━━ CHAPTER ELEVEN / switching

Hands, feet and knees collided as Ronny and Marc fought for dominance on the hotel floor. Her foot kicked her suitcase and flung it across the room as she turned them over. Her hands scrambled for his and she pinned them to the floor. Panting against the mask as she stared down at him. His face was completely covered and gave nothing away.

"You'll have to kill me for the scarab," She spat. Her voice was muffled against the mask and the bridge of her nose still ached from his punch. Then his forehead collided with hers and she cried out. Her head was thrown back from the force and he flipped them over. His hands gripped her wrists and pinned her harshly, gloved hands digging into her skin.

"Take the suit off and give it to me," He snapped. Ronny lifted her leg up and shoved her knee into his crotch. Throwing him off and into the wall as she clambered to her feet. Her body ached from the movements and her face and jaw ached from the vibranium mask but she had to leave with the scarab and quickly. She rushed over to her suitcase - that was already zipped and glanced at Marc who was still recovering.

"See you back in London," Ronny said as she jumped through the portal that Thoth had created for her. The second she was in the safety of her London apartment, the suit disappeared and she shoved her hand into her pocket to reach for the scarab and it was gone. Her hands scrambled across her entire outfit to find it but it had gone. She had lost it.

She felt like screaming. How had she lost it? Her whole body ached from the fighting and she let out a groan of annoyance. Thoth had at least not appeared to question her this time and she walked straight for the bathroom, needing a bath and a think.

-

"Do you want to come back with me?" Ronny asked a few days later. Steven was standing next to her on the pavement. He was dressed up for their restaurant date that had just finished and he had a bashful smile on his face as they wandered towards the bus stop to take them home.

"I don't want to intrude on your night. You've been lovely and-" Steven began to ramble but Ronny nudged him with her shoulder, taking his hand.

"I'm asking if you want to come back for a cup of tea. I'm asking," Ronny emphasised and Steven glanced around the street before he nodded his head.

"Yeah, yeah, a brew sounds good." He seemed genuinely thankful for the company and that made Ronny feel a little happier. She still didn't know if Steven was just Marc pretending to be someone else or there was something else going on but she had grown to enjoy the company of this Steven alias. He was so different and happier, innocent. It was a change of pace compared to her usual life. It was refreshing.

They caught the next bus heading to Ronny's apartment and as they sat next to each other, Steven kept a hold of her hand. He played with her fingers and brushed the tip of his fingers along her knuckles. Bruises and a few small cuts littered them. The colours of the bruises were a stark contrast to her red-cold skin from the bitter chill of the early months of the year.

"Are you involved in illegal cockfights or summin?" He asked gently as he lifted Ronny's hands up into the light. She chuckled at his words and shook her head.

"I just work out and get a little too aggressive." Ronny was lying through her teeth again but if this was Marc who was just pretending, he would know the real reasons for the bruises. They were his fault, as were the bruises on her cheeks that she had covered in foundation and concealer. Her stomach was also still bruised from him. Though he knew that.

The rest of the bus journey continued in quiet content and they reached her apartment. Ronny went straight for the kettle and filled it before she flicked it on. And as if on automatic, she grabbed her makeup wipes but before she removed her foundation, she paused.

"How do you take your tea?" Ronny asked as she pulled a wipe out. The bruises wouldn't be news to Marc so she decided that she might as well remove the make-up. They were comfortable enough together, it seeed. A few bruises and no make-up wouldn't make much difference. Ronny removed her blazer and placed it over the back of the couch as she wiped the foundation off. Her button-up was still on but she did undo a few more of the top buttons.

"Two sugars and a dash of milk." Ronny nodded and walked back over to the kitchen, continuing to take the make-up off.

"I hope you don't mind me taking my make-up off. It's really cake-y and I hate it today," Ronny responded. Another half-truth. Steven looked over at Ronny as he tried to get comfortable on the sofa, feeling a little awkward.

"Whatever you're comfortable with, love," He responded with a genuine smile which quickly turned to horror when he saw just how purple ger cheeks were. Ronny paused in her actions, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Are you okay? Do I look that bad without make-up?" She joked as she turned around and continued to wipe it off. Moving from her foundation to her eye make-up, rubbing it off as the kettle clicked done.

She grabbed two tea bags and placed them in two mugs as she continued to wipe. Steven had gotten up by now and made her place down the kettle, turning her around to face him. He genuinely looked concerned but this was Marc, Marc knew that this happened. Marc had seen this, he had caused this and yet he was shocked.

"Who did this?" He asked as he gently cupped Ronny's cheeks. Ronny's eyebrows furrowed and she stared at him. But before she could open her mouth to respond, Steven? Marc's? entire demeanour changed in a split second. He held himself more confidently and his face seemed to shift in the smallest way but still noticeable.

This was Marc. Steven was gone. Whatever had just happened, they had just changed. Steven had gone away. Marc's hands dropped and he stepped back, scowling.

"What are you doing?" He snapped. His voice changed completely. The American accent returned in seconds and Ronny stepped back. This didn't make sense.

"What just happened to you?" She countered. Marc stared at her for a moment, mentally debating whether to tell her before he decided against it. She stared at him, waiting but he was silent, completely and deadly silent, "Are you and Steven different people or do you just like pretending with me?" She asked. Marc stepped back and glanced at the mugs before he looked back at Ronny. He didn't know how to answer.

Then everything changed again and Steven was back. The soft demeanour and he walked right back up to Ronny. His hands reached out and cupped her face again. His head tilted as he scanned her eyes for any hint of explanation.

"I told you, it's from when I work out. Just bruised from sparring in the ring. Nothing bad, I promise," Ronny grabbed his hands and gently pressed a kiss to his palms. Steven practically melted at the contact and Ronny felt the guilt swarm her. Her gut twisted in anxiety but she tried to play it off, letting his hands go.

"I should probably be head- yeah, I should-" Steven began, fumbling over his words as he headed towards the door. Ronny grabbed his hand, pulling him back slightly.

"Steven, please, stay. Just for a cup of tea." They met gazes, staring into each other's eyes before he nodded. Ronny sorted out their cups of tea before carrying them over to the TV. She turned it on and turned the sound down a little. They eventually decided on a random sci-fi flick and sat together, mostly talking over the movie.

By the time they had finished the tea, Steven had begun to doze off on the couch and Ronny gently shook him awake. She offered him the bed but being the gentleman he was, he elected to stay on the sofa. A cab would be too expensive from her flat and the buses had stopped an hour or so ago so he stayed the night.

Ronny did her best to make him comfortable and then she got into her own bed. Another restless night of sleep ensued and she was woken from her half-asleep daze by shuffling at around 3am. Her head lifted and she looked through the gloom to see Steven or maybe, Marc stood up. She couldn't see how he was holding himself through the darkness.

"Steven," She said softly. Her voice travelled across the apartment. He turned around to look at her and based on his soft facial expressions, it was Steven. Or Marc pretending to be the meek Londoner. She couldn't quite tell.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep," He mumbled as he walked across to the bed. Ronny nodded her head and turned over completely, pushing her fingers through her hair.

"Me neither. Come here." She patted the spot next to her on the bed and Steven trudged over. He was wearing one of her pairs of joggers and no shirt. She had bought the larger men's size joggers out of habit months ago but they worked perfectly for him.

He plopped himself down next to her and she looked up at him. The guilt was swirling in her chest again, clawing at her rib cage but she tried to ignore it. This meant nothing. It was just an attempt to understand Marc better and to have a friend. That's all this was. That's why he was lying next to her in her bed in the middle of the night.

"What do you do when you can't sleep?" She asked softly. Steven pushed his fingers through his hair and shuffled around a little to get comfortable.

"I try not to sleep. I have a bad habit of sleep walking so I just stay awake rather than trying," He mumbled. Ronny frowned, pulling her pillow closer. She had never seen that with Marc. He had never even mentioned a sleeping disorder and she'd never seen him sleep walk.

"That must be difficult." Steven shrugged, trying to brush it off by redirecting the subject to her. He asked why she was awake and Ronny went to lie before she realised there was no point. Steven had been honest with her. It was only fair to return the favour right?

"Nightmares. I try to sleep but there's only so many times I can face it." Steven nodded as Ronny turned her face down into the pillow. He shuffled closer and gently pushed hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. A sweet, innocent gesture but made her feel so guilty she could throw up. Nobody should be doing this to her, not anymore.

"I'll protect you." His words were so innocent and sweet - almost joking - but they hit Ronny like a truck. She closed her eyes tightly and nodded, burying her face in the pillow. This all felt so wrong but she couldn't stop herself. There was something magnetic about Marc. She hated it. She hated him.

-

NOTE; double update because i wanted to release the stronny content, that's it, so enjoy the angsty-fluff!! <3