Control | Moon Knight

29

Cleo, Steven and Layla all exit the tents with full backpacks, stocked to the brim with supplies, and yet all three completely oblivious to the bloody tool that lay just behind the pure white sheets.

They stand over the ledge of the opening to the tomb, a wire stretching from top to bottom to show how Harrow's followers entered. Layla straps herself into her harness, all while Cleo helps Steven with his. She kneels before him, her head aligned with his crotch, but opting to focus on tightening the straps.

" I have to say, I feel like I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," Steven admits with a grin, then tilts his head down to the woman in a compromising position, " The adventure, I mean."

" We want what we never had," Cleo sighs as she stands up straight.

" Yeah."

As she cinches the belt around his waist, Layla connects herself to the wire and drops down into the cave without warning, feeling all to antsy to get going.

Cleo continues to work on the straps on Steven's body, ignoring his enamored gaze burning a hole into her forehead as he builds up the confidence to speak once more.

" Do you... Are you..." He starts, never once completing his sentences.

Cleo hums in response, wrapping her arms around his torso to connect the straps in the back, her cheek nearly pressing against his heart pounding in his chest.

" Do you, um... d-do you fancy me?" Steven blurts, his question making her pause, " Because... because I fancy you... a lot, actually."

The time it takes for Cleo to pull back and turn her gaze up to him feels like hours in his mind. It feels tantalizingly, torturously, agonizingly slow as her eyes lock with his, adding to the rush of anxiety coursing through his veins, and adding to the sweat on his body that's already their thanks to the blistering desert heat.

" Is now really the best time to discuss this?" Cleo questions, her voice mellow as her gaze softens.

" Is there ever gonna be a good time?" Steven nervously chuckles, " I just figured... since we're about to have our Indiana Jones-esc adventure, we might... clear the air a bit? In case..." he trails on as his mind reaches a dark cavern, " Just in case."

Cleo gives him a sympathetic smile, her eyes glowing like the stars in the sky as she takes a step closer to him. She reaches her hand up to cup his cheek, and Steven instantly melts. His eyes flutter shut as he leans into the warmth of her palm, in spite of the sweltering heat. She gently rubs her thumb against his prominent cheek bone, and while his eyes are still closed, she gets up on the tips of her toes and closes her own eyes to bring her soft lips to his own, connecting in bliss for what very well could be the last time.

Neither know the outcome of their mission, and neither want to risk it.

Steven instantly kisses her back pulling her in closer by her shoulder blades as Cleo's hands stay steady on his face, memorizing how each and every crevice of his soft yet tough skin feels against the pads of her thumbs, and Steven finds himself savoring this kiss more than the others, for this one feels different. It's not better, for he views all his kisses with Cleo to be equally amazing, but this one leaves a sense of fulfillment in his chest, a sense of peace, a sense of hope.

Reluctantly, Cleo pulls away, slowly and softly, taking her time to open her eyes, and smiling once she sees Steven's dazed out expression.

" Does that answer your question?" She breathes as she pulls her entire body away and turns to connect herself to the wire.

" I would like an actual answer, though," Steven quips, head tilted and nose scrunched as Cleo jumps down into the opening.

And as Steven peers over the ledge, mentally preparing himself to jump down as well, his fist involuntarily springs up to land an awfully strong punch to his jaw, no doubt a message from Marc.