A/N: Thanks for all the feedback and for getting this story to 7000 views! Just… WOW! I really appreciate it and makes my day reading them so keep them coming! Anyways, I'll keep this short so enjoy!
OmegaDelta: Lol you don't cause me problems so don't worry, keep doing you and thanks for the reviews! I love hearing back from you so keep 'em coming! I will admit that you are very good at reading between the lines but that makes my job at surprising you all the more challenging and I love it! As for Marco's problems… you'll see. I'll develop it more and his past may come back to haunt him.
PrometheusDark: Lol how would Starkellco work? Might be interesting though…
skystar99: Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to stay up so late to read it. I guess I must be doing something right if people are losing sleep to read it lol.
Resurrection99: Thanks for the kind words and I'm happy to know that you're rooting for Kellco because I know that Starco is the main ship, but it's nice to have different perspectives. And yeah, Marco's time during the trials did affect him, it would be kinda weird if it didn't lol. The show pretty much glossed over that whole thing. I'll try to keep up the great work if college papers don't end me.
TheAllKnower: Thanks and you got your wish! Rather soon actually lol.
Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic. - Sky
Kelly couldn't believe her eyes and neither could her sister.
Marco, the kind and gentle boy whose past didn't change him for the worse, was sparring with her mother and he was… not pinned on the ground by her.
Her mother.
The most trained and highly skilled assassin of her people, and the dimension, was sparring with Marco, and she wasn't going easy either. It was a mystery to her how he wasn't pinned face down on the ground begging for her to stop.
Liliana somersaulted over Marco's body as he tried to land an overhead karate chop on her, and spun her body, perfectly, to land a kick on Marco's back. He flew a few feet forward landing with an 'umph' when he hit the ground, face first.
Aaaand there went Kelly's astonishment.
"That's good Marco. You're getting better." Liliana said with a smile. She had good reason to be happy since he had surpassed her expectations by far in their time training together. It also looked like he wasn't too tired and that's an accomplishment on its own.
At first, Marco was hesitant to take up Lily's offer of fighting practice, but he caved in after the tenth time of her asking him. The fact that the Squire Tournament was just around the corner was what actually made him agree, but she didn't need to know that.
Marco stood up, coughing up dirt, and dusted his dirty t-shirt. He could feel every single ache in his body and the soreness in his strained muscles. It had been this way for the past three days.
"Li-Lily, could you please not kick my back so hard? I think I felt my spine shift with that last one.."
Liliana began to walk up to Marco, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and gave him a good smack on the back.
"Oh don't be such a baby Marco. You've done well for the past few days and it shows. In all honesty, I'm very impressed with how fast you can learn. [Looks at Kelly and Cora] You even managed to surpass Cora, who you couldn't even land a hit on when we started, in such a short amount of time But.. [pinches his face] you still lack experience and that can't be taught, so be careful." she said with a concerned tone.
Marco, still trying to rub the pain from the kick, nodded. She was right and he had no room to argue about that. He noticed that Kelly had gone quiet, too quiet, so he looked over to her. She was squinting her eyes at him, almost as if she were studying him.
"Uhh, Kelly? Is something wrong?"
"Yes, Marco, there is."
She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Marco had no clue what was going on, but could tell by her expression that it was serious.
"Umm, mom and Cora, could you give us some privacy?" she asked with a serious tone. Liliana and Cora gave each other a quick glance, as if secretly communicating, and they nodded. Cora went on ahead towards their camp, while Liliana stopped next to Marco and leaned into his ear.
"Misery loves company, but it doesn't have to be that way." she whispered into his ear, then walked away in the same direction as her oldest daughter.
Before Marco could think about what Liliana had just told him, Kelly took his hand and began to lead him away from the clearing. "Umm, Kelly? Where are we going?" he asked once they walked into the forest, but she didn't answer and kept walking.
After several minutes of silence and walking, they both pushed past a bit of the forest's overgrowth to finally reach their destination. The spot they had walked into was a small indent in the forest that almost seemed like a buffer or rest stop for those who wandered into it. There was a rock that almost served as a perfect bench, a small stream running through the bottom of said rock from the slightly elevated pond a couple feet away. Kelly sat down, not looking at him, and patted the seat next to her.
Marco sat down next to the bushy haired girl and couldn't help but feel nervous. Kelly was rarely serious, but the times that she was were usually serious so he braced himself.
"This is my special place… helps me think." she said while looking ahead with an unfocused gaze.
Marco didn't know how to respond to that so he went with the choice that had the least probability of ruining the moment. "T-That's nice?" Wow, his voice managed to crack while he said that but Kelly was either too distracted or nice to notice, which he was grateful for.
If only he could use his grown up voice, but that would make things weird and hurt his throat so he ruled that option out.
"I want to tell you how I knew where you were the day of you telling me about… your past. I… Well, we, as my family, were training in the clearing we just came from when I felt this horrible dread and somehow I knew it had something to do with you. [Turns to him] I knew where you were because the place we are in now is… Earth… but I bet you already knew that, huh?"
Kelly's pained expression made Marco's heart tighten in sadness. Her eyes had so many emotions swirling in them, but the one he did catch caused his heart to throb: misery.
He looked away from her and stared into the distance. After a few seconds of silence, he turned back to her and gave a sad smile.
"Yeah… I knew that already."
Kelly didn't say anything so the two just sat there, listening to the sounds of the forest. He was lost in the sounds until he snapped back to reality when he felt Kelly's hand on top of his. He jerked his head to her at break neck (literally) speed, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking straight ahead, as if thinking of what to say which he should give a shot at someday.
"... I found you because this-this pull in my chest was, like, guiding me to you. Once I pinpointed your location, the sensation in my chest felt almost suffocating so I snuck into my sister's tent in order to use her scissors… [Places hand on her forehead] I... did it all without thinking because my entire being was screaming at me to go to you, like a magnet… and when I saw you all bloody and hurt…" She used her other hand to cover her mouth, trying to hold back her tears.
Marco brought her into an embrace and held her in his arms until her sobbing ended. She lightly tugged on his shirt which he interpreted as 'hold me tighter'. He apparently got it right because she didn't pull away or tug on his shirt again and, after several minutes, they slowly parted from their warm and comforting embrace.
"I-I'm sorry Marco… I've been holding that in for a few days now and it just all kind of… (nervously chuckles) yea." Marco put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a heartwarming smile. "It's fine Kelly, really, it's fine. I really should be more careful with the way I… handle things and I promise you that I will so don't worry too much."
She returned the smile and nodded at him, happy with that promise, but she needed a way for him to keep and make her another promise and she had just the thing. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink just thinking about it, but she had to go for it. Her mother had raised her to be scared of nothing… but the nerves!
"U-Umm M-Marco?"
"Yes, Kelly?"
"C-Could you promise me something else?"
Marco found Kelly's nervousness and shyness rather… cute, so he couldn't help but smile and nod. She was too busy dealing with her own turmoil to notice that he now sported a similar blush. "Sure, Kelly."
"... C-Could you promise me that you- umm- will... [takes a deep breath] neverleavemeandrelyonmeifsomethingiswrong?" Marco blinked a few times, trying to process what she had just said so quickly and, when he finally figured it out, his blush deepened to a scarlet hue.
"I uhh… sure, Kelly, I can promise you that BUT you're going to have to promise me that you will trust me, have my back, and not be stubborn, okay?"
"[Sighs] I can't promise about the stubborn thing but the other things I will gladly do… Wait… isn't that what friends already do for each other?" she asked him with a dumbfounded expression.
Marco chuckled at her reaction to finally figuring it out. "Yes, Kelly, that's basically what I'm saying. [Notices her expression turn sad] Hey, what's wrong?"
"Only friends?... As in… nothing more?"
Marco was surprised to say the least about what he had just heard. Sure, he kind of suspected that Kelly had feelings for him. He wasn't that dense, all the time, but it was a whole other thing to actually have her hint at wanting to be more than just best friends.
Marco placed his hand on top of hers and smiled when she made eye contact. Since he had known Kelly, which isn't that long but felt like he had known her longer than Star at times, knew that she was the actions-speak-louder-than-words type so he had to choose his next words very carefully as well as his actions.
"Kelly… I consider you my best friend and honestly can't see my life without you in it. [Scoffs] Weird, isn't it? We've known each other for less than a year yet... I feel like I've known you my entire life. I guess we just click, you know? We make a great team and... I would be lying if I said that I haven't considered or pictured us as more than best friends," Kelly blushed madly at hearing this, "but… I still have some feelings for Star." he said with evident sadness.
Kelly's heart broke once she heard those words. She shouldn't have tried to be anything more than friends. She should have just been grateful for the wonderful relationship that they currently had. She should have buried her feelings for him, so they hopefully never resurfaced.
Kelly was about to sit up and leave, to run as far away from him as possible and cry where he wouldn't be able to see her. To dwell in her own misery, at never being able to be with him, but the firm grip of his hand held her down. She didn't want to look at him, but something compelled her to and her heart broke all over again. The look of anguish in his eyes squeezed at her heart and a small, almost silent, gasp escaped past her lips.
"Kelly… I… wasn't finished… [Takes a deep breath and exhales] I would like to give us being together... as a couple a... try but it wouldn't be fair to you that we do so while I have these feelings. I-I… I need some sort of closure with Star. [Sighs] I don't know when or how soon that closure will come so… could you wait for my answer? I know it's selfish and-"
Kelly's soft lips silenced whatever rant Marco was about to get into. His mind went blank at the sudden but warm contact so he weakly returned the kiss. Kelly was the one steering this ship and he wasn't complaining, not that he could at the moment. The kiss was completely different from the ones he and Jackie had shared. The ones they shared felt sweet and fuzzy, but the one he was currently sharing with Kelly was more… deep, causing his senses to dull. As if he stopped kissing her he would go into some sort of free fall in an endless abyss and never hit the ground, to never feel anything again. For the first time, in a very long time, he felt his heart swell with joy and happiness.
Was this how a real kiss felt like and made someone feel?
For Kelly, the kiss caused her heart to beat faster than the time she had to swim away from deadly sea creatures in water dimension or the time she was pinned and almost killed by Yhorm or… the point being that it was beating very fucking fast. The feeling of their lips touching sent shivers down her spine and, when she felt Marco return the kiss, she felt absolute bliss. Her courage had actually paid off! Her entire being was being overstimulated, from the action they were partaking in, that it felt almost… addicting.
It was just a simple kiss but the feelings behind it weren't.
After what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it was about a minute, their lips slowly parted from one another. They stared into each other's twinkling eyes and could tell that the other was in a state of euphoria.
"Wow… that was.. Wow." Marco stammered with reddening cheeks, wide eyed.
Kelly couldn't help but giggle, a little girlier than she'd expected, at how cute he looked when he was a nervous-blushing mess. She was also extremely giddy at the fact that she was the one who had caused him to react that way and, for some reason, that caused her confidence to shoot through the roof!
"That, Marco, is what you call a kiss [smiles] and also a way to seal our promises so you can't break them or else… As for giving you time, yes Marco, I'll give you time BUT don't keep me waiting too long okay?" she said with a simple smile.
Marco snapped out of his bliss induced stupor and nodded. "I'll try to give you an answer as soon as I can Kelly… umm… but are you sure about wanting to be with me? [Smiles sadly] I have a lot of baggage… not to mention my endless insecurities. I'm kind of… broken." he chuckled sadly.
Kelly hated when he talked like that about himself. She didn't see Marco as some broken thing. She only saw him as a person who was just trying to live their life without strife or sadness, surrounded by those he cared about. To be of help to those in need no matter the situation or price. She also thought of him as selfless, courageous, smart, funny, charming, chivalrous, talented, kind, and so much more. Marco telling her about what happened during his trials won't ever change that, or anything for that matter.
It was a crushing shame that he didn't see himself in a better light, she truly believed that. However, the universe thought differently when it came to Marco. He had been a witness to horrible things that no one, especially him, should experience. But… he did. And he's trying to go back to his as-normal-as-can-be life, but it seems fate his different things stored for him…
A cruel and heartless fate that has tortured an innocent boy… forced to become someone he wasn't but now is for the sake of… friends. Choice or not, it wasn't fair for those things to have happened to Marco.
Kelly mentally clenched her fists in anger, silently promising to herself and Marco that nothing would harm him ever again. Not on her watch. If the universe wanted to break him, then it would have to go through her first.
Kelly gave Marco's hand a reassuring squeeze, making eye contact with his beautiful chocolate browns. "Hey hey, don't say that about yourself Marco. You may be going through… things right now, things you haven't told me about, [he gives her a sad look] BUT you're not broken."
"But Kelly-"
"BUT Kelly nothing. If… If you truly believe that you're 'broken' then how about you let me handle the… repairs? [He gives her a confused look] Oh for the love of- just come to me when you have a problem or tell me you do and I'll help you, okay?! Just because I love you doesn't mean that I'm going to stop being your best friend you dork." she says with a smile, while quickly flicking him on the nose.
Marco grinned at her, not caring if she saw how crimson his cheeks were due to all the heat he could feel on his face. Kelly seemed to enjoy how he looked because her smile grew even wider.
"Thanks Kells, it really means a lot to me that you care so much… I'll... tell you about my past but… umm… let me collect my thoughts first on that stuff, then I'll tell you, I promise."
Kelly's smile turned into a flirtatious, mischievous, one at hearing the last few words. However, Marco was oblivious to why she was reacting like that.
"So~ [she bit her lower lip] should we seal that promise too?" she said with half lidded eyes and a quick wink.
Marco's face erupted with heat and his body felt a few shivers pass through it at what she had just said. The way she was looking at him was only causing his body and mind to shut down even more. His inexperience with girls came in handy, and by that I mean that he became a stuttering nervous mess, again, like puddy in her hands.
"Uhhmm.. Uhmm… Ye- umm.."
'He can't even formulate a sentence! Kelly, girl, you're causing him to fall apart and you're not even trying!' she congratulated herself in her own head, a smile automatically spreading on her lips.
"Wow, you crashed Marco."
Both teens turned around at the sudden but familiar voice, snapping both of them out of the atmosphere they (mostly Kelly) had created. Marco shot off his seat and opened his mouth to say something, but not words came out. Kelly groaned as she stood up, and faced the individual whose voice it belonged to.
"MOM! You couldn't have chosen some other time to interrupt us? I was really enjoying myself you know!" Kelly said in an irritated tone, which caused her mom to burst out laughing.
"Oh, I know you were sweetie, [looks at Marco] I just felt that Marco needed a breather since.. it seemed like his programming crashed!" she laughed harder, failing to contain her laughter. "Oh, lighten up hun, I was only playing. [Ahem] Anyway, I came to get you two since Cora and I packed up the camp- thanks for helping by the way- and are ready to go so chop chop." she said while clapping her hands at both of them.
Kelly rolled her eyes and groaned as she made her way past her mom in the direction towards the camp. A nervous Marco tried to catch up to her but was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder, causing him to audibly gulp. He slowly turned around only to be met with Liliana's smile; a smile that he remembered seeing in some slasher films back home.
"Marcooo, mind explaining what just happened?" she asked without letting up her smile.
"Uhhmm… I.."
"[Chuckles] Oh relax Marco, I'm just pulling your leg," she said while patting him on the back, "but if you do wrong by my daughter, well, do I need to say more?" she said with a dark grin, to which a pale Marco shook his head. "Good. As much as I like to mess with you, let's change the subject: tomorrow's the Squire Tournament, correct?"
Marco did a complete 180 at the mention of the tournament, now sporting a serious expression. He ran a hand through his dark hair and nodded. Liliana sighed, "Sorry to do this to you Marco, especially after such a nice moment, but can you show me your scars? [Marco gives her a confused look] It's for your safety, trust me." she said sadly.
Marco didn't want to show his scars but he trusted Liliana enough to do so. He nodded and slowly lifted his shirt to show all the marks that marred his torso. Marco became worried when he saw her frown at seeing them. She switched her gaze from his torso to his eyes, causing him to flinch.
"Marco… when was the last time you meditated?" she asked in a flat tone.
"Ummm… A-A few days ago, w-why?"
"[Frown deepens] Lying will get you nowhere, Marco, so tell me the truth."
Marco sighed and shook his head, now feeling exhausted for some reason. "I haven't… [Sighs] I haven't meditated since the end of my trials." he said shamefully.
Liliana shook her head at hearing the truth, especially since she knew that he knew of the consequences and dangers of not doing his meditation.
"Marco… Hekapoo gave you specific instructions to meditate using the magic infused beads that she made to help with your condition or else the dark magic can corrupt you. Your scars are signs of the corruption spreading so do what she-"
"I KNOW!... I… know. Just… the meditation isn't working… it never has. The beads don't work either and we're not exactly on good terms right now..."
Liliana's expression switched from one of shock, at hearing Marco raise his voice, to one of worry. 'How could that be possible?! If he hasn't been doing the meditation then what has he been doing? Uhh, I'm going to have a nice chat with that demon once I see her!' She looks down at Marco, who is now fixing his shirt, and squints her eyes.
"So, what have you been doing to help your condition?"
"I-I… nothing. I've done nothing, because I don't need to."
Liliana scoffed at him in disbelief. Marco was playing with dangerous magic, magic he didn't fully understand, and he knew that. So why would he think that by doing nothing, it would help? "What do you mean by that, Marco?" she asks skeptically.
"I mean that I no longer need to do anything… I haven't had an episode since the trials and the last time I had a nightmare was… a while ago. [An image of Kelly flashes in his mind and smiles] In fact, things have only gotten better since I stopped trying to do what Hekapoo told me." he said with confidence.
"[Sighs in frustration] Look, Marco, it may seem that way but you couldn't be more wrong… And I'll prove it to you. Tomorrow, while you're fighting in the tournament, do not, I repeat, do not use the dark magic inside of you, no matter how much you may want to, and you'll realize what I'm talking about. BUT Just in case things get ugly or you decide to ignore my warning, I'll teach you a technique that might help (save your life) long enough for me to get to you, so pay attention. What you want to do is…"
Little did they know, that someone hidden behind a tree had overheard their conversation. The person in question left, without making a sound, to not get caught. The information had to be shared with…
The morning of the Squire Tournament went by in a blur. The only thing he could recollect happening was Star telling him "good luck" and "to break a leg, but not really!" in her usual bubbly enthusiasm before rushing back to her waiting parents who also gave him words of encouragement, just less loudly.
Other than that, he couldn't remember much. He couldn't even remember if he had breakfast but he assumed he did since he always ate the most important meal of the day.
Marco was removing his hoodie in order to put the chainmail over his shirt before he could put the sweater back on. Sure, he could put on more protection but it would hinder his movements, and he really didn't like being sluggish. Next were his pants, which he wouldn't use in an actual battle, so he took them off and was about to put chain mail around his thighs when the sounds of someone walking over to his tent's opening caused him to stop.
He wasn't expecting to see Higgs walk in, into the dressing area for the men. She walked past Marco, who was trying to cover himself below the waist, and sat down on the bench that had his equipment neatly organized.
"Uhh, Higgs? C-Can I help you?" he asked nervously.
"[Rolls her eyes] Oh relax, Marco, Jackie says hi by the way... Anyway, I'm just here to wish you luck and… thank you again for… you know."
Higgs's expression of sadness fueled his anger at the people who were responsible for what happened to her, but quickly calmed himself down. Now wasn't the time or place for such emotions.
Marco walked over and sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort. Higgs noticed and appreciated his attempt to make her feel better so she gave him the best smile she could muster, which he gladly returned.
"It'll be okay Higgs. You're safe now." he reassured, "So umm, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready? The tournament is about to-"
He was cut off when he felt her arms wrap around him. She was embracing him! Sure, they were friends and had gone through some heavy stuff not that long ago but they were still rivals!... Right?
"W-Wha-What are you-"
Higgs abruptly stood up, leaving a confused Marco behind, and headed towards the exit of the changing room but stopped in front of it.
"Be careful out there… buddy." she whispered with a smile on her face and then left. The room was eerily silent after that, Marco's brain trying to process what just transpired.
"Okayyy? That happened." he whispered to himself and shrugged before going back to putting on the rest of his new attire. It took a few minutes since he wanted to be sure everything was the way it was supposed to be. Hey, he was still the 'safe kid' after all.
He put all of his… 'equipment' into his trusty magical fanny pack he bought at Quest Buy since he had a feeling that the occasion called for it. He hoped it did.
He turned towards the exit to leave and almost had a heart attack when he saw Kelly there, almost appearing out of nowhere.
"AHH, my heart! Kelly, could you warn me next time before you do that?! I almost had- hey, are you okay?"
Kelly didn't respond, causing Marco to worry. The sorrow, along with other emotions he couldn't quite pick up, in her expression wasn't helping it go down either.
"Kelly, is something wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
The tone of his voice seemed to snap her out of her thoughts, but didn't change her expression. She slowly walked up to him and placed one of her hands on his chest, over his heart. He felt a bit of weight on his chest, noticing that it was her head and tried to get a good look at her face but her beautiful hair was obstructing him from doing so.
Marco feels her head moving, shaking her head, as if saying 'no'.
"Marco… don't do anything that I wouldn't approve of, okay? And… [lifts her head to meet his eyes] be very careful… I want you back in one piece… p-please. I don't want to go in there and bail you out b-but I will if I have too."
The tears that were beginning to form on the corner of her dark eyes, along with the look of anguish and torment, caused something to stir in the deepest parts of his heart. The smile, he knew was forced, on her face caused something to click in his head. The words "misery loves company" came to the forefront of his mind and he instantly knew what he wanted-no-needed to do.
He wrapped his arms around Kelly and brought her frame closer to his.
"Don't worry, Kells. Nothing's going to happen to me. I did promise you that I would be careful, after all, and I plan on keeping it." He brought her body closer to his, trying to show her through his embrace that she had nothing to worry about. "[Pulling away from each other] Now go find your seat Kelly. I'm sure your mom and sister are going to start worrying as to why you're not with them yet."
Kelly wiped at the corner of her eyes and nodded. She gave him a chaste smile, not completely worry free, and left. Marco was once again alone but this time was different.
He had a goal that was different from his original one.
Marco pushed past the changing rooms exit and the first thing he saw were the massive medieval gates of the arena where the event would take place. He smiled and began to make his away over to the gates, surrounded by other competitors going to the same destination.
Random memories of people he met during his Trials caused him to pause mid stride. 'You walk in the darkness so others may see the light!'- 'You deserve every cut you've been given you monster!'- 'It is often in the darkest skies that we can see the brightest stars.'- 'Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.'
An image of a dying old man laid out on his bed, in a poorly lit room by a few candles, appears in his mind. 'The past cannot be changed, Marco, but the beauty of that is that we have the power to change our futures and ourselves... Remember, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only-'
"-remembers to turn on the light." he whispered with a smile, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "And I think I finally found it..."
He resumed his walk towards the gate, until he went under and past them, entering the colosseum-like arena. Someone in a cloak separated from one of the many lines of participants entering the arena and followed after the boy with the red hoodie.
Something seemed to fall out of the cloaked individual's slender hand while pushing through the crowds of people. Among further inspection the object seemed to be made of some kind of parchment...
It was a picture of someone… an older more rugged version… the mole ever present on the person's face.
A/N: OMG! That took longer to update than expected but college will be college I suppose. I'm glad I was able to update both of my stories in less than a week from each other after months of not updating (This one was slightly over one month!). I'm just happy to have this update out, along with the other one, because they were way overdue in my opinion lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Also, keep those reviews and feedback coming! Until next time, peaceee!
