For Alfonzo and Ferguson, it was a day like any other. They had meandered into school as they did any other day. They went to their homeroom and sat down like any other day. But the thing that wasn't like any other day was their dear friend Marco when he had sauntered into class that morning.

Usually Marco was never overly excited to start another school day. Sure, since Star had come into his life, he was noticeably in a better mood in the morning, as if each day he spent with her opened his eyes to what his purpose in life was, but today was no subtle change in mood.

When Marco strode into class this morning, he had a large grin plastered on his face and he had a bounce in his step. He took his seat next to his two friends and quietly looked forward, still grinning from ear to ear.

Alfonzo and Ferguson chuckled to each other quietly, noticing that Marco looked like an over-confident dork, and had a very slight idea as to what was causing their friend's newfound state of bliss.

"What's got you so happy?" Ferguson asked, trying desperately to keep his laughter at bay.

Marco turned to them, the smile still glued to his face.

"What do you mean?" Marco asked, completely oblivious to his unusually happy demeanor.

"We mean you've got that dorky grin on your face and it's not going away." Alfonzo explained.

"Yeah, it's almost like you got a kiss from your crush…" Ferguson added, not necessarily referring to Jackie.

"Wh-what? That didn't happen!" Marco said defensively, cheeks growing very red.

"And I didn't realize I looked so happy. I guess it's because of what happened last night…" Marco trailed off, dazed and dreamy smile still on his face.

"Last night?" Alfonzo and Ferguson asked in unison, now slightly worried.

"Oh, there was this whole adventure last night with Star. It all started when her ex showed up at school…" Marco began. The two friends nodded as they listened. So, that's what this is all about…

"I know I shouldn't have charged in so defensively, now that I look back, but I couldn't help myself. I remember everything Star told me about him, and none of it was good. Something inside me just…took over, y'know? I just…I couldn't bear to let him hurt her again…" Marco explained. He continued to explain everything that had transpired, from his first meeting with Tom, which Ferguson and Alfonzo immediately recognized as Marco's jealous and overprotective nature rising to the surface.

"…and god, when I saw her in that dress…she's just so…gorgeous." Marco said, finding it near impossible to choose the right word to describe how absolutely dazzling Star had looked in her dress. A small blush crept its way onto his cheeks as he recalled how she had looked when he first saw her last night.

Alfonzo and Ferguson smirked at each other. They knew just how their friend felt about Star. It became more and more obvious every day that Marco was falling in love with the girl, and he was falling hard. They also knew, however, that Marco and Star didn't have a single clue that that was happening at all.

"…anyways, when she left for the ball I just…I don't know, I felt so miserable. I tried to go back downstairs and celebrate Dia De Los Muertos with my parents, they even got me to put my Dia De Los Muertos suit on, but it just made me want to be at the ball with Star even more…"

Marco went on to explain how he had decided on spending the night in Star's room with some chips and some music while he waited for her to get home. He didn't completely understand why he was so mopey about it all. Maybe it was because he felt the constant desire to protect Star from harm wherever she went, because he hated seeing her so sad. Perhaps he just wasn't used to being apart from her on such adventures to other worlds. Whatever the reason was, it had been eating at him the entire night.

His friends, of course, knew exactly why he was so miserable, but they knew Marco would deny it faster than they could blink.

"…but then this strange voice started talking to me out of nowhere. It was the weirdest thing. It came from absolutely nowhere. But it told me that the blood moon is 'the moon of lovers'…and, I don't know, something inside me decided that meant I should be there." Marco explained.

Ferguson and Alfonzo couldn't believe what they were hearing. A mysterious voice called out to him and told him straight out that this moon was meant for lovers, and that prompted a reaction in him that told him to go to the ball, and that didn't scream "YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HER!" at all? Boy, they thought, this guy is clueless!

Marco continued on with the story. He explained how he didn't exactly know what was going on, but once he got there, everyone was gathered around a podium listening to some guy explain something to everyone about something he hadn't been listening to. He would learn later from Star, of course, just what the man had been saying, but for now, he explained that he had been too focused on finding Star.

"By the time I finally spotted her, she was walking away. So I ran after her and grabbed her hand, and…well, the moment I pulled her back towards me, this weird red spotlight hit us and the room filled with red light. I…I don't know what came over me. I just…I saw her there, in that amazing dress, and I noticed how beautiful she looked, and we just…started dancing. It was the most amazing thing I've ever felt…it felt like it was just us, alone in that ballroom, dancing together, as if the rest of the world didn't matter. My heart was pounding, I don't know why…" Marco paused for a moment.

"And when I looked at her, she was smiling at me as if I were Oskar or something…it was so weird, she didn't even recognize me. The smile she gave me just…I don't even know how to explain it, I've never felt that way looking at anyone else in my whole life…"

If they weren't in shock before, Alfie and Ferg certainly were now. They couldn't even believe what they were hearing. Was Marco actually admitting his feelings for Star? Did he finally see what everyone else saw?

"…but then the moment ended when Tom pushed me away." Marco continued, explaining how Tom had nearly killed him over that dance.

"Star set me straight after that, and told me not to be so overprotective. She's right, though. I don't let her find things out on her own, and I need to let her be more independent. But the rest of the night was super fun, we hung out for a while after that eating nachos and watching movies, and she told me all about what the red spotlight was and what the announcer guy was saying. Turns out the blood moon is meant to bond two souls for all eternity." Marco paused. Alfonzo and Ferguson nearly jumped out of their seats. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Moon of lovers? Souls bound for all eternity? Were Marco and Star destined to be soul mates for the rest of eternity? They were trying very hard not to scream at their friend.

"I guess that's pretty cool, Star and I are such close friends, after all." He finished. Alfonzo and Ferguson let out a deep, disappointed sigh. So much for him realizing his feelings.

"What? You seem disappointed or something." Marco asked, curious about his friends' sudden change in demeanor.

"Do you seriously not see it, bro?" Alfonzo asked.

"See what?" Marco asked, confused.

"Moon of lovers? Souls bound together? For all eternity? You constantly saying 'she's so beautiful' and 'you've never felt this way about anyone before'? Ringing any bells yet?" Ferguson said.

"What are you implying? That I'm in love with Star?" Marco asked defensively, a deep red rosy blush decorating his cheeks. "Because I'm not! We're just friends! I don't feel that way about her at all!"

"Dude, the more you deny it, the less we believe you." Ferguson said with a smirk.

"You guys are crazy. Star and I are just friends. That's all." Marco said, crossing his arms and turning back to face the front of the class. They're wrong, he thought. I don't love Star…do I?

Suddenly, Star finally came to the classroom and took her seat beside Marco. Marco's eyes lit up and his large, bright smile from earlier returned to his face as he started talking to Star.

Soon enough, however, the teacher had begun instructing the class. Ferguson, trying his hardest to hold back intense laughter, nudged Marco and gave him a smug smile.

"Shut up! You're still wrong!" Marco whispered, turning his attention back to the teacher.

…crap.

Oh, silly, silly, oblivious Marco….

Yeah, so, as you can tell, I'm all about Alfie and Ferg noticing Marco's feelings for Star and teasing him and delicately prodding at him about it. It's something I need so much of in the show.

But here ya are, the first fanfic I've written in well over 2 years…I hope you enjoy!