Ginger and Cardamom | Moon Knight

05 | Jake

Jake nervously shifted in his seat as he sipped his coffee, feeling out of place in the trendy coffee shop. He had never been one for fancy cafes and artisanal coffee blends, but he wasn't even supposed to be on this date or anywhere else that wasn't necessary for their survival.

But Steven must have suggested this place for a reason, maybe this was what the sort of place Astha might enjoy. Astha, it felt strange to call her that. Jake kept telling himself that he had no choice but to take control of the body. It would have not been safe to just leave when the others were unable to take control. Usually, when Jake switched out, he would have done so in a safe place. Where he knew the body would not be in any danger. If he was being honest, it wasn't a hard decision. If given a chance, maybe in another life, he could see a future with someone like her.

He had spent so long thinking about her, going over what he would say to her if he ever saw her again. He knew there was no chance that this would lead to anything, at least not for him. Especially when she kept calling him Marc.

As he looked around the cosy shop, Jake felt like everyone was staring at him, judging him for his plain shirt and jeans. He had never been out like this.

Whenever he had fronted before, it had always been to get them out of a bad spot. In those times he had never had the luxury of just enjoying things. He had a role to fulfil. The job of protecting the body was one he took very seriously. One mistake on his part could be the last mistake they would ever make.

He felt like he didn't fit in with the crowd of hipsters and creative types who were busy typing away on their laptops and sipping lattes. So he took another sip of his drink to calm his nerves. The taste was unfamiliar to him, and he struggled to identify the flavours. He missed the simple, no-nonsense coffee that he usually drank.

"Marc, is it okay if I ask you something? I got a bit lost when trying to find the gift shop so I asked security for you and they said you didn't work there."

There it was, the first seed of doubt, the first inconsistency that usually results in people slowly drifting away from them. But it felt different this time. Whenever it had happened in the past, it was with Marc or Steven. With people they were interested in, co-workers and any friends they made.

For the first time, it was Jake who was interested in someone. While the others could introduce themselves by their names depending on who met the person first, Marc meeting Layla and them being Steven around people at the museum.

The only person who knew that Jake even existed was a bird god who couldn't care less about him.

All Jake wanted to do was tell her that he had given her the wrong name, that his name was Jake, And he did so because he didn't people to know about the fights he got into. But he couldn't. He was not there nearly enough to pull that off. Even if he could force a switch, the others knew about her and there was a chance that she could run into them when he wasn't around.

But more importantly than that, the body's legal name was Steven Grant here in the UK, that was how people recognised them. No matter how understanding Astha had been up until this point, it would not be safe to tell her that he was part of what Marc calls a system.

"Sí..."

But then he quickly corrected himself, as none of the others spoke Spanish. He could not make mistakes like that.

"Oh that guy, he is new on the job. And it is a big museum. We, I mean Donna, my supervisor and I usually don't have a lot of interaction with people who work in other departments. We like to stick to our gift shop."

She simply nodded. It was clear she was still bothered by it but they got to talking about other things. From her job at the GRC, to how she collected cool-looking bottles to later put plants in. He told her about their fish Gus, and about what he could remember about Egyptology, either from the memories he shares with Steven or from talking to Khonshu.

He had to be careful with what they talked about, not wanting to mention anything that either the others would not remember or would not feel comfortable sharing on what was essentially a first date. As they chatted, they found themselves becoming more comfortable with each other. They laughed at each other's jokes, and she shared stories from her childhood.

Before Jake knew it, their coffee cups were empty, and it was time to say goodbye. Jake did something that he knew might blow up in his face but he decided to put himself first for once.

"Would you like to go out again sometime?"

Asths's smile widened, and she nodded eagerly. "I'd love that. I had a great time," she said.

As they left the coffee shop, Jake felt a sense of excitement and anticipation for what the future might hold. He knew it would not be easy but just like Steven said, even if nothing romantic were to come out of it, they could use more friends that were just regular people.

"Goodnight Marc", she whispered as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight, Astha," Jake said with a grin, feeling a flutter of excitement in his chest. He watched as she turned to walk towards her car, feeling a mix of nervousness and eagerness for their next outing. One he knew he could not be there for.