Star and Marco slept amongst a slew of furry blankets, draped in each other's arms as the morning sun peaked over the distant mountains. It glowed a fiery red in the early morning sky as the crisp cold air was slowly being chased away by the warmth of its rays. While the first stretch of sunlight fell upon the quiet military camp, Stars eyes drifted open and she caught a sight that almost burned her cheeks off.
Marco was laying beside her dreamily, his bare chest heaving with each breath and his head lulled to the side to rest against hers. Her eyes went wide as she caught her breath at the sight of his toned muscles and the firm abs that swayed as he breathed. She shook the thoughts from her head and looked up at him, taken back by how handsome he looked. The scruff on his chin gave him a more robust look and his messy hair sat wild and unkempt against their pillow. It had been a colder night than she had anticipated, but she didn't mind. It gave her a proper excuse to enjoy his warm body against hers and his heavy arm draped over her.
She smiled for a moment but closed her eyes as it faltered due to what she realized. They didn't have time to enjoy with one another when there was work to be done. Today they'd have to set out to the mountains east of the Plains of Plenty to capture the land from a mysterious and chaotic force. They had gone up against enemies that sounded worse but she couldn't shake the thought from her mind that this wouldn't be as easy as the last few times. They had made a name for themselves conquering a couple dragons, defeating an elder lich king, hell, they even fought an army of barbarians from sacking a village two years ago. All with her best friend, Marco.
Star relished the adventure they'd been sharing for over 5 years, but she knew it couldn't last forever. They had lives to live back home. Marco had informed her near the beginning of their journey that they could spend their entire lives here and it wouldn't have taken them longer than an hour in their dimension. He didn't tell her how he knew this, something about a chase for his own dimensional scissors. So she wasn't worried at all about their time spent here, but, she worried about the time they spent together.
They had done so much together, lived more than they ever had in their own dimensions. They had gotten so close, having been alone together this whole time. But what would it amount to? They were still kids. Even though she knew she loved spending time with him, she also knew that Marco had always been treating her like they were still fourteen. And that bothered her.
As she mulled over this, Marco heaved a heavy breath that made Star blush slightly as he adjusted next to her. He lazily opened his eyes and when he realized what situation he was in with Star, he gasped and jumped from the bed, surprising her immensely. "Star! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have imposed! I hope I didn't bother-" "Don't even think about it, Marco." Her words were laced with a tinge of indignation and her patented smile was gone. She stared at him with cold eyes that rivaled the air outside the tent.
Marco kept his eyes locked with hers and frowned slightly. "Star, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?" He seemed genuinely concerned and she couldn't bear to be upset with him seeing him naturally begin to care for her again. "No, Marco. You didn't do anything." He sighed, relieved, but he knew his best friend well enough to know that something was on her mind. "What's wrong? You still seem upset with me."
She crossed her arms and looked across the room, avoiding his gaze, a slight smirk spread across her face. "It's just, when we go back, what do we do about this. Will things, still be like they are now? Or will we just go back to acting the same as back then? I don't want to give this up." She looked up at him with curious eyes that looked a little red. Like she was on the verge of spilling out all of her emotions. Marco weighed her words and shifted uneasily. This type of conversation had come up a few times before, but he believed it was time to address it.
"We can do whatever you want, Star. I only want to make sure your choice is your own." He smiled gently and sat beside her, taking her hand into his and pulling her closer, kissing her nose. Her sly smile grew wider and she squeezed his hand, looking up at him almost curiously. "Aaaand, what if my choice is you, safe kid?" He playfully frowned at her use of that name but smiled after a moment, his hand never leaving hers and his eyes doing the same.
"I wouldn't want it any other way. But," Star caught her breath. "When we go back, we're going to be the same dumb kids. We won't have any of this, or our solitary adventure to tie us together. Are you sure you want to try that, living like that, when we're young?" She thought for a moment and smiled up at him before resting her head against his chest. She liked that. Being close to him felt more right than anything she had ever known before. Especially now.
"I wouldn't want it any other way. We will always have each other, even if we don't have this. Just don't hold it against me if I miss these bad boys." She poked his abbs and giggled at his embarrassed reaction before looking up at him and kissing his chin. She was about to stand up to get ready when a pair of strong and warm hands grabbed hers. She felt herself being pulled towards him before those same hands rose to her cheeks, their warmth making her smile wider than before.
Marcos deep brown, intelligent eyes met her sapphire blue and excited ones. They stared at each other for a moment before Marco leaned in slowly towards her. She closed her eyes and waited until his lips met hers. It felt like being struck by lightning and being wrapped in a warm marshmallow at the same time. He relished at how soft her lips were, like kissing a warm cloud that could make all your problems disappear. They held onto each other, enjoying that moment for what felt like hours until a sound jarred them for the romantic bliss.
"I...um. E-excuse me. I'm s-so sorry to intrude." General Grenor stood in the entrance to the tent and looked sheepishly to the side to avoid ruining their moment any further. Star and Marcos' cheeks blazed and they nearly fell over trying to unglue themselves from one another. They both stood awkwardly though they each kept a hand of the other held tight in their own. Grenors worn and tired face began its own type of blush as he shifted uneasily, keeping his distance from them as he knew what it was like being young.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you two. I'll let you get back to it but I'd just like to inform you that we will be leaving in one hour. Again, thank you for your help. I'll see you both at the entrance of the camp." He smiled slyly at them before making his way out of their tent. The air among the remaining two occupants was tense as could be, both keeping their eyes glued to the entrance. Though it was Marco who broke the silence.
"Don't expect kisses like those all the time when we're on earth, Princess Butterfly." Star jabbed him in the ribs and squeezed his hand tighter. "Id like to see you stop me, Lover Boy." They released each other's hands and began preparing for the day. Marco began donning his signature suit of armor but stopped. His cheeks turned beet red as Star began undressing to put on her armor. Her voluptuous body showing easily through her nightgown.
"Woah! PG, Star! Cmon, warn me before you start doing that!" He shouted as he quickly turned around to face the wall. She gave him a puzzled look but smirked when she realized what he meant. In the five years they had been out adventuring, Marco had always been as chivalrous as ever. He never put her in an awkward situation while dressing so it came with no surprise that he was so distressed. She hurriedly began putting on her armor so he could don his, but decided to take another jab at him.
"Better get a good look, Diaz. This body won't be here forever!" He blushed harder and kept facing the wall as he shouted a retort back to her. "Keep in mind that that body belongs to a 14-year-old, Star! Were still kids. Remember that." She scoffed behind him and strolled over to where he stood, now fully dressed in her gear, before poking his ribs. "Youre no fun, Diaz." "Yeah, well keep your body to yourself."
She wrinkled her nose at him and squinted as he finished donning his gear. "You seemed pretty happy to be cuddling with it last night, ya weirdo." He blew a raspberry before standing up, looking down at her, and cracking a smile. He spoke in a deep, mocking tone, flexing his upper body and pursing his lips at her. "You wish you could enjoy my abbs all night, Babycakes." Her eyes went wide as she drank in the sight, blushing profusely while he strolled out of the tent in a strut and left a very flustered and nervous Star staring at the entrance. "Yeah, well...Fuck you too then!"
The two approached the camp entrance and mounted the horses they had been loaned. Star and Marco never really needed a definite mode of transportation, given that they had dimensional scissors to take them anywhere they needed. But in this instance, they figured it wouldn't hurt to just go with it as long as they got paid in the end. General Grenor was riding an all black stallion that surprisingly looked as friendly as any other horse. He watched as they approached and smiled under his helmet.
"Are you two ready? We have a few hours ride until we regroup with the scouting battalions we sent ahead." Star and Marco exchanged glances and nodded to Grenor. With a kick, the general's horse whinnied in protest and reared on two legs in front of the military force behind it, and the two contractors next to it. "THEN LET'S MOVE OUT!" His voice boomed as his horse took off down the wide dirt road that led to the Plains of Plenty, eight hundred and two troops behind him.
Marco looked on as he rode behind Star. He wasn't as experienced with horses and found it difficult to stay centered on the saddle as it thundered down the road. He watched Star and tried his best to mimic what she was doing. He raised his rear off the saddle and leaned forward, using his bent knees as a type of shock absorber and found it was easier to stay center. It also hurt far less than sitting on the saddle at full speed.
Star turned around and saw Marco riding awkwardly on his saddle, clearly trying to focus. She slowed down slightly to match his speed and yelled above the thunder of hooves. "Having a hard time are we, Bad Boy?" He scowled at her but continued riding as if he didn't hear. She smirked and rode ahead to Grenor, exchanging unknown words to him. Grenor then slowed as well, bringing the entire cavalry to a halt. He brought his horse around to face Marco and eyed him with a slight surprise.
"Marco, I've been informed you have a magic ability to open portals to other locations. If that's true, would you mind using it? I don't want to make our army at the mountain wait any longer than it needs to." Marco looked nervously at Star, who returned his gaze with a wide smile. In this dimension, it's not common knowledge that dimension hopping is possible. Only a few people even know of it and they're regarded as crazy. Magic is common which was fortunate for Star, but that was about it.
"Umm, yeah I have these scissor blades that can be used to cut rifts that you can walk through. But I don't know about a whole cavalry. Usually, it's for a few people at most." Marco dismounted and walked a few yards in front of the army, pulling out his blades and joining them together. They shrunk down to usual size and as he began the cutting motion, a tear began to form. He kept cutting wider and wider until a sizable tear stretched across the road. With one slow motion, he spread it wide open leaving an oval shaped rift that bore a scarlet red color in front of them.
The soldiers gawked at the sight and Grenor himself stepped forward to touch it. It sizzled wildly and harmlessly when his hand passed slowly through it. "Yes um, this will work fine. Where does it lead?" Marco split his scissors and strapped the blades to his sides before standing proudly next to the portal. "It should take us to the foot of the mountain where that thing lives. Hopefully, your men are standing by and ready to fight." Grenor nodded in approval and turned to face his men. "ALRIGHT, SOLDIERS! STEP THROUGH HERE AND IT SHOULD LEAD TO OUR DESTINATION IMMEDIATELY."
He turned to thank the two contractors but stopped when he noticed they were having a moment. The two spoke quietly to each other, Marco apparently grateful for something, before parting after a short kiss. Star stood ready as men poured through the portal, their horse's steps shaking the ground and sending dust flying. Marco gestured for Grenor to go first, then held out his hand for Star. She took it gingerly and the two walked through the portal together.
The moment they walked through, the portal behind them closed loudly, like it was straining to keep itself open for much longer. But they hadn't noticed, due to the scene that was strewn out before them. Men on horseback and men on foot alike both fought hordes of short green armored creatures wielding rusty blades and maces. "Goblins," Star whispered. "Were fighting goblins?" As she whispered this to Marco, she noticed that there were scattered soldiers who were dressed in darker armor and bore blood-red markings on their chests.
He leaned closer to Star and spoke over the battle before them. "Not just goblins. Men too. What's going on here?" As he asked this, Grenor charged forward on his horse and dismounted, sending a powerful strike into one enemies chest that sent it flying into a group of unlucky goblins. "No! These men have been turned. Now we know where our scouting battalions went. Take them out and destroy the enemy. We must try to get to the root of what caused this!"
Marco pulled out his scissor blades but looked uneasy. Star had begun blasting goblins but she too was careful to avoid hitting any enemy soldiers. Marco turned to the general with a worried look on his face. "Shouldn't we try to subdue them instead of killing them?" Grenor only looked down, his face laden with guilt and anger. "No. I've seen this type of Magic before. It cannot be undone and these men won't stop until they've killed all of us. You see those marks?" He pointed to the nearest enemy soldier. He had three distinct slash marks on his chest that hovered like stationary smoke an inch above his armor. They were colored deep red and had a small glow to them.
"That's the mark of the turned. A powerful, irreversible spell used by the cruelest of warlords on their enemies to turn them against their own. I've seen it before. Only death can save them now." His words were heavy but he charged forward and proceeded to behead the nearest enemy. Marco closed his eyes and breathed. They're just mindless drones now. I've taken out soldiers before, and this is no different. Just focus and get the job done.
He opened his eyes and rushed forward as he slashed a portal through the air. It deposited him high in the sky as he began to fall headfirst to the ground below. His eyes darted around, scanning his surrounding before finding a suitable target. Fifty feet in the air, he cut another portal and whizzed through, transported nearby a little over two feet in the air. He rocketed out like a bullet and brought his blade up to catch the necks of two goblins. As steel met flesh, their heads rolled off their bodies. Marco brought both arms up and rolled across the ground, launching himself up and driving a powerful kick to the first enemy he saw. The man stumbled back and before he could retaliate, Marco slashed across his throat.
He whirled around just in time to catch a blade against his own, sending hot sparks flying as he sent a kick directly to the man's chest. As the soldier stumbled back, Marco brought both blades down and drove them into the man's neck. He stepped back to look around, his adrenaline pumping as he heaved a heavy breath. A familiar voice jarred him from his analytical moment. "Marco! Watch out!" A sudden blast of pink magic shot through a soldier sneaking behind him and sent the man flying backward, unconscious. Marco whirled around and met eyes with Star. She too was breathing heavily and readied themselves for another group of soldiers charging for them.
Marco cut a portal in front of him and backed away quickly, gesturing at it to Star. "Drop shot!" he shouted, as Star pulled back on her wand and released a ball of red energy. "Mystical Lipstick Bombshell!" she shouted. It sailed through the portal and exited directly above the group of incoming men. What resulted was an explosion like a missile that sent them flying in several different directions and left a black smoking crater where they had last been. Star jumped into the air and aimed her wand at one of the few remaining groups of goblins that were headed for them. "Strawberry Hurricane Lasso!" A beam of red magic shot forward and wrapped around the goblins, dragging them closer to her. As she fell, she heaved her wand over her shoulder and grunted as all seven goblins sailed over her shoulder directly into a portal Marco had made. After they whizzed through, they fell from over three hundred feet up and splattered into the ground.
Once a few more men had fallen to his blades, Marco stood on red stained grass breathing heavily. He couldn't see any more soldiers in his immediate area, aside from a few stragglers littered around the battlefield. Grenor walked over to him, his longsword dripping with green and red blood, and his armor looking like a red Jackson Pollock. He sighed heavily and wiped his sword clean before returning it to its scabbard. "You two are a force to be reckoned with. I'm glad to be fighting alongside you."
Marco looked at him nervously then turned his gaze to Star in the distance. She launched a group of magic jelly beans that exploded on impact like grenades, sending enemy troops flying. "Yeah well, it's not over yet. Somethings behind these guys. And there's more coming from the mountains." Grenor sighed and looked to see what Marco saw. They looked like ants in the distance, but clear as day, there were dozens of enemies pouring from the rocks above. Grenor spoke with distaste and hatred oozed from his words. "When I find the cowardly shitbag that's done this to my men. I will personally tear out his heart and SHOVE IT DOWN HIS THROAT!"
Marco blocked the blade of a goblin that had snuck up on him and kicked it back twenty feet. "We can't let them divide our troops. We regroup and prepare for the next wave and begin making a move for the mountains. After that, we try to find out who's in charge of these drones, and take them out." Grenor looked impressed at Marcos strategic analysis and ordered a nearby soldier to relay the message throughout the battlefield. "A fine plan, lad. You regroup with your lady and I'll see to it that my men are prepared for-"
Before he could finish, a boom echoed across the Plains as the very ground shook beneath their feet. Every last soldier and drone stopped to look up at the mountain as a cloud of smoke and flying debris spread from the mountainside. A deep rumble echoed in everyones ears like the bass turned all the way up on speakers. Marcos blood ran cold as a massive hand that rivaled even the giant from St Olgas reached out from the smoke and dust and slammed against the side of the cliff. A red monster that stood over a hundred feet tall began making its way out of the smoke and towards the battlefield. It had massive horns the size of trees and a humanoid face like an Orc. Its glowing red eyes shone like hatred itself and a snarl adorned its mouth. It was dressed in Nothing but the bottom half of an ungodly large suit of armor, and it had a sash of deep black across its chest. A ball of what seemed like fire hovered between its horns and surprisingly, the behemoth spoke.
"Who dares to enter my domain! Who dares to die by my hands today! You will all fall before me and I will paint these fields red with your blood!"
"...That..."Grenor said quietly, his eyes now wide with fear. " The beast king Machonir. Terror of this realm, and legend of the mountains." Marcos' eyes darted around the battlefield at the terrified men strewn about it. STAR! He took off running in her direction, leaving Grenor alone with his men facing the godlike creature before them. Their battle truly had only just begun. He needed to regroup with Star if they had any hope of walking out of this alive. Much less defeating this terror.
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AUTHORS NOTE
Hey All! So Star and Marco finally get together!! I was honestly debating redoing it after someone commented on the terrible style of their relationship in other fics. Really, it pisses me off too. Every time I'm shipping someone, it takes the whole show or story before they finally get together. Leaving us with no time to enjoy it. So I knew I wanted to make sure that after some confusion between them, you and I would get to enjoy the rest of the story with these twos relationship blossoming. How they grow and learn, together. That's what it's about. So I hope yall enjoy it, and be ready for The Journey Pt 3. the last piece of this weird, three-part special thing I'm doing. if you have any questions then ask away and I'll PM you when I can. Enjoy your day and as always, BUH BYYYEEE!!
~Mr. Ronald Reagan