CHAPTER FIVE: Getting to Know You

Wow okay sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I've gotten REALLY into Miraculous Ladybug (as you all probably know) and have been binging that for a while. That plus the fact that I've been overwhelmed with schoolwork (btw, I did switch my major to Creative Writing, so thank you guys so much for helping me with that) means that I haven't been super inspired to write lately. Ironically.

Bigmike33321: Omg if you still need someone to take a look, I totally will. I'm sorry I never messaged you about that!

Princess Dia: Thank you so much dear.

Some Random Girl101: A bit of both. Some chapters will be entirely independent of the show.

I don't own Star vs. the Forces of Evil. I'm on a Fall Out Boy/Phineas and Ferb music streak right now.

"Your demise," she whispered to the wind, "will be marvelous."

GENERAL POV

Over the next few weeks, Marco made it a point to "hang out" with Star as much as possible. He never went over to her house, and she had only been to his once, but at school they were together often.

Star was still avoided by her classmates; most of them would speak to her if it was in regards to a class assignment, but other than that they steered clear. Marco knew that it was getting to the girl, and he smirked every time she was shot down by one of her previous friends.

Still, at the same time, Marco also felt a pang of guilt whenever he laughed. He knew what it felt like to have no friends; hell, before he had started being fake friends with Star, he hadn't had any. It wasn't a void he had ever thought about intently, but now that he was watching this princess break down over the people who were so nasty to her, he couldn't help but feel like he should apologize to her.

She had been down for such a long time that it really shouldn't have surprised him when he got word from one of the kids in his first period class that some floating, fiery man had basically proposed to Star during homeroom.

Grabbing the bathroom pass and racing from the room, Marco couldn't help but wonder what another demon was doing trying to get close to Star. It wasn't possible that Toffee would replace him, was it?

Marco shook his head, rounding the corner and making a dash for the parking lot. No. No way. Toffee wouldn't replace him. Not for something this important.

He lifted his eyes to see Star leaning over what looked like a pink rabbit that was being held by a rather attractive looking demon with an evil glint in his eyes that Marco recognized all too well; it was the look Toffee got in his eyes whenever something went his way. Whatever or whoever this demon was, his plans for Star weren't good. And Marco couldn't let anyone destroy the princess before he got the chance to.

Which was why he flipped over Star's head and karate chopped the demon's hand clean off, the bunny hitting the ground with it. "Back off, demon!" he snarled.

The three eyed moron sneered at him, fire flaring up in his eyes. Just as Marco was prepared to be incinerated, a pudgy human stepped out of the damned chariot and began walking the demon around the parking lot.

"Marco, don't karate chop him," Star sighed in defeat, looking rather down. "This is…Tom."

"Demon ex-boyfriend Tom?" Marco asked in surprise, having heard about him once or twice from Star. "What is he doing here?"

Star looked at him sheepishly. "He wants to take me to the Blood Moon Ball."

Marco froze. The Blood Moon Ball? He knew exactly what that was. And as soon as he heard the words, he knew exactly what Tom had planned for Star. He wanted to join their souls and bind them together for eternity. "Star," Marco said softly, narrowing his eyes at Tom, "never go with a predator to a second location."

He couldn't let Tom get at Star. If those two were bound together for an eternity, Marco would never have a chance to destroy the kingdom of Mewni because she would be under Tom's protection. He turned his gaze back to Tom as the demon handed over a bell for Star to call with if she changed her mind about going. As soon as his chariot of eternal damnation disappeared, Marco wrapped a hand around Star's wrist. "You can't go with him."

Star scoffed. "I can do what I want, Marco. If I decide to go, that's my choice."

"You can't," Marco spat out, his eyes flashing violently and his grip tightening on the girl without his knowledge.

"Ow! Marco, geez, let go!" Star yelped, trying to wrench her hand away.

Marco immediately yanked his hand away, his rage dying as he checked to make sure he hadn't hurt her or lost control of his monster arm. Either thing happening would completely blow his cover. "Sorry," he said blandly, tugging on a sweatshirt string. "I just don't trust Tom."

Star was still watching him warily, cradling her wrist in her hand. "I know," she finally acknowledged. "But it could be fun. Do you uh…want to come back to my host house and help pick out an outfit to wear?"

Marco swallowed and shook his head. "I uh…can't. Got a lot of homework and stuff. Text me though?" He had purchased a cellphone upon first arriving on earth so that he would appear more human to everyone.

Star nodded in agreement and the two parted, Star going back to wherever her house was and Marco trudging to the house that Toffee had gotten for him. He stepped inside and flicked on the front foyer light, taking a moment to stare around the empty area and sigh.

He dumped his backpack at the entrance and shoved his hands in his pockets, slumping into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge, staring at the vacant cavity for several seconds and trying to will food to appear. When nothing happened, as usual, he shut the door rather hard and listened to the sound of dishes rattling in the cupboards.

"ARGH!"

Marco spun and slammed a fist firmly into the wall, his chest heaving. He summoned his monster arm out of hiding and swung it around, cracking the kitchen table neatly down the middle and cleaving the arm right into the floorboards, effectively giving him blisters. Marco collapsed to the floor and flexed the tentacle, watching silently as it shrank back into an arm before he clutched it to his chest and rocked back on his heels.

"This shouldn't be so hard," he muttered. "Or so confusing."

He shook his head, running a hand through his unruly brown hair before pushing himself to his feet and slinking up the stairs to his bedroom. Marco was tired; tired of not hearing from Toffee, tired of pretending to be friends with a dimwitted princess, tired of living in a place that made him question….

Well, everything.

Marco sank onto his bed and stared down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. Something about Earth didn't sit quite right with Marco; he had only been there for less than a month, but already he had an unsettling feeling in his stomach, as if he were two steps away from finding out some world shattering secret.

Marco didn't want to find out what that was.

He sat in silence for a long time, watching the shadows stretch across his floorboards and change from bright sunshine to darkness, nearly falling off his bed when his phone buzzed with a text from Star.

What do you think?

Attached was a photo of the girl, taken in front of a mirror. Her hair was pulled into a bun, tendrils framing the edges of her smiling face. She wore a pink dress with darker pink designs on the hem, a single strap going over her shoulder, and white boots adorned her feet.

Marco tapped out the text before he really thought about it. You look amazing.

He froze as his thumb subconsciously hit "send" and the message popped up on their chat history. He did not just say that about the freaking princess of Mewni. Marco scoffed in irritation and tossed his phone onto the bed next to him, burying his head in his hands.

Nope. He hadn't said that. Not really. It was just part of his cover, Marco reassured himself. In all reality, Star was an airheaded blonde who was basically delusional in the idea that she could ever become queen.

His phone buzzed again and he glanced at the text out of the corner of his eyes. Thanks, Marco!

He hesitated, picking the device up and dancing his thumbs over the top as he searched for what to say. I still don't think you should go.

Her response came in seconds and reminded Marco of why she annoyed him in the first place. I'm totally going.

He frowned, slowly setting the device aside and leaning back against his pillow, tucking his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. He didn't care. She could do whatever she wanted; it wasn't like he was her father or something.

Still…Marco didn't want her and Tom getting caught under the Blood Moon light together; that could prove disastrous to Toffee's plans. And when Toffee was mad…

Marco shuddered and sat up in bed, his eyes scanning his darkened room and landing on his closet. He slid from the mattress and flung the closet door open, shuffling through his clothes until he paused on the only suit that he owned. He pulled it from the hanger and studied it for a long moment before finally giving in and pulling the outfit on. Knowing that he would be recognized instantly at the party, he swung by Quest Buy for a sombrero and a skeleton mask before cutting his way into the Underworld.

He glanced around slowly, lifting his gaze as the window overhead began glowing with the Blood Moon light. Shit. Where was she?

"Star?" he hissed, ducking around various monsters and searching desperately for the princess. "Where are you?"

He finally caught sight of her and, seeing Tom nowhere in sight, raced out and grabbed her by the wrist. His mind flashed briefly on when he had grabbed her earlier and he loosened his grip ever so slightly, pulling her back towards him.

It happened quickly; her feet slipped just a little underneath her and she stumbled against his chest just as the Blood Moon light struck them in its beam. Marco froze for the briefest moment before realizing that everyone was staring. Knowing he couldn't make a scene, he began dancing.

He spun her in circles and dipped her around the room, trying to get her attention and snap her out of her trance-whatever that was about-before Tom spotted them. "Star!" he whispered desperately.

"How do you know my name?" the girl asked dreamily.

Marco rolled his eyes. Right. The mask. "It's me, Marco," he explained, lifting the mask away just long enough for her to see him.

"Marco!" Star yelped in shock, her eyes flashing with recognition. "What are you doing here?"

Marco glanced back over his shoulder, spotting Tom coming their way, and his heart pounded in mild terror at the look in the demon's eyes. "Let's get out of here, this place is the worst."

He felt the hands at his back, the claws that dug just slightly into his jacket and reminded him almost perfectly of Toffee, and the next thing he knew he was on the floor staring up at the most pissed off demon he had ever seen in his life. He scrambled backwards, tempted for just a second to grow his monster arm and fight back.

And then Star zapped Tom into a block of ice.

Marco froze (metaphorically speaking). Had Star just saved his life?

"Let's go Marco," the girl grumbled, stomping past him. With a quick glance back over his shoulder, Marco got to his feet and darted after the girl, knowing that he would have to come up with an explanation for how he had gotten there.

However, the ride back with Star was completely silent. There was a moment of panic on Marco's part when he realized that Star was going back to her house, but he shoved it aside with a shake of his head. It was only for a few minutes; how much harm could it do?

"Thanks for the lift!" Star called over her shoulder at the demon who had brought them back. She and Marco slid off the carriage and Marco glanced back to watch it vanish in flames.

"Ugh," Star grumbled. "So infuriating!"

Marco smirked ever so slightly. "I hate to say it, but I warned you about Tom."

To his surprise, Star spun on him and chucked her shoes at him. They missed entirely and flew over the edge of the balcony, though Marco wasn't positive that she had intended to hit him. "No! You! You're infuriating!"

Marco stared at her in shock, trying very hard not to let his surprise turn to anger. "Me? I was just trying to help!"

"You don't trust me to do things by myself!" Star interrupted. Marco's heart leapt into his throat as she stormed closer, only to watch her lean against the balcony and stare out at the sky. "I'm 14…I can handle a demon."

There was a long pause between the two as Marco tried to figure out what to say. He had never seen this side of Star; actually, now that he thought about it, encasing Tom in an ice block was the first time he had ever seen her do magic like that without a spell. And she had been protecting him.

"I know you're trying to look out for me," Star continued finally, making Marco glance up, "but I need to figure things out on my own. I don't need a hero."

She glanced back over her shoulder at Marco. "I need a friend."

He stared at her for a minute, finally seeing the girl in a new light. Ever so slowly, he lowered his gaze and moved to stand next to her, facing her bedroom. He removed the mask from his face and stared at the ground, his mind racing. "You're right," he finally admitted. "I should have trusted you. I'm…I'm sorry I ruined your night."

He swallowed hard, unable to believe that he had just apologized sincerely to this princess of a kingdom that had killed his family. Star looked over at him and turned around.

"Well, it's not a total loss," she admitted, swiping his sombrero from his head. "Now I know you can dance."

Marco snickered, patting down his hat hair before she could make fun of it. "I wouldn't go that far. I'm not that good of a dancer."

Star shrugged. "I dunno, what I saw was pretty good."

Marco glanced up with a thin smile. "Is that so?"

She nodded and then gestured to her room. "You uh…want to come in? You've never been to my house before."

Marco stared into the house and took an unwilling step forward, tilting his head slowly. Something about this house was pulling him in, and he didn't realize he was at the door of the balcony until Star settled a hand on his shoulder. "Marco? You okay?"

He shook himself out of his daze and backed away from the door quickly, turning to meet Star's gaze. "I um…I gotta go back to my house. Getting late and all."

Something in his gut told him that if he went inside that house, something bad would happen, and he didn't want that.

"Right," Star said, looking disappointed. "Uh…well thanks. For the dance, I mean."

She blushed ever so slightly and Marco felt his cheeks heat up. "I'll see you…"

"Tomorrow," she said at the same time he did.

They stared at one another in surprise. "Woah!" they both exclaimed. "We both said-"

Both faltered, eyes widening and eyebrows lifting. "-the same thing-"

Marco mentally cursed, knowing exactly what was going on. He and Star had been caught under the Blood Moon beam. "Okay stop that," they chorused.

Star yelped and grabbed for her wand, pointing it at Marco's chest. His instincts immediately kicked in and he narrowed his eyes, his teeth grinding against one another. He knew that she wouldn't hurt him though, and quickly forced out a laugh to ease the tension.

"That was new," Star observed.

Marco nodded. "Yeah…weird. Anyway, is there a way I can get down from the balcony? If your host family is asleep, I don't want to wake them."

Star turned her wand on the balcony and blasted a staircase into existence. "There. See you tomorrow, then."

Marco nodded, grabbed his sombrero back from her, and descended the staircase silently, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking until he was far enough away that Star wouldn't see him open a portal.

So now he and Star were forever intertwined underneath the Blood Moon's light? Weird. Marco wasn't quite sure he liked the thought of that. And yet….

And yet, it almost felt right.

*insert audio clip of Jeremy laughing at Marco after he broke Jackie's skateboard here* (literally my favorite laugh ever omg)

Reviews?