Forgotten Ventures
Ch. 6
One call away
~ EDIT ~
Marco set down his pencil and organized his study material before letting out a contented sigh. "Finally. It's finally done. Three hours of homework and notes, but I can rest easy knowing-" *SMACK* A balled up paper knocked the back of his head, and when he turned around he found Star glaring at him through a tight lipped grin.
"What?"
"How are you done already?" She demanded. "Miss Skullnick said it would take us like two days to get through all this junk. And after the monster arm, you shouldn't even be able to write!"
Marco shrugged and leaned back in his chair. Star was laying on his bed, a mess of papers and books strewn in front of her. She didn't look the least bit happy, but given that she'd spent most of the afternoon moping and waiting for Oscar to call, he didn't blame her. "That was three days ago, and I feel fine. Plus, it kinda helps when you actually take notes in class, those textbooks are like four decades out of date."
"Not to mention you already took the class, dummy," she grumbled. But after a moment she managed a partial smile. "We should go do something. It's been like three weeks since the bounce lounge, I feel like we've earned a good trip somewhere-"
Marco cleared his throat, waving a dismissive hand to her stack of papers. "Homework now, crazy interdimensional adventure later. Your grades will appreciate the hard work." Star answered with a pout, aiming her wand at every scrap of paper before blasting it to ashes and charred staples. "There. All done. Adventure time?" At least she wasn't moping.
"You know, I don't really remember what your grades looked like last time, but I guess you're feeling better," he mused, standing and stretching. He was still sore from the inconsistent workouts he'd been trying to maintain, in the vain hopes of seeing his beautiful abs again. "What do ya feel like doing?"
Immediately she perked up, happy to rifle through Marcos bedsheets to produce their pair of dimensional scissors. "Leave in fifteen, make yourself pretty!" She shouted before cutting open a scarlet portal and diving through headfirst. As it closed, Marco nodded to himself and moseyed towards the closet. He missed this, the simplicity of school life, without squirely chores and knights looking to pick fights, no life or death situations, just an easy Friday afternoon.
Okay, maybe there were a few life or death situations, and his arm was still iffy. But nobody got seriously hurt besides Jeremy, and according to what he'd been re-learning from algebra, that was a passing percentage.
He slid out of his hoodie and tee, stopping for a moment to stare at the closet mirror. There was a new pair of long, ugly scars that stretched over his shoulder and across his forearm. The pink tissue rippled as he pulled on his 'fancy' brown button down, jerking his sleeve to cover the damage to his arm. It didn't sting, not anymore, but it was too real a reminder that he had to be careful and ready for whatever the universe would throw from behind the curtain.
His parents didn't know. His friends didn't know. It was just a thing that happened, and they made it out fine, so why was it so terrifying? The short answer was because he didn't expect it, and the obvious dangers that came with an assassin hunting you. But Star had a point, it had been three weeks, and even Ludo had been more of a prominent card than the stranger in the bounce lounge.
Pushing the damages and worries to the back of his mind, Marco changed into a pair of dark slacks and his equally 'fancy' gray converse. Pleased that he was at least neat, he nodded to himself and tried to strike a few poses. He tried slicking back his hair. He thought about cologne, to… Marco stopped and stared at his reflection. "What are you doing?" he asked himself.
This wasn't a date, as badly as that small part of himself wanted it to be. This wasn't a romantic evening in some far off dimension, like he'd hoped for once upon a time. 'You're just going to hang out as friends. Don't make an idiot out of yourself again trying to make something happen that never will.' After a moment he nodded, ruffling his hair back into a relaxed mess and loosening his collar to sit with a noncommitted jumble. "Just friends. That's all we are."
"Marco! Are we ready now? If we don't hurry then-" Star barreled into his room and stopped, taking in the sight with more enthusiasm than her bestie. "Looking good, Marco, I almost don't even recognize you." Over a chocolate brown top she wore a deep green dress that flared into a wide skirt popping with little sewn designs of eels. Her boots were the same deep color green, only with little waves making up the edge of the soles.
Behind the blush, Marco forced a smile. "Well, we look 'pretty'. So what's the plan? Pizza on a glacier? Bounce Lounge part two? Karaoke on an alien planet?"
Star shook her head and scoffed at the very idea. "Dancing."
Immediately, Marco frowned, a sight as worrying as it was sudden. "You mean like… dancing, dancing? Not… club dancing? Or even 'Dance Dance Rotation Craze' dancing?" To his mounting discomfort, Star shrugged, producing her scissors and cutting a dark blue portal in the middle of his bedroom. "I heard about this really cool spot in the Sea kingdom. Apparently the Merfolk are craaazy about the clubbing scene, but they do it a liiiittle classier, and they don't like outsiders so much. Hence the getup. How do you feel about sharks?"
"Depends on the type of shark when-" Marco shook his head and stared at her. "No, back up. Fancy dancing in the mermaid people kingdom doesnt sound like- What kind of club is- Why do I need to not be afraid of sharks?" He fired off his list of questions, but before he could pry an answer out of her, Star pulled out her wand and leveled it with his face. "'Cuz it's underwater, ya doy. Hold your breath and think about dolphins, will ya?"
On instinct- as he'd learned whenever her wand was pointed at him- Marco did exactly as he was told. He sucked in a rapid breath and conjured the image of a majestic bottlenose in his mind before a sudden flash of pink and a wave of heat stole his senses. When he came to, he tried to draw another breath to fire off more questions and demands, but not a whisper of air filled his lungs. "*GAK*- *ark*- shtaaaaa!" He tried to say something, anything, but he couldn't breathe.
Star was quick to fire a similar blast into her own face, and with a returning smile of held air she motioned towards the portal. Marco didn't hesitate to oblige. In a mad rush he dove through the portal, expecting a breath of fresh air, or some kind of salvation to be waiting for him. What he was met with was a blast of lukewarm saltwater. Immediately he felt an intense pressure all around his body, the chilling rush of currents, and a looming deep-sea blue that filled his vision. Without rational thought he began to panic, thrashing in place to find the-
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and with mounting dread he turned to find-
'Gills?' he thought.
Star had a pair of fleshy membranes on either side of her neck, and seemed to take in a healthy rush of seawater as naturally as breathing. With no better options but to suffocate or drown, Marco struggled to force himself to do the same. The action was similar to swallowing, but immediately he felt the burning in his chest die down. Somehow. And the taste of the ocean wasn't as hard to ignore the longer he breathed.
"STAR ARE YOU CRA- WHAT KIND OF- Where did you even learn to-" He hissed out another breath of water and felt his nerves settle. She kept smiling at him as if nothing was wrong with the entire exchange, so he decided to just drop it. "How'd you give us gills?"
She frowned and thought for a second before shrugging. "It's kinda crazy, but I actually learned this spell a long time ago from my mom. But don't worry, she said it wears off when you get out of the water?"
Brushing past the horrifying implication that he was her first attempt, Marco rubbed his face and sighed. He wasn't going to get anywhere berating her over it, he'd learned that much over their prospective escapades. There was a time and place to re-set those ground rules, but here wasn't it. 'Actually… where is here?' He turned around, looking at the deep expanse of water they were floating in before turning back to Star. "Where are we?"
She gave him a toothy grin and pointed straight down. "Heh, right above the Sea kingdom, hotspot number one!"
Marco followed her gaze down below to find a chasm running from horizon to horizon, a seemingly infinite darkness torn into the sea floor, a few hundred meters below. And nestled in the center of it was an equally dazzling array of light in every color of the rainbow, dotted around like stars in the night sky. "Woah…" he breathed, or bubbled.
"Woah indeed, my fishy friend. Shall we head down?" she grabbed his hand and gave it an easy tug, and Marco felt his cheeks burn. He withheld for a moment, but seeing her excitement flaring in a smile, he couldn't hold onto that dread for long. This wasn't something he'd done before, there was no telling how it would affect the timeline- hell, he didn't even know if it could. He had a million reasons to ask to leave. A thousand chances to go home and try to stick to that traveled road of caution. But every fiber of his being just wanted a taste of what could have been. Just a chance to enjoy something he didn't deserve. A night alone… dancing… with…
"You coming buddy?" Star called, her voice gently distorted through twenty feet of water.
Marco shook the thought from his head and nodded, kicking his feet to dive after her. 'It's not a date, don't be stupid, Diaz. Star needs to make her own choices, and she already didn't choose you. You need to move on, before you ruin another friendship with someone you care about.'
The two made their slow descent in amicable silence, neither finding much of note to say or ask aside from the passing excitement of the occasional flipper whale. After about five minutes of diving, the Waterfolk Kingdom finally began to come into proper view.
In a cascade of sandstone and coral, The walls of the undersea trench gave way to towering structures in every shape and size, from conical spires to spiraling towers. Every surface seemed to be covered with bioluminescent bottom feeders, with lanterns of jellyfish casting an eerie blue glow on the undersea highways. Most of the structures resembled sand castles, or coral domes covered with glowing anemones and seaweed. The entire city seemed to dazzle in the inky darkness, filled with warmth and light. And people.
Most notably, Marco found his attention pulled to a swarming school of fish. But as they drew closer, he realized they were bipedal, humanoid, and covered with fins and slicked skin. They came in all colors and sizes and shapes, but all of them reminded him of the Swamp Creature. They zipped through the water in schools like swordfish, some coming close enough to investigate the slow moving strangers. Against his judgment, Marco chanced a wave.
A few of them waved back, but in a flash they swam away.
"We're here," Star blurbed, pulling his arm towards a less-illuminated area of the city. Marco strained his eyes to look, but after a moment, once the fog of the undercurrent had passed, he saw it. Nestled at the bottom of the trench, where it was so dark it was practically night, there was a Man O' War. A massive wrecked ship at least forty feet across, and a couple hundred feet long, had it not been split clean down the middle.
Star angled her descent to swim towards the side of the ship, near some bushes of kelp and coral-covered stone. Marco followed her and found that she had apparently made arrangements for the outing. There were three Mer-people… Mer-folk… Mer-dudes? Fish people, waiting near the side, and all three perked up when they saw her approach. The closest, a lavender-skinned girl with billowing green hair swam up to greet them. "Star! I didn't actually think you'd make it!" she shouted, angeling to investigate Stars dress and equally billowing golden hair. "I heard about how you got sent to some loser dimension, and when you texted me ohmygosh I thought it was a prank or something!"
Star laughed, producing her wand and giving it a test whirl that sent a geyser of bubbles towards the surface. "Yeeeaaahh… see, I kiiiinda wrecked the castle a bit when I got my wand? But it's totally cool, I'm living on Earth now, and it's so much fun!" She grabbed Marco by the shoulders and pushed him between them, beaming a smile as she explained. "Guys, this is my best friend Marco Diaz from Earth; Marco, meet Stacy, Albert, and Becca!"
Marco gave an uneasy wave to the three fish people, the other two being a heavyset dude with blue skin and brown hair, and a girl with green skin and white hair.
"Hey."
"Sup."
Marco smiled. "Nice to meet you." None of them looked too impressed, but he was used to that kind of reception by now. Just play it cool, act interested, and they'll fill in the rest. "I've never been so far underwater, the jellyfish look cool. Star was telling me about a cool hangout you have down here?" For a tedious moment nobody said a word, until all eyes turned to Star. She gave a sheepish grin of her own before coughing into her fist. "He's uhh… He doesnt get to the Waterfolk Kingdom very often. On Earth, they stay above the water. Mostly."
Stacy nodded, swimming closer and looking him up and down. Apparently satisfied with whatever she was looking for, she swam back, giving Star a knowing grin. "He's nice. Are you guys out on your first date? That's so cute."
"Boyfriend?"
"First date?"
"I wouldn't-"
"We aren't actually-"
"It's not a date-"
"Just dancing-"
"Boyfriend?"
"We've only known-"
"I still deal with-"
"Cute?"
"Gotten like hand-"
"Water diving boat-"
"Jellyfish storm drain-"
Star and Marco both floundered through several options of dialogue before turning towards each other with a matching pair of horrified surprise. For a moment neither said anything until Star realigned herself and gave them a smile that would have made a shark nervous. "Right! First date! We uhhhh… yeah! We wanted to go someplace cool! Like the Galleons Grave! Soooo how about we all get to know each other inside?"
It was hard to tell this far down, but the two of them were absolutely beat red as the three fish people assessed the crudely given excuse. Marco had every intention of shooting down the entire ordeal then and there had Star not flashed him a rapid glance that screamed, 'I panicked! I have no idea what I'm doing!' As all eyes turned to him, he felt the pressure of the sea floor growing exponentially. In a similar bout of panic, he mumbled, "Uhhh… yeah?"
Seeing the pathetic display with a front row seat, Stacy fluttered back to Albert and Becca, whsipering low enough to not be heard, "Awkward first date with a cute rebound. Play it cool." She swam towards Star and Marco, draping her arms around them and pulling them into a hug to gaze at the magnificent ship. "So! Star, Marco? Are you ready to check out Galleons Grave, the coolest hangout under the waves?"
Finally, Star seemed to be coming down from her high as she sent out a fractured grin, her eyes pleading for the pain to stop. "Totally! Let's go check it out now! But uhm. We're gonna be a minute, if that's okay? Gotta… freshen up?" She elbowed Marco in the ribs, to which he fell into a fit of coughs and wheezing. Stacy nodded, eyeing the two before gesturing for the others to follow. She pointed up towards the captain's door. "In there, go down to the galley and take a left. See you two inside!"
The second they were out of earshot, while Marco was still reorganizing his innards, Star turned to face him with panic written on every inch of her expression. In a terrified whisper she shouted, "I have no idea why I said that! It was like a little voice popped in my head and thought it was fine! I'm so sorry!"
Marco set his jaw and stared at her. There was no precedent for something like this, and every nerve in his body was screaming to bail. But there was one voice in his head that still wanted just a moment to see how things could have been. Awkward, improvised, panicked, but a taste all the same. "I'm guessing they're trying to be supportive because To- your ex, was a jerk?"
Star nodded. "Are you okay with pretending? Just for tonight, I swear. I can tell them later that were just friends, always have been, always will-"
"It's fine, Star… really," Marco sighed bubbles, "It's alright, just- Let's just go inside, and try to have fun, okay?" At least somewhat satisfied with his answer, Star began rummaging in her purse. Marco had no idea what she was doing, but when she pulled out her dimensional scissors and handed them to him, he didn't need to guess.
"If it gets too weird, we can go home, I promise. But it could be fun, and sorry again for-"
"It's all good, Star. What are besties for?" He forced himself to smile. "Besides, hanging out with you is always fun." Star managed a smile back and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks Marco. I'll make it up to you later."
'Just a couple of buds swimming in a club. No biggie. No prob!'
Without another word the two took off for the captain's cabin, swam through the intricately ornate door, down a small hatch that led to the galley, and then a straight shot towards an offshoot corridor. The hallways and wood were covered with glowing kelp, and pulsating purple Jellyfish. If it wasn't obviously a dance club before, the flashing flora mixed with the reverb shaking the wood made it seem so.
It was easy to get caught up in the vibe of a ghostly shipwreck glowing with teaming life and practically bouncing with subdued music- *oof!* Marco bumped squarely into Star's back, finding her stopped in front of some sort of hulking Bullshark Merman bouncer. He looked angry, dangerous, and skeptical all at once, standing in front of some sort of fishnet barrier. Glaring at Star, and then turning an equally torrid glance at Marco, he asked, "You fish folk?"
Star answered with a teaming grin. "As salty as the day I was born, what with my gills and sea legs… me harty!" The bouncer raised an eyebrow, but didnt immediately object. Was he actually buying it? "We're uhh, new to this particular chasm, matey! Might we check out the sweet clubbing situation you have going on down-"
"Who's the square?"
He was staring at Marco with narrowed black eyes. Star bristled at the remark and scoffed. "What- square? I'll have you know, fish lips, this is-"
"Hey, Mike! It's all good, they're with us!" Becca floated down the corridor and whispered into the sharks… ear hole. "It's their first date. Be nice, got it?"
A quick glance of dread was traded between Star and Marco before Mike, the bull shark fish-person, grumbled something unintelligible and pulled the fish netting aside. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Go on in, but I got my eyes on you, air-breather." He pointed to his eyes, and then to Marco before jutting his thumb down the corridor behind him. Not needing an excuse to pass, Marco and Star both swam ahead, past the particularly vibrant patch of brain coral, down a cannon-blast hole, and into an undersea cave system.
*Hey, if you want some Music for the Vibes*
~ Two Feet: Fire in my Head ~
They drifted straight down a rocky tunnel before its angle leveled, leading them to a pit carved into sandstone deep under the shipwreck. There were terraces carved into the conical pit, leveling down towards a flat area at the center where a crowd of fish people danced to the reverberating music. Coral, flora, and sea creatures were posted on the steps, and with every beat came a ripple of color from the center. Flashes of vibrant pink, blue, red, yellow; all the colors of the rainbow radiated from the dance floor, as luminous manta rays and sea serpents lazily drifted by overhead. The music could be felt like waves crashing through the water, but it came through crystal clear, like wearing unobstructed headphones with everyone present.
Neither Star nor Marco could find the words to describe what they saw, both too stunned and excited to even move. Until a hand patted both of them on the back, drawing their attention back to Stacy. "Looks like you made it! You guys wanna dance? Guy some drinks? Face paint? Anything but standing here like a couple of stone fish?"
Star latched onto Marcos hand, choking back several urgent responses before settling with, "yes please!" Stacy smiled and led them to a sand dollar the size of a table, propped up on a massive sea urchin. Albert and Becca were already waiting, and at their arrival they were handed a pair of semi-transparent bladders of… something.
Noticing the confused stares, Albert took one of the sacks and poked a straw in, draining it in one go. "Camane berries, they're super good, and great for your skin. Or, maybe not your skin, but still really good!" Star looked down at hers as Marco did the same. With reluctance, they each poked a straw in and took a tepid sip. Immediately Marco lit up, draining the bag with his next sip.
"Wow! This tastes just like-"
"Shushushush!" Becca shouted, frantically waving her arms, "keep the flavors to yourself! Everyone's is unique! It's part of the fun to keep it a mystery!"
Star nodded, mimicking Stacy and crumbling the bag into a ball. Immediately, an eel swept by and devoured it whole, leaving nothing behind. "That's so awesome! What else do we do?"
"Well, I'm sure you and your boy toy wouldn't mind a little bit of dancing?" Becca snapped a picture with her underwater camera and grinned. "Go make some memories, losers. We'll join ya in a bit."
Marco felt Star grab his hand and tug him towards the center of the pit. "Dancing, Marco! C'mon! I see a good spot by that conch shell over there, and those snails are eyeballing it like crazy!" He felt his head spinning from the music, the drinks, the water, the gills- everything he could set his mind to. 'Why is this happening?' He wondered. On instinct, or perhaps as a defense mechanism, he pulled his hand back. He watched Star and the moving dance floor behind her with apprehension. "I uhh… I actually don't… I don't really feel like danc-"
"Ahh don't be shy, bro! Go on, the clubs all yours!" Albert gave him a gentle shove. Star fumbled to catch him against her chest but quickly shrugged backwards to give him space. Her smile had shifted to a look of worry as she stammered to say something, but Marco was the first to gather his wits. He just had to play it cool, and treat her like a friend. That's all she wanted, and the sooner he complied, the sooner this would all be over.
"Okay. Star?"
He grabbed her hand. Immediately she snapped her gaze to their interlocked hands before darting a look towards the dance floor, then the exit. She looked just as nervous as he did, but without complaint she followed him towards the terraces. Flashing jellyfish and rays hovered above them, tuned with the beat and sway of the other dancers, but Marcos mind was far from calmed. Why was this happening? This had to be because he'd swayed from the timeline or messed with history or- something! Was he being selfish? Star looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, was he being a bad friend? His best option was to-
"Hey Marco." She slowed to a stop on the second ring, between a couple patches of kelp and giant claims, swaying with him a little in the current. "No biggie, Diaz. Just a cupped of buds having fun, best friends in a sea kingdom club dancing with the stingrays. I wanted to have some fun, so let's just… do that, okay?" She smiled at him, and in her repose he felt relaxed. Happy, confident, reassuring, she looked like she always did. Like she wanted a friend, and that's all he was. A bittersweet tranquility he could rely on.
He smiled, pulling her up from the sandy bottom. "Okay."
~ Honors: Say Yes ~
She guided him forward and led the dance, their bodies swaying with the easy beat as it built up and crashed like waves on a beach. She rolled with the water, tumbled back and came up to meet him, her hands reaching for his. Classy was the name of the game here, and it was up to her to keep things that way. Marco was in a little over his head, so she needed to keep a serious-
Marco spun her into a dip, his grip on her hand and small of her back rock solid. With the swaying current he guided her back before rolling into the flourishing anemones around them. His movements were easy to mirror, and demanded response. Star glided beside him before he took her hands again, pulling her closer.
As they slowed, Stars hair billowed around her, framing her wide eyes and glowing cheeks. 'Holy cow… okay. He can dance… no biggie. Not a problemo.' Her thoughts came in a flurry, but they weren't alone.
'Get in there, girl! It's not like you get to dance with him every day!'
Star didn't dwell on the thought, with a wave of crimson light she rolled into a dive and kicked off, letting the rising current carry her around him. She vaulted over his head to grab his hands and with the momentum they spun. With their fingers locked Star threw him towards the hanging spiral of jellyfish, following with a gentle kick of her legs.
The sea life, the music, the ease of every movement made it almost hypnotic for him. Marco let her weight carry him higher in the pit before they angled into a dive, following a school of waterfolk towards a ring of pulsing vents. Hot magma made the water boil in every color of the rainbow as the two wove in and out of the streams. He almost panicked when Star came careening around a pillar of pink belching smoke. With a twist of his torso Marco caught her and pulled her back into a dive, spiraling towards the center of the pit.
Just before they hit, when they had everyone's eyes and eachothers undivided attention, they split apart. Bubbles trailed behind them as they fanned out and caught the flow of water, angling back to to meat higher in the space above the dance floor. Nearly out of breath, Marco beamed her a energetic smile and clasped his hands with Stars, gliding back down 2ith the current.
Her hair was essentially a plume of golden thread around her shining eyes. To Marco, his fringed nerves had all but vanished with the change of pace he now enjoyed. The music, the lights, the way her eyes reflected every bit of it? It was perfect in a way he couldn't articulate, and it brought both excitement and longing to mind. She looked… breathtaking.
Star smiled, her cheeks burning with the effort it took to even keep up with him! She had no idea Marco even knew how to dance, let alone dance as good as the merfolk! But after she'd gotten a hold of her enthusiasm and energy, she noticed something off. He was staring at her. Not in a way that indicated hostility or fear, but pure, uncut captivation. Without much else in the way of response, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, pulling herself closer to him.
And that was it.
Marco stopped staring, stopped swimming, he loosened his grip on her hand and put a bit more distance between them. Star frowned and tried to follow, but he just kept moving back. "Hey, what's up?"
As if her voice was all it took to shatter some spell on him, Marco let go of her hands and frantically put some real distance between them. He had gills, but the pressure seemed to only grow with each passing second. Looking around the club didn't offer any help, as the lights and noise only made the pressure worse. He felt like he was struggling to breathe.
"I can't- Star I… I gotta go."
With one fluid motion, Marco cut through the water with the dimensional scissors and swam through, leaving them to sink to the bottom of the pit. Star stared as the portal closed and treaded water. She didn't even notice as Stacy swam up beside her and nudged her shoulder. "STAR! What happened!?" Stacy yelled over the booming music, "we were all rooting for you! Did you… oh man…"
Finally Star shook her head free of whatever wisps of thought were keeping her locked in place. She turned to Stacy and frowned before diving to pick up her scissors. "Hey, Stacey. I uh… I don't know," she mumbled. Her brow was furrowed in a frustrated confusion. "He just… left? Did I do something wrong?"
Becca hovered nearby, moving to pull the two off the dance floor and out of the current. "Maybe you scared him off, girl. It looked like things were going good, but maybe your boyfriend isn't really-"
"He's not my boyfriend," Star sighed, the lie all but meaningless now. "I- …he's my bestie. We came here to hang out, and… I dunno. Things with Tom kinda blew up, literally, and I just didn't want a big scene about it with Marco around."
Albert held his chin. "You think he's the jealous type or somethin? Guy seems pretty chill though."
Stacy slugged him on the arm and pulled Star aside. "Maybe, you should go talk to him. If he's just a friend of yours, you'd probably be better off explaining everything to him."
Star nodded and gave Stacy a quick hug. "Sorry guys. I'm gonna bounce too, see you around?" She held still as Becca swam closer and fixed her hair into a neater bun. Something that wouldn't net her face when she left the water. "Maybe sumthins there?" she shrugged, "Goodluck, sis. We're still rootin for ya."
Star cut open a blue portal, not entirely sure what the gesture was supposed to mean, but thankful for the advice anyways. As soon as the portal was opened, water rushed in and pulled her along with it. She was immediately hit with the sensation of cold evening air and unceremoniously deposited in the grass of the backyard. She coughed up water and spat out some seaweed, pulled off her gills and tossed them into the cacti.
Looking up towards the house, Marcos room light was still on from before, so that was a decent sign. Star stood up and wrung out her dress as best she could before heading inside. Raphael and Angie were on the couch watching something in black and white, the both of them sitting up at the sight and state of her. "Mija, are you alright?" Raphael asked. "What happened?"
Star only managed a shrug. "I dunno. Marco and I went swimming. In… fancy clothes?" She left the poor excuse hanging in the air before listing her head towards the stairs. "Did he come back already?"
The two exchanged a short glance before Angie gave Raphael a quick nudge. She met Stars frown with a reassuring smile. "He's upstairs, sweetie. But… you should probably change into something dry? Please?"
Noticing just how soaked she really was, Star held up her wand and *poofed* into some less sopping clothes. "Sorry about that," she mumbled, blowing the now-dry curls of her hair aside, "tonight didn't really go as planned. Hope you two have a better one, though. Goodnight!" And with that she made her way upstairs, around the banister, and towards Marcos room. His door was open, the light was on, and as she pushed her way inside, she found him sitting on the edge of his bed.
She stepped in fully and plopped down beside him. Without a word she used her wand to *poof* him a dry outfit, and remove the water from his bed and floor. Thankfully her magic didn't object to being helpful this time.
After a quick check to ensure he was dry, Marco sat in silence, the both of them letting out a short sigh of decompression. "I'm sor-"I'm sorr-"
"What? Why are you-"
"What? Why are you-"
Star held up her hands and gestured to herself with a frantic "shushsushshshs! I just wanna say, I'm sorry for everything," she breathed. Immediately her shoulders relaxed before she turned to eye him directly. "I should have never told then we were dating, I don't even know what I was thinking… I guess I got all whooped around because they brought up Tom and I didn't wanna make a big detail, and I just thought-! …I dunno what I was thinking. I just wanted to hang out and have fun. With you. …I'm sorry."
Marco nodded and tried to keep his expression even. He was never good at apologies like this, especially when he was on the receiving end. And with how mopey she sounded, it didn't feel like her mood had improved much since they left. Finally, he nudged her arm. "It was fun… but… I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have bailed on you like that. It was all just- there was a lot happening I guess."
Really he wanted to kick himself for even letting things get so tangled up and messy. But really, it wasn't either of their faults. What happened in the Merfolk Kingdom- heck, even going to the Merfolks didn't happen last time. He had no idea something like that could happen. So why… was Star acting like that? What happened while they were dancing? What was he doing?
"Something happened between us," Star blurted, her eyes glued to the floor. "In the future, I mean." Marco chose to not answer. And in his silence Star nodded, deciding to push a little harder. "After we fought Ludo that first night, at the stop'n'slurp. You said this time you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. …so what happened?"
He tried not to shrug. The evening had been enough of a wash, what could it possibly hurt to give her a little insight? If he didn't, how strained would their friendship be? What did he have to lose? "Star, you and I- …in the future- I never wanted to… but everything just-" he swallowed and let his shoulders sag with a hiss of air past his teeth. "I messed up, okay? I made a mistake that ended up hurting you. I was a bad friend, I focused on only myself, and I didn't even realize it."
He expected some sort of scathing reaction, but Star just watched him as calmly as ever. She nodded, her thought hers alone to interpret. "Marco, we've only known each other for a few weeks… and I already know you're a good friend." Her voice turned curious. "So… why does it matter what happened with 'your' Star?"
"Because you're not… 'my Star'." Marco caught himself at the last moment, a hairs breadth away from saying something he'd regret. "I'm scared of messing up like that again, even if it's something small. I don't wanna mess with the timeline, because then I won't have a chance to be better than the kinda guy I was last time. And, yeah I guess that makes me a little selfish, but-"
"Marco." Star took hold of his hand to ease his nerves. He didn't protest the moment of peace the gesture offered. "I don't know what kinda guy you used to be, but whatever happened hasn't happened. You don't need to hide from a future that doesn't need to exist, especially if you wanna be a better friend. I think that alone is enough to fix anything you did."
If he didn't feel guilty before, he sure did now. But the warmth of her soft hand against his was enough to easily pull him back down to Earth. That selfish desire to be seen as something more than just a friend was still there, but above all else? He wanted to be there for her when it mattered this time around. If she needed him, he would always be there.
"Can we pretend tonight didn't happen?" He asked. "Or at least, the awkward parts?"
She shrugged and slugged his arm. "I'm game, but remember Diaz: I can handle-"
"I know, you don't need a hero, loud and clear over here." He smiled at her, but Star shrugged and kicked her feet restlessly.
"If I didn't give up on you then, I doubt I would now. You're more than just my friend Marco, you're my best bestie." Finally she gave him a smile of her own, a wide brimming grin from heart to heart. "Just, ya know, maybe let me in a little on the crazy stuff going on up there?" She gave his forehead a poke.
He blushed, but he didn't object. "If you mean prophesying, I don't want to sway any of your choices by telling-"
"Psssshhhh, you and swayin' nuttin'!" Star exclaimed, pounding her chest, "If you told me my hair would fall out tomorrow, one hundred percent? Then it's still my choice to try and stop it, or rock the bald look! Plus, plus, that junk happened to someone else, not me bro."
She grinned, but he still looked waaay too confused for his own good. So Star reached over and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him in for one of her patented hugs. "Whatevers gonna happen is gonna happen. So quit being weird and just… be my friend now. Don't worry about later."
For a half a moment, Marco felt exactly like he did on the pier. That wash of regret and guilt mixing with the joy of forgiveness and understanding. The idea came that he'd messed up another friendship by seeing Star as a love interest, but it was quickly replaced by the notion that Star had every intention of keeping him around. Regardless of the titles and awkward moments. Finally, he hugged her back. "Sorry again, for being weird."
She grinned and picked a stray smack of seaweed from his hair before standing up. "No biggie. But you owe me one prophecy: Who do I end up with? Is it someone I know?"
Marco coughed into his hand and tried not to let his cheeks bloom. "I uhh… I don't really- cmon Star, I can't say-"
"Fine fine fine, that's a big one I get it. But you still owe me, got it?"
He smiled. "Deal. Name the time and place, kelp bottom, I got you!"
Star squeezed him into one more hug before making to leave, just as the familiar tune of Space Unicorn started to go off. She immediately floundered to his bed to grab it, but they could both see the large OSCAR on the ID. And he knew she knew he knew.
Star glanced his way for a fraction of a second before hitting the red button of the screen and tossing his phone back to the bed. "Wrong number," she shrugged, sliding out the door, "SEE YA TOMORROW, FISH FACE!"