Authors note
So, I'm going to do a bit of a time skip over some material that isnt extremely plot sensitive. The story will continue to deviate in its own way and I REALLY hate to do time skips on my first Fic. But I think in the long run it will help. I have a lot of stories to cover after all. And Soooo much material to go through so don't expect it to end anytime soon. Hope you enjoy and leave a review for me! I'll respond in kind ;)
It had been a long and nerve-racking two weeks. Marco rubbed his left arm, which had healed nicely since his fight with the mysterious guy at the bounce lounge. His gaze fell to his right arm which still felt sore from the incident a few days ago when Star turned his arm into a monster. Again. It was still largely unclear what would come of a dormant curse in someone's arm, but so far, so good.
He got up from his desk where he had spent a few hours studying material he had long forgotten, and decided he could use a good wash. He walked out of his room and into the bathroom to take a quick shower before bed, and as he undressed, he glanced in the mirror at his upper body. He had been working hard in his free time to get it toned and back up to speed so he could be at his fighting best once again.
But he frowned, noticing for the hundredth time, the large pale scare that crossed his chest. He winced at the thought of the green blade that pierced his skin. As he looked lower he could see that his stomach has become more rigid and firm over the time he'd been here. It wasnt anything close to Heckapoos dimension, but it was a bit of a good start. He reached down and felt the muscles coming to fruition all over his torso and smiled proudly at his progress.
Remembering his time chasing for his scissors in another dimension, back when he had his hot bod, he thought of Nachos. And all the adventure he had lived through. As he stepped into the shower a smile crept across his face at the hopes of seeing the two people he met on his personal life-changing adventure.
Meanwhile, across the house in her room, Star sat idly. She didn't care too much for homework and had rushed through it as quickly as she could. She laid back on her bed and wondered silently about her future. After meeting Marco and seeing his predictions come true, she knew deep down that he was telling the truth, despite how far fetched it all was. Though his somber and worried expressions were contagious as he dodged every question and avoided spilling the beans.
She had grown fond of him, after all of the altercations they had been through recently. From the mysterious man in the bounce lounge and to an old exchange student returning. She thought back on the misunderstanding at the football game and the incident with Marcos' arm. "Hopefully hes not still mad about that," She thought silently.
Star had been through so much with Marco in the past few days, she wondered if he was unhappy, reliving all of this over again. She decided not to dwell on it too long, however, given that Marco always seemed to be in a better mood when she was around. She had noticed he had always seemed to look forward to whatever adventure was next. "Even if he doesn't tell me about them." She pouted.
Star sighed and sat upright. Even though she had nothing to worry about with Marco, she still worried about when this 'assassin', as she put it, would return. Truthfully, it scared her silly. Not knowing if he might be lingering around any corner or hiding, watching her. But she smiled softly as she reminded herself that as long as she and marco stuck together, they'd both be safe.
Before she could think too hard about what dangers were out there, her mind fell on something else from that night. Marco was really upset about stepping into that photo booth. And he never told me why. She thought. Granted she didn't have the courage to ask him in more detail, but she knew it was something important. His cold expression and his clear change in body language spoke volumes.
At that moment, she heard marco leave the shower and walk across the hall to his room. A smile beamed from her face as she thought about getting some info out of him about the issue. Maybe he almost dies in one. I wonder if he's just claustrophobic or has bad breath. "Maybe he kissed you a voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Star stopped dead in her tracks before she reached her door. She had sometimes been having second thoughts about things regarding marco, but she knew she just felt a thought in her mind that wasn't her own. She frowned slightly, wondering why she'd think something like that before pushing forward through her door. She could worry about split personalities later. For now, she was all business.
Marco was about to settle in for bed as he heard a small, polite knock on his door. He opened it slowly and was surprised to see Star standing there. He grinned affectionately and let her in. "Hey Star. I almost didn't think it was you. You normally don't knock on doors." Star smirked at him, remembering how often she'd kick doors open back home too, much to her mother's dismay.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about something. It's okay if you don't want to answer, but I just wanted to ask anyway," she said softly. Marco let his smile falter as he sat at his desk and motioned for Star to have a seat. She sat on his bed and looked around, taking in the look of his room before letting her eyes fall back to her Earth guide.
She pursed her lips before taking in a deep breathe. Like she was nervous the words would get caught in her throat.
"Marco, why do you get so weird about it whenever I ask about you and I in the future? Did something bad happen that you're not telling me about?" She looked at him and expected a solid refusal to cooperate, but he just sagged his shoulders some. Which wound up worrying her more.
He looked at her with eyes that held a sense of hurt, pain, and longing as he spoke in a hushed voice. "Star, you and I make mistakes in our lives that wind up hurting us. That's just how life works for us, I'm afraid." She sat at the edge of his bed, looking at him before pushing, "Am I one of your mistakes?"
Marco sighed again and looked around, hoping something around him would ease the tension in the air before answering. "Star, you're the best thing that ever happens to me. I'd never think of you as a mistake I made. But I do make mistakes that make things hard for us. For you. And then later, myself."
Star blushed, looking at him like he had avoided every bit of her curiosity. "Typical," she thought to herself. "I'm never going to get a real answer out of him. It's just like Glossaryk." "Marco, you don't have to be afraid of making mistakes. But I do feel like I deserve to know more about my future if it's going to hurt me." She got up and started to walk out as Marco stood up to stop her.
"Star, if you ever need to tell me something important, even if it's painful, or embarrassing, or scary, don't be afraid to tell me, okay?" She looked back and him with an almost hurt expression. "Ditto, Diaz," She muttered as she walked out of his room and closed the door. He sat on his bed and held his hands in his head.
I won't force her to do anything out of the ordinary. But I can't let her bottle up her emotions like last time." He laid back on his bed and thought to himself. "Besides. Tomorrow she meets Oscar. She'll fawn and I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't get hurt. Though he thought about what had just transpired and wondered silently if he made the right choice.
It would be so easy to just tell her. But he knew that one of two things would happen. She'd either reject his feelings like in the booth and treat him differently, or she would just see him as taking advantage of her, given his knowledge of the future. He refused to do something like that to her, instead of letting her make her own choices.
He sighed at his dilemma and decided it wasn't worth worrying about, given that she already left. It wasn't his choice to make. He'd never take advantage of her. No matter his feelings. Though a smile began to curl as he thought to himself. She eventually sees me as something more. As long as it's her decision, I won't sway her judgment."
He thought back to how those types of actions helped her during mewberty. Though he frowned at the thought of how those actions could have put Star in danger at the blood moon ball. Another problem to deal with for sure, he thought to himself as he drifted to sleep.
O - O - O - O - O - O
A day had passed and things had gone about as well as Marco could expect. Star had been at school with him when that damned god awful music pierced the air.
Oscar sat atop his car and was playing his keytar, practically terrorizing the school with his horrendous playing. Everyone was screaming to avoid the awful sound. That is, everyone except for Star.
She was captivated by the off-key tones, the ear piercing notes, and the bad boy with a record that had been playing them. His long hair covered his eyes, but not his smug smile at the rhythm he was attempting to keep. Star, however, found all of this absolutely perfect. She had run up to his car and spoke to him, albeit to deaf ears. Tone deaf clearly.
She left Marcos cell phone number stuck to his keytar and happily skipped away. Though marco could tell that her happy go lucky demeanor had quickly left her as the day went on. She had spent most of the afternoon tucked away in her room after taking Marcos phone with her upstairs.
He suspected things were going about as well as last time when he didn't see her for a few hours. His mind fell to the previous attempts at cheering her up. From clowns, stunts, all the way to coaxing Ludo to try and steal the wand.
With a shudder, he planned his next moves carefully. This time he'd stay clear of having them drop by. He had to think of another way to cheer her up. He thought about how Oscar would eventually call, but he knew that it was a pointless venture as Star would never really find a lot of value in him. Still, though, her choice is her choice.
He stood up from his desk and walked over to Stars door. The lights were off inside her room, so he figured she was still waiting with baited breathe for the "musician" to call her.
He slowly opened her bedroom door to find her laying in her bed in a curled ball, the phone lying inches from her face. Her backpack by the foot of the bed and the fact that she wore her day clothes told him that she hadn't budged since she got home.
Marco was about to approach her before she turned over to face him, a glare as clear as day told him that she wasn't happy. "When is he going to call," she grumbled in a no-nonsense tone. Marco stood by her door sheepishly before taking a few tentative steps into her room.
He sat softly on the side of her bed, looking down at the sad mess that lay curled up by his cell phone. Breathing softly, he tried to console her. "He'll call, Star. Eventually. I can tell you that much. You just have to be patient. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
Star frowned harder, which seemed downright impossible. "You could tell me if it's worth it," she spat. Marco sighed and looked around her room. Noticing the finer details he hadn't noticed before. The massive bean bag chair, her state of the art mirror contact, and various other intricate pieces of furniture.
"You know I can't tell you that. You have to see things for yourse-" Star cut him off by sitting up and hugging him, which took him completely by surprise. She squeezed him harder until he reciprocated, speaking in a quiet tone. "I don't want to wait, Marco. I don't want to be hurt and learn from mistakes. I just want to be happy," she grumbled over his shoulder as tears began to form.
Marco felt a pain in his chest as he hugged her back and stared blankly across the room. "What's going on? This didn't happen last time...did she really feel so strong about Oscar? Or...did I mess things up," He thought to himself.
"Star, I don't want to see you like this but I can't just tell you the future. If I mess things up, then-" But Star cut him off again. "Then what?" She said, sniffling over his shoulder. "What's so bad about knowing what's going to happen?"
Marco rubbed her back and tried his best to keep from spilling it. "I guess I'm just selfish, Star. I'm afraid of what might happen if you don't do things like last time. I don't know what will happen. Things could go worse and you could get hurt more.
Star pulled away and looked him in the eye. Her once beautiful sapphire blue eyes were red and puffy. "Worse than what? Does he not call? Does he reject me? Does he break up with me after a day?" She spoke frantically, desperate to know.
"You reject him, Star." Marco spilled the beans, tired of seeing her so hurt. "You go out with him and you turn him down. I don't know why, but you do." He lied a bit but he saw star straighten up.
"So why let me go through with this? Why let me do the same thing your Star did?" She looked at him with furrowed brows and a glaring expression. Marco looked down and heaved a heavy sigh as he spoke with subtle indignation.
"Because you're not MY Star. Okay?" He spoke softly but his cheeks were hot as coals. "You're free to make your own choices and I have no business making your decisions for you. You're your own person, Star. I won't take away your right to make your own decisions by telling you the outcome."
Star stared at him, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something more. As if she wanted to refute what he said, but she couldn't find the words. Seeing that any more conversation would result in the truth coming out, Marco got up to leave before turning around one last time.
"It's not easy knowing what's gonna happen. I don't like the idea of changing your fate just because I don't like it. I'm sorry for making it hard for you by knowing, but I won't rob you of your right to choose what to do."
Marco left her room and closed her door behind him. He walked to his room and flopped onto his bed, mentally drained by the constant conflicting decisions in his head. He couldn't just tell her outright what to do, and he couldn't stand seeing her so sad. In truth, he had no idea what he should do, and it stunk.
Star sat on her bed, holding Marcos phone. unsure of what to do with it. She got her answer, so why was it so hard to decide? She looked down at the phone, thinking about how much time she wasted waiting for a call.
She thought about how flustered Marco got when he was telling her about her and Oscar. She wondered about what really happens between them in the future with contempt. If she really breaks up with him, then there's no point. Right?
Star wasn't dumb, she knew if she broke up with him, then it had to be for good reason. "Like I would actually date that guyA voice in her head spat. Star sat shocked for a moment, hearing the words echo in her mind. That wasn't her thinking, was it? It felt like it was.
She brushed off the idea as quickly as it presented itself to her. She held Marcos phone tightly before standing up, looking down at the glass and metal box and running her finger over the sides. She knew what she had to do.
Marco laid in bed, thinking about how hurt Star was, and how close he was to spilling it to her. It wasn't right to just let her mope, but it was worse to tell her how things were supposed to happen. Though he felt confident that he made a decent choice. He figured he could tell her the outcomes of some ventures, as long as she got to decide for herself.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a quiet voice crept its way in.
"...Marco?" Star asked timidly, opening his door slowly. Marco looked at her and smirked. "There's the Star I kick butt with. Not afraid to open a door without knocking."
She smiled sheepishly before walking up to him. She placed his phone gently on his nightstand before stepping back. Like she was afraid the phone would explode if she set it down too quickly.
Marco looked at her, confused, before asking, "Are you okay? Did you get a call?" She pursed her lips and looked at his desk. "No, I figured, if he really wanted to call me, he would have by now. Plus, I've got more important things to focus on instead of a dumb phone call."
Marco kept staring, curious as to what made her decide to give up. Maybe he really had said too much. But before he could ask, Star leaned in and hugged him again. Holding him tight and pressing her cheek to his. "Marco, thanks for watching out for me. I'm really glad I have a friend like you."
Marco blushed so hard he could feel his heartbeat in his teeth. He nervously hugged her back and pressed closer to her and spoke just above a whisper. "I'm just watching your back star. Don't worry. I'm sorry things didn't work out, but I'm proud of you."
She pulled away and stood by his door. After looking into his deep brown eyes for a few seconds, she beamed a cheerful smile at him. "I think it worked out for the better. No heartbreak here, no sad Star."
Marco looked at her and smiled back, his eyes not leaving hers. "Well, you best get some sleep, heartbreaker. I know I'm bushed." Star shot him a smirk before closing his door and rushing off to her room to sleep.
Marco eyed his phone as if waiting for it to explode. A few nerve-racking minutes went by before it quietly rang. He picked it up with solid hands and answered. "Hello?" He spoke dryly. As if even speaking was too much to ask for. The voice on the other end answered in a dull voice and monotone. "Yeah, I'm calling this phone number? On my phone?"
Marco furrowed his brow and frowned. "Sorry, I think you have the wrong number." He said with as much sincerity as he could muster. He knew Oscar wasn't a bad guy. But he felt a sudden rush of indignation towards him.
"Don't ever call this phone again." He said angrily, hanging up the phone. Marco laid back and set his phone down. He stared up at the ceiling, hoping his actions were justified before closing his eyes. Though he frowned just a bit. Hopefully, she can forgive me for just this one slip up. I'm glad she's happier though. Anything is better than seeing her broken up like that."
However, just outside his door, Star had been listening as quietly as she could. She smiled, hoping her best friend didn't mind tying up her loose ends for her. Though she was sure they both enjoyed the baggage being dropped.
She snuck back to her room and closed the door silently. Laying on her bed, she silently hoped that school would be easier tomorrow. She still constantly wondered what else Marco could be hiding, but she finalized that if anything did happen between the two, he would tell her by now.
She sighed a defeated sigh and rolled over, hugging her pillow. Maybe the next one will be better. She thought to herself, remembering Marco saying 'a few'. She smiled for a moment before falling into a deep sleep.
