A/N: Alright, so, it has been a while since I've updated anything. A few months or so? I do know that it has been longer for my other stories, but I will try to update more. The reason I couldn't update any of my stories during my winter break was due to something personal that happened. It could have changed me as a person- good or bad, I do not know. This experience also killed my motivation to do much of anything… I literally stayed home and watched cartoons (like Kim Possible which is nostalgic and Ron is very relatable to me) and Forged in Fire, which I highly recommend. I also want to thank this site and all the stories on here for helping me get through it and I feel like it's now my turn to give back in that regard.
College was also a huge attention whore, but I graduated with a BA so yay!
Anyways, I don't think my stories are amazing or anything, but I at least hope they are enjoyable reads and I will also cut back on the 'depressing' themes lol unless it's relevant or something. I was also thinking of creating short stories of SVTFOE and putting them on here since they could be useful for future ideas and wouldn't be too time-consuming like my other stories lol. So win-win for all!
"I also want to say sorry, for the millionth time, for not updating as consistently or as quickly as I would like. School is a major attention-seeking thing so it's kind of unavoidable, sadly.[ I will update all of my stories in January since I will be out on a break from school. It's going to be one hell of a December, I can feel it.]" -Wrote this a day before my break and the craziness started.
Without further delay, here's the next update!
~o0ooo0ooo0o~
Star Butterfly was swinging from pillar to pillar trying to put up the last decorations for the party between Mewmans and Monsters. Well, the word 'party' is used loosely here. It looked more like a festive Mexican standoff, just more awkward.
After finishing up the task of putting up the decorations, Star backflipped off the last pillar and landed next to her best bestie, Marco Ubaldo Diaz… just don't tell Pony Head that. She was wearing a blue regal ball gown that allowed her to move around without much difficulty, one of the many reasons why she loved the gown and not the usual stiff-regal stuff. The matching boots were the finishing touch to compliment the look she was going for: a serious rebel princess. Sure, she was also wearing her crown but that was more for formalities.
At least, that's what she had told Marco.
Speaking of her best bestie, Star couldn't help but blush and mentally freak out at the thought of him. The text message she had received a week ago plus the crazy revelations of his past and time in Hekapoo's Trials exposed by that girl, Esparagus, or whatever her name was, had certainly shaken her up. She just couldn't believe that he had gone through such intense experiences, experiences she wished that she could have helped in. Her best friend was hurting and she was not there to comfort or help him in any way shape or form.
She was a terrible friend…
Star's self-loathing and bashing were then replaced by bitterness and rage at the other revelation that girl had given to everyone present that day. 'Marco is promised to her?! Ha, he could do soooo much better than her… At least it wasn't Kelly.'
Star's musings were cut short by the sounds of a portal being torn into existence behind her. She quickly turned around and was met by the sight of the man that had plagued her thoughts the entirety of last week and present. Her jaw went a little slack at the sight before her. He was wearing a dark grey formal dress shirt that really made his toned body much more noticeable, along with black slacks. His chocolate brown eyes pierced her blue ones and her brain stopped working for a second.
'Oh. My. Corn…' were the first words that popped into her head, barely catching herself from drooling in front of him.
"Sorry I'm late, Star. I had to make double sure that somethings were taken care of," Marco said as he walked up to the magical princess while checking his watch. "I also couldn't find my watch so it took some time to find it-"
Before he could say anything else, he was enveloped into a bone-crushing hug, a hug he had gotten accustomed to by now. He looked down at the blonde and smiled, "Wow, I should be gone more often if I'm missed this much."
Star separated from him and lightly smacked him on the shoulder, "Don't even think about it, Marco! I need you here, with me. [Looks around] Do you know how hard it was to set up this whole thing without you here?! [Sighs] I'm glad Rich Pidgeon was able to provide the place or this party to put Mewman and Monster differences aside would have been a bust," she said while looking down in exhaustion.
Marco noticed her tired tone and demeanor so he looked around the place to inspect her work in hopes of complimenting it. "Well, it seems like you did a great job Star! I couldn't have done it better myself. Also, [notices the tension in the air] don't worry so much. I'm sure things will work out in the end and, if things get out of hand, I'll put a stop to it." he said with a confident smile that instantly lifted her mood, as well as her heart rate.
"Awww~ thanks, Marco, I needed that." Star then quickly grabbed his hand and began to pull him towards the punch bowl, making him smile since he missed things like this. After they got some refreshments, both friends began to share what had happened to them in the week of Marco's absence from Mewni. For Star, besides the party preparation, not much had happened just some scolding from her mother, magic training, etc. Same old, same old.
Oh, and her relationship with Tom is on the rocks.
Marco had almost spit his drink out at that revelation, but what worried Marco was how calm Star sounded when she said that. Tom was still his friend after all.
Marco asked her what had happened, but she just waved it off and said that it was his "anger issues" at it again. For some reason, Marco had trouble believing that.
Star quickly changed the subject to what he had done in the week he was away from Mewni 'and me'. Marco decided not to pursue the issue of her relationship with Tom and began to tell her a bit about what he had done in Esperanza's Kingdom.
.
..
…
"Waitwait, so she's going to be the Queen and King of her kingdom? How is that possible?"
"Yeah, she is. [Sighs] And you have no idea how hard it was to convince the Council of Nobility to agree to that and is one of the major reasons why I was away longer than expected. I may have threatened a majority of them into agreeing to make it law… but they were being stubborn and my patience had reached its limit!" Marco exclaimed with a scowl, which surprised Star for it being one of the rare times he showed it, but his expression quickly relaxed into a calmer one. "As for how that's possible, well…"
Star noticed Marco's hesitation and had a feeling she wasn't going to like the next words that came out of his mouth. "Well?"
Marco sighed and scratched the back of his head nervously, "I'm sorta… their King now? [Star's glass cracked under ger grip] Esperanza didn't really tell me the exact details but I'm holding the title of King since the Kingdom needs a male figurehead until Esperanza and her dad, King Arthur, along with the Council decide on a day for her crowning ceremony. But she is the one calling the shots now, with the help of her dad, until he hopefully gets better."
After finishing that whole explanation, Marco waited for Star's reaction, which he expected to be an angry one since he obviously knew that she liked him so the news that he was technically with Esperanza wasn't exactly good news, he assumed.
What? He wasn't that dense… plus Esperanza had pointed out Star's affection to him too, which was another reason why the whole Tom situation was bugging him.
But what Marco saw was the opposite of what he expected. Star looked… relieved, as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off her shoulders.
"Ohhhhh, so you're just King in terms of title, not officially, I seeeee. [Chuckles] I thought you had gotten married or something, phew. So is that all you did?" Star asked with a beaming smile.
"Umm, y-yea Star. That's more or less what I did the whole week. [Clears his throat and looks around] So, is this everybody or?"
Star snapped out of her happy stupor back to the reality that was the tense atmosphere of the event. She took in a deep breath, released it, and began to walk towards the tense group of royals and monsters. However, before fully leaving Marco's range of hearing, Star turned around and smiled at him, "Ponyhead said she was coming soon with a photo booth, and I would really appreciate it if you helped her set it up somewhere. Oh, and after [gestures to the crowd] this whole deal is sorted and things mellow out, want to take a picture?"
Marco nodded and gave her his own smile, "Sure thing, Star, now go get this party started!"
Several minutes after Star had left and no Ponyhead insight, Marco became bored with waiting and looking around so he took out his mirror phone to see if someone had contacted him in the past week. His phone didn't work in Esperanza's kingdom due to dimensional interference so he couldn't check it then if someone had indeed tried to reach him.
Plus, he figured now would be a good enough time to check it anyway because he had nothing better to do other than wait for the flying pony head. The multiple notification sounds that bombarded his phone and his eardrums seconds after he turned it on only confirmed his suspicions that people had indeed contacted him.
Once his mirror phone finished waking up from its week-long slumber, he saw that he received messages from only four people: Jackie, Star, Kelly, and… Esperanza, just now.
Odd.
Marco opened Jackie's messages first since he decided to go down in order, which read:
"(Mermaid Surf3r) - Hey, Marco! I just wanted to say thanks again for helping me with my and my family's problems. I paid off what was needed and will save the rest for college/emergencies. My grandma did question where I got the money to pay everything off and I told her about you. Funny thing is that she thought it was a very kind gesture from you and that I should just 'tie the knot' with you as soon as possible because men like you are rare. OMG, I know right! I'm too young to be married lol... I did tell her that you and I are just best buds now but I think she tunes me out when I do. Anyways, we should definitely hang out sometime soon. You do still owe me a movie night, mister! Oh, and how are things going over there? I haven't heard from you in a while so I just got worried… You better not be dead!"
Marco couldn't help but smile at the message, happy that Jackie still considered him a good friend after what he did to her. As for the marriage thing mentioned, he rolled his eyes because of how much the topic had come up in his life recently. Such a strong commitment was in his plans, but not anytime soon, he thought anyway.
He had to finish his schooling first.
After he replied to Jackie's message, he moved on to the next one (more like a chain of messages and missed calls). These ones involving his blonde friend, which read:
"(Estrella the one and only Bestie 3) - Star did this. "Marco! Answer meeeee! Where are you! Pick up the phone!... I need help with something important so answer!... Are you okay?... Marco?... Oh God, are you dead!?... Phew, you're okay, the All-Seeing Eye worked so it means you're at least alive, BUUUUUUT it doesn't show an image so I would love to know where you are!... Please respond…"
Marco sighed sadly for causing emotional turmoil to his bestie but it had to be done. Besides taking it easy as he was told to do, he had to help Esperanza resolve her personal and kingdom issues since he owed her for running away from his past. Sure, he believed her to be dead, at the time, and couldn't stomach seeing her... or what was left of her so he ran… like a coward. Despite the guilt Marco felt, a relieved expression graced his smiling face at the memory of seeing her at the tournament arena. It was like the whole world around him stopped at seeing Esperanza again, his best friend of six whole years while he stayed in that dimension. He couldn't and wouldn't take his eyes off of her in fear of losing her again or of his mind playing tricks on him.
But…
Once Marco saw the ring on her finger, he knew she was real… SHE WAS REAL. He had even forgotten about getting revenge for Higgs, but he had to make sure… and then things unfolded the way they did. 'Luckily I finished those morons off quickly… I don't even feel bad that Hekapoo is now in charge of their punishment. [Grins] The Fields of Punishment in the Neverzone should do the trick.' Speaking of Esperanza…
Marco scrolled down his mirror phone, past Kelly's messages since he wanted to save those for last, and read what she had recently sent him:
"(Queen Esperanzita) - Heyyy, King of Arcanum, how's it going? 3 But, in all seriousness, thanks for everything, Marco. You have no idea how stressful this whole thing with the Council, kingdom, and my father has been… I never did tell you the other reason, besides missing my best friend, as to why I went out looking for you, huh? Well… I panicked. I didn't know what to do! But I knew you would know what to do since no one else seemed to have any good advice or support... and I was right. So thanks for being there for me, even after all of our time apart. Uhhh, like seriously Marco, if you hadn't turned me down during the Spring festival way back then I would have forced you into submission until you agreed to be mine! You know it's possible and I regret not doing it now or back then (angry emoji)! Anyway, thanks again for putting the Council in their place. The looks on their faces when you threatened to beat them within inches of their lives if they didn't agree to the terms was priceless! My father and I are laughing at the memory right now lol… Ahh, I miss you so much already Marco so visit soon okay? By the way, my Lil sis Rose says hi!"
Marco's smile never let up as he read the message, also remembering what had transpired during his stay there. 'Hmm, why didn't I accept her feelings again? I mean, I did like her and she is one of my best friends too so why- oh, yeah, now I remember. Hekapoo's Trials… I just couldn't do that to her, up and leave to finish something I had no clue about how long they would take to accomplish or if I would even make it out alive. Man… me and my idiotic-prideful self back then…' Marco sighed and decided to just move on from the message and his past mistakes, which happened to be growing by the day it seemed. He scrolled back up on his messages and a small smile managed to appear on his sad expression when he saw Kelly's nickname along with three messages from her. The first one read:
"(Kels) - Marco you have a lot of explaining to do when you get back! What's this about being promised to another!? Oooooo when I get my hands on you… Sigh, just get back safe alright? I'll be looking forward to our talk, which we will have."
"Crud, the second part of my trial is coming up. Something about fighting a thing called a Hi-dra? My mom seemed worried when she told me about it so I'm assuming it isn't going to be easy. The fact that she is taking me to do some strength training in the mountains so suddenly isn't a good sign for me. Anyways I'll be gone for a few days so if you come back during that time, I won't be around… I'm still very pissed off at you but at this point, I just want you back… wish me luck."
Marco furrowed his eyebrows at this message, now remembering about Kelly's trials and the task she had coming up. He was sure that the thing Kelly was talking about was a Hydra if his Greek mythology served him right, but it couldn't be the one from the myths… right?
He hoped not because fighting one, real or not, was suicide and had tested even the greatest of mythological heroes such as Hercules and he was basically a god! Marco knew Kelly was a very strong warrior but a Hydra was, as much as he hated to say it, out of her league if it was what he had in mind thanks to the myths. However, he would be accompanying her so maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
Marco knew he wasn't a Hercules by any sense of the imagination, but he had confidence in his skills to make things easier for his bushy-haired friend. He didn't want to call on the powers bestowed by her so much since it just caused more pain than good, but would call on them if the situation called for it. He knew those that cared about him didn't like it when he used it, as was evident when he met with everyone in the throne room and spilled some things about Esperanza.
I'm glad you're accepting my gifts more and more each time. Just remove that pesky ring already. You don't need it. And would it kill you to talk to me more like you used to back then? It feels lonely when you suppress me all the time, my harbinger of death…
Marco groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose, alleviating a bit of the stress he was feeling and of the voice in his head. 'Maybe if you stopped calling me that and restrained yourself more often than I would interact with you as I did during the trails. And the ring stays on since I don't know what I'm dealing with'.
Marco sensed her presence… sigh? and then it was gone. He looked back at Kelly's message and saw that it was sent three days ago, but that there was one more message to look through so Kelly must have gotten back home from her training since he knew Lily didn't allow phones during training trips.
As he was reading the last message, sent sometime this morning, his heart began to pound and his body felt all tingly and warm as a smile grew on his face.
"Star is throwing some Monster-Mewman Bash-party thing and Ponyhead asked for my help with something, surprisingly. I wasn't going to go since I'm still very pissed off about everything and we still haven't had our talk yet… but… I miss you so DAMN MUCH! I can't stop thinking about you! Since the moment I wake up and go to bed, you're in my head!… and my heart. I know you still need to figure stuff out with Star but during the time you've been gone I've come to a realization and it's this: I love you, Marco! And I hope and pray to everything in the multiverse that you feel the same way about me because you're one of a kind so I won't hesitate to show you what I mean… See you at the party handsome 3."
Marco couldn't stop smiling after rereading the message over and over again. It was just crazy to him how much of an idiot he had been during this whole thing about his feelings for Kelly and Star. Like it was so obvious now! This message, although not appearing like much, had just opened Marco's eyes to what had been so obviously right there in front of his eyes waiting for him to finally notice!
He liked Star, way more than he did Jackie honestly, and she was his best friend since the early days of her stay on Earth with his family. He will always hold his adventures and all the craziness he experienced with her in his heart but… that day on the beach… she had crushed his heart.
Marco had forgiven her, obviously because that's the kind of person he is but… it's like that one quote he read once said.
"Every time you forgive their mistakes, they start loving you a little more and you love them a little less. So, the day they love you the most will be the day you won't feel anything for them."
He may really like Star but he wasn't sure if he could forgive her forever every time she had an emotional crisis and still feel something for her so it would be best to just stay best friends so as to not complicate things more, right?
However, the same could be said about Kelly. He has only known her for about a month but how could he be sure that she wouldn't be like Star on that end?
He smiled and shook his head, the answer to that was obvious.
He didn't know and learned that life was too weird to be certain about the future but he did know one thing that helped solidify his decision on what to do about his romantic life.
He was no longer afraid about giving someone his heart, again, and felt that Kelly was someone he could give it to.
To try again.
Kelly was unique, that much was obvious. From her aquamarine-bushy hair, tanned complexion, colorful personality, voice (even her snort when she laughed), athletic body, progressive mind, etc. Everything about her was just beautiful in Marco's eyes. Sure, both her and Star shared similarities but Kelly was the one that now had his mind and heart's attention.
All in all, he really liked Kelly.
.
.
No.
He could even say he LOVED Kelly!
And was willing to put his heart on the line once again.
Marco was so caught up in his internal self-reflection about life that he didn't notice a portal opening a few feet behind him. An annoyed Princess Ponyhead flew out giving instructions to the person carrying the photo booth on where to place it, which happened to be right next to where Marco was standing.
The loud THUMP of the machine hitting the ground brought Marco out of his thoughts, causing him to turn towards said contraption. He noticed Ponyhead give him a curt nod (awfully nice of her in all honesty) and then fly off to what he assumed was Star or the dead dance floor.
But what really caught Marco's attention was the bushy-aquamarine hair that came from behind the booth and stopped right in front of him.
The tux-wearing Latino smiled, "Hey,... I just finished reading your texts."
Somehow Kelly's embarrassment was visible through her hair. She groaned and parted her hair, placing it into a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way. "D-Don't rub it in, I'm still upset at you and-" she stopped talking when she noticed Marco's slack-jawed expression, "Hey, you okay? What's wrong?... Something on my face?"
As Kelly was rubbing her cheeks for imaginary debris, she failed to notice the real reason Marco's brain had short-circuited.
Once she had parted her hair, she had revealed to Marco what she was wearing, which happened to be the reason for his current-almost catatonic- state. Kelly was wearing a red blouse and dark blue shorts, accompanied with black leggings and red flats. Her form-fitting outfit managed to capture and show off her fit body and femininity that it made Marco light-headed.
He was still a teenager, despite his more mature mind, after all.
'Had she had these many curves before? And all in the right places... Training must be going well if she looks this good- Stop it, Marco! Don't be a perv! Say something before she catches you!'
"... Uuuummmm…"
Kelly stopped what she was doing once she heard him making sounds and looked back to the Latino boy who had been on her mind nonstop for the past few days. "Hey, are you feeling we-" her words caught in her throat once she realized where his eyes were looking at. Her face exploded into several shades of red, almost obscuring her natural blush. She couldn't have looked that good right? Sure Cora and her mom had picked out her outfit, saying it would do the job. She didn't know what job they were talking about, until now.
The fact that the way his tux seemed to display his muscular body at the slightest movement, especially his growing arms, was making it worse for her to keep her cool.
"A-Ahem. N-Not that I don't enjoy you staring at me, Marco, but could you- I don't know…"
Not knowing what else to say, Kelly leaned forward and placed both her hands over his eyes, which caused her embarrassment to skyrocket and blush to deepen since she didn't know what to do! Feeling her surprisingly soft hands on his face brought Marco back to the land of the living.
"K-Kelly, I'm s-sorry for staring, it's just that you looked so-so… amazing that it fried my senses hehe… sorry."
There was a short awkward silence between the two after that, and Marco (still blind) thought he messed up. And that's when he heard it. The sound of someone struggling not to laugh, followed by the trembling of her arms, which eventually fell from his face.
What he saw before him caused his heart to skip a beat.
Kelly was clutching her sides, laughing like there was no tomorrow as a couple of tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. "HAHAHAHA- oh Mar- HAHA- Marco! You're such a dork! HAHAHA! I can't- HAHA"
Her laugh was like sweet honey to his ears, so contagious too, which was why he found himself laughing with her, the two not caring about the odd looks people were giving them. After a full minute of non-stop laughter, the two teens began to return to normal so they could catch their breath. "Oh- haha- Marco, you're such a dork and that's why I luv ya," Kelly said in such a sincere tone that it caused Marco's cheeks to redden.
"[Chuckles] I know, what else is there to love about me?" he said in a sarcastic tone.
A sly grin formed on Kelly's face and she moved into Marco's space, got on her tiptoes, and placed her lips near his ear. "I think there's much more to love than your dorkiness. [She pulls back to stare into his eyes] And I'll be happy to show you."
Marco, to his credit, managed to stand upright after feeling her warm breath tickle his ear as well as her words. "I-I- Ahem, yes. I would like that.. yes." Kelly chuckled at his antics and dragged him to the dance floor (which now had a couple of people on it- like Ponyhead). 'Sorry-not-sorry Star, but I'm not going to stand by and wait for results any longer.'
As the two slow danced, hands where they were supposed to be, their smiles never left their faces. The two teens were just enjoying the mood and it was great! However...
"Kelly... I hate to do this like really hate this, but I think we should have our talk now."
Kelly's smile faltered at those words but also wanted to get this talk out of the way. "Yeah... let's just get it over with," she said in a melancholic tone.
Marco caught it and instantly regretted starting this conversation but it had to be done. He inched forward and pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, which Kelly decided to mirror. Marco took a deep breath, "Kelly, I want to give this, us, a shot so... would you be my girlfriend? [Opens eyes to look into hers] That stuff with Esperanza is complicated but it's just me doing a favor for a friend, no type of romance or the like is involved. As for Star, well, we're just best friends and nothing more and that's how we'll stay, I hope. [Slightly moves back to get a better view of her] I haven't actually talked to her about her feelings for me but I just couldn't put this off any longer so-"
Marco's words died on his lips as Kelly pressed hers against them.
'Yup, I definitely made the right choice' Marco said in his bliss induced mind.
Kelly pulled back with a noticeable *SMAAACK* sound and couldn't help but chuckle at Marco's dazed look. "You have no idea how long I have waited to do that again and my answer is yes. [Smirks] And I wouldn't mind another kiss." As Kelly leaned forward to claim his lips once again, a crashing sound and the rumbling of the temple caused both Marco and Kelly to snap into combat mode.
Then, Star came crashing through a wall landing on and destroying the punch bowl. Out of the wall stepped out none other than Mina Loveberry in her muscular form!
Marco was about to rush Mina when he was stopped by Kelly's outstretched arm, a look of complete rage on her face. "She's mine. Go check up on Star, and do damage control. I've been meaning to let off some pent up anger anyway." Marco was about to argue with her plan but the look on her face told him that it would be in his best interest to just do as she said.
Kelly watched as Marco ran towards a still-downed Star, then made her way towards a rampaging Mina. "Alright psycho, [charging towards the She-Hulk] it's payback time for ruining my first dance with my boyfriend!"
A/N: Finally! Geez! Well, I'll try to keep the updates between 2000 to 3000 words so I can update more and maybe put up some new stories I've had in mind. Seriously, thanks for all the support on my super delayed stories and will try my absolute best to get one out in the next couple of weeks. On what, I do not know but it's a start. I hope everyone is doing well and stay safe folks! PEACEEE!
P.S: A beta-reader? Is that what it's called? Sounds pretty good now... Hint hint lol