Work Text:
Steven finished up closing the shop, the room being cast into darkness as the lights shut off in the museum. He hoped he wouldn’t have to work in this position for much longer as he’d been working up to becoming a tour guide. As much as Donna may not like him, she could get some good use out of him and his endless knowledge of Egyptology.
He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, tiredly walking through the museum until he passed J.B on his way out who was too distracted by his phone to even notice Steven leaving, still, Steven waved and called out “Night, J.B,” to which the guy barely glanced up before returning it.
Steven sighed when the cool air hit his face, even when he was tired to his bones after a long shift he still enjoyed the walk home afterward, a way for him to clear his thoughts and enjoy the fresh air.
Marc and Jake always offered to save up and get a car so they could pick him up, which they could if those two actually had a paying job like Steven, but Steven insisted that he was fine with walking home, that he enjoyed it.
And when he says Marc and Jake he means Marc offers to save up and Jake offers to steal a car to come and get him. He loves those two idiots.
And knowing they’d be waiting for him at home made his excitement to get home stronger.
The streets were empty at night, the odd person here and there walking home, probably from work, like Steven. Then there was the odd person you’d see drunkenly stumbling down the middle of the bare roads that Steven would make sure to avoid.
Marc and Jake had voiced their concerns about Steven being all alone at night before, mentioning how they didn’t like not being able to protect him if he ever needed them to, now that they all have separate bodies.
Steven promised them that he was always careful, taking the paths he knew were safest tp get home so he wouldn’t have to cross through shady parts of town. And it's not like it was every night that he’d walk home, most nights he’d take the bus if he closed the shop down quick enough to catch it.
Tonight was not one of those nights, already coming up to 11pm and the bus leaves at 10:40pm. Steven didn’t mind walking tonight, he needed it to relieve some stress from the busy day he’d just had.
He popped his headphones into his ears and scrolled through his playlist, putting on a Lana Del Rey playlist and keeping his volume loud enough to engulf him in the melody but quiet enough that it didn’t hurt his ears and worsen the headache he was already nursing.
He swiped out of Spotify and opened messages to send Jake and Marc a text telling him he was on his way home to which he received the same reply he always got; ‘Okay, stay safe, love you’
He didn’t need to see a reply from both of them, knowing that one spoke for both.
Steven shoved his phone into his pocket as well as his hands, humming quietly along to ‘Cinnamon Girl’ as he continued down the dark streets.
He knew it wasn’t very smart to wear headphones when walking alone at night and that you should always be aware of your surroundings but Steven continuously checked around him, occasionally checking behind him to make sure no one was following him.
It wasn’t often that he’d have to walk home this late at night, usually he was done around 9 - 10:30 not nearing midnight.
So when Steven caught sight of someone in a hoodie with their hands stuffed in their pockets walking behind him he immediately tensed up and turned his volume down in his headphones.
He may be completely misjudging the person, they could just be walking home from work like him or getting some fresh air, but something about the persons quick footsteps and hunched form put Steven on edge.
He continued walking for a while longer, casually glancing behind him when he’d make a turn just to see that the person was still trailing behind him.
Something was off about this.
Steven was unsure what to do, not wanting to message Marc or Jake just yet as he could still be overreacting. He wasn’t too far from the flat, maybe 15 minutes out, he could just turn into an alleyway and stop and wait for the person to pass him.
So as he came up to an alleyway opening he took out his headphones, shoving them in his pocket and he did just that, making a sharp turn. Steven stepped into the shadows of the alleyway and pressed against the wall, holding his breath as he listened to the sound of approaching footsteps.
But when the footsteps suddenly sped up and sounded like they were chasing after him Steven turned on his heel and ran deeper into the alleyway, now certain that this person was after him.
But, Steven came to a sudden halt when he saw that the alley was a dead end.
Suddenly he was being shoved to the ground, he landed hard on his hands and knees feeling bruises already beginning to form. He coughed when the man kicked him hard in the side. He fell over and curled up into a protective ball.
He felt hands tugging at his bag and he tightened his grip on it, now allowing the mugger to take it from him when it had his wallet and other important things in it. He heard the flick of a blade snapping into place and was suddenly being pushed onto his back, cold metal being pressed against his neck.
The man was wearing a bandana to cover the bottom half of his face and had a wild look in his eyes. Steven stared wide eyed at the man, fearfully.
“Give me the bag and I won’t slit your throat.” he threatened and pushed the blade harder against his neck. Steven winced when he felt blood drip down his throat and looked up at the dark sky above him with watery eyes.
He let his grip loosen on the bag and suddenly it was being torn away from him. He thought that the mugger would leave him alone after that but when he felt fingers touching the necklace hanging around his neck he instantly jerked his head away, trying to curl up and protect the necklace.
The mugger didn’t like that and Steven was flipped onto his stomach before a hand in his hair pulled his head back before slamming it into the pavement below him making him see stars briefly as pain flashed through his head.
The fist tangled into his hair and yanked his head back again before another hand grabbed his necklace and yanked it off. Steven cared more about that necklace than the bag because Jake and Marc had gotten him that.
It was a simple necklace, just a gold chain and heart pendent, but to him it meant the world to him because it was from his two boys.
So when he tried to fight against the grip and grab it back from the man, he earned a harsh kick to the head that made him cry out in pain. His vision blurred as pain exploded behind his eyes, the boot having nailed him in the face.
Darkness consumed his vision and he could hear the quick retreat of footsteps as the man ran out of the alleyway before he let himself pass out.
-
Marc and Jake were beyond worried. Jake was losing his shit, pacing restlessly across the flat and looking on the verge of throwing every item in the room through the window.
Marc felt the same, he was thrumming with anxious energy, wanting to throw on his jacket and go out there to find Steven who still wasn’t home. He texted them almost two hours ago saying he was on his way home.
It usually only takes 40 minutes for Steven to walk from the museum to the apartment.
Yet he was still nowhere to be seen, he hadn’t replied to the messages both he and Jake had sent him and his location wasn’t turned on like it usually was when he walked home during late nights like this.
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Marc muttered, more trying to reassure himself of that than he was trying to reassure Jake who was muttering curses under his breath in spanish.
“Marc, mi amor, I swear to the gods if our Steven was hurt I can’t guarantee I won’t skin the person who did it alive.” Jake said, his voice gradually rising in anger at the mere thought of that.
“I can’t promise I’d try to stop you.” Marc grumbled and sighed, holding his head in his hands from where he sat on the couch. He chewed at his lip anxiously, he needed Steven to be okay.
“What if Harrow's followers nabbed him,” Jake said and Marc felt his heart drop into his stomach at that. He didn’t respond, his knee bouncing in restless energy before he suddenly shoved himself to his feet, striding to the door where his jacket was hung.
“I’m going out to find him.”
But just as he grabbed his jacket, the door was being unlocked.
Marc stumbled back and Jake was at his side in the next second. The door opened to reveal Steven. Steven, who was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. His hair messy, clothes rumpled, and eyes watery.
He looked up and locked eyes with both of them.
“What the fuck,” Jake cursed, face furious as he looked Steven over before the both of them rushed forward and caught Steven in their arms just before he could collapse.
Marc’s heart was pounding furiously in his chest, painfully clenching at the sight of Steven’s injuries. He let Jake scoop the younger man into his arms, trusting him to take care of him while he ran to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.
He walked into the bedroom to see Jake gently lowering Steven down onto the covers and immediately handing him the Taweret plush from his work that he knew Steven loved. Steven gave Jake a weak smile and hugged the plush to his chest, wincing a bit.
Marc walked over and crawled up onto the bed on the other side of Steven.
“Steven, what the hell happened? We were worried sick! Why didn’t you message or call?” Marc told him, gently cradling his face in his hands to look over the cuts on his cheek and giant bruise forming on his cheekbone.
“What time is it?” Steven rasped. Marc frowned.
“It’s almost 2 am, baby.” he told him, glancing over at Jake whose eyes were looking over Steven’s injuries darkly.
“Oh, I didn’t know it was so late. I’m sorry.” Steven sniffled, clutching the plush tighter, Marc shook his head.
“Do not apologize. What happened?” he asked.
“I got mugged, some guy had been following me home and I turned into an alleyway so that hopefully he’d pass me but he ended up chasing me. He took my bag and my necklace…” At this, Steven touched his bare neck sadly. That was when Marc noticed the dry blood there the same time that Jake did, their blood ran cold.
“Why the fuck are you bleeding there, cariño?” Jake demanded, immediately reaching forward and gently touching where he could see a shallow cut across his throat.
“He held a knife to my throat when I tried fighting back. After he took everything he kicked me and knocked me out. I must’ve been out for a while, I had no idea it was so late. My phone broke when he pushed me down.” he told them and pulled his shattered phone out of his pocket. Marc took it from him and checked to see if it would turn on. It wouldn’t.
He set it down on the bedside table and moved back to Steven. He opened the first aid kit and pulled out antiseptic wipes. He watched the way Stevens' eyes fluttered, trying to fight off sleep.
“Steven,” Marc urged gently, Steven turned tired eyes on him. “You can sleep but we’re going to have to keep waking you up every now and then in case you have a concussion.” he told him, leaning forward and gently pressing his lips to his temple where he was sporting a bruise.
Steven nodded but before he would let himself fall asleep, he reached out for Jake who sighed, feigning annoyance as he got under the covers with him, allowing Steven to rest his head on his chest and sighing as Jake tangled his fingers into his hair carefully, playing with his hair and urging him to sleep.
When Steven’s breathing evened out both Marc and Jake looked at each other, pain in both of their eyes. They hated that they couldn’t have been there to front and protect Steven from this ever happening to him.
Marc gently wiped away the blood and cleaned up the cuts on his face and neck with the antiseptic wipes, bandaging the one on his neck.
“I’m going to find the bastard that did this,” Jake muttered, voice tight as he stared down at Steven sleeping in his arms.
“You don’t even know what he looks like,” Marc sighed. Jake chuckled dryly.
“You underestimate me.”
Marc rolled his eyes with a small grin, he knew Jake would find the guy. He also knew Jake wasn’t going to tell Steven he planned on tearing the guy apart as the younger man would most definitely not approve and Jake wasn’t going to give him a chance to pull out the puppy dog eyes and convince him not to.
Marc undressed Steven and before changing him into his pajamas, checked his ribs for any breaks or bruising. He had a pretty nasty bruise across his side that would fade and scraped knees but other than that he looked alright.
By the time Marc was done, Jake was nearly dozing off with his arms wrapped tightly around Steven. Marc put the first aid kit back into the bathroom and turned off the rest of the lights in the flat before joining his boys in bed.
With Steven held protectively between him and Jake, he fell asleep.
The next day, when Steven would wake up late in the afternoon and see a brand new phone on the nightstand as well as his bag and necklace that had been stolen from him, he would grin and shake his head fondly, deciding it would be best if he didn’t ask questions and just accepted the fact that his boys would do anything for him.