reflectedlight | 🌙 Inbox - Marc Spector's Dead Drop

"Yeah, I know. I was -" Marc grimaces, angry with himself, angry with life. "I was doing really well, for a long time. I had it managed, and then - "

He gestures.

Life happens. Shit falls back apart.

"I'm never going to say you did the wrong thing for protecting other people, even if it's from you. I think floods are exceptions to just about everything, though. Were you even you?"

"Yeah, yeah I was me. I both was aware of doing it and.. not." He sighs. "It was a weird one. It's hard to explain it. But better safe than sorry."

And it was over ten years ago so that's not helping his explanations either.

"How did you manage it before? Oh, uh. If you don't mind me asking you. Can also just wait until we're in the Enclosure, too."

"Stable marriage, stable work, wasn't dead and on a boat."

It was mostly about not having to live in a tiny little enclosed community where his and Steven's lives bled together, but let's not get into that. The other three things were also technically true.

"So.. routines." He does not say how boring that sounds. But he might be the opposite. The only thing that dragged him out of his depression pit was an assignment and everything going ass up. Thanks to his own stupidity.

"Hypothetically, if you had similar circumstances here, you could probably manage without hat guy, right? Can't do anything about the marriage part, but the work and routine, maybe. Where've they got you assigned?" The wheels are turning...

"Maybe. I know I do better when I'm not just sitting around waiting for the next catastrophe, which is all we seem to do here."

Marc sighs. Steven's in the library, which means Marc is not in the library, which means Marc is nowhere. Time to just make stuff up.

"No idea where they've got me, I never went and they never asked. You might notice I'm not a fan of socializing."

He thinks for a moment, he doesn't really know Marc's strong suits besides 'murder'. So he'd offer infirmary and he could teach him, but who's he kidding? He'd be terrible at it. He can't teach someone.

"How about maintenance? You any good with that sorta thing?" He waves a hand almost instantly. "Actually, pretty sure that doesn't matter. You want to, I can talk to one of the wardens working it. Set you up there. Doubt there's much socializing with it. Perfect fit, right?" He's got this. Nailed it. He's so sure of himself.

"I'll think about it."

No.

"What else do you usually set up, huh? You got a routine for this kind of thing?"

He shrugs, he tried.

"Routine for.. this? Nah, no. We've already skipped the first step. We can get back to that later." Can't be that far from the Enclosure now anyway. "You do realize, I get nothing out of talking to you. There's no gain, no benefit. It's temporary. I'm supposed to make sure you breathe, that you don't stop someone else from doing the same—which doesn't even seem to involve me thanks to hat guy—and maybe ask the admiral for things on your behalf." He sucks in a breath through his teeth. "No offense, but it's just glorified babysitting. Which is why I said you're taking the lead. I can help you, if you want me to. But there's nothing you can do for me." All to say, 'what routine'.

"Not going to apologize for being self-sufficient," Marc says, which is his idea of a joke.

Listen. He's been breathing his entire life, except twice when he died and an evil god came and said HI. He'd have two nickels, but it's still weird that it happened twice, etc.

"I don't get anything either. We could just ignore it and not let it make this any weirder. That's my vote."

You are like one of 2.8 people he enjoys talking to.

Hunh. Wait a minute.

"Am I on your item?"

Haha, not bad. At best there's a 'tch' of a laugh.

But ah, the unpleasantries. He nods. "Yeah, I know where you are at all times. That's how I found you in the bar. It wasn't a lucky guess." I mean, it could be.

"But you also could get something out of it. Like I've said, you don't need a warden to graduate. You can do it without any of us. We just benefit if you happen to do it on our watch. Permanent watch. This? None of this counts for us. But it can count for you."

He sighs. "And maybe it's because I think you could get out of here, maybe you deserve it, maybe you don't. You might think you don't. But I wouldn't offer anything if I didn't think it would do anything for you. I'm not going to judge you, but I'm pretty sure you're not a complete asshole." Maybe he sees some of himself in you? Definitely can't say THAT out loud. He wouldn't dare. That would make it weird in no time. But surely, SURELY they can find a balance between not hating each other and helping. Right? Right??

Okay. Okay. This is all very nice, but.

"How do you know?" Marc presses. "Where I am, I mean."

Oh, it had better not be the prosthetic hand that kills you if you look Kylar in the eyes. Ohhhh it had fucking better not be.

The rest is .. hnh.

"I want you to get your deal." Flat. "I don't want you wasting time on a pairing that won't count. I want to get out of here, sure, but the deal's for kids, and I don't mess around with that kind of thing."

Marc sees himself in Kylar - but he'd like to see less, frankly. He's vaguely hoping he can divert Kylar to another path before he ends up as bitter and fucked up as Marc is in fifteen years or so.

"I'd show you, but then I'd have to kill you." He looks at him deadpan (though not in the eyes, obviously) before a grin creeps over. It is absolutely the prosthetic hand that kills you if you look into his eyes. "Which brings me to the first point I wanted us to talk about. Boundaries, rules. That."

He'd pat you on the back if he didn't think it might backfire. And it's obvious when he hesitates, taking a hand out of his pocket only to give a vague gesture as he talks and then shove it back in his pocket. "See? And that's why I'm offering anyway. Just because I don't get my deal thanks to you doesn't mean I'm not getting my deal. I'm not leaving until I get it. I can't. So if it's not you, then it's someone else. You aren't wasting anything if I'm the one offering." Also, who is to say any of his advice would even help? Shit. He's probably more harm than good even with his best intentions.

So if you can't tell him or you have to kill him - "So kill me." Marc says. "I hear there's a guy assigned to making sure I come back."

This could blow his cover so shitty and so bad. Ugh. ugh.

At least the month is almost over. It's been back to back bullshit. But ... it was really really really just good luck that Kylar tracked him when he was out, and it wasn't Steven.

"Probably not on the to do list, but we really gotta work on your sense of humor." It's a joke, but also not entirely. Thank goodness they have somehow made it to the Enclosure.

Kylar waves his left hand over the lock, not the prosthetic. He might be trying to throw Marc off the trail but he grabs the door with his right and gestures him to go ahead, if he still wants to. "About those boundaries. They go both ways. You wanna talk about my warden item? We lay down some ground rules." Usually he wouldn't even make that offer. But he likes Marc, there's trust somewhere in there, under a couple layered threats.

"Okay."

Then lay em. It's your secret or his, and they're playing chicken - even if Kylar doesn't know it.

"Am I allowed to make rules?"

Edited 2026-03-17 07:35 (UTC)

"Sure, for every one you make, I get one. And vice versa, of course. Agreed?"

He gives another, larger gesture which means: 'get in the enclosure so it can be sort of private already, geez'.

Marc shrugs, walks inside.

"Yeah."

Finally. He'll step in after Marc and lock, unlock and lock the door in quick succession. At least if a warden comes to the door, they'll have to unlock it themselves and that should get them some time to shift topics if it's necessary.

He folds his arms, facing Marc. "I'm assuming you have a rule already in mind."

"You can come find me, with that thing, from 22:00 to 3:00. The rest of the time, I need my space."

He says it challengingly; like he's expecting to call Kylar's bluff immediately.

Edited 2026-03-17 08:18 (UTC)

He does not mention Verso put a literal restraining order on him after he stalked the man for 3 days straight post-revival. This is fine. He can do this. He doesn't have to control everything.

"On days you go to work, agreed. Two free days a week, your choice of when and I'll ignore you entirely on those days. Change them each week, if you want." Challenge for a challenge? "If you miss work, I want the right to check in. Can you handle that?"

"No."

Can't. Genuinely can't, people already check in on Steven too much.

Marc can already tell this conversation's going to be ugly. You know what he's ruined to keep this a secret? That aforementioned stable marriage. He'll do whatever he has to.

"Mine's withdrawn. What's next?"

Wait. Seriously? He didn't think it was that big of a challenge. "Can I ask why you don't agree?" Can he find a workaround for the boundary..?

"You ever see me during the day?"

He thinks about it. 'Day' is a weird concept here. But he's also a bit on the nocturnal side. "No." He'd like to ask why but he debates if that's wise to do right now.

"And working at night is out of the question for you, too, Moon Knight?"

Maybe that's too far, but he's not going to deny being a bit annoyed. He doesn't get it and that's what's frustrating him.

"Look, I'm saying you should work so you get that routine back. You got a better idea? Offer that. But there has to be something given from what's taken."

"I didn't pick the name."

He doesn't really like it, is the implication of this tone.

Okay, fuck. The kid is now curious, and Marc has no lie backup planned.

"Somebody else is - "

Actually, trying to say it out loud makes him feel nauseous.

"Look, you don't want to talk about the hand thing, right? You just don't. There's a thing I don't want to talk about just as much, probably more."

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