The sound of soft footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the upper floor of the Diaz household as Marco approached the door to Star's bedroom. A small tray was held in his hand, the steam rising from the bowl of soup visible proof that it was still warm to the touch.

"Star?" He knocked on the door gently before turning the handle and opening it slowly, "I'm coming in. I've got something that'll help you feel better."

A loud groan was the boy's reply as he shut the door behind him. Looking around the room, his nose scrunched up in distaste at the various items lying scattered across the floor, and he made a mental note to remind the princess to clean it when she was back to her normal, hyperactive self.

Making his way over to the bed, Marco could see the covers shuffling a bit before yellow hair popped up from beneath, followed by its sole occupant.

"Hey, Marco," Star coughed, her voice slightly hoarse. She sniffled a bit as she reached for the nearby box of tissues, taking a few before blowing her nose and throwing them into the trashcan next to her bed. "Is it some sort of Earth magic that'll help get rid of this thing?"

"Not necessarily, Star."

Marco chuckled as he moved to the foot of the bed, grabbing the foldable table before setting it down next to the girl's bedside. Gesturing for her to sit up, Star reluctantly lifted her head from the softness of her pillows and peered over into the bowl that the boy had set down next to her.

"I don't expect you to finish all of it, but you've got to get some food into you, Star. A bowl of soup is the best way to fight off a cold."

Reaching over for the spoon, Star's hands were gently swatted away as Marco dipped it into the broth, earning him a confused look from the princess.

"Marco-"

"The less you exert yourself, the more quickly you'll recover." The boy held his hand out in a placating manner, the other brought to his lips as he lightly blew the spoonful of soup. Holding his hand underneath the spoon, Marco brought it over to the sick princess, a soft smile present on his face as he said, "Here, Star."

While the girl felt well enough to feed herself, Star felt an unexplainable happiness well up within her chest as she silently nodded, the warmth of the broth already soothing her worn out throat as she took in spoonful after spoonful of the soup.

While Star had often been cared for by her parents whenever she'd contracted some form of disease or illness, there was something different about the recuperation process with Marco. The girl was fully aware of the safety streak Marco had, finding quite a bit of amusement in it, but his being more delicate than he usually was showed her just how much he truly cared for her well-being; it was worth being sick if meant that she'd be under the boy's care.

A wave of disappointment washed over Star once the bowl had been emptied. Setting it off to the side, Marco turned his attention back to the princess, his hands clasped together as he asked, "Is there anything else that you want?"

Laying back against the pillow, Star found herself unable to speak, drowsiness tugging at her eyelids as she fought to stay awake.

"Just… stay here. Please…"

Closing her eyes, the girl's breathing softened as she held her hand out, leaving it dangling over the edge of the bed. Marco rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze turning towards the door for a moment, before softly sighing and taking Star's hand in his. Their fingers wrapped around each others' as the boy scooted closer to the bed, despite the logical part of his mind telling him that he'd get sick not too long after, and rested his chin against his other arm.

The two remained in that position for what felt like hours, the princess's quiet breathing the only sound that could be heard in the room. Having nothing to do aside from sitting where he was, boredom had captured Marco quickly, and his gaze moved constantly throughout the room until his eyes had settled onto the girl's face.

Never before had Marco felt as entranced as he was by simply staring at Star's face. In place of the usual grin and energetic attitude was a look of complete peace, something that was considered rare for the princess. Despite the light bit of drool seeping out of the girl's mouth, it hadn't put off the boy in the slightest, instead adding more to what he thought natural of Star; even when she was sick, the princess still managed to retain that charm of hers.

Marco was broken from his daze when the girl began to shuffle underneath the sheets, turning so that she lay facing towards the boy. A few strands of Star's hair dangled over her face, prompting the boy to lean over and set them back into place.

"Marco?"

The boy in question froze in place at the sound of the Star's voice, his eyes wide open as he watched her own eyes crack open somewhat, a small smile settled onto her face. One of the girl's hands lazily grabbed onto Marco's free one, bringing it next to her cheek and holding it there. Warmth enveloped the boy's face as he fought desperately to keep himself quiet.

"Thanks for putting up with me." The princess's eyes closed for a moment before opening once again, though it was obvious to Marco by now that she wasn't fully awake, and more likely than not unable to comprehend what she was saying.

"You always know what to do to help me feel better." Star sighed as her grip on Marco's hands slackened, her eyelids drooping downwards as she said, "That's one of the reasons why I like you so much…"

Whatever else the princess had planned on saying would go unheard as her eyes closed. Once he was sure that the girl was asleep, Marco freed his hands from the confines of Star's grasp. His mind processed everything Star had said, over and over, repeating until it had been ingrained in his memory.

Star said that she liked him. Granted, she wasn't fully aware of it, but the fact that those words had left the girl's mouth at all spoke volumes to Marco, and he found his flushed face grow a bit more warm as he entertained the thought.

Getting up from his chair, Marco looked down at the princess, the corner of his mouth curling up into a smile.

"That wasn't fair, Star. I didn't get to say it back."

Author's Notes: Sorry that this one is a bit late! Now that Finals are over, I can put more time into putting out more one-shots for SaHC. The month of December may be coming to an end, but I've still got a few more stories planned out before this thing is finished, and even then, I'll still be putting out more Starco! For now, I hope you all enjoy this little snippet!

Guest - I have no idea how I forgot about that =w=; For this story, at least, Star hasn't seen it before.

Tiberius F. Torquils - We need the fluff to balance out the wave of angst :) Glad to know that you're liking the stories so far!

Thank you all for wishing me good luck on my Finals! I managed to knock them all out of the park, thankfully, and look forward to providing more Starco fluff for your reading pleasure!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!