Chapter 7: Comfortable
Rating: (T-M) Not for Children
Pairings: Starco, JanTom
A/N: There really is nothing to say other than, my bad, I haven't updated in so long, and I'm a jerk. Terribly sorry.
Narrator's P.O.V
"Star, go back to sleep." Marco yawned, turning over to his side, facing the wall.
He felt a soft hand be placed on his shoulder, which then shook him vigorously.
Turning around, he glared at her with his tired eyes, a scowl on his features. "What gives? I'm trying to sleep."
"And I'm trying to warn you that there's someone in the house!" Star hissed, annoyed.
He rolled his eyes, turning back to face the black wall. "Why don't you check it out? I'm too tired."
She bit her lip nervously. "I..I can't."
He sighed, turning back to face her again. "Why the hell not?"
"Because..." She pulled at her long gorgeous locks, a nervous habit she would always do, "Because..I'm afraid."
He closed his eyes, releasing a breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
Getting up, he rubbed at his eyes, slipping on his fuzzy slippers. He opened his drawer, taking out a yellow flashlight, flicking it on.
A wave of light hit the wall, illuminating it in a swirl-like pattern. "You're pretty damn lucky I sort of like you." He grumbled, walking to his bedroom door and opening it.
"What was that?" She asked, pointedly glaring at him.
"Nothing." He muttered loud enough for her to hear, walking out his door with Star following behind him.
Heading downstairs, the old wooden planks creaked below them, emitting an eery sound that ran a shiver down their spines.
A sudden cold wave of air rushed through them, their breath becoming visible.
"Is this some sort of Horror Movie?" Marco whispered to her in a joke-like manner, earning a confused glance from Star.
"Horror...Movie?"
"You know? Scary Movie?"
"No, I don't."
"Of course you wouldn't."
The sound of a plate breaking was heard from the kitchen, their heads snapping towards the sound.
"What was that?" She whispered, afraid, pointing her wand towards the direction of the noise.
"How should I know?" He replied, walking towards the sound in the kitchen.
She glared at him. "What's with you?"
He rolled his eyes, entering the room. "Nothing, I'm just mad you woke me up."
She rolled her own eyes as well, just as annoyed as him.
The kitchen looked quite normal when they had entered, nothing out of place.
Though they both had to admit it did look somewhat different, or well, it felt different.
Marco looked around the counter sitted in the middle, finding cups along with plates broken, as well as the now broken red plate on the floor, it's pieces scattered all over the place.
Star followed after him, checking her surroundings, fearing the worst.
Marco leaned down, picking up one of the broken pieces off of the floor, examining it as he held the red fragment in his hands, his eyes narrowing.
"Gah!" Star suddenly screeched, quickly darting in front of Marco, covering him.
He jumped, dropping the red shard onto the floor. "Star what the hell-"
She pointed her wand shakily at a dark patch near the wall, a pair of glowing green eyes staring right at her.
"What is that?" Star yelled, Marco quickly turning his head to where her wand was pointed at.
Shining his light at the dark figure, he realized it was just one of the cats that would always visit him, shivering from the cold.
Marco turned and gave Star an 'are you for real' look, Star lowering her wand in shame.
Her hearts brightened in color, smiling sheepishly. "Oh...My apologies..I did not realize it was..a kitty."
He face-palmed, walking over to the kitten. "This is what you woke me up for?" He asked, placing his flashlight aside to pick it up. "A cat?"
If it was possible, her cheeks brightened even more, illuminating a dark pink light. "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't realize it was a cat." She answered, waving her hands around insultingly.
He was surprised when he saw her do that, acting so UN-obedient like. "Uh, did you just do what I think I saw you do?" He asked, placing the kitten onto the table.
"Do what?" She asked, confused.
"What you just did. Y'know?" He waved his hands just like she did, showing her what he was talking about, "this?"
She paled, holding her cheeks. "Oh no. Was I acting like myself..?"
Marco shrugged, an amused smile present on his features. "I dunno. I don't know how you normally act."
His response caught her off guard. "Oh. R-right." She stuttered.
Marco shook his head, tsking. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm weird, but then I look at you, and well, I realize I'm normal." He smirked, petting the cat.
She scowled, crossing her arms. "Don't judge me, Diaz. I was just scared."
"You got scared because of this little guy?" Marco snorted, pointing at the black kitten.
She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I suppose so."
He chuckled, Star blushing.
"Why were you so scared anyway?"
Her eyes widened, her arms uncrossing; hanging loosely to the sides. "What do you mean?"
Marco gave her a look. "I mean, why were you feeling scared? You know you have me, so.."
"I think you have enough information to know why." She answered sternly, her grip on her wand tightening.
"You can't be serious." He said, his expression blank.
"I'm serious." Star said, matching his expression.
"Star, I told you like, a million times, nothing's going to happen to you." Marco said, frustrated, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have no idea why you keep acting this way, if I've-"
"I know you have." She growled, interrupting him.
Her eyes began to glow green, as well as her wand. "I know you've told me, and I really want to believe you, but I just can't!" She whined, her hands balled into fists.
Marco stepped back, shocked to see her this way.
"I'm just scared okay? It's not my fault that I am!" She spit out, her eyes beginning to water.
Marco, who hadn't meant to sound so dumb, frowned, realizing what he had said. "Star, look, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"
"You never do!" She barked, pointing an accusing finger to his chest, "You're always hurting people around you, including me! Why can't you just see what-"
"Star!" He yelled, hands on her shoulders, "Calm down! You're going to think about your past-"
Her breathing stopped, her expression changing from anger, to shock.
"My..past?" Her breathing was becoming short and shallow, her chest rising and lowering quickly with each breath.
She tried calming herself down before she had another one of her haunting visions, which proved to be quite difficult, considering that she was upset to begin with.
Though, even if she tried to calm herself, the visions began to appear, the setting changing from Marco's kitchen, to the bricked walls of her old room.
It looked just like she remembered it, her bed messy as always from when the guards would enter into her room; her walls always stained with small patches of dried blood from when one of the teachers would harm her.
Instead of the smooth wooden kitchen floor, she felt the sensation of fuzziness, reminding her of when one of the guards had pinned her to the carpet-
Star choked.
"Such a naughty girl. Disobeying an Elite..such disobedience shall be payed forward with a price just as bad.." They reached down, her mind screaming loudly for them to stop, to leave her be. But she knew that would never happen.
Her "friends" had told her this day would come, where she would have to entertain them for the night instead of another.
She tried hard enough to not believe them, but now as it was happening, it seemed to mock her inside her head.
'They'll try and fuck you. But I don't know..you're maybe ugly enough for you to be safe.'
It seemed to be some sort of horror movie.
Though this one felt quite real.
Marco, who was there with her, watched her fall, immediately catching her.
"Star?" He whispered, shaking her.
"Don't hurt me..." She whispered, struggling to speak.
"I won't, Snap out of it, Star.." He hissed, worry etched on the tone of his voice.
He felt piteous for once in his life.
His words echoed throughout her mind, sounding almost deaf from where she was.
Her body felt everything that was happening, her vocal cords hurting from all the yelling. She kicked and punched, trying to push them off of her, even if they had already gotten control of her.
Though even if she was fighting, she was barely moving in the real world.
Marco was holding onto her tightly, her body limp.
Her eyes were lidded, green smoke coming out from the sides in a wavy motion.
"Star!" He yelled for like the tenth time, his attempts to bring her back failing.
Meanwhile, as her memory played, she remembered how scared she felt, afterwards feeling angry that she was so easily abused of.
Her mother had told her to keep up a fight, and she failed.
"Star.." She heard someone speak to her, her vision fuzzing up the slightest bit.
"Star..." She heard once again, this time much more clearly than the first.
"Star!" This time, the voice sounded loud and harsh to her ears, her nightmare no longer there; only darkness.
As if some miracle, the dark luminous green began to fade from her eyes, Star returning from her haunting nightmare.
She gasped in alarm, her eyes widened with fear, landing right on his.
They began to pool with tears when she found herself back in the real world, truly grateful that she was no longer reliving that awful memory. Another vision, another night, another moment with self-torture.
"Star..?" He spoke softly, wondering if it was really her or not.
Marco was surprised when she brought him into a tight hug, her tears falling onto his nightshirt.
Though after a few moments he hugged her back, the kitten he set on the table landing and curling up next to him.
"I-I-I," she hiccuped, "I'm so sorry- I-"
"Shh.." He interrupted, running circles along her back. "It was just.." He paused, rethinking, "It was just another one of your terrors. It happened. It's over with."
Marco closed his eyes, a sting going through his chest.
"It's okay."
They lay there in that position for a while, only listening to each other's heartbeats pound in unison.
It seemed as if Marco was doing too much for her.
Though even if it was, he realized that he couldn't find it in himself to care, because for some reason, he wanted her to be safe.
As he carried her up the stairs, he realized he had become attached, something he had wanted to avoid the first time he had ever set eyes on her.
Before, he had told himself that he would have nothing to do with her, that he wouldn't care, that he wouldn't even involve her in his life.
Unfortunately, that seemed impossible, because he guessed fate wanted them to be together.
Even if that was a stupid thought, he found himself thinking of that same thought for a long time now, even if it was only just days ago.
It felt like years to him, small, pathetic years.
He willingly brought her up to her room-the guest room. Her body pressed against his was warm, he thought, looking down at her pleasant features.
There were dry tears lined onto her cheeks, her closed eyes slightly reddened from all her crying.
Marco sighed, shaking his head.
Arriving at the respected door, he managed to open it with ease, even in his extremely exhausted state.
Upon entering the room, he realized it looked almost completely different, the only exception being it's size.
Instead of his nacho wallpaper, glittering, pink wallpaper decorated the walls, along with paintings and a large mirror in the center.
A beautiful Oval-shaped, queen sized bed rested to the side of the wall next to the window, the window having it's own change of decoration as well.
The curtains looked transparent, it's pink surface looking almost silk-like. Those same curtains matched the sheets hanging around the bed, their color matching perfectly with the blanket and pillow.
Marco walked over and placed her gently onto the bed.
His eyes wandered over her, looking at how her soft, shiny yellow hair pooled over the pillow, looking like yellow ink spilled onto a canvas.
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
Should he stay with her? Or should he just leave her be?
Maybe the second option was best for him, since that's what he would normally do.
Following his mind, he turned around ready to leave, until something yanked his shirt from behind, stopping him in his tracks.
"Don't..leave.." Star whispered, her eyes on his.
His own eyes widened, his heart beginning to rapidly beat against his chest.
"I can't stay." He found himself saying, his words unwillingly coming out of his mouth.
"Please..?" She spoke softly, his mind focusing on her tone of voice.
"Star, I can't." He struggled out, swallowing thickly.
"I.." she yawned, blinking slowly, "I want you to stay..."
He frowned, unsure of what he should do.
A warm hand suddenly held his own, heat beginning to rush to his cheeks.
"Pl..please? I'm...afraid.." She said, her expression soft.
For a moment, dead silence surrounded them, the only sound being the beating of their two hearts.
Eventually, he made up his mind, and told himself, fuck it.
Removing his slippers, he was left back in his favorite red fuzzy socks, and crawled onto her bed, laying next to her at a good distance.
But that distance was soon gone; she had closed up the space between them, curling up next to him.
He swallowed, hoping, praying, she didn't try anything else.
It seemed all too familiar, and if he had to be honest with himself, it felt quite the same.
Luckily, his prayers were answered, and all she did was snuggle closer to him, her arms wrapping around his waist.
The heat radiating off of him felt good to her, and if she had to admit anything, she felt as if she were in heaven.
Ever tediously, she drifted off into a deep slumber, welcoming in the inky darkness that called to her.
Knowing damn well he was going to regret it, eventually, after calming himself down, went to sleep as well, making sure to cover not just himself, but her as well with the warm blanket.
The kitten, after a while of them sleeping, headed inside Star's room. It jumped onto the bed and layed down in the middle, nuzzling against the soft blanket that radiated warmth he needed ever so much.
Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, Janna winced, realizing how bad she looked.
Her cheeks were stained with blood, as well as her attire, her clothing now torn in areas she wished they weren't.
She was dirty of course, she realized, remembering her fall from the cliff.
Her short, black hair was a mess, parts of it sticking to her cheek with dry blood.
She was honestly surprised that she hadn't died on her way down, as well as pass out from how much blood she'd lost.
Her mind began to reel with questions; what would have happened if she had died?
Would she have ended up in Tom's arms, now a spirit, or would she be somewhere else?
A sudden sensation of dizziness overcame her, quickly holding onto the sink for support.
Her side began to hurt, the same side the glass shard had penetrated her in.
She hissed when a sharp pain shot from that same area, almost collapsing in on herself.
"Janna?" A masculine voice asked from the other side of the door, knocking it once or twice. "Are you alright?"
"I'm...fine, Tom." She managed out, clutching her pained side.
"You sure as hell don't sound like it." Tom announced, catching her lie.
Janna grimaced, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "I'm fine..I just...feel like..I'm..about to faint-"
The door slid open, Tom dashing inside like a lit firework. He quickly went to carry her, throwing one of her arms around his neck while his arms and hands held onto her waist.
Janna leaned onto the support, her chest feeling heavy. "Ugh...I feel terrible." She moaned, Tom walking her out of the bathroom.
"I can help you ease the pain if you want." He suggested, laying her down on a fluffy red sofa surrounded with thorns.
She closed her eyes tightly, her expression hardening. "Please, I'm dying over here."
He sighed, rolling up his sleeves, (which caught Janna's attention even in her pained state), and gently placed both of his hands onto the left side of her abdomen.
The sensation felt cold even through the clothing, but that didn't matter when she felt the pain fade away.
Her expression softened, releasing a sigh. "Am I going to be expecting these types of treatments every time?" She asked, opening her eyes to look up at him.
He snorted, shaking his head. "No, Janna. This isn't some spa. But actually..in a way, yeah. Every ten hours or so, just to heal it and remove some of the pain." He replied, his brow furrowed in thought. "Yeah, every ten hours." He said once more, now sure of his answer.
Janna frowned. "So I get to see you everyday?"
"Yup!" Tom answered, popping the 'p' at the end.
She groaned, earning a chuckle from Tom.
"Don't fake it, Janna. I know damn well you're thanking Satan for allowing you to see me everyday." He commented, wiggling his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes playfully.
'Damn right I am.'
Star awoke with a start, sitting upright.
She clutched her beating heart, hand on her chest. "What..?" She whispered, confused that she was in her room.
Something shifted next to her, catching her attention from the corner of her eye.
Her head turned, her eyes widening once she found Marco sleeping soundly on her right side.
"What...!?" She whispered more loudly and harshly, wondering how in the hell he got up here if she knew she always kept her door locked.
Unless..at one point she exit her room?
Wait.
She gasped, but covered her mouth just in time before she made any loud noises to wake him up.
She had totally forgotten about her encounter with the..cat..
And..Marco.
Sighing, she got up from her warm covers and went to his side, crouching down to meet his head level.
Soft snoring was heard when she got close enough, and she tried as much as she could to stop herself from laughing at such a cute thing.
"Mmn...St..ar.." She heard him mumble, her cheeks bursting with red at the sound of her name.
"Don't...be...scared.." He mumbled even more, his expression creasing before relaxing.
Star, emotions high, continued to stare at him, curious to hear what he was trying to say.
"I...protecc..t.." He snored, Star stiffling in a giggle.
"Be..." He left the rest of the sentence hanging, Star eager to know what he was trying to say.
Though, that seemed to be it, much to her annoyance. "Be what?" She whispered, desperate to know what he was trying to say.
Though he hadn't said anything else, which caused her to feel even more curious than before.
She kept on staring at him, her eyes glued to his lips, feeling determined to find out what he was trying to say.
It wasn't after a while that she had gotten tired of just staring, (which made her feel weird now that she thought of it), that she gave up on trying to figure out what he was exactly trying to say.
So instead, she just lay crouched next to him, later reaching inside her drawer to retrieve the medical kit.
His bandage on his cut had been tainted with red, which to her, meant to change and clean before it could get infected.
She also had to change her own bandage, which for some reason, had stopped hurting.
Taking out some new bandages and peroxide, she placed them gently onto her nightstand in order to rid herself of any noise she might cause.
Slowly inching closer, she carefully removed the wet bandage from his cheek, careful not to wake him up.
She tried avoiding looking at the blood because of one of her many other visions. If she looked at it, her mind would cease to function properly, and her memories would flood back to her.
At least, that's what Marco had told her, and she trusts his words.
Throwing away the used bandage, she reached for the new one, not before gently cleaning his injury with a wipe.
She paused her work when she saw him begin to move, her heart accellerating with fear of him waking up.
As quick as she could, she taped the bandage onto his face, afterwards closing the medical kit and throwing it somewhere he wouldn't find it.
She seemed to have finished just in time though, because Marco was already waking up.
His eyes blinked once or twice, a yawn escaping from his lips.
Opening his eyes fully, he paused another yawn from coming out of his mouth, surprised to see her directly in front of his face.
Raising her hand, she waved awkwardly at him.
"Good..morning?"
"So you said you'd tell me about these," Janna said, cloth in hand.
Tom teared his eyes away from his phone to look at her, eyebrow raised. "About what?"
"These, dumb ass." She laughed, pointing at the two symbols.
"Ohhh... yeah, about that...I'm not going to tell you." He replied, going back to his phone.
"And why not?" She asked, scowling.
"Too personal."
"You said you'd tell me about it afterwards, so tell me, dawg." She demanded.
"Ew, don't say that word. What are you, a hippie?" He asked her, chuckling.
She rolled her eyes. "Tom, c'mon. Quit changing the subject. I really wanna know!" She whined, stuffing the cloth in his face, "It's like, my life's dream."
He snorted. "And it's my life's dream not to tell you, now shush, I'm watching a video."
"Let me guess," She paused, giving him a smirk he hadn't noticed, "Por-"
A pillow was thrown at her face before she could finish her sentence, Tom snickering in the background.
"That was totally uncalled for!" She yelled, removing the pillow from her face and throwing it back to him.
Tom laughed, dodging the attack. "You suck at throwing."
"And you suck dick, same thing." Janna said, Tom scowling.
"I'll have you know, I'm actually a pro-"
"Ew!" She laughed, throwing another pillow at him.
He laughed right along with her, blocking the pillow from reaching to his face. "I don't know why you're saying 'ew', if you've clearly done that before!"
She blushed, snorting. "Not as much as you, I know that's for sure."
"Uh huh, sure.." He mocked, raising his hands in air quotes.
"Shut up loser."
"You're the loser here, buttface."
"We're both losers."
He smiled, Janna smiling right back.
"Naw, I'm a winner, actually." Janna argued, winking at him playfully.
"Sure, Sure. Take this L, loser."
A/N: Here's a hint.
Individuality.
Toodles~
Ana.
