AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey all! I hope you are enjoying my fic as much as I enjoy writing it. Once again, I do apologize for my difficulties, things are just really heating up in my life rn. I have finals in school, sports, other stuff to catch up with… anyways, I am doing my best to get these chapters out because I am pretty sure you guys enjoy these. Anyways, I just wanted to warn that I am making a weird formatting choice for this chapter. I am choosing to make a few paragraphs, which are pretty early on, I just wanted to help clear out any confusion. You'll know it when you see it, but when the text is italicized, it is Marco's thoughts, when it's not, they're still his thoughts, but not his own in a way. The easiest way to explain it would be to just call it his conscience. I think I'll just stick with that… Anyways, sorry for the rant, ENJOY!
Oh and also, there is a reason this has an M rating. Very gruesome content in this one. No redemption is all I'm gonna say to warn you. Just know that someone gonna get f*cked up.
X-x-X-x-X
It was late at night. All of the lights of Echo Creek had come on to signify that it was night time. The sun was nearly set and the long day seemed to finally be coming to an end. The spot on the roof that Star and Marco had inhabited was now empty and the same familiar sunset as before dragged on slowly. The sky was brilliant. To Star, it didn't hold a candle to the sunsets of Mewni, but that isn't to say that she doesn't love the ones on Earth as well. The sentiment that it brought was far kinder and warmer than that of Mewni. The one on Mewni reminded her of her struggles with her parents, her future as queen, and the utter loneliness that she had felt for as long as she remembered.
The Earth one though… it was different. It may not have been nearly as beautiful as the one on Mewni, but its simplicity was appreciated. It reminded her that she wasn't alone. It reminded her that her future was whatever she wished to make it. It even reminded her that even if she had explored every crevice of the universe, there was always something new to be learned. It made her better. He made her better. From the day that she dove head first into his life to now, things had changed… drastically.
When she first came, the boy was cold and distant. To be fair, he clearly didn't know about magic before and had been the safe kid for far too long. But it didn't take long for him to come around. That same day, she experienced it. She experienced the total warmth of him. He was kind, thoughtful, and careful, in all of the ways that Star needed a best friend to be. Whatever force brought her to him, whether it be destiny or sheer dumb luck, she was happy to be where she was now.
She stood in the living room of the Diaz residence. The two had left the rooftop a while ago. They had come down in hopes to greet the Diaz parents before they went to bed. What they weren't expecting though was the news that they would receive.
It was far too shocking for Marco to comprehend. He had been relatively alone for most of his life before Star came along. Although he had Alphonso, Fergusson, Janna, and even his parents, he never had someone to love.
Even now, with the girl that he knew he… strongly liked… he still welcomed people into his life. He was definitely cautious about just who he would let in, but how could he ever place mistrust into… a baby.
He stared at his mother's flat stomach and looked at her in an innocently confused expression. She looked down at him and giggled. Of course he was no idiot, but surely he should have known that she wouldn't magically have a giant stomach now that she was newly pregnant.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Angie mocked. Star began to slowly lift her hands with a polaroid camera in her hands. Marco, knowing what she was doing, reached one arm behind him and gently pushed her arms and the camera down. He then responded to his mother's joke, "Sorry! I lose brain function when such GIANT NEWS IS DROPPED ON ME!" he yelled in the last part.
Clearly he was genuinely shocked. Star stood just behind him, with the camera still in hands, and wore an equally shocked look. She was the first out of the couple to break free of the stupor of course, so she asked "YOU'RE HAVING A BABY?!" in the loudest form Mewmanly possible.
The soundwaves of her scream were incredible. The house shook at her sudden burst. The shaking knocked Marco out of his shock. He looked up at his mother with a now conflicted look on his face, "you're having a baby…" The sadness of his tone caught everyone in the room off guard. His father was especially taken aback by his reaction.
"Mijo! Don't be jealous! We can give you attention still, we promise." He choked on his last words, as if he felt like he was in Marco's shoes. Marco on the other hand, didn't feel in any way as his father expected him to. He was conflicted for sure, but it wasn't out of jealousy. He felt… guilt.
Why would he feel guilty? I AM NOT GUILTY, Marco yelled in his own mind. Well then why are you sitting there and moping the exact same way you were after your fight with Star? What? I am not moping! I'm just…. just… moping…, he thought to himself once again. Was he really so immature that he was talking to himself? HEY! Okay okay. Why are you guilty?
Well I mean, with the baby coming, am I really going to be around enough to be a good big brother? Wow you really do find ways to make yourself feel bad don't you? YOU'RE NOT HELPING! Okay whatever, that's in nine months anyway, so what are you worrying about. Well I mean that's not the only thing either. I know that I probably wouldn't have turned out the way that I did if I had magic so… available to me. Okay, I think I see where you're coming from… So you're worried that the baby will get hurt? Well yeah, and also other things. You know as well as I do that it's easy to get tempted by power. HAHAHA, you and your monster arm! THAT WAS NOT FUNNY! Yes, you're right, maybe you'll just have to trust her to make her own choices then.
What? I couldn't possibly- Possibly what? Allow your sibling to grow on their own? NO! I have to make sure she doesn't get hurt- I can't let her… I can't let her make the same mistakes I would! Ah there it is. You surely must realise your lapse in logic, am I correct? No, I- (the epiphany hit him like a truck. Wow that was dumb.) Hehehe, alright, I think we're done here, yes? Uhh, yes, thanks I guess. Thanks for what? It's my job. If only I was allowed to do this when you let Star date Tom- What? NOTHING! No, wait you said- WE'RE DONE HERE!
Marco was pulled from his inner thoughts by Star, who was violently shaking him awake. He had been laying on the ground as if he-
"MARCO ARE YOU OKAY?!" Star screamed in a similar tone to the one she used moments ago. Marco was a bit dazed when he opened his eyes. "Did I just pass out?" Marco asked in a shockingly calm tone.
"Yes…" Angie answered, bending down to their level to check on her son. It was normal to freak out when you heard you were going to have a sis-sibling, but this was weird, even for Marco. The shock returned to Marco, this time for a reason other than his new sibling that was soon to come. He screamed at the top of his lungs until his mother whacked him across the face with her hand. It wasn't a slap, but it clearly did the job of chilling Marco out. He grabbed his cheek and his pants slowed into his normal breathing patterns.
He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. He held the breath for a moment, almost as if the dark of his eyelids and the silence of the room was solitude by comparison to where he was in reality. Eventually, after far too long by Star's standards, he opened his eyes and his gaze met Star. She was looking into his eyes hoping to find a certain comfort in his expression. She gave him an are you alright look, to which he softened his expression, reassuring her if only slightly. He then noticed that Star was SUPER close to him and was cupping his cheek the same way she had during their first kiss. Normally he would have been flustered by it, but this time it actually served to comfort the boy.
He was finally calm. He dusted off his shoulders and with the help of Star, he got back to his feet. Once he was at the same level as his parents, his mother asked "Okay, what was that?" To that, Marco didn't respond with words. He instead simply shrugged at her and formed his own question, "How long have you known about it?"
Angie and Rafael were slightly caught off guard by his sudden questioning, but that didn't stop them from giving him the honest answers that they always did. "A few weeks…" the parents spoke in unison. Star and Marco had been doing this a lot lately, but seeing the Diaz parents doing it so casually and not being the slightest bit worried was more worrying to the teens than if they were actually confused. Star and Marco shared a quick glance before Marco broke the silence, "Wait really? Why didn't you tell us?"
There was another moment of silence, this one held more weight than the one before however. Marco was genuinely confused why his parents would hide this from him. They were always honest with him, so it definitely wasn't comforting to him. The parents finally spoke.
"Marco, you literally just fainted…"
It was Angie that made the remark, but Rafael clearly agreed because he was vigorously nodding his head as she spoke. Star seemed to be satisfied with their answer, but Marco was a different story. He looked to his parents for a moment before asking in a slightly hurt tone, "Still? Why?" Star picked up on the emotion, but as she understood why he was hurt, she chose not to ask about it until later.
The parents didn't dare to meet their son's gaze. They instead shared a look. It was one full of worry, but the deeper meaning was that they didn't wish to hurt their son. They didn't intentionally hide it from him either. To be honest, they just didn't know how to tell him. Honesty was probably their only route of escape here, so they got to it, "Well, Marco, we just weren't sure what to say. We were afraid that you wouldn't be happy about having a younger sibling. We probably should have told you sooner, we just didn't want to hurt your feelings…" Angie spoke with a certain softness. It was a familiar feeling to Marco. It was one that he often identified as sincerity. She was telling the truth and it made Marco feel better.
He softened his expression to his mother. It transformed from one of hurt and sorrow to one of love and excitedness. He looked forward to having a little… brother? He snapped out of his mood and rushed his parents with a tight hug. It was one full of strength that surprised Angie. Her son was never particularly strong, let alone his extreme injuries just days prior. She took it happily though. Star watched the embrace with admiration. There were emotions behind the embrace that Star didn't get to see very often and it warmed her heart.
After an eternity, the hug ended. Angie was the first to speak, "Well if you're not careful you'll squish your little sibling…" It was in a joking tone and fortunately Marco picked up on it. He giggled softly and rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment. A silence fell upon the room. It was awkward, nobody knew what to say to each other, they didn't want to keep the mood like that, so Rafael chose to break the silence.
"Alright my children! We are very tired! We will see you tomorrow!" He spoke with a clearly faked optimism in attempts to soothe the odd mood.
Well that was weird, Star thought to herself. In her own experience, there was never such an awkwardness with the Diaz family. She decided to shrug it off because she was still not very experienced with humans. Marco watched as his parents walked up the stairs with a feeling he wasn't familiar with. Whatever it was, it tugged at his heart more and more as they got further and further away.
It was Star who stopped the feeling. He was pulled out of his worries unsettlingly fast when Star simply tapped on his shoulder. It was like the tenseness evaporated off of him from the spot where she touched to the rest of his body within two seconds. He turned to the girl and smiled.
The two decided to stay downstairs for a while longer. They couldn't exactly come up right after Angie and Rafael because of the odd awkwardness that they felt, so watching TV on the couch would have to do for now. They sat down and Star grabbed the remote. Marco didn't object to her choice in shows because for the most part, they shared a very similar taste in these things.
She chose to put on a movie though. It was typical of Star to put on longer things without realising that they would probably not be able to finish them. To Marco's surprise, Star chose a horror movie. She never did that, but he wasn't going to complain. He simply went with it when Star laid back down onto the couch.
"You know what you picked right?" Marco asked. Star looked at him with a confused expression. She responded, "Umm, yes…" Marco visibly shrugged at her and allowed himself to smile. He was pretty sure she hadn't seen a horror movie before and he always liked them. Since Star came into his life he hasn't had much time to watch these movies, so it was cool that Star was bringing them back for him. He just hoped that Star knew what she was getting herself into though. She isn't the kind of person to be scared easily, right?
The movie started. It was in the infamous 'happy family' stage, where a family moves into a haunted house unknowingly and all seems well. Star was clearly enjoying this part. She nuzzled her way into Marco's side and pulled the blanket from her side onto the two teens. In response, Marco chose to quickly take off his hoodie. The movie went on. There was a sinister presence clearly. The camera angles were from odd places, like bushes, shelves, and other abnormal places. Star shifted a little as if having someone watching her made her uncomfortable. Of course she was often being watched unknowingly by the likes of Mewni, the monsters, and even Starfan13, but it still messed with her. Marco felt her shift and put his hand on her hair. It was unfathomably soft, so it was a pleasure to fun his hands through it while he comforted his new girlfriend.
She was visibly soothed by him, as she sunk further into the crevice between his arm and chest. The movie went on. To absolutely nobody's surprise, especially Marco's, Star fell asleep in his arms. He wouldn't dare to leave the couch for the remainder of the night. It would seem that no matter what he did, his day kept ending on the couch with Star.
X-x-X-x-X
Morning came. The two sat in the exact same position as they were the night before. To their own standards, they had gone to bed early, so when Marco opened his eyes and spotted the clock in the kitchen. It was only 7:03 in the morning. Star was still nuzzled into his side. She had a look of innocent happiness on her face. It was something that Marco adored beyond belief.
He leaned his head back and sighed in total content. He wouldn't move until she too awoke. Or at least he didn't plan to.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
There was a knock on the door. It wasn't in a pattern or in any familiar tone to him. He looked in the direction of the door quizzically. It appeared that he was the only person awake, so he would need to be the person to open the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
There goes that noise again. Marco groaned. He carefully lifted Star off of him while trying to make sure she stayed asleep. He was seemingly successful because the only noise Star made was her muttering something about not calling her butterbutt.
KNOCK KNOCK KN-
The last knock was interrupted by Marco swinging open the door. To Marco's surprise, it was none other than his school counselor Mr. Candle. He wore a terrified look on his face as he stared into Marco's very soul. That was when the realisation hit him that the last time he saw Candle, he was working for Tom. Marco visibly took a step back in the direction of Star.
Candle noticed his worry, but there was no time to worry about such matters. He started to speak in a panicked voice, "Marco, you need to run!" He kept looking over his shoulder as if to make sure he was alone. Marco, unaware of what he meant, asked "Mr. Candle? What are you-"
His question was interrupted by a still panicking Candle. He spoke again, now in an even more panicked voice, "MARCO! TOM IS COMING! YOU NEED TO RUN!" Marco was visibly panicked by the news as well. Star, was all that Marco could think about. He ran to the couch after slamming the door on Candle's face. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her awake.
It took much longer than he would have liked, but she awoke nonetheless. She opened her eyes slowly. She took in her surroundings at the same pace that Marco had just moments ago. That was when she noticed Marco, standing over her with a look of horror that she had never seen.
"Was the movie that scary? Maybe I should have stayed awake," Star joked. Marco wasn't amused however. After being glared at for fifteen more seconds, she looked into his eyes. She picked up on the fact that the panic was real very soon. The look of horror translated to her face quickly. The two hadn't verbally spoken a word, but the message got across. They were in danger.
It was only now that Marco realised that his pregnant mother was upstairs. He snapped his glare to the stairs and pulled Star by the hand and sprinted upstairs. They didn't bother waiting to knock on the parents' door. Although Star didn't have a firm idea of why they were in danger, she knew that it was real because Marco was far more worried than she had ever seen him.
They made it inside. Marco immediately started to yell. After mere moments, both parents were awake. They sat up in bed and looked at their son, who was dripping with sweat, locking the door, and practically on the edge of breaking down. That was when Rafael stood up from his bed and stopped Marco mid-sprint, and spoke, "Marco, my son. What is going on?"
Marco's panic didn't cease, but he did manage to speak a name. It was one that only Star knew, but that would be enough. "Tom." He spoke with a certain determination. He was currently boarding up his parents room. Star was now also in shock, not to the same degree as Marco, but in shock nonetheless. She chose to be the person to speak on his behalf, seeing as his parents clearly didn't know who Tom was, "Tom is a demon.. Who also happens to be my… my … ex boyfriend." The parents obviously were not convinced that a demon was dating Star, so they chose to believe that it was more figurative than literal.
That was when they heard it though. The ground shook. They could smell the heat that was emanating from their living room. Was their house… ON FIRE?
Marco screamed when the ground shook. He looked to the door and got into a defensive position in front of both Star and his mother. They heard a figure begin to make their way up the stairs at an unsettlingly slow pace. Each step was strong and emanated power. Once the person was about halfway up the stairs, smoke began to flow through the crack below the door of the bedroom.
The room began to fill with smoke, so everybody inside the room backed their way to the balcony and stepped onto it. They could all hear the noise of steps cease and they saw the door handle begin to glow orange with shear, uncontrollable heat. The doorknob actually began to melt under the heat. An angry grunt could be heard from the other side of the door. If there was any doubt that Tom was behind the door, it was now gone. The door was kicked open on the first try. The boards did nothing to slow the demon down, nor did it help calm the boy on any level.
Behind the door stood Tom, glowing with furious fire and floating in the doorway. Marco gulped at the sight, Star got into a fighting stance, and the parents stared in disbelief. "El diablo," Rafael muttered under his breath. Tom remained in the door, unmoving, and his eyes began to fade into a flurry of red as he looked and saw Marco holding Star's hand.
He began his approach. Everything around him caught fire as he made his way through the room. The structure of the home was beginning to crumble under the fire that spread throughout the home. As he came closer and closer, Marco could feel the heat begin to dance off of his skin. Tom was still chanting his demonic incantations as he resumed his approach.
Star wasn't going to allow this to last any longer. She reached to her side to aim her wand, but to her dismay, the wand was nowhere to be found. CORN, I left it on the couch!, Star thought. She then stood nervously in her best fighting stance. It was down to their hands. Tom, now only 10 feet away from his target, began to conjure a fireball in his left hand.
He continued at his slow pace until he was directly in front of the terrified family. His glare wasn't at the family as a whole however, but at a single person among the group. He looked directly at Marco, the person that he viewed as the thief that stole his life from him. He finally made it to the family. The room behind him was totally engulfed in flames. The chances are, if they make it out, the Diaz house would be no more. Tom finally made his move.
He lunged at Marco with veracity but was intercepted by someone other than Marco. It was Rafael. The father of the boy he meant to attack had hit him square in the jaw. The punch was packed with power. Tom was dropped from his flight and onto the ground. The fireproof demon-teen sat on the floor, grasping at his own jaw. Star took the opportunity and bolted past Tom. She ran past him and down the stairs. He watched her escape and seethed in anger.
The three that were on the balcony still however, they were more important now anyway. Tom got up from the ground and started to float again. This time, the flames that emanated from his body were not only larger, but further out of control. It was a perfect representation of the boy behind them. Tom lunged again, this time however, he dodged the strike from Rafael. He actually made contact with Marco. He tackled him off of the balcony. The fact that saved his life was that there was a bush to break his fall. It was still painful, but not fatal.
He winced in pain as Tom remained floating above. That was when the back door of the house flew off of its hinges and open. Star stood in the doorway with her wand in hand. She looked to Marco on the ground and felt herself lose it. Pure hatred flew through her veins along with magic that was just as pure. A giant beam came flying through her wand and directly at Tom. He tried to dodge it and was partially successful. While he made it out alive, he didn't come out unscathed.
There was a large chunk of skin missing from the side of the demon. He grasped at his side, it was the most pain that he had ever felt. He wouldn't back down just yet however. He started chanting his incantations and a box started to form around Star. She pounded against its walls, but she was met with extreme heat to the touch. She then tried to shoot magic at it, but it only bounced against the walls and into the ground. She screamed in panic, which brought a newfound strength to Marco. He struggled to get to his feet, but once he did, he glared at Tom from behind. That was when he heard a crack.
In that moment, the balcony that his family stood on began to crumble. In that moment, things began to move in slow motion. He watched the shock on his parents' faces, his father held his mother tight to break her fall, and he watched Tom smile in their direction as they fell. He snapped. Still locked into the moment, Marco screamed "NO!" and just before his parents could hit the floor, the unspeakable happened. A spurt of red light emitted from his fingertips. The light flew with swiftness to break the fall of the Diaz parents. And as quickly as their descent had begun, it stopped just as quickly. The two were grabbed in the air and Marco's cheeks began to glow. The marking of a crescent moon formed onto his cheeks. They were glowing a bright white and Marco felt an unfamiliar force flowing through him.
Star stood in the fiery transparent box and stared in awe at what was transpiring. As extraordinary as it was, it was clearly using all of his strength to hold them up. Tom couldn't see a better time than now coming along, so he took it. He summoned the fiery hellevator and pulled his box with him.
And just like that, they were gone. Tom had escaped with Star in his grasp. Marco finally released his hold on his parents and sprinted in the direction of where they had just left. The fire portal was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. He fell to his knees and pounded at the ground, which shattered at his punch.
He didn't seem to care about his sudden power though. All he could think of was the fact that she was gone and he had let it happen.
His parents, who were tangled in each other's limbs from falling onto each other, got to their feet and ran over to their distraught son. Once they got to him, the aura of red seemed to fade upon contact. Whatever it was, they couldn't worry about it now. They wrapped their arms around him and felt him weap.
He got up from the ground now, he held his hands up and examined them. They were just the same as they always had been, save for a light glimmer of red that radiated off of him. He wasn't going to allow Tom to get far with her. He looked back to his parents with a you know I have to do this look and they clearly got the message. Similarly to how they had when he chased after her two weeks ago, they nodded once more. They got out of their human pretzel position and embraced their son. The hug was short lived, but it was enough. He reached into his right hoodie pocket and retrieved his scissors.
He summoned a portal and was about to step through. He looked up before he could though. He saw the home that he spent his whole life in finally collapse. The remains were charred and destroyed. He subconsciously wiped a tear from his eye and looked away from the destruction. He stepped through the portal and left his parents behind for the second time.
The aforementioned parents simply sat on the ground and looked at the remains of their home. They never quite understood the dangers that Star and Marco went through on a nearly daily basis, but seeing how they handled it, they couldn't formulate any objections to their adventures. All they could do is watch in awe as their son and his closest companion fight while they sit on the sidelines, defenseless.
The parents finally exhaled as if it was the first time they had in the last hour. They looked to their home, or at least what remained of it and sighed. Angie spotted her phone on the ground and picked it up, dusted it off, and started to dial 911.
X-x-X-x-X
Marco stepped through his portal and into the lands of Mewni. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he could never just attack the Prince of the Underworld. He couldn't stall however. As he made it through the portal, he observed his surroundings. When he was imagining where he wanted to go, he was too blinded by emotions to have a clear image of his destination. He found himself in a place that he could only assume was the bog. Star had told him about her experiences going Bogbeast hunting in the area, so he knew that the area wasn't too threatening.
The good part about his destination was that he knew someone who didn't live far. He knew that this person would help him and Star without second thoughts, as he had many times before. They were as close to being family as they could have been without actually being related. It was none other than Yvgeny Bulgolyubov, Buff Frog for short.
He made his way through the bog with the rough directions that Buff Frog had given him and Star on some occasions after they watched the tadpoles. After walking through the terribly muddy and extremely warm forest, he found the home of his close friend. It was a smaller abode, but it was clearly the home of a family.
Marco, filled with determination, walked to the front door and knocked..
KNOCK KNOCK
After a short time, Marco was met with a swift opening of the door. Buff Frog stood in the doorway in his casual wear. It was a robe, he wasn't wearing a shirt and the only other clothes he had under the robe were his underwear.
The frog initially scanned the outside of his door with a certain scowl that Marco had only seen in the times that Buff Frog was spying on Star. Ever since, the only times that he was on such high alert was when he was around his kids.
Speaking of his kids, they were the ones to first spot Marco. They stood at their father's feet and jumped up and down with joy. They couldn't speak, at least that was what Marco thought. They would keep their disguise for the time being.
Buff Frog finally looked down to the level of Marco and his expression transformed into one of shock. Marco was not in good shape. There were scratches all over his face and his clothes were tattered. The most surprising thing about him however had nothing to do with his injuries, but his new features.
"Karate boy, why are there marks on your cheeks?" Buff Frog asked. Marco didn't know of the new additions to his face until now, so he felt his cheeks. They felt no different than before, so he wasn't sure that Buff Frog was telling the truth until one of his children held out a handheld mirror to him. He hurriedly took it and observed his face.
Initially, it terrified him to see the new moons on his cheeks, but it didn't take him long to refocus himself to the task at hand. He looked to the ground quickly and handed the mirror back to the children. He looked back at the frog and spoke with unparalleled determination, "Mr. Buff Frog, I need your help."
At that, the frog adapted a new expression of seriousness. It was only then that he noticed the absence of a certain blonde. He then gained a new emotion of shock. "Karate boy. Where is Star Butterfly?" Buff Frog asked in his typical thick russian accent.
X-x-X-x-X
In Tom's Room
Star sat inside the box that now was the only thing protecting her from Tom, or the way she saw it, the only thing protecting Tom from her. As they entered the room, for the first time since he arrived at the house of Diaz, he finally calmed down. He left his floating demon form and sat down on his maroon sheeted bed. Star remained standing and at guard inside her box.
The two looked at each other with completely different emotions. Star looked at Tom with pure hatred and malice. Tom on the other hand looked to Star with hope and determination. The two noticed each other's expressions. Neither person allowed themself to be deterred by the gaze of the other.
Tom was obviously the first person to speak, "Hello, Starship, I'm glad I could finally save you from that stupid piece of trash Marco." He spoke with such calmness that it was unfamiliar to Star. She expected the insults though, even if they were for some reason not aimed at her, she planned on ignoring him for as long as she could, even if it did mean listening to him berate her beloved Marco.
Knowing that Star wouldn't break so easily, he needed to switch approaches. "Okay, Starship, probably not the best way I could have started that," Tom said. Star responded to his obvious statement, "You think?" in her most sarcastic tone. Tom continued, ignoring her snide remark, "Well either way, I'm really happy to see you…" That sentence was one that pushed Star over the edge. Is he seriously trying to play this off as if I came here by choice, she thought. Verbally though, she said "Wait wait wait. Did you seriously just say that? YOU KIDNAPPED ME!"
Tom actually stepped back at her sudden burst. He raised his hands defensively out of instincts. Star noticed his fear and audibly scoffed at him. "The prince of the underworld has less balls than the safe kid from Earth, what do you know?" Star thought aloud. Tom wasn't scared this time, instead he was furious. His anger flared up once more. There was no bunny for him to use to sooth him, so the anger was going nowhere. Star scoffed at him for his ridiculous immaturity.
Tom stayed there, practically foaming at the mouth at the mention of Marco. He then remembered what he had set out to do that night. He took a deep breath and gathered himself, much to Star's surprise.
He then unzipped the… fanny pack that was around his waist. Star practically exploded laughing at the fashion choice. God, he's worse than Marco and that's saying something, she thought, this time to herself. Tom then pulled out a piece of parchment that looked very official to Star. Something was off about it though. It emanated something that Star was very familiar with. It was magic, she could recognise it anywhere.
Her laugh faded quickly as she examined the paper closely. It had five noticeable signatures on it. It held the familiar signatures of both of her parents. Why would they-, Star's thoughts were stopped before they could start once she noticed both the heading and the date of the decree. It was titled 'The Joining of Two Kingdoms' and it was dated to mere days ago. What could that mean, Star internally questioned. It didn't take long for her questions to be answered though.
Even with Tom suddenly hiding the contents of the paper, she discovered its meaning. It all came to her so quickly. She had been so blind to it when all of the signs had been pointing to it for a while now. Her parents attacking Marco, suggesting Tom as a suitor, and not speaking to her since. She felt stupid for not noticing it sooner. Her parents had signed her off to be married to Tom. And Tom signed the contract.
What was magical about it though? Surely it was just from Moon's signature right? Tom held the parchment and a look of conflict donned his face. Star was confused at his conflict. He had no problem signing it, so why does he look like that? Surely it couldn't be empathy. That's not something he's capable of, Star asked herself. She stood in the box as far from Tom as she could get. He was practically against the wall, partly excited and partly… worried?
He finally chose to talk, "Star. I know that I make mistakes a lot. I never should have forced you to come here. I just can't do this anymore," he gestured to himself and her, "I can't be alone anymore. I know that you had plenty of reasons to break things off with me but I just can't. I can't be alone anymore. I haven't stopped thinking about you since the night of the Blood Moon and I have only made more bad decisions since then. I was just hoping that maybe, out of that infinite kindness that you have, you could give me another chance."
Is he serious? He is literally holding a marriage contract, he kidnapped me, he knows I'm with Marco, and yet he still has the gaul to talk to me like this? No matter how true his feelings are, he's not wrong. He made too many mistakes and now we're done. He doesn't deserve kindness and I'm done giving second chances. Her thoughts were unswayed by the boy's pathetic attempts at an apology. She had learned what it was like to be appreciated by Marco and she was never going back to her old life.
"No Tom." Star spoke with calm finality. She had zero intentions on entertaining his delusions any longer. "Let me out." In this phrase she spoke with much more emotion behind it. It was a mixture of anger and worry. If… When she got out of there, she was going to make her point.
Tom began to shake. It wasn't out of fear though, it was out of pure, unadulterated anger. He began to float and catch fire once more. Unlike the house he just destroyed, this room was fireproof. The room filled completely with fire, save for the inside of Star's protective box.
X-x-X-x-X
Outside of the Lucitor Castle
Marco stood facing the castle with no doubts in his mind. He began his approach. Behind him were a fierce group. There was Hekapoo, Buff Frog, Kelly, Janna, and … Ponyhead. It was a mostly fierce group. However odd the group was, they were determined as can be. Marco was out to save the person he couldn't be without, Pony was there to save her best friend, Kelly and Hekapoo were there to help Marco for the most part, but even still, they intended to win this fight at any cost.
They made their way to the side of the castle. Pony claimed to know where his bedroom was from experiences from when Star and him were dating. Marco didn't like to think about it, but by whatever means, they had to get to her. And some sixth sense that he had told him that she was correct. It was like some all knowing being inside his mind just instilled faith into him. There was no time left to doubt it, so he followed it with all of the hope he could muster.
Once they arrived on the side of the castle, Pony floated up to the window above her. The bedroom in question was on the third floor, so they would need to find a way up. Pony floated back down to the group and confirmed her suspicions. They were in the very same room that she suspected. Marco turned to the group behind him, "Alright, any ideas on how we can get in undetected?"
The group seemed to look to one another with uncertainty. That was all except Buff Frog and Hekapoo of course. Both were capable of getting the group up to the room's level. Buff Frog suggested that they simply jump up and through the window, but that wouldn't work, they had to all get up there. Hekapoo was the only option then. They simply had to hope that Hekapoo was joking about bringing them to some 'Tavern At the End of the Multiverse'.
Marco swallowed his fears and exhaled. He sighed as if it was to release whatever nerves he had. Hekapoo made one of her classic bright orange portals and gestured for Marco to come through. He chose to instill his trust into her due to lack of a better option. He hopped in without a second thought and was soon followed by the rest of the group. To their surprise, they were actually brought into the correct room.
The group got to their feet and noticed Tom staring at Star with a pleading look. Star was not facing him, he instead faced the other way with her arms crossed.
Marco spotted his girlfriend and couldn't contain himself, "Star!" he yelled. Star immediately turned and looked past Tom and spotted the source of the familiar voice, "Marco!" she yelled from behind her box. Marco sprinted to the side of the box and touched against it. He didn't care about the insane heat anymore, he just wanted to be with Star once more. He looked at her and tears of joy began to form. Star shared a similar sentiment, she held her hands out to the glass and only once they touched were they able to separate from the burning wall. Tom watched the exchange unamused and soon snapped, "ENOUGH!" he practically thundered at the two.
He went to advance toward Marco, but Janna pounced from the roof and came in between the two. She spotted the odd parchment and snagged it from him. He went to snatch it back, but Janna masterfully dodged his attempts and made it back to the group. She began to read the contract as Tom began to flare up for the third time in the last twenty minutes. Before he could light the entire room on fire however, Hekapoo dropped him from a portal and he fell from his ceiling to his floor. He shot a blast of quick fire toward the group. It was strong and powerful, so with so many targets, someone had to get hurt.
The target of the blast ended up being Ponyhead, who took the entire force of the blast. She took it directly in the chest, which caused her to fall to the ground. Hekapoo reacted fast and dropped her through a portal to likely go home. With one enemy gone, Tom started to conjure another blast, before he could shoot it; however, Janna revealed that she had stolen Marco's scissors when she cut a giant portal around the entire room, teleporting everyone inside into a discreet forest that was likely on Earth.
Everyone landed on their feet besides Marco and Tom, albeit for different reasons. It didn't take long for the people to get up though. Tom watched the group form around him and started to fight. He floated into the air and gathered a ball of fire in his hand. The ball began to grow until he had to use both hands to hold it. The group stood in a semi-circle around Tom, who was in between the group and Star. Marco stood in the middle, eying the boy with hate and malice. After all that they had been through, did he learn nothing, Marco thought to himself.
The only weapon he had on hand was his blade, 'el chapo'. He held his blade at defense and was ready when Tom released the fireball directly in his direction. The blade absorbed the flames and the blade emanated the heat that came from it. Marco lunged in Tom's direction with the likes of Hekapoo following him from behind and above him. She portaled behind Tom, but he expected it, so he held a wall of fire behind him, blocking the MHS member from attacking him.
He wasn't as ready for Marco though, the blade cut off the area below his left elbow and below. There was a violent slash from the sword as it quickly cut through the demon's arm. A surprisingly large splash of dark blood spurted from the spot of the wound. His arm was held up by a string of some green substance. It looked like what Star described souls looked like.
Tom winced in brief pain before his arm was reattached. He retaliated with a flurry of attacks. Marco had years of experience fighting in the Neverzone though, so he was able to dodge or block the majority of the hits. He wasn't able to block all of them however, because Tom had such quick hands and raw strength that no matter how long he trained, he would never be able to match the attacks.
Eventually, his guard broke and he was met with a scratch across the chest from Tom's sharp demonic claws. His wound oozed blood and Star watched in horror from the inside of her box. The box was noticeably losing heat as time went on however, so by now she was able to lean onto it while she screamed his name with tears flowing from her eyes, "MARCO!"
Marco, who had fallen to the ground after the previous strike, felt some pain subside upon hearing Star. He felt another wave of determination as he stood up. He made his way to his feet and faced his foe, revealing the large gash across his chest that had pierced his hoodie and his undershirt. There were blood stains that were starting to appear from what could be seen of his grey shirt. He looked up from the ground, revealing that Tom was in the middle of a charge, heading right for him. Marco had no time to react. The only reason he wasn't dead was because Kelly, the woolette, had dove into him and got him out of the way of the attack. Tom's dive was met by nothing besides the hard ground.
He got up quickly and grunted at the newfound headache he was feeling. "ENOUGH!" Tom shouted. He looked to Hekapoo and began speaking, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU IF I TELL MY PARENTS THAT YOU'RE HERE?". It was something that she hadn't considered before attacking the boy. The underworld was her birthplace. Glossaryck had forged her from the very essence of the underworld, so the king and queen had the powers to remove her at any time. She gasped at his threat and asked in return, "Do you have any idea what the King and Queen of Mewni are going to do once they hear that you kidnapped their daughter?!"
Tom laughed heartily at her as if it was some sort of joke. "Oh you poor fool, you don't know do you?" Tom retorted. The group was visibly confused by what he meant. The only person other than him that knew what he was talking about was Star, so that was who he would use to deliver the message, "Starship, why don't you do the honors for me?"
The name that he had given her so long ago felt more painful for her to hear now that Marco was right in front of her. She refused to speak on his behalf and simply shook her head at the floating demon. The aforementioned demon grunted loudly and asked, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT?! YOU MUST KNOW THAT IT'S NO USE BY NOW! NOT EVEN YOUR OWN PARENTS ARE ON YOUR SIDE!"
The words rolled out of his mouth and into everyone's ears as smoothly as poison would. Marco spoke in her defense, "SHE DOESN'T NEED THEM! SHE HAS MORE PEOPLE ON HER SIDE THAN YOU EVER WILL!" Tom simply shrugged off Marco's attempts at knocking him down a peg. He spoke once again, in a calmer tone this time, "Well, that may be true, but I don't need them to be. This is all I need." he held out the magical parchment and backed away slowly into Star's direction.
Janna gasped as she realised what the paper was. "Oh no," she mumbled under her breath so quietly that only she could hear. Tom noticed that she knew what it was, so he decided to see if she would speak for him since Star wouldn't. Janna was much more perceptive to him, so she chose to be the person to speak, "That is a binding contract," she looked around, hoping to see everyone around her nodding in understanding, only Hekapoo was though. She saw Marco, as oblivious as ever, and continued "It is a contract to marry Tom and Star, but something is different about this one." Tom was admittedly surprised at her magical prowess, but she didn't know the deeper secret, so as he continued to approach Star, he formed a fiery wall around him as he began to speak once more, "Yes, it is different. She doesn't have to sign it, all she has to do is-"
"Touch it…" Star finished with a crestfallen expression. Marco felt his blood boil as it hit him. Tom had been brewing up a plan to steal 'his Star' from him. The red glow from before continued. This time it was stronger though. His entire body emanated the aura. It was a much more furious and uncontrollable power this time. He felt his feet leave the ground as he slowly ascened. Buff Frog, feeling bad that he couldn't jump through a firewall, could only watch the spectacle.
The more Marco rose, the closer Tom drew to Star. He was finally there. His firewall encased him fully against the side of the box now. He moved his hand in a smooth circular motion and a large hole began to form in the box that kept Star from Tom. Marco continued to rise as the light glowed brighter now than ever.
Everyone watched through the transparent backside of Star's box as it unfolded, except for Marco that is, as he felt his cheeks begin to glow as well as his eyes. From his point of view, everything gained a red tint, similarly to how it had when he got his eye shot by the laser puppies.
The hole in the box grew. Tom stepped through and Star cowered to the back corner of her box. Tom took another step toward her. It was as if the Earth shook under each step. That was when Marco lowered from the air, still glowing with fury.
He landed on the ground hard, with a fist to the Earth and a knee to absorb the brunt of the fall. A crack started to form in the Earth and it webbed its way to Tom's feet. The crack was deep. It revealed magma below him in the Earth's crust. The crack was directly between his feet. Tom turned in Marco's direction and mocked, "Is that all you've got?"
Marco didn't speak in return, he instead smirked in Tom's direction as another crack could be heard. The Earth shattered under Tom's left foot, causing him to fall onto the ground to his right. Tom wore a surprised expression, whatever that was, he didn't want to test it right now. He took what would likely be his final chance and lunged at Star.
The paper made contact with Star, but nothing happened. The magic seemed to fade from the paper, as it would have if its job was done. Even Marco stood in anticipation for what would come next. What he didn't expect though was when a darkness formed over the sky above him.
The stars became visible under the vise of the moon. It wasn't Earth's moon though, it was much too close. It covered the sun completely, leaving no room for any light to get past.
The entire population of the fight stood in place as the unspeakable happened. The moon began to be overcome with a vicious red. As quickly as the Moon had arrived, it wasted no time. A red beam fired directly from it and into the piece of paper Tom held. It incinerated the paper completely, as well as the entire top half of Tom's hand. This time it wouldn't come back. Tom screamed in pain as he grasped his hand. At the peak of his scream, Tom's box around Star vanished, releasing her from her prison.
She wasn't given much time to run however as the Moon shot two more beams. These two shot directly at the likes of both Star and Marco. These two were not violent however, the two simply rose into what seemed like a blood red… portal.
Once they came through, they were surrounded by a void. It wasn't one of darkness however, instead it was one of pure white. Out of thin air, a being began to form. It was that of a woman, she appeared to be no older than Star and to anyone other than Marco, she would have been just as, if not more, beautiful than her. She approached the duo in a gingerly walk. She finally reached the two and spoke, not with her mouth, but through the two's minds.
They were initially shocked and afraid of the voice, but it reassured the two, "Do not worry my children… I would never harm the two whose souls I bound." The two looked to each other with shock. Was this the Blood Moon speaking to them?
The woman answered the two's suspicions, "Yes, I am the spirit of the Blood Moon and I am the very reason that you are not marrying that fool of a boy, Thomas." The two looked at one another once more, this time slightly less worried. The spirit, annoyed, spoke again "If you two don't stop that then I'll have to rethink which powers to bestow upon the two of you."
They were shocked, but instead of looking at each other, they simply intertwined their hands. The woman groaned and looked at the two once more. It didn't take long for her expression to soften into one of adoration. She spoke once more, now with a faint smile on her face, "I knew I was right about you two."
It was Star who finally voiced her confusion, "I'm sorry, what was that about our souls?" Marco seemed to be equally worried about this, so the spirit decided to finally answer, "In the light of the Blood Moon, you two are bound. Didn't the announcer tell you that?" Star remembered the night of the Blood Moon Ball and thought back on the man who warned of the effects of the dance, oh she thought.
Star answered, "I thought it was all a sham! I thought it was just a spotlight or something! Does that mean if Marco never came, I would be 'bound' to Tom?" she used her fingers as quotations as she said "bound".
The woman answered, "Well yes, but I had a friend make sure he came."
This made Marco think back to the night as well. He remembered the painting speaking to him and telling him about the 'Moon of Lovers', "WAIT, THAT PAINTING WAS ACTUALLY TALKING TO ME?!"
The woman only giggled at his panic as Star soothed him with her touch. "Well it was nice meeting my two favorite children, but I'm afraid you two must go back. My final gift to you two shall uncover itself shortly, if it hasn't already…" she winked at Marco as she finished her saying. She snapped her fingers and the two were teleported back to the scene of the fight.
Buff Frog, Janna, and Hekapoo were fighting Tom before they arrived. The two landed with their hands intertwined with one another's. Tom let out a blast of fire around him at the sight of the two, knocking his other three opponents to the ground. Upon impact, a crack could be heard from where Janna landed, so Buff Frog ran to her aid, soon joined by Hekapoo.
Tom flew at the two with great speed, but was met with a beam of red. It gashed him across his face, leaving a scar. The two spoke in unison, "no."
Tom was pushed to the side by the beam, crashing into the ground and skidding into a tree. He made to get up, but struggled. He groaned as he expended every muscle in his body to get up from the floor. Tom stared directly into the eyes of Star before speaking, "Starship, are you cheating on me?" Marco gripped Star's hand and she could feel the anger coursing through him. She grasped in return, hoping to subdue his anger. It worked for the time being, but Tom made a fatal mistake. He spoke again.
"Starship," he started with a vicious tone that he carried on as he continued, "Why don't you get away from that bitch of a boy. You shouldn't be so close to garbage, it may contaminate you." That was enough, Marco released Star's hands and ran at Tom. His aura blazed with red as he came closer. His crescent moons glowed a brilliant red as he started to unknowingly form fists with his hands. He was about to strike Tom down with his sword, but Star stopped him by yelling, "NO! MARCO DON'T!" He looked back at her with a torn expression. It wouldn't take much to sway him back to his path.
That was why when Tom said, "Yeah, you couldn't do that. Without that sword, you wouldn't even be able to protect her." He pointed to Star and that was enough. Star watched in horror as Marco tossed El Chapo to his side and drew closer to the boy. To her surprise though, he turned away from Tom for a moment, he looked back to her once more, pleading for her help.
"See, that's why you'll never win… You can't even get rid of someone who threatened the person you claim to love." Marco stopped in his tracks but wouldn't face Tom as he spoke. Tom felt victory in his grasp, he readied a dagger in a hand hidden behind his back before speaking once more, "You're pathetic. Why don't you go crawl over to Star and make her do it yourself you rotten little bitch."
Marco opened his eyes and immediately sprinted at Tom. He lunged at Tom with his bare fists. He made the first blow. It wasn't a karate chop or any other punch he had used before, it was instead a strong right hook, filled with all of the hate that he could muster. His head was thrown to the right as he spat out a pool of blood. Marco was the person who landed the second hit as well. It was another hook, this time from the left. It threw his head in the opposite direction and more blood came as a result. He wound up his fist to strike once more, but that was when he noticed something, Tom's arm was suspended in the air by a pink beam of light coming from Star. In Tom's hand was a crooked dagger that was poised to stab him in the back.
He looked to Star, who had just saved his life, then back to his bloodied fists. He clenched his fists harder and glared at the beaten up demon in front of him. He coughed up more blood. Star finally dropped the magic once Marco had gotten away. She was too tired to hold it up any longer anyway. That was when Tom attempted the unspeakable. He flipped the blade in his hand and threw it while muttering, "I win." under his breath.
He was wrong however. Marco held out his arm in the direction of where the knife was and was unsurprised to discover that now he was the one holding the knife. He pulled the knife from the air into his hand. His anger had reached an all time high. He was practically red in the face, in fact, everything other than his skin was literally glowing red. Once the knife reached his hand, he immediately thrust it into the right of Tom's chest.
The demon grunted and winced as the knife pierced him. Marco pulled the knife from his chest and smiled at the blood that dripped from it. Tom looked in horror at the boy that he had hung out with months before as he lunged at him once more. Tom screamed in pain as Marco stuck the knife directly into Tom's third eye.
The other three of the group watched in terror as the boy they knew as the safe-kid stood over a teenage demon with bloodied fists and an insatiable bloodlust. None spoke as they watched the boy spit on Tom. He walked in Star's direction with a soft limp as Tom laid, barely grasping at life, against a tree. He finally reached Star and he fell to his knees. Star came to the ground with him and noticed him… sobbing. He cried into her shoulder on the ground. Star ran her hand up and down his back, hoping to calm him down from whatever this emotion was. It was truly unclear to her. It clearly wasn't one pure emotion, but a dramatic mix of many. She felt his happiness from saving her, his hatred for Tom, his sorrow over the loss of his home, and most of all, guilt.
She was surprised, not by her own ability to sense his emotions, but by what emotions he felt. Why was he guilty-
Her thoughts were interrupted when she glanced up from his shoulder and spotted his left hand falling to his side. It had been pointed in Tom's direction. She nearly screamed at what was revealed. Tom laid against the tree, with a knife in his eye, blood all over his body, and… a hole in the middle of his chest. He was dead.
She dug her hands into Marco's back and started to reciprocate some of his emotions. She cried into his shoulder as she stared at the corpse of the person she grew up with. He had changed so much since they were children. Ever since they were ten, they had been on and off dating. She was kind of pushed into him since birth, but she didn't mind it back then. She didn't recognise the same boy that she grew up with now. He was cold, cruel, and most of all he was evil. She held no ill will toward Marco for what he did, she instead felt terrible that he was the one who had to do it.
Janna and the other two stood up and walked over to the two. Hekapoo gasped when she actually saw it. Before, they were behind the tree that Tom lay on, so the sight was completely new to her. Janna ran off into the forest and vomited into a bush, soon followed by Buff Frog. Hekapoo then did what nobody else could. She opened a portal underneath Tom and put him through. She closed the portal and silently walked through another. Janna then tossed Marco's scissors to his side and equally silent, she walked away, presumably toward her home. Buff Frog walked over to the two.
"I vill never speak of this night. '' The fatherly frog spoke. The two teens looked up at him and nodded in solidarity before picking up Marco's scissors and cutting him a direct way home. The two remained on the ground. It was only 2:00 or so in the afternoon by now, but they were exhausted already, among other things. Star pulled away from her hug with Marco once she remembered something. She felt around his chest where he had been sliced only moments ago. His wound had already closed, the only evidence that he had been scratched were the three massive scars across his firm chest. She felt up his abdomen and would have typically kept doing so, but she was pulled into a hug once more by Marco. It was as tight as she had ever felt. The hug was one that meant so much more than it let on to. After several minutes of being in each other's presence, Marco got up and helped Star to her feet. She used his arm to propel herself up and once she stood, she gave Marco a quick kiss on the lips and grabbed his hand.
They still had places to be.
X-x-X-x-X
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well god damn. That was morbid. I know it may be hard to hear, but yes, I just killed a teenager. His death will be a MAJOR plot point I promise. I'm sorry it took so long to get this out, but I am very happy with how it came out. I already have the next chapter practically laid out, I just need to write it. I am going to be writing chapter nine of Starco Vs The World first, then I will continue with this story and get 2-3 more chapters out before I write another SVTW chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, feel free to favorite, follow, review, and all that jazz. Watch out for the next chapter soon: Fugitive.
~ Chimp Enthusiast