of Marc that hurts and hates in silence.

When Randall dies, Marc blames himself just like his mother. He was there, sure, but the events become blurry. Amnesia between that memory and everything else forms like a firm wall, keeping him from thinking about it for too long, and when he does, or it all gets overwhelming, he forgets and he no longer has fear. Marc falls away, and Steven Grant takes his place.

In their childhood, Steven takes on the role of a functioning kid while Marc endures an abusive home. He sees everything from an outside perspective, watching over every action as Steven picks up the broken pieces of their life. Steven gets them through school, he gets them through rough parts of their life, but he never knows how much Marc hurts.

The part of Marc that was a good brother and the part that was a good son lose their purpose for being separate. They blend together, and every memory merges to create clearer pieces of one messed-up puzzle.

Over the years, Marc becomes angry. What was supposed to keep him safe, the compliance, and the enduring beating after beating only earned him more pain. Marc gains the courage to leave, and he scraps together a life for himself.

The anger of the past and denial of his pain hurt Marc, and he hurts himself for what he has done. He decides that his mother was right, that he is a monster, a murderer, and he throws himself into service.

Jake comes along the way, somewhere Marc can't place. Maybe it's just before Marc tries to end it all. He loses his place as a soldier, and he feels hopeless. He tastes the cold metal, pulls the handle back, and blacks out before the real pain can come.

Jake won't die. Maybe he was there before, perhaps, but now he is alive. No more half-awareness as he stills the blade, or partial feeling as he takes life so he can remain. Jake is real, and he has work to do. His family, his system, they can not die; even if it costs his freedom.

#suicidal thoughts #tw child abuse #tw abuse #tw self destructive behavior #tw self destruction #marc spector #steven grant #moon knight thoughts #moon knight #jake lockley #mk alter thoughts #mindless typing #my thoughts #khonshu #moon knight spoilers #marvel #did

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xenonmoon · 1 year

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Jake's answer at Steve's request to get captured for mission purposes

#moon knight #moon knight comics #shadowland #xenon reacts #I can't really remember how the randall situation got solved up #but at some point there was for the main DeeDee Controlling An Army of Ninjas plot some sort of artifact #a blue crescent they had to recover and use for that #which was a lost piece of Khonshu's statue staff #okay whatever #so moonie's whole role in this thing was basically lose a child for cheap drama points and retrieve this artifact #and I really can't remember what happened next but I guess it worked #idk I didn't really like this plotline at least from MK's pov #I think I'll post the last pic worth posting and then move to secret avengers which is way more insteresting #q tag

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thegodofthemoonandvengeance · 1 year

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“Bah….people dressed up as the worms for Halloween? How….lame.”

#khonshu speaks 🌙#dash commentary #steven grant #the idiot #marc spector #the worm #jake lockley #favourite child

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1800-l0g4n · 2 years

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art/doodle dump

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moon-knightblog · 8 months

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Personally, I believe Marc is MCU’s Khonshu favorite, he was the one that he met first and so on.

Look I see Jake and Steven having limits, and they have nothing to be used against them. Marc has Layla and wants to protect Steven.

Also he talks about Marc, all of time, “Marc Spector truly believed…” Honestly, it because Marc needs to create limits and boundaries for himself and Khonshu, like his alters have.

#moon knight #marc spector #Khonshu loves the oldest child #khonshu #moon knight headcanon

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variantia · 1 year

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BELLUM. anyways I’m also all caught up on The Owl House and let me tell you I HAVE TAKEN EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

this is only slightly topical because they weren’t in the episode, but I have to say say that every time Lilith calls Hooty “Hootsifer” I just absolutely lose my shit

HOOTSIFER !!

#is that a fucking gremlin ?? ( OOC. )#(( I still wanna add Eda and the Collector HHHHH #but I want to see what the Collector does to see exactly how I'd want to play them #I already have a tag for Eda ic things and Eda x Raine tho so she's probably happening I just have to make icons before I add her #BUT ANYWAY I'M STILL DEBATING ON THE COLLECTOR #but I might do it bc Lo needs her little bigender star-brother and Khonshu needs a thousand-year-old child to rein in #and also I should give Venti a TOH verse too cuz HOO BOY R E B E L L I O N !!!!!#JUST KNOW ! THAT THESE ARE ALL THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD !! ))

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angel-of-the-moons · 5 months

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Small Surprises

Moon Knight System (Marc/Jake/Steven) x Single Mother!Reader

TW/CW: Some mentions of past childhood abuse, cheating partner, mostly fluff

A/N: Like the Symbrock one I did, this one will be one whole fic with a few times skips here and there! This fic will also explore a bit more into the autistic side of Steven as a character, based off my own experiences with my autism, tics, habits etc! Also, once again, featuring snippets of the hobby headcanons done by @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction! (I love those headcanons so much they are canon as far as I'm concerned asdfghjkl)

Taglist: @chrishy973 @katitakenway @queerponcho

EDIT: Part 2 is out now!!! Read it here!

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Another droll day at the museum, the same disinterested customers and more nagging from Donna. Honestly, Steven was lucky he got his job back at the museum--though he only surmised it was due to the fact nobody else wanted to work for Donna--but he was grateful for the extra income.

And it definitely helped provide a distraction from Jake's night activities for Khonshu, as well as Marc's from time to time.

But of course, even though it provided a distraction, it wasn't much of one.

That is... until the day a poofy mop of curls bounced into the gift shop, eagerly looking at the wares within with big sparkling eyes. The child couldn't have been older than four--maybe five--as she happily looked at the myriad of items available.

Contrasting to most of the little girls he's seen come in (which, were admittedly few) she didn't immediately run over to the cheap horse figures with the chariots or even the cat plushies.

She went right for things like the plushie scarabs, the statues...

This of course had Donna proverbially chewing her nails as she watched the unaccompanied minor scamper about the gift shop.

"I'm going back to do inventory," She warned Steven. "If she breaks anything, it's coming out of your pay, Stevie."

Steven ground his teeth when she called him that, and waited for her to walk away before muttering. "What little you do pay me, you bloody old biddy."

Steven fixed his name tag and walked up to the little girl, crouching next to her as her chubby little face scrunched in what appeared to be distaste.

"Hey there, poppet. What's got you upset, eh?" He asked, his big brown eyes meeting hers as she crossed her arms with a huff.

"They don't look right!" She complained.

"Oh? What doesn't look right?" Steven asked patiently, a warm smile on his face.

The child pointed to the small canvases and posters of the various Egyptian gods. Namely the ones of Bastet and Anubis, and in particular of the two, one of the canvases depicting Anubis surrounded by shrieking souls and flames.

He himself had raised a complaint with that depiction, as after his own time in the Egyptian afterlife (alongside Marc, and unbeknownst to them at the time, Jake) he knew the afterlife was not like that. While they hadn't met Anubis himself, they were guided and weighed by Taweret.

But he wholeheartedly agreed that the artwork of Anubis was entirely wrong, and frankly, offensive.

"'Nubis isn't like that." She said, stomping her little foot. "He's nice!"

Steven raised his eyebrows at her, tilting his head as some stray curls fell over his face. "Oh?" He asked. "Then tell me little one, how is Anubis?"

"He's--!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes in the typical fashion a child does when they feel like they're explaining something painfully obvious to an oblivious adult.

"He's a good dog-man." She says to him. "He doesn't mess with skulls n' stuffs! He's nice, he helps people who might get lost when they die."

'That's a hefty subject for a kid.' Marc's voice spoke.

"No kidding." Jake remarked. "Where are her parents?"

Steven meanwhile, was positively thrilled that one so young understood that Anubis, while being the god of death, was not evil. And... naturally this sent him into info-dump mode.

"Why, yes! Anubis is good." He held up a finger as the little girl looked at him, awe on her face that he understood what she was saying and was willing to actually talk about it.

"He guided souls once they left their earthly bodies." He explained, grabbing a small replica of an Egyptian temple front. "Once their hearts were weighed, if they were good, he would help guide them to the afterlife. If they were bad..."

"They got ate by the crocko-lion!" The girl finished with a gasp.

Steven suppressed the urge to laugh at how she described Ammit. Jake and Marc meanwhile, held no such compunction and were laughing their asses off.

"I like this kid." Jake said as his laughter died down.

"Yes! They did. But did you know they also had to be judged? Not just with the scales?" Steven grinned at her as she bounced on her heels, the palms of her hands rubbing on her coveralls as she listened.

"Now that subject is very lengthy...." Steven leaned over on the flats of his shoes and plucked a small book about the Egyptian afterlife and mythos and showed it to the little girl. The cover was emblazoned with raised gold print; with images of sarcophagi, and motifs scattered on the front and back.

"But it's always worth a good read." Steven continued. "Now, if you want to know someone else who sometimes assists those who've passed on?"

The little girl plucked the book out of Steven's arms, nodding, her eyes tracking the way his mouth and hair moved. Not once did she make eye contact, instead settling for staring at other features instead.

Steven could understand, sometimes looking into people's eyes was... oof. It was difficult and frankly sometimes it made him uncomfortable, made his palms itch and the hair on the back of his neck tickle.

He stood up, and walked to another shelf, the little girl trailing behind him, the book looking three sizes too large for her tiny body as her little light up sneakers squeaked on the waxed linoleum.

Steven reached down, then, and grabbed a plaster statuette of a familiar feminine shape sporting a hippo head and kneeled back down, showing it to her.

"This is Taweret." He beamed proudly.

"She's the nice hippo lady." The child peeped, staring at the statue with rapt attention.

"Yes! Yes, she is! Very nice." Steven chuckled. "But she's also the goddess of motherhood and children, did you know? She protects women when they have their babies, and helps them."

The little girl nodded, "Yeah, I read a thingy 'bout her! She's--"

"Victoria! Oh my god." A breathless voice called from the front of the shop.

The moment Steven lifted his gaze, he could feel his heart catch on his throat when he saw you. Even Marc and Jake went quiet as you approached.

You were wearing some faded-out jeans and a t-shirt with a faded band logo that hugged your figure very nicely. You had a backpack slung over your shoulders and the keychains dangling from it tinkled and clacked as you moved, rushing to scoop up your child.

Steven could easily see that Victoria got her looks from you, those gorgeous inquisitive eyes, her nose, hair texture...

Jake had to give him the mental equivalent of a slap to stop his gawking as he stood up awkwardly, wiping the hand not holding the statue on his jeans as he gave you what he hoped was a charming smile, but judging by your wariness, you obviously weren't thrilled at the sight of your daughter talking to a strange man.

Steven was about to speak up, but Victoria did so instead for him, not reading the tenseness in the situation.

"Steven's my friend!" She beamed, holding the book in her pudgy little fingers, showing you. "He knows about 'Gyptian stuff, too!"

Steven blinked, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks as you looked at him, raised eyebrows. It took him a moment of awkward glancing away to realize Victoria knew his name because she read his name tag. He hadn't once said it to her. Hell, he only knew her name because you said it when you ran in!

"Ah... Yes. I work here, in the gift shop. Egyptology is a major... um." He struggled to find a word.

"Hyperfixation?" You sigh, the tension easing from your shoulders as you smile tiredly.

"Oh! Yes. I s'pose!" He said, blinking his big doe eyes at you.

"Yeah, Victoria is... well." You chuckle, propping the young child on your hip with practiced ease. "She's obsessed with the stuff! I swear, the stuff she can shove into her noggin with how much she knows of ancient Egypt, it feels like she was born in the wrong era, I'm telling you!"

Victoria smiled happily and snuggled into you, rubbing her cheek on the soft fabric of your shirt with a content hum, almost like a happy little cat.

You didn't pay any mind to her as she rubbed her face on you, instead conversing with the man in front of you.

"Ah... A little scholar to be, eh?" Steven laughed awkwardly.

"Hah, more like she already is one. With everything she knows, I swear she outpaces me in the IQ department." You sigh fondly, brushing a stray curl from your daughter's face.

Steven's eyes anxiously tracked your movements, how your fingers curled, the way your eyelashes brushed your cheeks when you blinked, the way your foot tapped on the floor...

"I'm surprised she talked to you. She's normally very introverted." You hum softly, raising those drop dead gorgeous eyes to lock with his before he awkwardly dropped his eyes to your lips whilst you spoke.

"But then again, if you started talking about this stuff with her, it's no surprise. I'm the only person she talks to about it because nobody else understands."

You noticed his Steven was looking anywhere but your eyes, and how he nervously licked at his lips, his fingers wrapped around the statuette in his hands tapping idly.

"Oh! She's a lovely little conversationalist. Rather well-knowledged as well!" Steven replied, looking at Victoria again, who grinned as she once again rubbed her face on your shirt.

"Honestly, she's more learned than half the adults who try to talk to me about Egypt." He huffed out a chuckle.

His eyes dropped to the picture of Anubis that initially offended the child. "We got into a little debate about how inaccurate those pieces of Anubis are."

"Oh, don't get her started on those inaccurate artworks... She despises them!" You laugh softly.

"Oh, I fully understand why! It's so offensive!" Steven gasped. "Especially to a culture! Anubis is not an evil god by any means!"

"Oh yeah, believe me... we watched a movie the other day and she had a meltdown because they made Anubis the bad guy. She was so distraught it took thirty minutes to calm her down." You smile with infinite patience at your little girl.

"Oh, poor little dear! But I can totally understand that." Steven smiled, finally locking eyes with you as he reached some level of professional comfort with you.

"Mommy, can I get em?" Victoria peeped, interrupting you before you could get another word out.

"Hm?" You hummed at her, raising an eyebrow.

"The book and hippo lady!" She replied, holding up the book.

"Hippo Lady?"

"Yeah!" She said, sounding a little exasperated, pointing to the statue Steven clutched in his hands. "Her! Tawar!"

"Taweret." Steven chuckled softly at her mispronunciation.

"Tawww--" Victoria frowned as she tried to get the word out. "Tawweret."

"Close 'nough. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Steven smiled warmly, holding up the statuette.

"All right, all right." You laughed, following Steven to the counter so you could check out, having another nice chat about what he and Victoria discussed. He even tossed in a little keychain that held a preserved scarab beetle in epoxy, much to Victoria's delight!

What you didn't know as you left the shop, was how positively smitten he was with you already.

That was your first meeting with Steven Grant.

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A few weeks crawled by, and every other day you were at the museum, letting Victoria lead you by the hand as she animatedly discussed what every object or picture meant, and you struggled to keep up, making mental (and a few digital) notes on what she was talking about. Of course, she insisted that after every tour, you stopped to say hi to her new "bestest friend" Steven.

You were thrilled that you found someone who operated on the same wavelength as your daughter, knowing that it was hard for her to make connections with other children, let alone adults. But Steven and Victoria took to each other like ducks to water.

And hey, he seemed harmless enough. Cute, too, beneath that mop of curls. You even started researching more just to be able to tag into the conversations between your daughter and her unlikely friend.

Today, you were at the local grocer and Victoria decided that she wanted to walk with you instead of riding in the trolley on her tablet like she normally did. You were happy, but ensured she kept her noise cancelling headphones over her tiny ears to make sure she stayed comfortable.

You had picked up a pack of steaks to examine the cuts when Victoria slipped your hand free of hers and darted off, squealing, "Steven!"

You almost dropped the steaks when Victoria darted down the aisle and wrapped her arms around the legs of the man she ran towards.

One minute Marc was looking at a box of matzahs, the next, he had a child clinging to his legs.

His whole body froze as he looked down, immediately going rigid as the little girl looked up at him, babbling something he didn't quite understand because of how quickly she was speaking.

He did make out the name "Steven".

"Uh--" He said awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry!" You say, hastily bringing the trolley up to the two. "She just got excited to see you, and..."

Your brows furrowed as you looked at him. He looked like Steven Grant, but he didn't feel like Steven Grant. His normally messy curls were combed back neatly, his flannel hanging open with the sleeves rolled up and T-shirt untucked from his pants. His big brown eyes were wide, looking at you with a face that simply pleaded "Help me".

"Uh..."

"I'm... Marc." He said in an unmistakably American accent.

"Oh. Oh!" You lean down and scoop up Victoria, hastily plopping her in the trolley, willing yourself to ignore her little wobbling lip as you messily search up her favorite video to watch on her tablet to prevent the simmering meltdown you could see just beneath her surface.

"I'm... I'm sorry. You just look like someone we know from the museum, and..." You sigh, rubbing your hands together as you cringed.

"Steven, yeah..." Marc said, giving a stiff smile in return as he dropped the box of what looked like crackers into his basket looped over his elbow.

"You..."

'Play it cool, Marc...' Jake's voice softly warned.

"We're, uh, brothers. Triplets. All identical." He spat out with haste.

"Oh! Well... That's... That explains the looks, huh." You smile, hoping to ease the awkward tension. His explanation didn't sit well with you for some reason, as to why he suddenly blurted it all out. But you chocked it up to him trying to explain to avoid upsetting Victoria.

"But, yeah. Um... Your brother, Steven? He and Victoria are like, best friends now. She looks forward to seeing him whenever we're at the museum." You chuckle softly.

Marc's eyes soften as he smiles, giving Victoria a gentle look. "Yeah, uh, Steven's told me about her. She's a smart kid, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. A real genius." You smile at her as she starts tapping away at her tablet, selecting one of her drawing apps and beginning to scribble.

"Sometimes I can't keep up with her."

"Hey, that's good. She'll go places." Marc replied.

Your smile falters a bit. "Yeah, if people will give her a chance..." You mutter.

Marc was about to ask what she meant, but he kept his mouth shut, watching as Victoria was engrossed with her tablet, her little feet wiggling and tapping on the sides of the trolley as she moved her mouth silently, mouthing words to herself.

"She's... Eh." You rub the back of your neck. "She normally doesn't come to the store with me. She says she can hear the lights buzzing and it upsets her, which is why she has to wear her headphones. I mean I can't hear the lights or anything, but all I need to know is that she can..."

"Yeah, Steven is the same way sometimes. It makes him twitch so he has to wear headphones when we go shopping..." Marc said, frowning.

"Yeah. That's something I'm kind of amazed about. Victoria doesn't really have any friends outside of well, me... and your brother? Steven and her are just... man, they're like two peas in a pod!"

Marc stays quiet as you smile fondly at your child, and he notes the relief in your expression as you recount that your child was able to finally connect with someone. It warmed his heart to know that Steven was able to socialize with someone who shared the same mannerisms, even if she was just a kid.

His eyes flicked down to your hands as you put your hands on your hips, and noted the lack of wedding ring and a ring tan line.

'Focus, cabrón.' Jake snickered.

"She's autistic. It was a pain to get her diagnosed, but we managed. I could tell she was different. Namely how she would act with fabrics." You sigh.

Now that grabbed both Marc and Jake's attention. If Steven were aware and co-fronting, he was sure he would be rapt as well. Steven explained the fabric thing to hime a few times, but being in the same body it was still hard at times to understand that Marc or Jake could feel one thing but Steven could feel another.

"Uh... Fabrics? You'll have to forgive me, but..."

"Oh! It's a sensory thing." You explain, rolling your hand. "With her, it's fleece, or satin-like textures. They irritate her and make her fussy. As a baby I never understood why she flipped out when I would put her little socks on her until the doctor explained it when she was older. But for some people it's cotton, or microfiber... The way Victoria describes it is that it's, uh..."

"Scratchy." Marc murmurs.

"Exactly!" You snap your fingers.

"Yeah, Steven is the same way. Though he's not like that with satin, he usually prefers cotton--the super soft kind? Or silk." Marc nods, shoving one hand in his pocket.

"Yeah... It's thankfully easy to shop for her, she prefers cotton and soft microfiber. It's why she rubs her cheek on my shirts or pants. Some people mistake it for being affectionate--and don't get me wrong sometimes it is--but usually it's a grounding thing." You sigh softly. "It helps her calm down."

"Ah... Sounds hard. What about her dad? He know how to handle it?" Marc asked curiously.

He immediately felt bad when he saw how your expression fell, and you glared at the ground.

"He skipped out on us while I was pregnant. I caught him in our bed with someone I thought was my best friend the day I found out she was a girl." You spit, angry and full of venom.

Marc cringed. "God, your best friend? In your bed? That's a whole extra level of degeneracy..."

"I know! Ugh! I swear, if he wasn't stronger than me I would have stabbed him that day!" You groan.

Marc rocks his head back in shock at the admission. "You were gonna stab him?"

"When you're five months pregnant, hormonal, tired, and sore and walk in on your fiancee doing the deed in your own bed? Yeah, emotions get high." You run a hand through your hair, smirking as you looked back at him.

"Grabbed the knife right outta the block and lunged at him. Chased em both half naked out of my flat."

'Shit, I'd be in love. That sounds sexy as hell.' Marc could just imagine the grin that would be spread across Jake's face at that.

Marc laughed, unable to contain himself, both at the retelling of your story and Jake's remark.

'You got problems, Jake.' Marc shot back mentally.

'Pot, meet kettle...'

'Touché...'

"So it's safe to say, he's out of the picture, huh?" Marc says, his laughter dying down into a soft chuckle.

"Oh yeah. Had his parental rights severed, and kicked his sorry.... well. I tossed him out and told him that my "best friend" could deal with him and his lazy antics, considering I pay for the flat."

"Yikes. Sounds like a real dirt bag."

"Oh yeah, he was. I have no idea what I saw in him, to be honest... And knowing that Victoria isn't "normal" like other kids, I feel like he would treat her badly, or... hurt her." You say, shaking your head.

"Hey, if he shows up and does that just call me." Marc grunted. "I hate it when people do that crap to kids. I'll knock his teeth down his throat."

The words slipped out before he could stop them, and the weight of them almost made them feel oppressive as glimpses of his abusive childhood shone through. The memories of his mother swinging her arm down, the crack of the leather belt, the red, bloody welts in his skin...

'Ay, hermano. Come back, don't think about that.' Jake's voice said gently, urging that door in his mind shut. 'That's not your life, anymore.'

Marc blinked and looked back up at you, his eyes locking with yours. And the concern on your face... he felt so undeserving of it. He wasn't sure why, but...

"Ah... I mean... Let's just say I have experience with that sort of thing. So I'm..." He struggled.

"No, no, I get it. My dad was a piece of shhh..." You cringed as the word almost slipped from you, casting a short glance to Victoria, making sure she couldn't hear you. "Er. He was bad. So yeah, I totally get you."

"Oh... Sorry, people get weirded out when I..." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Disassociate." You finish for him. "I used to do the same thing when it came to my dad. It gets easier once you're free of it, I promise."

The soft, sweet smile you give him was strong enough to make his heart jump into his throat.

'Wow...'

'Ask. Her. Out. Steven won't do it, so you do it!' Jake urged him.

Marc choked suddenly, coughing awkwardly to clear his throat at Jake's further commentary.

"You okay?" You ask him.

"Y-Yeah, I just... Uh..." He cringed again. "It's... allergies! I've been dealing with them since we dusted the flat, and... Yep. Allergies."

You chuckle softly at him as Victoria tugs on your sleeve and whispers in your ear.

"Oop, mama duty calls. It was nice meeting you, Marc." You grin, giving him a short handshake.

"Yeah... You too." Marc replied as you walked off, giving Victoria a wave as she peeked over your shoulder as you push the trolley away.

'Allergies? Smooth, Marc. Really smooth. How the hell did you ever bag Layla with romantic skills like that?' Jake sighed sarcastically.

'I swear Layla probably only married you for your dick, man. You're so BAD at romance.'

Marc knew Layla did love him, at one point but with all the drama of being Moon Knight, it quickly snuffed that relationship... They were still close of course, but they'd never open up to another intimate relationship again. Which was fine, none of them minded particularly.

Especially not now. Not now that there's a cute single mom with and adorably--scarily--smart little girl on her hip to occupy those thoughts.

And that... was your first time meeting Marc Spector.

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Now, meeting Jake was different. Completely different. You technically "met" Jake weeks after you met Marc and built a rapport with him.

One night, Jake was sitting in the window, munching on some saltines he'd spread with sunflower butter as he read some old knitting patterns in a book he'd picked up at a resale shop.

He thought he could knit something for both you and Victoria and have Steven give it to you, it would be a good way to start actually flirting, to hopefully open up that door for all of you.

But of course... well. He knew Steven was way too shy to ask you out on a date, and Marc was too chicken shit and awkward about the subject to bring it up himself.

And so, it fell upon Jake Lockley to find a way to get closer to you, two. He understood that many single mothers found it tricky to date, especially with a child like Victoria. It would require immense levels of trust to get past those walls you would have put up to protect both you and Victoria, especially after you'd told Marc about Victoria's biological father fucking your best friend the day of your ultrasound.

He could just imagine how your poor face fell when you closed your front door, hearing the ridiculously high-pitched, false moans and the squeaking of the mattress as that miserable excuse of a man was having his way with your supposed "best friend"...

All while your hands would have clutched the pictures of your unborn baby girl, tears bubbling up in your eyes as you screamed at them while they scrambled to cover their shame.

And then.... as you told Marc, you would have grabbed the knife and the rest was history; bidding goodbye to that cheating bastard and woman you once trusted.

You were strong, loving and oh so patient with your daughter and her needs. Jake found your whole being attractive, honestly. He hadn't seen you angry, but he just knew you were a badass if you wanted to be.

He chuckled as he picked up his knitting needles, and began to loop the soft, thick yarn through each line. He was sure to pick yarn that wouldn't upset Victoria and her sensory issues, so he picked the softest yarn he possibly could, selecting enough to make the both of you matching jumpers.

Victoria's would be a little big, to allow for comfort and her to grow into it as she wore it. He could just imagine how adorable she'd look with the sleeves hanging over her little hands, squirming and giggling as you two played together--

Jake's hands stopped knitting.

Shit. He had it down bad for you, too.

When he looked down, that's when he noticed the green laser pointed right at him...

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You were there, simply cleaning up the mess from dinner as Victoria happily colored on her dry erase board, drawing the shapes and hieroglyphs she saw in the book Steven selected for her.

She had been quiet and engrossed in her little art project for so long that you jumped and almost dropped a plate on the floor when she squealed loudly.

"Mommy, it's Steven! Or Mister Marc?"

"Huh? What?" You looked around your flat, for some reason your brain told you to look inside instead our our the window where her little finger tapped the glass excitedly.

"No, there!" She insisted. "Over there!"

You walk over to her and lean down, looking out the window.

And sure enough, across the street, in the building across from yours, an apartment had the curtains open with the lights on.

In one of the windows, at a desk, sat a man. The streets were close enough together that you could make out some details. The shadow of a mustache being the first thing you zeroed in on, and then the immaculately slicked-back hair.

He looked like he was... knitting? This man, who looked like Steven and Marc. Marc and Steven both mentioned on different occasions that they had a brother named Jake, maybe this was him?

And wow! So close by, too!

Victoria waved her arms, trying to get her attention, but the man was so absorbed in his task that he didn't notice her try to get his attention. When her little disappointed sniffles could be heard, you snap your fingers.

"I got an idea!" You say, dashing to the end table by the front door and rummaging through the various keychains you'd accumulated. It was a guilty habit of yours, you found.

But then you pluck up the laser toy and run back to the window. It takes shaking it once or twice for the green light to illuminate, but when it does, you shine it directly through the window and at the man's chest.

Then, he looked up.

You break out into a happy grin when he spots the two of you, and Victoria giggles with unabated glee as she waves some more, her whole tiny body moving with every shake of her overly excited hand.

You see the man smile back and he waves at the both of you.

"Hey, baby, why don't we use your board to say hi?" You suggest, rubbing her shoulders.

"Yeah!" She giggles, grabbing the board and erasing her painstakingly re-created drawings from the book, and messily scrawled the word:

Hi :)

The man laughed and looked around until he grabbed a notebook, scribbled something with a marker, and held it up for you two to see.

Hello

You chuckle as Victoria hands you the board, knowing that your writing is neater than hers is, and with how excited she is, she was bound to mess up.

You quickly and clearly write something down and turn the board to face the window.

Steven or Marc?

He smiled at you and scribbled back.

Jake

Marc n Steven told us about you. Hi!

They've told me a lot about you, too.

"That's Jake, honey. Remember what I said? How Steven and Mister Marc look alike? He's the same way." You explain to Victoria.

"Oh." She sighs. Poor little thing seemed dejected that once again, she misidentified someone as her "bestest friend".

You lift your eyes as Jake showed what he put on the notepad next. It was a badly drawn cat with a happy face on it.

You can't help but laugh and grin, nudging Victoria to look at what he drew for her.

"It's a kitty!" She gasps, snatching the board from your hands to draw pictures for him.

You spent much of the evening that night with Victoria and Jake drawing pictures back and forth, writing messages until he ran out of paper.

That's when you put down your phone number and told him to text, to make it easier on Victoria.

Victoria, upon realizing this, dropped her board and snatched your phone, starting a video call with Jake and chattering his ear off. He seemed to take it in stride, engaging with her. Not on the same level as Steven, but something about how he handled it gave you the impression he had experience with kids, or even worked with kids.

He didn't talk down or dumb anything down for her, he spoke to her calmly and clearly like he would anyone else, and the fact he was so sweet was endearing to you.

He was even teaching her little words in Spanish. For some reason, she liked to repeat the word "cat" because she liked how it sounded, and it was "funny".

That was how you met Jake Lockley.

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It was now half a year since you'd indirectly met all three "brothers" and quickly, the pressure was beginning to mount on them to reveal the truth to you as their crush developed more and more into full infatuation with you and your darling girl.

But they still hadn't asked you out, yet. They'd come close a few times, but it was never when Jake was in control so Marc and Steven backed down at the last possible moment. Every time Jake was in control it wasn't a "good moment" for them to propose a date with you. But now?

It was late in the year, the harvest festival being over with and the holidays around the corner with Christmas, as usual, dominating all others. Snow and ice encased everything. It came early this year, and Victoria couldn't be more thrilled. (She could build snowmen with her friends, Steven, Mister Marc and Mister Jake!)

You and Jake would text, and he gave in and told you that he, Marc, and Steven all actually lived together and he would "let" Steven or Marc use his phone so he could video chat with Victoria and you.

You didn't know the boys all shared the same phone regardless.

It was nice having a social life again, even if it was small. Outside work and ensuring a comfortable upbringing for your little girl, you'd forgotten how nice it was to have friends. Even if those friends consisted of three identical, quirky brothers who lived in the flat across the way.

The day was coming soon, for when they would have to confess to you about the true nature of their identities. And the three unanimously agreed that they would tell you about Moon Knight.

For your safety, and Victoria's. They didn't want you to agree to date them (if you ever would) only to find out they snuck out in the dead of night to do the bidding of some creepy ancient bird god who could frankly do with a wardrobe update...

They just didn't anticipate that day to be today. Of course, Steven would rather have broken the news to you over a nice dinner in the corner booth of a quiet restaurant. Or even on a nice walk through the park...

But no. No, it had to come out when you decided to pull out your phone and go through your texts or the day as Victoria sat in Steven's lap on the couch of your living room.

Jake had sent a meme earlier in the day, of a little cat wearing a sombrero and you chuckled. You sent a meme back in reply, of a snail holding some maracas on some drawn-on arms.

That's when Steven twitched when the phone in his back pocket vibrated and chimed with a silly little ringtone.

You blinked at him as he fished it out of his pocket, careful not to knock Victoria off balance as he checked it. He awkwardly cleared his throat and gave you a strained smile as he set it on the coffee table in front of you.

"You okay..." You say, eyeing the very familiar phone. They could just have the same model and case...

"Oh, yes, just an email alert, luv. Don't worry 'bout it!" Steven chirped, quickly shifting his attention back to Victoria as she practiced her reading from the book in her hands.

You squint at him suspiciously. Your finger hovered over the send button when you selected another silly little image...

But you decided to call instead.

That's when a song began to chime. One you recognized very well as Steven's favorite song...

♫"Lonely is a man,

Without looove~"♫

'God damn it, Steven! You forgot to put it on silent again!' Marc's panicked voice shouted inside their headspace.

'Ay, hermanito, not now!' Jake groaned.

Steven began to sweat profusely as Victoria handed the phone innocently to him, urging him to answer it, not making the correlation with the song, or your phone number...

Steven shakily held the phone to his ear and answered.

"H-Hello..."

"Steven." You deadpan, raising an eyebrow and tapping your finger on your arm.

'Shit shit shit shit.' Marc hissed.

'Busted.' Jake almost sang.

You look at Victoria, hesitant to interrupt her time with Steven, but you wanted answers. Why is it that none of the men ever agreed to all meet up in person to hang out? Why did you only ever see one at a time? Yes, work was a convenient excuse, but every single day?

And then there's the phone!

Yeah, you weren't letting Steven wiggle free from this talk, even as Victoria pouted and trudged back into her room to play with her toys.

You almost feel like a cop in a bad movie, the way you lean back with your arms crossed, almost like you were an interrogator in a police precinct.

Would this make you both the bad and good cop?

You felt so bad, knowing that this kind of behavior would only freak Steven out, so you relaxed your jaw and posture, leaning away from him and giving him breathing room as his sweaty hands began to pat nervously in the memorized tune of that specific song that was just playing.

"I'm not blind, and I'm not dumb... So start from the beginning." You sigh. "I don't want anything to come out and upset Victoria, but I have to know who I'm letting around my little girl."

Steven licked at his slightly chapped lips, taking his bottom lip between his teeth briefly.

"Okay..." He peeped.

'Just take it slow, Steven.' Marc urged him gently.

'I can take control, if you want.' Jake offered.

"No, that's too much right now." Steven muttered aloud, without thinking.

You tipped your head to the side. "What's too much?"

Steven jumped and covered his mouth, his big doe eyes wide as can be, like he's a little boy who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

He despised awkward situations like this. He could never tell what to say to keep someone happy and to avoid them getting angry with him...

"Steven, I'm not mad. I'm honestly confused. Please... Just... Tell me everything, okay? I just wanna know some things." You say, leaning forward to put your hand on his knee, your ever so patient eyes sweet and understanding.

Yeah, those eyes were his undoing.

"Do you know what Dissociative Identity Disorder is?"

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Whatever you had originally expected to hear from Steven, finding out that he, Marc and Jake all shared the same body was a lot to absorb. Especially after Steven blurted out about their superhero alter ego that apparently did bidding for an Egyptian god?

Steven expected you to be mad, braced himself for it, but instead, he and his two headmates were knocked entirely off center when you made the remark that if Khonshu ever got to be too much for the boys, they should lock him in a room with Victoria and her never-ending questions.

That would shut him up for a little while, surely.

Another thing you weren't expecting was the date proposal from Steven (and of course Marc and Jake).

You hesitated, at first... But...

They were so kind and sweet. They already have shown so much care for you and your daughter... And you were honestly happy to realize that you weren't crushing on different guys, that your feelings were no longer awkward and conflicted.

Or wait, were you crushing on different men? Yes they were completely different identities, but they shared a body, and... oh, this was gonna take time to learn more about.

Your first date was for later that week. Steven informed you it would be Jake, taking you out, as he felt like a "bloody awkward fool" and was afraid of messing it up, and Marc was just as bad at those social situations.

But you agreed, and when the date rolled around, you and Victoria were bundled up, all ready to go to the charming little Italian restaurant somewhere in town where apparently Jake was friendly with the employees there.

Victoria skipped in the snow, struggling to match her pace with yours, making sure her footsteps were measured so her prints mirrored yours exactly as she walked on her little tippy toes.

As you approached where Jake had his car parked, he smiled, his mustache quirking up as he scooped Victoria in his large gloved hands, laughing when she dragged her fingers over his hairy upper lip, comparing the stache to a caterpillar.

You stifled a snort and covered your mouth as you watched Jake buckle Victoria into a booster seat in the back of his car.

"Where did you..." You blinked. You fully intended to run back to your flat and grab the booster seat you owned, but you were surprised to see Jake already had one. A rather expensive-looking one, at that.

"Ay, cariño, you didn't think I'd let the little chiquita ride unprotected, did you?" He smirked at you, his dark eyes glinting mischievously.

"But, I have one. You didn't have to..."

"Hey, if it makes it easier, I'll be happy to foot the bill." Jake hummed, leaning in to check Victoria's buckles as she played on her tablet, snow-caked shoes kicking lazily as she did.

Normally, Jake was insane about his car. He always made sure his fares cleaned their damn feet off before getting inside. But for you two he willingly made the exception.

"Now, c'mon mamacita." Jake grinned at you once more as he enabled the child lock and closed the door on Victoria's side. "We got lunch to get to, right?"

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You couldn't remember the last time you were on a date. Actually wait, you could. The night you got pregnant. One of the only times Victoria's sperm donor was ever romantic with you, and he proposed the next morning after.

Yeah, you knew how that story ended.

But now it looked like a whole new book was being written right in front of you, as cliché as it all sounded.

Jake had treated you both well, engaging happily and drawing with Victoria on the activity mat the restaurant provided as you sipped your glass of red wine, watching; your heart was fluttering in your chest as you watched how happy she was interacting with them.

After a while, he went back out to his car and returned with a sparkly red gift bag for the two of you and you immediately felt your heart lurch up from your chest and into your throat.

He knitted the two of you matching jumpers. A mama cat and her kitten, of course, he managed to do it in an Egyptian style, much to Victoria's glee as she ripped off her regular jumper in favor of the one Jake made, immediately rubbing her face on the sleeve with a happy giggle.

You couldn't help but smile warmly as Jake helped her pop her head through the top, and you decided to slip yours on, yourself.

God, it was almost surreal how Hallmark it all seemed. Not one, but three men interested in you, a lonely single mother. All three men who adored your daughter and treated you both with respect. All three men, who shared the same body and nighttime secret.

And you found yourself falling just as hard, and somewhere in the back of your mind wondered if--if--you had met them first... would they have been Victoria's father(s)? Would they have rejoiced in your pregnancy? Gone to your appointments, held your hand in the delivery room? Would they have helped the doctors weigh and print Victoria for the very first time?

Your mind was knocked out of the what-ifs when your phone jingled, catching Jake's attention.

"Oh, it's Victoria's pediatrician. I have to take this." You sigh sadly, not wanting to step away from the cozy atmosphere in your booth.

Jake smiled at you and winked, "Go ahead and take it. I got her handled."

You smiled back, hoping the flush to your face wasn't as obvious as you feared as you got up and answered the call.

Jake continued to play and draw with Victoria, letting her explain how some of her learning games worked, what apps were her favorite, and who her favorite cartoon characters were.

Honestly, if anyone thought Steven was great with Victoria thanks to their same autistic traits? Jake was good simply because he was a natural with kids. Marc was, too, but he was a bit stiff and nervous. He needed to be eased into it just a bit more.

"Hey.... Psst. Mister Jake." Victoria whispered to him, blinking her big, bright, gorgeous eyes up at him.

"Yeah? What is it, gatita?" Jake hummed at her, grinning.

She waved her hand, urging him closer as she whispered conspiratorially, cupping her hand over his ear, "Look where Mommy's standing."

Jake lifts his gaze to find you among the crowd of people, where you stood on your phone, talking to the doctor about Victoria's upcoming appointment. He tracked where Victoria was pointing, and that's when he saw it: the mistletoe.

He knew immediately what Victoria was hinting at.

"That means you gotta kiss my Mommy." She whispered to him again.

"Oh, I do, huh?" Jake teased, poking her in the side. "And what if I don't?"

"Then Imma make you!" She squeaked and giggled.

"Oh, dear, then in that case I definitely have to do it, eh?" He chuckled.

"C'mon." Jake said, scooping Victoria up and holding her on his hip. "Let's go give another present to your wonderful mamá."

As they got closer to you, he caught the tail-end of your conversation.

"...yeah. Next Wednesday at 3pm. See you, then, Doctor Wilson. ...Of course! Happy holidays." You say cheerily, ending the call.

When you turned around, you saw Jake holding Victoria against him as he walked closer to you.

The sight really shouldn't have taken your breath away the way that it did...

But if you thought your breath was taken before? It was entirely robbed from you as Jake leaned in, wrapping an arm around your waist as he tipped his head down to kiss you, his mustache tickling your nose and upper lip.

You were so taken aback that you didn't hear the whooping and laughing from the workers of the restaurant as the scene unfolded in front of them, congratulating Jake.

Victoria squirmed and squealed and laughed and laughed, rubbing her face on Jake's leather jacket as your lips finally parted and your jaw dropped.

"What's the matter, mamacita? Cat got your tongue?"

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God, dating those men was the best decision you ever made. Even with them being Moon Knight.

They were kind enough to always say goodnight to Victoria before they went about their business, giving you a soft kiss before whichever one was in control of the body departed.

You had only been dating a short while, it was now entering February and you were all spending more and more time together. Marc, Jake, and Steven had all spent the night once or twice in their own time.

Nothing sexual happened, but it was so nice to fall asleep with someone wrapping their arms around you. It was even better to wake up and see Victoria snuggled onto his chest, his arms caged around her protectively, flexing when she made any movements as his unconscious body ensured she wouldn't roll off of him and--god forbid--onto the floor.

It was a few days before Valentine's, and Marc had spent the day with you and Victoria. He had gotten much more comfortable around her, falling into a natural and gentle routine unique to them. Just like she had with Steven, and Jake. And above all, they handled her autism well.

Steven was exceptionally good at helping distract her during her meltdowns, whereas Jake could cradle her, singing little songs in Spanish as he rubbed her back. Marc would start by talking to her in a low, gentle tone, urging her to just breathe, and talk, explaining what was upsetting her and what would work best to help her calm down from it.

But right now, Victoria was in the midst of a battle against sleep.

"Don' wanna sleep." Victoria sniffled into Marc's jumper.

"I know, babydoll, but you'll feel loads better once you do, mkay?" He murmured quietly to her as he padded, barefoot into Victoria's almost obnoxiously canary-yellow bedroom.

"I can make some apple pancakes for you in the morning, hm? How's that sound?"

He dodged the minefield of toys scattered about and chuckled softly at the shelf where her little ancient Egypt memorabilia sat meticulously organized alongside her books and drawings on the subject. A half-finished paper sarcophagus lay on the desk in the corner, a project Steven had started with her two days ago that they intended to finish together.

Marc laid her down and she nodded, rubbing her eye. "Okay..." She mumbled in agreement.

Marc picked up the plushy scarab that Steven bought from the gift shop and handed it to her, tucking her in all nice and warm.

"There you go." He said softly to her, kneeling next to the bed. "Snug as a bug in... well. Blankets, right now, huh?"

He grinned when Victoria giggled groggily at his pun, squeezing the beetle plush she named "Digger" and snuggled under the blankets, her feather lashes brushed her cheeks as she began to drift off.

"See you in the morning, babydoll." Marc said softly, giving her a kiss to her forehead before standing.

His finger had just flipped the switch to turn off the lights in her room, so only the salt lamp dimly illuminated her bedside, when he heard her peep as she rolled over.

"G'night daddy."

He felt like his heart stopped beating as he shakily closed the door, dragging his suddenly very heavy feet through your flat as he made his way to your couch, the weight of that word landing on his shoulders.

He felt like Atlas, carrying the world on his back as he dropped down onto the chocolate brown cushions.

You walk over, having finished dishes from dinner, wiping your hands on a tea towel. Upon seeing his shell-shocked expression, you sit next to him in concern as he covered his face with his hands, his arms shaking and skin pale.

"Marc, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I..." He said, his voice breaking.

You lean in, reaching out to brush a hand through his mop of curls, letting him take his time. Maybe Steven or Jake was trying to front? You've seen how taxing it could be on them when it happened so suddenly. One time Steven had seized control in the kitchen from Jake and he fell and cracked his head open on the counter! Poor Victoria cried when she saw how much he was bleeding, scared that he was dying.

It took a lot of hugs and kisses to convince her otherwise...

"She... God. Fuck." Marc swore softly, sniffing. "She--she called me daddy."

Your jaw dropped and you gawked at him. Was Victoria already so attached to him? To them? But then again, she's never had a father figure, before, either, and suddenly having not one, but technically three men in her life doing all the things a dad should do? You can understand why she would--hell, why you would...

He dropped his arms and you could see the beginnings of tears clump in his beautiful eyelashes, heavy weights of emotion settling deep in his chest.

He looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink the tears away. God, he didn't deserve all of this. He didn't deserve this... this domesticity. Guys like him just didn't get to have a life like that. Not with everything he's had to do as a soldier, a mercenary... in Khonshu's name.

He didn't deserve such a beautiful woman, or the idolized gaze of her sweet and innocent baby girl.

'You're too hard on yourself, Marc.' Steven said to him in their headspace.

'Yeah, hermano...' Jake murmured.

"Marc, honey..." You say, leaning in and adjusting your position, so your head lay on his chest. You spread your hand over his heart, feeling how it hammered in the muscle of his chest.

"I just... What the hell did I do to get this?" He asked softly, bringing his arms around you to bury his nose in your hair.

"Well, I think it all started the day a certain little girl wiggled free of me and ran into a gift shop..."

Marc chuckled, squeezing you tight.

"Would you want us to?" He whispered. "Would you want us to stay? Would you be okay with that? I know it's soon, and--and I'm not saying we move in or anything like that, but..."

"I think it would crush Victoria if I ever shoo'd you boys away, honey." You assured him, tipping your head up to give him a sweet kiss.

You feel the tension slowly bleed from his body and his expression softens into a heartbreakingly sweet smile, his dark eyes sparkling with a warmth that you haven't seen before as your lips parted.

"Then we'll stay. As long as you both will put up with us." He said to you, his voice so quiet you almost couldn't catch his words.

"How do Steven and Jake feel about her calling you daddy?" You smile slyly.

Marc grins and drops his head back with a laugh, listening to the bickering of his headmates as his anxiety ebbed away.

"Oh... They're arguing over who Vicky is gonna call daddy next."

"We need to think of nicknames for you guys so she doesn't confuse you." You laughed with him.

Your laughter was cut short when you heard Victoria's door click open, and out she waddled, blanket clutched in one arm, Digger firmly squeezed into the crook of her elbow and her thumb was in her mouth. She only sucked her thumb when she was frightened, or severely anxious.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Marc asked, shooting to his feet even before you could, at her side in a split second.

You joined him and put your hands on her shoulders, looking into her drowsy and not-entirely-awake eyes. "Did you have a bad dream?"

She shook her head, mumbling something around her thumb.

"What is it, kiddo?" Marc inquired next.

She pulled her thumb out of her mouth with a pop.

"There's a bird-man in my room."

#moon knight #moon boys #moon boys x reader #steven grant x reader #steven grant #marc spector x reader #marc spector #jake lockley x reader #jake lockley

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