#but still. whenever they squirm they cause earthquakes

[cheeriecherry]

Space Between [8/9] [Aizawa Shouta x Reader x Yamada Hizashi]

EraserMic x f!Reader

Part 8/9

Warnings: mentions of panic attacks, some fluff, no beta we die like men

It’s dark. So dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face, or your breath in the air as it heaves from your lungs. The cold is all encompassing, and the damp chills your bones and makes them ache.

Where are you?

Water drips from a leaking pipe somewhere off to the side. You feel like you should know the place, but the name escapes you. A basement? A warehouse?

Where are you?

“Tell me who you work for boy, and who you brought with you.”

You whip towards the sound of the voice, a shiver crawling down your spine. You’d know that cruel, grating lilt anywhere...but if she was here, did that mean you were…? No, you couldn’t be back there. It was too dark, too silent, to empty…

“I’m not working for anyone! I’m loyal to-”

A slap cracks in the quiet, cutting sharp into your ears. You take a hesitant step towards the flurry of sound, then another, and soon you’re sprinting through the darkness.

A little piece of you knows you’re not getting anywhere.

“I’ll give you one more chance, hero scum. Give me the name of your partner, and I’ll let you live.”

Your foot catches on something unseen, and you topple forwards, colliding heavy with the wet ground. Your palms sting against the grainy floor, and your breathing is thick and laboured.

You look up to try and something, anything, in the pitch black.

“I...don’t...have one…”

You gasp and fling yourself away from the sudden and intrusive gurgling voice in your ear. So close, but so broken and distorted. You squeeze your eyes shut and fold your hands over your ears in preparation. You know what happens next. You know, and you don’t want to see, don’t want to hear it. Not again.

Just give her my name, you beg silently, wishing more than anything that the outcome of the situation would be different this time. Just give her my name!

A gun cocks, loud and violating, despite your covered ears.

A cold, violent laugh.

“Then you die alone.”

You gasp awake to the sound of a gunshot ringing in your mind. You’re covered in a cool sheen of sweat, trembling like an earthquake. You glance frantically around the room, looking for any signs of danger, and only when you find none does your heart begin to slow. You sit up.

Outside the window, the sky is lightening. The sun hasn’t risen yet, leaving the dawn greenish and undisturbed.

Shouta appears in the doorway, and you regard each other silently. He clearly hadn’t expected you to be awake at this hour, but everything in your panicked expression tells him why you are. He takes a seat on the edge of the bed, half-dressed.

“Nightmare?” he asks, though he already knows the answer. Still, you nod weakly.

“You were talking in your sleep,” he says quietly, as unthreatening as he can manage, “in English. Something about your name.”

That’s all it takes for you to burst out crying, tears exploding forth and pained wails breaking from your chest. Shouta moves towards you slowly and wraps his arms around you in a tight hug.

“My name,” you weep, leaning heavily against him, “why didn’t the stupid kid just give her my name?!”

Your boyfriend rubs soothing circles into your back, not truly knowing how to answer you.

“She made him give everything else! Why wouldn’t he give my name?! I was right there! I could have helped! I could have fought! He’d still be alive-”

You cry harder into his shirt, and remain tucked in Shouta’s embrace for several minutes. Your sobs eventually turn to snotty sniffles, though neither of you pay any mind to the mess you’re making on his shirt.

“He...he didn’t even give me the option to try and save him. If my cover had been blown, then I…”

“Would probably be dead, too.” Shouta’s voice is low and pained, as if merely speaking the words caused him distress.

You peek up at him through wet lashes. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he says, “Up until a few days ago, you were in no shape to fight Akuma and win. If you’d stood up back then, your partner would still be dead, and you’d be beside him, and every bastard you’ve put behind bars would still be out there.”

“But how do you know?” your voice crackles, fresh tears springing up. “How do you know I couldn’t have saved him?”

“How do you know you could have?”

You’re both quiet for several beats, before you sigh deeply and set your head back on his shoulder.

“I...don’t.”

You stay like that for another couple minutes, listening closely to the beat of his heart and the steady thrum of his breathing. And once your anxiety begins to settle, you start to squirm.

“You’re gonna be late for work, Sho.”

He pushes the hair off your face, and lays a tender kiss on your forehead. “The kids will understand.”

You grumble a little, and offer him a tired smile. “Thank you. But really, I think I’m okay now. It’s easier getting through this when you or Hizashi are around.”

Shouta looks like he doesn’t quite believe you, but he knows coddling you will only make you mad. You’ve come far enough, trusting him to see you during a vulnerable moment. He wasn’t going to push it further.

“Promise you’ll call me if you start feeling less okay.”

You roll your eyes lightheartedly. “Yes, dad.”

“I’m serious, Y/N. Me or Hizashi. We’ll talk with you through whatever’s causing you problems.”

You avert your gaze from his, inklings of guilt creeping into your heart. “You’re not my therapists,” you tell him softly, “You shouldn’t have to talk me through anything. It’s not your job to deal with all my fucked up shit.”

“But we do love you.” He reaches down and takes your face in his hands, thumbs gently stroking over your damp cheeks. “We’ll support you however you need, no matter what. We want to be there for you, okay?”

You lean into his touch for a couple seconds, letting your eyes fall shut.

“Alright,” you relent, “if something happens, I’ll call one of you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He leans forward and kisses you, then stands to continue dressing. You watch him as he moves around the room, collecting his various accessories and pouches, pointing things out to him whenever he can’t find it.

He’s out of the house a few minutes later, leaving you with a warm goodbye and a tight hug. Hizashi had gone even earlier, which now left you completely alone in the house.

It seemed more spacious than it usually did, now that you’re on your own. No background din of partners moving around, no sounds of quiet conversation, or television music. Your chest dully aches as you flop back onto the bed and pull the blankets over your body.

You didn’t particularly want to go back to sleep, but you could feel the tiredness still in your limbs, and the heaviness behind your eyes. On top of that, your therapist had suggested you try some breathing exercises when trying to fall asleep, and you’d yet to try them out. Even if you didn’t pass back out, it might still be enough to allow you to lay there with your eyes shut.

Lo and behold, not thirty seconds after you start measuring your breaths, you begin to drift off.

----

The next time you wake, it’s nearly one in the afternoon. You feel surprisingly rested with the extra couple of hours, but you’re even more amazed with the lack of recurring nightmares. Plain, decent rests were few and far between.

Feeling revived, you’re able to look at your earlier dream more logically. It’s obvious now that your past is still haunting you, and that you’re even further stressed about the events to come. Your confrontation with Akuma is less than a week away, and you can finally see how much it’s weighing on you.

You’ve been trying your best to remain optimistic, to prepare yourself mentally for the oncoming fight, but you’re just so...tired. All the time. Exhausted down to your very core. You know that therapy will help you in the long run, and that’s what you’re planning for, but you know it’ll be months until you start feeling the affects.

You might not even have months left to live.

You sigh deeply, wishing your negative thoughts would leave you alone. Your phone sits on the bedside table beside you, silently taunting you. You could call one of your boyfriends...but did this count as a stressful time; dealing with the very hard truth?

Probably not.

And you don’t want to feel like a burden, like you need help with every tiny thing.

You could get through this on your own, you decide. You had an appointment in three hours, so if you could make it that long, you’d be okay.

But...maybe you’d leave a little earlier than usual. Getting out of the house would probably be good for you, so maybe you’d stop to get a coffee before your session...

Your heart warms at the thought of a warm drink and a snack, so you roll out of bed and start going about your day. No more moping around, you tell yourself. You were going to hold your head high, and hope your mood gets the memo.

----

It’s a nice afternoon for a walk. Not too hot, not too cold, sunny with white fluffy clouds dotted around, and a light breeze. You sip at the drink in your hand, letting the sweet taste soothe you from the inside out. You weren’t entirely sure whereabouts you were, having been wandering the city aimlessly for the past half hour.

Oddly enough, it didn’t bother you. Most often, you liked to know your exact location, to know which way you could run if you needed to. But today, despite your earlier panic, you feel...good. Light. You can’t describe the sudden onslaught of positivity, but you know it’s there. Maybe because Shouta and Hizashi are just a phonecall away, maybe it’s because you’re taking the time to care for yourself, maybe it’s-

You nearly jump out of your skin when a car alarm starts blaring beside you. Anyone around you would probably chuckle at your actions, and you take a second to smile at yourself.

A shop owner must have seen your distress, because he nods apologetically at you as he rushes out of his store to turn the alarm off. He looks tired and spread thin, not unlike your own reflection, and you pause momentarily to watch him walk back into the shop.

You glance over the flyers pasted to the windows, and an odd tremor crawls up your spine.

You try for a moment to chalk it up to your regular anxiety returning, flaring up from your spook a few moments ago...but something in the back of your mind tells you otherwise, some intricately honed survival sense that you’d obtained from years of being under threat.

You look a little closer at the papers in the window.

Most of them are outdated; old advertisements for food deals and community events, images of a couple lost pets. But there’s one sheet at the very center of the mess that catches your eye.

The paper is so pink it’s nearly blinding in the sunlight, but you’re still able to read the details. A charity event at the shop where it’s posted, one day only, when proceeds from every order will be donated to local food banks.

Usually something like that would have you scribbling the date down to participate...but this one freezes your heart to ice and sends another peculiar tremble through your body.

It’s dated for next week. The very day Akuma is meant to attack.

You skitter back a few steps and look up at the store’s sign, fear beginning to roil around in your gut.

Chicken shop. Cartoon chicken mascot.

This is wrong, you think. She’s not meant to attack until next week.

You hurry along from the shop, nearly running as you try to get out of the immediate area. You cut and dive around various slower-paced people, paying them no mind as they scold you for your rudeness.

But no matter how quickly you run, you can’t shake the feeling of impending danger.

You duck into a small nook beside a larger building, a building you’re fairly certain is the radio station from Oracle’s vision, and pull out your phone.

You feel so stupid, while the phone rings and you wait for Shouta to pick up. Oracle has said they couldn’t confirm the date for sure, but you’d pitted everything on them being right. They’d even warned you to be careful about where you go, until the event happened, but you hadn’t listened.

“Shit,” your curse, when you get put through to your boyfriend’s voicemail, bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other.

“Shouta, listen to me,” you tell the recording, “We got the date wrong. I was stupid. I wasn’t careful enough, and I’m downtown. I don’t think this is my mind playing tricks on me, not this time. It feels different. I think Akuma-”

Your breath freezes in your lungs when something cold and pliable wraps around your throat, and a warm body presses against your back. You try to squirm away, but more icy tar wraps around your extremities, holding you in place.

“Hello, little mouse,” Akuma coos, sickly sweet in your ear, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Your phone falls out of your hand, landing on the sidewalk with a wet splat. It feels disgusting as Akuma’s tendrils wire and snake around your body, soaking through your clothes and into your skin. Your vision is already beginning to fade, and your breath is laboured as the air is choked out of your lungs.

“Your little partner resisted his death, but I have a feeling you won’t make the same mistake.”

The final thought you have is one of Shouta and Hizashi, holding you close with warmth and affection.

Then the world goes black.

#aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta x reader #yamada hizashi x reader #present mic x reader #erasermic x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #Space Between

[gaycrouton]

A Long-Standing Curiosity

This is a part of my "Countdown" Series, where I play with the "X" times Mulder and Scully "X" trope. 10-2 will be UST-y with the final one being their first time.

This one is Five times Scully was reminded of Mulder’s impressive size. NSFW

I - A Hint (S1)

Whenever Mulder dragged her over to the Gunmen's, she felt a wicked sense of dejavu from her years of being a tagalong little sister. When her parents were out and Missy was busy, Bill was saddled with the duty of watching her. He'd hang out with his friends, usually riding bikes around the neighborhood while she exerted herself trying to keep up, her equilibrium tilting back and forth from training wheel to training wheel scraping against the pavement.

She was the outsider, but she wanted to be included.

"Some spies are said to keep asps in their pockets in preparation for a quick suicide," Frohike proclaimed. For what reason, she didn't know.

"I heard that too," Langly agreed. "That when they feel they've been compromised, they just aggravate the asp into biting them and releasing their venom."

"Like the historical myth about Cleopatra," she added, wanting to contribute since she hadn't been able to chime in during the last several conversations.

The three unfamiliar men looked over at her with a quizzical look. Much like in the summer days spent with Bill's friend, she'd distanced herself more in an attempt to bridge the gap. She squirmed in her seat under their attention, but she didn't lower her eyes, meeting them each with a raised eyebrow that said "What? I'm right."

"Myth?" Mulder asked, drawing her attention to the corner of the room where he was lounging comfortably. Whereas Bill would look over his shoulder, just to make sure she was still there before taking off even faster, Mulder kept a steady gaze on her, unwilling to let her fall behind. "It's a fact she killed herself with an asp," he challenged.

The Gunmen's heads went back and forth with each volley of this proverbial match. "No, it's not. Despite the paintings of Reginald Arthur and Michel Corneille or the writing of Shakespeare making millions believe she held an asp to her breast after the death of Antony, historians have proven that it was either the stab of a sharp implement like a hairpin or a toxic ointment that caused her death."

"I'd never heard that before, that's really interesting," Byers remarked, offering her a sincere smile.

Mulder was nodding at her with what appeared to be pride as she explained this. "That does make a lot more sense than someone just having a snake in their pants at the ready," Mulder teased, turning his attention over to the more eccentric two of the trio.

"Why? You do it all the time," Frohike joked, causing Langly to cackle.

"Except he's packing a python instead of an asp," Langly added, smiling wider as Mulder grew redder.

And just like all those years ago, the group of boys defaulted to dick jokes. Except Mulder wasn't her brother, and she was a woman now. Hearing them talk so openly about a topic she'd mentally sanctioned as taboo made her eyes widen and her curiosity flare.

"How many women you bite with that thing, Mulder?" Frohike, teased.

Scully observed as Mulder's previous position of comfort became tense as his eyes flickered over to see how she was reacting to the crude locker room talk. The ease with which the comments rolled off his friends' tongues made her think that this wasn't unusual talk for them nor that it was unfounded. The only thing that seemed out of place was Mulder's embarrassment.

"Guys, come on," he chastised, glaring at them while motioning his head towards her.

Frohike looked at her and coughed away his chuckling. "Sorry, Agent Scully."

She waved her hand in front of her face in dismissal. "It doesn't bother me."

But a nagging curiosity in the back of her mind now was.

II - A Glimpse (S2)

Scully didn't even realize it until afterwards. A flash of a bulge in her memory coming unexpected like an after shock in an earthquake.

She was standing at her kitchen counter, sipping from a glass of water with a shaky hand while Mulder's weapon sat next to the sink. Her body was exhausted from the effort of removing Mulder's clothes without any help from the double-her-size man. She'd stumbled back into her bookshelf when his pants finally came free and she'd been too worried about waking him to realize what she'd just uncovered, but now that she was calming down, she could recollect it perfectly.

An elongated bulge in his briefs, resting innocently on his upper thigh.

Elongated.

She hadn't really seen anything. Not in the flesh at least.

But in the morning when she checked on him, after he'd shucked the comforter off in his sleep, she was greeted with the same visual she knew she should be politely ignoring: Mulder's impressive, albeit flaccid, penis.

She stood next to him in the silence of her bedroom and looked down at it - a one woman gallery to an amazing show. Was he a shower or a grower?

Despite the fact that question was running through her mind, many were presently answered. He was big, showing or growing be damned, and he wasn't a Jewish stereotype.

III - A Brush (S4)

"Well, you could lock the door to the office," Mulder offered, accidentally brushing against Scully's back before leaning away from her.

"Folks know I never lock the door," Sheriff Taylor responded in an uncompromising tone. Adding, "They'd start rumors," as an afterthought.

She'd been reaching for the gloves, preparing to slide them over her hands, when he shut the bathroom door. As he did this, Mulder took a few shuffling steps closer to her so he could make himself fit in the tiny room. It probably was no larger than her wingspan, but half of the area was taken by either the sink or the toilet, making it so they had no room to shuffle. She could feel his knees and chest against her, so she could tell he was trying to lean his hips back to avoid pressing against her.

However, as she snapped the latex gloves on, he tried to readjust his footing and something ended up brushing against her ass. A significant something.

Her eyes froze on the blue lip of the faux-autopsy-table lunch tray laying in front of her as her brain quickly caught up to what her body instinctively recognized. Scully turned her head, too surprised at what she was feeling to acknowledge how close his face was.

Mulder was obviously aware of what caused her look and he smoothly deadpanned, "Oh, that was my penlight," acting as if their bodies touching so intimately was just a run of the mill occurrence.

"Oh," she murmured, turning back to the tray. "I thought a longstanding curiosity had just been satisfied," she replied, with feigned despondency before intaking a breath and widening her eyes.

"What an awfully big and warm penlight you have," was the response she wished she could have said.

Mulder moaned in appreciation low next to her ear and it sent shivers down her spine. The feeling of him pressed against her on top of his warm breath tickling her ear began to feel overwhelming, so she pulled back the sheet to kill the mood instantly.

IV - A Tease (S6)

A four hour stakeout? No problem. Six? Manageable. Ten? They were going insane.

It was one thing when they were on the X-Files. A stakeout then usually didn't last too long. But now under Kersh's orders, they were stuck with grunt work that was redundant and usually fruitless.

During the first time they'd endured this, Mulder had come up with some hairbrained twist on a children's game so they could pass the time. After a few rounds, it became perfectly clear that the game was just them asking questions back and forth, and they decided to just do that unabashedly. "You're my friend, Scully. I just want to know more about you. Why hide behind a game?" he smirked, bumping her leg with his.

After he'd said it, she was reminded of a night only a couple of years ago where Eddie Van Bluhndt had given her a similar sentiment. Mulder had just gone on and on about a potential X-File for hours before that, so she had no doubts that this was her Mulder in the flesh, but that made it a little more intimidating than it was back then. She knew he'd always harbored some anger towards what had happened with Eddie, not at her but at himself, and she had an inkling that this was an attempt at him doing what she'd inadvertently demonstrated she wanted.

It was initially awkward for them both, but at the end of the day - they truly did just want to learn more about each other.

However, this was now their third stakeout and they'd exhausted awkward high school stories and menial facts about themselves. She supposed it was that, plus the hours of boredom under their belts that led him down this line of questioning.

"What's your bra size?" he asked, shifting in the driver's seat while trying to find a good position.

His last question had been "When did you get your first fish?" so the abrupt topic change made her start in her seat.

Scully turned to him, and didn't see any traces of humor on his face. It was like he'd just asked what her shoe size was. "My bra size?" she repeated.

There it was. A little smile on his lips as the sides of his eyes crinkled with mirth. He turned to her, his smile widening when he didn't see any angry indignation on her face, and he replied, "Yeah."

If he was going to blame their exhaustion for his boldness, so could she. "Guess."

Without even looking he replied, "34B."

Her mouth dropped as she turned to him. "Cheater!"

He laughed and held up his hands. "How?" he asked in shocked amusement.

"How did you know, you didn't even look?" She knew it was stupid as soon as the statement left her mouth. Him not looking now was his way of subtly telling her he'd looked enough in the past to have it committed to memory.

He lowered his head ever so slightly closer to her and murmured, "I thought that would have been improper of me." Her eyes fluttered to the stubble coming through across his jaw and she was brought back by the shrug of his shoulders. "But, if you insist," he declared dramatically before letting his gaze fall to her chest.

She elbowed him playfully and chuckled as he mockingly rubbed his arm. "Ow, ow, okay. Your turn."

Feeling emboldened by his question, she decided she wanted to satisfy a curiosity of her own once and for all. "How big are you?"

"Six foot even," he replied innocently. He knew damn well what she meant and his cocky grin told her that he just wanted to hear her say it.

"No. How big is your…" she stumbled over word choice. Cock was vulgar, dick sounded childish, penis sounded clinical - what effect did she want to go for? "...cock," she settled on defiantly. The last word was slightly softer than the rest and she felt the friction of every consonant in the back of her throat as her mouth opened around the vowel. She'd never realized how, if said right, the word was like an oral invitation for the namesake.

His nostrils flared in response to her bold choice and a devilish gleam twinkled in his eye. She knew what he was going to do as soon as the smile erupted across his face. "Guess."

She swallowed thickly and turned her attention to the streetlamps littering the street, wanting to appear as indifferent as he had. "Well, from the glimpses I've seen over the years-" she started with a lilt.

"Glimpses?" he asked in surprise.

She turned to him with a coquettish smile and explained, "Mulder, I'm your doctor, and you're reckless. I've seen it all."

It was too dark to see fully, but if she could trust her eyes, he was blushing. "What's your verdict, Doc?"

"Six inches," she stated firmly.

He nodded amusedly and she was just about ready to gloat when he murmured, "Half right."

"Half right?" she replied quizzically.

He turned to her and smoothly told her, "You're assuming I'm a shower."

Bigger than six inches.

"Okay, okay," she mused. "Five inches flaccid, seven inches erect."

"Good guess," he smirked.

"But you said-"

He shifted in his seat and her attention was inadvertently drawn to the ever present mound in his lap. "Six inches flaccid, eight and a half erect," he replied.

She sat there stunned for a moment and was flustered when he waved his hand in front of her face and sang, "Earth to Scully."

"I don't believe you," she laughed breathlessly.

"Even about this?" he chuckled.

"Mulder, the average is five inches. Anything above eight is so rare," she explained, trying not to think about what he could do to her with that thing.

"Wanna see it?" he teased, undoing his belt.

Mulder was just joking. She knew that. But her gaze fell into his lap anyway, eagerly committing the image of his fingers deftly undoing his belt to memory. She couldn't find her voice to stop him, so she just sat there watching him.

When the anticipated words of 'Mulder' or 'stop' didn't happen, his hands faltered and he paused, watching her until she met his gaze while he held part of his undone belt in both hands. His eyes were curious, but there was a tint of something else. Something she only saw when she dreamed of him. "Scully?" his voice came out as a whisper.

A loud banging sound reverberated through the empty streets as a woman started screaming at the top of her lungs. "Shit," Scully swore, hopping out of the car as she ran towards the suspect fleeing the scene.

V - A Curiosity Satisfied (S7)

After coming to Los Angeles spur of the moment, following an unseen fear monster around for the entire night, watching multiple people die, and having to deal with infuriating pests following their every move with cameras - they were exhausted.

She'd been asleep in the car the entire time it took him to drive back to their shitty motel, and when he woke her up, it was only so she could reassure him they did everything they could and all but collapse face first into her mattress. The only thing she could physically muster up the energy to do was take off her shoes and coat.

However, her sleep was interrupted by Mulder's staggered breathing from the other room, more audible to her because their adjoining rooms were still open. It was common for Mulder to have nightmares, but there had been a definite spike because of the stress from the last few weeks.

It had become a bit of an unspoken pact as of late between them that if one of them was having a nightmare, the other would just sleep next to them. It was simple and innocent, just carnal comfort of having another person near.

Scully sniffed lightly as she pulled herself off the mattress, trying to shake her exhaustion away for long enough to get to him. She grabbed the warm pillow she'd been resting on and hugged it against her chest as she shuffled across the floor to the adjoining doorway.

Along with the staggered breathing, she could hear him grunting lightly. Her eyes were barely open, but her lip tugged downward in empathy. He'd just worked so hard and he can't even find solace in his dreams.

She made it to the doorway when her eyes registered more flesh than what she'd anticipated. Blinking the sight in front of her into view, she had to bite down on her lip to suppress a gasp.

Mulder was lying on his back, his boxers shoved around his knees, and he was pumping a massive erection with a vigorous fist.

Two. Two fists.

The sight alone was like a shot of adrenaline to her system and she felt a coiling in her gut. When he wasn't fucking his hands, he was using one to rub his precum over his head while the other fondled his balls. Mulder's face was contorted in pleasure, sweaty and flush, as his hips lifted off the bed.

Her feet felt like lead on the floor and she didn't know what to do. Go to him? Run away? Watch?

Mulder's breath continued to hitch as he continued his thrusts, but he was becoming erratic and she realized she was stumbling in at the tail end of it. She wasn't sure how long she'd just been asleep for, but Mulder had worked himself into a frenzy and he wasn't going to be able to hold it in for much longer.

She knew she should leave, but she didn't want to. She wanted to see Mulder in his most primal form. His eyes opened for a moment and she felt excitement run though her body like a shiver. Not fear. Not worry. She was excited at the idea of him knowing she was watching him.

But when his eyes opened, it was just to rip off the shirt he's been wearing and throw it to the floor, rolling over to grab a box of kleenex and setting it next to him on the bed before continuing.

His eyes fluttered shut as he resumed his frantic pace, his arms working so hard she could see the muscles in his biceps flexing. He looked so long and lean like this, wearing nothing but tangled boxers and arousal.

Mulder's mouth dropped open and she knew he was coming undone. His back arched off the bed as he ground himself into his hands, spurting thick lines of come all over his abdomen. Her groin felt heavy and swollen from her own arousal and the sight made her want to go over to him and beg him to finish her off. She was hugging the pillow she'd brought so tightly to her chest that she could feel her own heartbeat through it.

Mulder's breathing slowly started to return to normal as he grabbed some tissues and started cleaning himself up. It took a few wipes, but once he was done, he lifted his hips and gently eased his boxers over his hips.

Not wanting to be caught, as quietly as she could, she tiptoed back into her room and into her own bed. Now it was her turn for her breathing to turn erratic. Scully could hear Mulder's sheets shifting around, presumably from him trying to get comfortable.

Deciding that it was unlikely he'd get up and mimic what she just did, she let her hand slide down her abdomen and under the elastic of her underwear as she thought about the best eight and a half inches she'd ever seen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Other finished “Countdown” parts

10 times Mulder and Scully were as intimate as a couple

6 times Mulder saw Scully in her underwear

4 times they got a little too close

#x files #my fanfiction #gaycrouton #mulder #scully #msr #smutish #x files fanfic

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 40: Mewberty

A/N: It’s also Light of the Sun and Stars three year anniversary today, yay!

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: Marco isn’t feeling well and has no idea why he’s feeling extra clingy toward Star or his body is suddenly so itchy and uncomfortable among other sudden changes. He doesn’t want to worry his friends but the longer he waits the worse his condition seems to get. Can Star and the others figure out what’s wrong or will Butterfly Castle suffer from Marco’s unexpected transformation?

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them. 

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Marco wasn't feeling well. This shouldn't really be too surprising since it wasn't like he had never been sick before. He used to get a fever or a cough here and there growing up, causing every Monster in the castle to go into panic mode, rushing around like crazed maniacs trying to find a way to cure him of his illness, bringing him soup and medicine and hot water and basically anything the boy was in need of. Even the normally calm Buff Frog would be on edge during this time, flinching every time the boy coughed or sneezed and refused to leave his son's side for even a moment until Marco was completely one-hundred percent cured. And even after Marco had gotten over his initial aliment the Monsters still insisted he stay in bed an extra day, just to be sure he was okay (which Marco always thought was a bit excessive but figured his dad and the Monsters knew best).

Toffee was the only one who seemed to not be affected by the boy's condition. He usually just watched the boy from afar, his blank stare burning into Marco's skin, the boy easily picking up on his aggression in those moments, knowing that the lizard was angry with him for halting missions with his weak immune system but knew better than to say anything with the other Monsters around. But it was ironically due to Toffee's rule of not being allowed to leave the castle or his room most of the time that Marco was spared from suffering any major illnesses or diseases that most Mewmans have. But it was also due to this horrible rule that Marco had zero idea what it was he was sick with now, his very limited knowledge of Mewman illnesses doing nothing to help him determine what exactly he had.

This was the first time he had been sick since moving to Butterfly Castle, after all. Which meant he was completely lost on what exactly it was making him feel so weird today.

Since the moment he woke up that morning, something had felt off to Marco. His body felt strangely floaty and his arms and legs almost felt numb, like they weren't attached to him or something. And yet at the same time, he was aware of every sensation in his body at once and all of them were almost supercharged. His rumbling stomach felt like it was trying to cause an earthquake, his eyelids still heavy from just waking up felt like they were made of bricks, and his back felt super itchy for some reason.

But most of all, he couldn't stop thinking about Star.

This shouldn't be too unusual, I mean most of his thoughts revolved around her, but today it was to the absolute most extreme it had ever been. From the second he opened his eyes, the first thing that popped in his head was I need to see Star.

Once he climbed out of bed and started to change into his hoodie and jeans he couldn't stop thinking about going to see Star, her smile, her laugh, her eyes, all of it circling in his head so much he couldn't hardly focus and he almost ended up putting his hoodie on backward.

When he went downstairs, he ran into Jackie and Janna in the hallway and nearly groaned in disappointment that Star wasn't amongst them. He didn't hear a word they said to him the rest of the way to the dining room, the only thought in his head being a constant chant of: Star. Star. Star. Need to see her. Need to see Star.

And the moment he did see her, he had been so elated he had practically leapt into her arms, much to her surprise, the girl barely even having time to let out a simple greeting before being tackled to the floor. Jackie, Janna, Moon, River, and Lily had all stared dumbfounded as Marco clung tightly to his bestie, saying over and over again how happy he was to see her. Star, for the most part, didn't show too much concern, though she did flush in embarrassment from their audience, telling the boy she was happy to see him and gently hugged him back. After a few minutes though, Marco hadn't even lessened his grip, content to just lay on the dining room floor all day if need be, but when Star had asked to please be let up, the boy had reacted instantly, standing straight up, almost robotically.

This had also seemed to concern the others, but they said nothing of it, trying to ignore the awkward moment, all sitting down to eat their breakfast like nothing had happened. Star, however, turned to Marco and asked, "What was that about anyway?"

The boy shrugged, replying honestly, "I just missed you is all."

Star giggled, saying teasingly, "Seriously. But we just had date night like... last night. We went to the Dimension of a Thousand Sunsets, remember?"

"Yes, but that was hours ago," Marco said, a cute little pout on his face as he clung to his bestie's arm. "I had to go all night without seeing you."

Star seemed shocked by this for a second, but it quickly melted into a loving smile as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Aw, Marco, you're adorable!" she gushed.

The two had quickly joined the others for breakfast, only Marco barely ate, all his attention focused on Star to the point he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Not to mention every time he did take a bite of his breakfast a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and he soon realized he didn't have the stomach for cereal at the moment, simply setting his spoon down next to his bowl.

Moon seemed to notice this, asking him, "Marco, are you feeling okay? You've hardly touched your breakfast."

"Uh, I'm not in the mood for this today," the hooded teen said with a shrug.

"But it's Captain Blanches Sugar Seeds," Jackie pointed out, looking at him incredulously. "Your favorite."

"Guess I'm just not hungry right now," Marco replied shyly.

Star frowned at that, but said nothing, though Marco saw her casting worried glances his way every so often.

After breakfast, the itching set in.

What had originally started in just his back, soon began to spread to his arms, legs, neck, everything, until an hour and a half later his whole body was annoyingly itchy. Marco squirmed in his seat the whole time Skullnick gave him, Star, and Jackie the knight's report about Monster and Mewman incidents all across Mewni (which always sounded more like she was lecturing them like school children than simply briefing) while the hooded teen fought the urge to scratch every inch of his irritated skin. For the most part, he managed to remain still, though he never heard a word the general said, and he did occasionally use his chair as a back scratch whenever nobody was looking. Or so he thought, a pair of keen blue eyes watching him out of the corner of his eye every time he moved so much as an inch.

And if that hadn't been enough to distract him, there was the fact that his chair was right next to Star's and Marco could almost sense her presence next to him, completely aware of her form mere inches away from him. As the meeting ran on, Marco found himself seeking her touch more and more, his fingers twitching in anticipation for her warm palm in his. Eventually, the desire grew too strong for him and he slowly reached out a hand, gently grabbing Star's from underneath the table and the blond smiled to herself, before giving it a quick squeeze.

But then a weird sensation spread through Marco's hand, a tingling and burning feeling that caused Marco to literally cry out in surprise, startling everyone in the meeting room and making Star instantly let go. Soon, all eyes were on him and the hooded teen felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment, which felt like his cheeks were literally on fire with his heightened senses. "S-Sorry," he managed to stammer out, wanting nothing more than to dive under the table and out of sight.

Star, immediately picking up on her boyfriend's distress, took charge of the situation and turning to the knights said in the most regal tone she had, "Can you guys give us a minute?"

Everyone except Jackie immediately left the room, giving the princess and her boyfriend their privacy, though Skullnick looked none too happy about it, frowning and grumbling under her breath the whole way.

Once the doors were shut, Star turned to her boyfriend with a concerned look and asked, "Are you okay, Marco? You've been acting strange all morning."

The boy nodded shyly, before muttering out, "Yeah, I guess I just feel weird today."

"Are you getting sick?" Jackie asked looking equally worried.

"Maybe," Marco replied, scratching at his arm now that nobody was around to notice it. "But I'm not really sure. I didn't get sick a whole lot with Buff Frog and everybody."

Star watched this for a moment before asking, "Are you feeling itchy?"

Marco nodded, admitting, "Yeah." He scratched his arm a bit more before moving to his neck. "It wasn't that bad before but now it's starting to feel real bad."

"And I'm guessing you being sick is why you didn't feel like eating anything this morning," Jackie observed.

Star pressed a hand to the boy's forehead, which caused him to immediately flush bright red against his will, his whole face tingling from her touch. "Hmmm, feels like you might be running a fever too."

"Sounds to me like the chickenpox?" Jackie suggested and Star nodded in agreement.

"That's what I was thinking," Star said.

Marco looked between the two with wide eyes, asking nervously, "Am I... gonna turn into a chicken?"

The two girls laughed, Jackie shaking her head. "No, Marco, you aren't gonna turn into a chicken," the skater girl reassured him and the boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"But you should probably lay down for a while," Star said and the boy instantly frowned at the idea of leaving Star's side, giving his girlfriend a hurt look.

"But what about your meeting later with Mayor Butch and the other Monster leaders?" Marco pointed out sadly. "Don't you need me there to help. "

"Wellll," Star began, thinking her words over carefully. She knew how much that meeting had meant to him, Marco had been the one to help set it up in the first place. "It would be nice sure but I'm more concerned about you getting better. Your health comes first, Marco."

The boy let out a long sigh, before muttering softly, "Yeah I guess."

Star, seeing her boyfriend's downtrodden face, felt her will break and added hesitantly, "Hey, if you really want, I could cancel the meeting for today-"

"No, you don't need to do that," the hooded teen said, shaking his head, despite wanting so badly to say otherwise. He didn't want Star to leave, could barely stand the idea of her being away from him for more than a few minutes, but some sane, more rational part of his brain was able to remind himself what was at stake. "You should go. Just because I have to stay home doesn't mean you need to."

"Yeah but," Star muttered worriedly, biting her lip. She stared deep into her boyfriend's eyes before asking softly, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Marco reassured her, giving her what he hoped was a lighthearted grin. "I just need some sleep like you said."

Star nodded slowly, looking on the verge of changing her mind but finally agreed, saying, "Okay, but if you need me for anything, anything at all, just call me and I'll come right back." Marco felt his heart begin to pound with some powerful emotion as his girlfriend's beautiful face lit up with a mind-numbing smile.

"Sounds good to me," Marco said returning the grin with one of his own, while his mind was screaming, Star don't go! He did his best to ignore his inner thoughts as he stood up from his chair, reluctantly saying, "Well I should probably go lay down before I get any worse."

"I'll go with you," Star said, standing herself, and Marco's face lit up knowing he would have Star by his side a little longer, his heart practically leaping for joy, fighting to free itself from his chest. The blond royal turned to Jackie and said, "Tell everyone I'll be back soon, okay?"

"No problem," the skater responded immediately. The two had only taken a step before she added, "Oh do you also want me to call Buff Frog and tell him Marco isn't feeling well?"

"No you better let me do that," Marco replied instantly. "Dad gets crazy overprotective whenever I get sick and the others just kinda lose it, I don't want them to freak out too much."

Star giggled at that, before commenting, "So guess we can be expecting a visit from your family later?"

"If they don't take me home with them where they can watch me morning, day and night," Marco replied with an exhausted sigh.

"Not gonna lie, Buff Frog losing it is hard to imagine," Jackie said with a playful grin. The other two teens giggled in agreement, before heading out the door again, the skater waving the two off.

As Star walked Marco to his room, the young couple spent a few moments in blissful silence, no words needed as they just enjoyed each others presence in the quiet hallway. Marco couldn't stop himself from continually casting glances in his girlfriend's direction, trying to ignore the tingling that seemed to be spreading through his whole nervous system, making him jittery and hyper. He felt alert to Star's every movement, the way she walked, the way her face lit up every time she glanced his way, the way her hair bounced with every step. Everything. It wasn't the first time he had noticed these things about Star, the simple act of her breathing enough to capture his interest and attention, but it felt different now.

Star was his whole world sure, but now she was the world. Nothing else mattered. Just Star. Just being near Star. Just seeing Star. Just smiling at Star. Just touching Star. Just kissing Star. Just holding Star's hand. Just-

"Marco!" Star screamed, finally managing to capture the boy's attention as he reeled back in shock.

"Huh?" he asked numbly, blinking a few times at his girlfriend in confusion.

"I said we're here," Star explained patiently, gesturing over to Marco's door.

The boy turned in that direction, before his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, muttering, "Oh. Guess we are." He began scratching at his cheeks, giving his bestie a sheepish look as he chuckled awkwardly. "I, uh, I didn't notice."

Star just laughed. "I kinda figured," she replied with a wink.

A silence settled over the two again, Star and Marco shifting uncomfortably on their feet, neither teen quite ready to say goodbye yet. The hooded boy bit his lip in the cutest way, Star nervously playing with a strand of hair as they just stared at the floor. But after another minute of the awkward silence, Marco cleared his throat, before saying softly, "Well I guess I should probably..." He pointed over at his door, still fighting the inner voice in his head that was begging Star to stay with him.

"Yeah, I guess you should," Star agreed, her sad face a perfect match to how Marco currently felt.

"So yeah," the boy said awkwardly, stalling the conversation for as long as he could. "Uhhh, I guess I'll let you go back to the meeting and I'll just, y'know, sleep for a while."

Star nodded. "Okay, I'll call a doctor soon, have him take a look at you just so we know for sure what we're dealing with," the blond said. "Don't want it getting any worse."

"Cool, cool," Marco agreed with a nod of his head. He paused for a moment, clapping his hands together as he shot the girl a grin. "Well then..." And in a last desperate attempt to drag things out with Star a little longer, he reached slowly over toward his doorknob, speaking in a deliberately drawn-out manner, making sure to pause on each word for as long as possible, "I'lllll juuussttt gooooo."

Star just smiled at her boyfriend's precious attempts to stall, moving at the speed of a sloth, and she couldn't help but lean over and plant a loving kiss to his cheek, causing the boy to instantly freeze up. Star took advantage of this as she opened the door for him, helping him inside as his limbs suddenly felt like pudding, the blond royal practically dragging Marco into his own room. "Sleep tight, Marco, I'll come check on you later," she whispered, giving him a quick hug that made Marco's whole body heat up and start tingling again, the weird feeling returning tenfold.

"Uh-huh," he somehow managed to get out, a goofy grin on his face as he watched Star blow him one last kiss from the doorway before waving to him and closing the door, the beautiful smile on her face ingrained permanently into Marco's memory.

The moment she was gone the boy collapsed to the ground with a love-sick sigh, the brightest smile imaginable on his face as his mind replayed the moment he had just shared with his beautiful bestie. And for a moment, the fact that he was alone didn't matter, the pull at his heartstrings and the voice at the back of his mind whining about Star being gone didn't bother Marco in the slightest. The only thing the boy could focus on right then was the tingling sensation in his cheek from where Star had kissed him, gently rubbing it as he felt his heart float around in his chest.

But as Marco pulled his hand away he felt something stick to his fingertips. He sat up, staring down at his palm in confusion, only to see a small orange sun just like his cheekmark laying in his hand. "Huh, that's new," the boy muttered softly, absentmindedly scratching at his arm with his free hand.

After a moment or two though, Marco's curiosity made him pull back the sleeve on his hood only to gasp in surprise as even more of the 'sunspots' covered his skin, running all up and down his arm, all identical to his sun cheekmarks save for hue. The boy blinked a few times, before frowning. He had heard of Mewnian acne before but he had never had it himself. "Maybe this is a symptom of chickenpox?" he concluded, pulling his sleeve back up, before pulling himself into bed. "I'll ask Star when she gets back," he muttered tiredly before closing his eyes tight.

Soon Marco was asleep, snoring softly in the safety and comfort of his room, dreaming of Star and her bright smile. For a few minutes, nothing happened, but soon another sunspot appeared on his skin, then another and another and another until his whole body was covered in them. But they didn't stop there, soon they were piling up all over the bed and floor, Marco remaining oblivious to it all in his unconscious state. Soon an orange cocoon had formed around the hooded teen. And from within this large cocoon, Marco's body slowly began to change.

...

Later that afternoon, after Star had already left for her meeting, Jackie and Janna decided to stop by Marco's room to check up on him, carrying get well gifts for their sick friend, a stuffed bunny that said 'Get well soon' on its chest from Jackie and a new book for Marco to read while stuck in bed from Janna. The two had both promised Star to keep an eye on the boy since the doctor would be running late with another more serious case, apparently one of Pony Head's sisters Teta coming down with an emergency case of what he referred to as 'horn-itis' (but according to Pony Head was just another scheme by her sisters to take her throne) and neither had heard a word from Buff Frog or the other Monsters. That left Marco in the care of Jackie and Janna, both of which were confident they could look after the boy and help him with whatever he needed to get better. After all, it was just the chickenpox.

"You think we should have brought him some soup or something?" Jackie suddenly asked her friend.

Janna shrugged. "I don't really see how it would do much good since he didn't really seem to have much of an appetite before," the creepy teen pointed out. "What we should have brought him was that healing potion I was telling you about."

"Uhh, pass," Jackie replied, with a roll of her eyes. "Marco needs medicine, not some weird goop you heard about from who knows where."

"It was Violet for the record and it's not poison if that's what you're worried about."

"It wasn't. I'm just saying we aren't giving Marco any strange liquids, poisonous or otherwise."

Janna let out a dejected sigh, grumbling, "Fine, have it your way."

The two stopped as they reached the door to Marco's room, Jackie raising a hand to knock, turning to Janna to say something. But whatever thought she had died on her lips as her hand hit the door frame, a cascade of tiny suns raining down around them through the cracks in the door. The skater let out a startled gasp, shuffling away from the door as quickly as she could, the two staring at the pile of orange shapes on the ground before sharing a concerned look.

"You don't think," Jackie began but Janna was quick to nod.

"Oh, I think," the beanie-wearing girl replied.

The skater bit her lip before slowly approaching the door again, grabbing firmly onto the doorknob, sucking in a deep breath in anticipation before pulling the door open. She stood behind the door, watching as a mountain of suns filled the hallway, Janna having to take a step back to avoid getting any on her. Once the sunspots seemed to have settled, the skater peeked around the door, looking into Marco's room with wide eyes. At least she would have if there wasn't another massive pile of sunspots blocking the entire entrance.

Jackie gave Janna a startled look, the teen just shrugging in response, silently conveying her own loss at what to do. The skater just held in a breath as she took a risky step closer to Marco's room, saying in a soft tone, "Marco. Are you in there?" Then, in an even greater risk, she slowly and steadily raised a hand and placed it on the sticky pile of sunspots, her body tensing up in fear.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and Jackie slowly began to relax, letting out a breath of relief, that was until she heard a voice say, "Starrrrr..."

And then in a flash, a hand emerged from the pile Jackie just barely managing to pull her own hand away in time to avoid getting grabbed. But the movement had been so quick and sudden that she stumbling back and into Janna, the two collapsing onto the floor in a heap. The two watched wide-eyed as a body slowly began to rise from within the mountain of sunspots, the new form of Marco now hovering in the air above them.

His skin had turned a light orange color, his hoodie now a bright, almost blinding, red, large clumps of red sunspots clearly seen decorating the soft cloth. His jeans were now orange, tinged with yellow at the ends and his shoes were bright red. His hair was flatter than usual, lacking its typical bounce or spikes, instead it all hung loosely over his eyes. It was also now red with streaks of yellow in it. His eyes were devoid of pupils, instead just two glowing white dots that matched the burning glow of his cheekmarks. His mole now stood out much more on his orange-tinted face, looking like the only thing that hadn't been transformed with the rest of him.

But the changes to his appearance didn't stop there, he was now also sporting an extra pair of arms that seemed to have ripped out from the sides of his hoodie, more red suns clinging to the soft skin, gleaming in the light of the hallway. And to top it off, he now had a pair of light red, almost translucent, wings that flapped lazily behind him, the same sun designs that dotted his arms and hoodie seen on them as well.

The two girls stared at their friend for a few seconds before Janna said in a deadpan, "Yep, it's Mewberty."

"Definitely Mewberty," the skater instantly agreed with a quick nod.

The two stood, walking slowly and steadily over to their floating friend, Jackie keeping her hands raised to show him she meant no harm. Marco, meanwhile, was too busy scanning the bright hallway to notice them, his glowing eyes in search of something, his wings fluttering behind him in almost anxiety. "Hey Marco," Jackie greeted softly and the boy's eyes flicked over to her, his head cocking to the side as he observed the two familiar forms. "That's right, it's just me and Janna. You remember us, right?"

The boy's head cocked to the other side. "You remember that we're your friends, don't you?" Jackie asked, smiling at the boy with her typical cool radiance.

The boy leaned a little closer, his face still blank, as he raised a hand and Jackie instinctively flinched but didn't dare take a step away. But she blinked in surprise as Marco began poking her speckled cheek with his finger. "Uh, Marco what are you doing?"

The boy simply smiled, recognition flashing across his features, as he droned out, "Frienndd."

"Yeah, Marco that's right, we're your friends," Jackie said in slight relief. This was going better than expected.

But suddenly, the boy's smile vanished as he droned out the word, "Sttttaaarrr."

"Uh Star's not here right now," Jackie said in a soft tone. "She went to that meeting with the Monsters, remember?"

"Staarrrr," the boy continued, his head flicking from left to right in search of his mate.

"Yeah, I don't think he remembers, Jacks," Janna spoke up.

"Okay Marco, we'll bring you Star, don't worry," Jackie reassured the hooded teen, before turning to Janna, speaking in a low whisper. "Jan, what is going on? How is he going through Mewberty right now?"

"Well when a Mewman reaches a certain age their body begins changing in many ways-" the creepy teen began in her typical sarcastic tone.

"I know why it's happening!" the skater hissed, glaring at her roommate. "I mean how come he didn't go through this sooner, Star's Mewberty was like three years ago."

Janna shrugged. "Star was an exception. Most Mewmans go through Mewberty at fourteen or fifteen," the girl explained.

Jackie let out a sigh, but didn't question it any further, returning her focus to the task at hand, as she said, "Okay well, firsts things first, we need to get Marco somewhere safe before something bad happens."

"Uhhh, yeah I think that's gonna be kinda a problem," Janna said, her eyes widening some.

"What? Why?" Jackie asked in confusion.

"Because he already flew away," the creepy teen deadpanned, Jackie turning on her heels only to see Marco was missing. But a loud shattering of glass a few seconds later alerted them to his new location farther down the hall. "Oh no," Jackie muttered before running after the boy, Janna close on her heels.

When they reached the next hall they quickly spotted Marco, who was zipping around the hallway clearly in search of something, picking up priceless vases from their mantels before tossing them unwanted to the floor, opening doors (sometimes even ripping them off their hinges if they were locked) and scanning the rooms before moving on to the next one. "What is he doing?" Jackie asked after a moment of watching their friend's odd behavior.

"I think he's still looking for Star," Janna said, though she looked slightly unnerved by the boy's actions.

At the mention of Star, Marco turned to face the two, his glowing orbs almost piercing through them as they jumped in surprise. "Starrrr?" the boy questioned, cocking his head to the side again.

"We already told you, Marco," Jackie began, keeping her voice low and quiet. "Star's not here right now, remember?"

"Staaaarrrrrrr," the boy muttered nervously, his wings flapping a bit irregularly than before, clearly growing agitated.

"But we can take you to her," Jackie continued, taking a risky step forward, holding out a hand to the boy. "Just trust us. Please."

Marco eyed the hand cautiously for a few seconds, making no move closer and the two girls held their breath in anticipation. Finally, the boy seemed to overcome his safety instincts and slowly reached out toward his friend's waiting palm and Jackie and Janna silently sighed in relief.

That was until a loud voice yelled out through the hallways, the clear voice of Skullnick barking orders to her knights drawing Marco's attention away from his friend and onto the new sound. Jackie could see a new decision flashing across her friend's neutral face and quickly said, "Marco, no. That's not Star. Don't-"

But her words fell of deaf ears as the boy took off down the hallway at an incredible speed, the burst of wind startling the girls as they were left blinking in shock for a few seconds, the boy vanishing from sight. "Whoa, wasn't expecting that," Janna commented.

"Come on, we gotta catch him!" Jackie exclaimed before chasing after the boy again, hoping he didn't get into too much trouble. If it was anything like Star's Mewberty than the entire castle could be at risk. Star had nearly destroyed the castle in her emotional and magical outburst, and Jackie remembered that as one of the most intense seven hours of her life as they all did their best to wait out her transformation. She had basically gone on a rampage, attacking anything she considered hostile, and the only reason they had calmed her down long enough to give her some medicine to weaken the effect was because they had used Oskar as bait to draw her out.

And even then it had taken several, long hours for her to turn back to normal. And Queen Moon had even said that sometimes Mewmans could go even longer depending on their magical level or emotional state. Meaning who knew how long Marco would be stuck this way. Jackie forced herself to push these thoughts aside for the moment, focusing all her energy and thought process into finding her friend. She could worry about the rest later.

Meanwhile, in another wing of the castle, the fully transformed Marco was still desperately searching for his missing mate, the sound of voices echoing, confusing the Mewman's fuzzy brain, putting him even more on edge. Marco, in his scared primal state, didn't quite understand what was happening to him, all he knew was his desire to find Star. Nothing else mattered. He needed Star. He had to find her. Find Star. Find Star. And with that single-minded goal in mind the boy pressed on, flying further and deeper into the castle, his glowing eyes constantly scanning his surroundings for both threats and for Star.

The boy paused though as he heard voices coming from within one of the rooms and Marco practically lunged for the door in his haste to open it, his brain momentarily convinced he had found his mate. But instead, he saw the forms of Daisy and Violet who sat around the former's tea table, both too engrossed in watching their pet snake devouring a ruby crystal to notice the boy. "Aww Edith's so cute when she eats," Violet commented.

"She'd be even cuter if you let me put that dress on her," Daisy replied.

"No way! Edith is too cool to wear pink," Violet argued.

"Then what about blue?" Daisy suggested hopefully, even holding up a tiny blue dress to show her twin.

Violet gagged. "Uh uh, not gonna happen."

Marco, the whole time this was going on, just floated there stunned before finally recovering enough to ask the question, "Stttaarrr?"

Neither twin even bothered to look up as Violet said with a quick wave, "Oh hey, Big Brother."

"Star's not here," Daisy added, never taking her eyes off of Edith as she pointed behind her. "You should check the meeting room. She's always in there."

Marco looked over in that direction, continuing to mutter, "Staarr." But he turned back to the girls for just a second as he added, "Thaannks."

"Yep, no problem, Big Brother," Violet said, doing a short wave goodbye.

"Good luck!" Daisy added just as the door slammed shut.

After a moment, Daisy looked up at her sister asking, "Did Big Brother seem weird to you?"

Violet shrugged. "Not really."

A few seconds later the door flew open again as a panting Jackie asked, "Have you girls seen Marco?"

"Yeah, he was headed to the meeting room," Daisy explained, pointing in that direction again.

"Okay thanks," Jackie replied with slight relief, but she added quickly, "Oh, and don't leave your room for a little while. It's not safe."

"Okay," Violet said, still distracted by Edith.

The door closed again and the two sisters shared a look. "What was that about?" Daisy asked.

"No idea," Violet replied. "Probably just some dumb grown-up stuff."

There was a pause before Daisy added, "What about a skirt?"

"We aren't playing dress-up with Edith!" Violet shouted.

…

Skullnick paced in front of the line of knights before her, staring each of them down with a hard, dissatisfied glare as she got ready to berate them as she had done many times before. The group was standing in the general's own personal war room as she called it when really it was more of a large office. "I can't believe you imbeciles!" she shouted, causing everyone present except Higgs to flinch. "How hard is it to find one stinking Monster?! You've had all this time to track him down and we are no closer to finding him than we were months ago! We are supposed to be the best of the best, but thanks to your incompetence we're now the laughingstock of Mewni!"

"Um, but ma'am nobody even knows about that-" one of the shaking knights began only to be immediately shot down as Skullnick snapped, "Well I know and I'm saying it's inexcusable!"

The knight whimpered before stuttering, "Y-Yes ma'am! S-So sorry, ma'am!"

"As far as I'm concerned the only one here with half a brain cell is Higgs!" Skullnick gesturing over to the girl who stood just a little bit taller, a smug look on her face as the general addressed her. "At least she has been pulling her weight around here, instead of slacking off!"

"Thank you general," the redhead replied, saluting her superior.

Jak and Dex who had stood silently on the sidelines this whole time, couldn't help but praise the girl's success, Jak shouting in support, "Whoo-hoo you go Higgs!" Both of the lowly guards began clapping and smiling goofily at the girl's success, but this only caused the young knight to flush, completely humiliated by her dad and his friend. But thankfully it didn't last long as one stern glare from Skullnick instantly stopped the two guards' celebration, dropping their hands and standing at attention.

"And you two, how many times do I have to tell you to stay at your post!" Skullnick screamed and the two cringed openly.

"But we just wanted to see-" Jak began, only for the general to point a viscous finger at the door, screaming, "Get going!"

The two jumped to fulfill the orders, running from the room as fast as they could, Higgs face-palming at her dad's stupidity, doing her best to ignore the judging stares from the other knights.

Jak and Dex both breathed a sigh of relief once out of the large office, both visibly shaken by the general's harsh attitude, leaning against the wall for support as their bodies shook with fear. "Man Skullsy gets scarier and scarier every day," Jak commented and Dex silently nodded.

"Come on, we should get going before she starts screaming at us again," Dex said, the two about to head down the hallway when a shadow fell over them and the two looked up startled only to scream in fright at what they saw. Jackie and Janna heard the terrified shrieks from farther down the hall and both shared concerned looks, not having to guess to know the source of those screams. Oh no, the two girls thought as one, quickening their pace.

Marco, meanwhile, just stared down at Jak and Dex curiously, watching as the two scrambled to get back into Skullnick's office, the two pushing each other out of the way as they both fumbled with the doorknob. Finally, the two managed to get the door open, rushing inside before slamming the door shut behind them.

Skullnick and the other knights all stared at them with a mixture of shock and annoyance, Higgs looking like she wanted the ground underneath her to open up and swallow her whole. None of them seemed even slightly concerned at the two men's panic, the troll general barking out, "What is it now?!"

The two stuttered out an explanation, pointing behind them as they tried to convey their frantic message but their words turned into a jumbled and indecipherable mess, which only seemed to humiliate Higgs more and more, the girl's face nearly redder than her hair color at this point. The general also seemed unamused with their pointless ramblings, rolling her eyes and snapping, "Jak! Dex!"

The two froze in place at the raised tone, turning to statues before Skullnick's eyes, completely petrified and afraid to so much as blink, and sensing her opening said, "Could one of you please explain to me why you interrupted my meeting... again!"

"It's a Code Purple ma'am!!" Jak managed to scream and the other knights all gasped in fright. Code Purple. That could only mean one thing. Mewberty.

"What? Who?" was all Skullnick managed to get out before the door to the room was pulled off the hinges, every knight staring in shock and disbelief as the transformed Marco flew into the large office, his eyes gazing around intently. "Marco?" Higgs whispered under her breath.

The boy looked around for a few seconds more before flying out of the room. There was a beat of silence before the knights all reacted, at once Skullnick shouting to her lackeys, "Code Purple! We have a Code Purple! Put the castle on lockdown! And secure the target! We have a fully-mutated Mewberty case here!"

The other knights all jumped into action after that, some running from the office to try and warn the other guards, while others headed after Marco, who seemed oblivious to the panicked atmosphere he was causing, still too busy searching for Star to care about anything else. Jackie and Janna finally caught up to their friend and seeing the knights chasing after him, they both quickly ran to his side, holding up their arms and blocking the knights off from getting any closer to Marco. "Wait, stop. Stay away from him!" Jackie screamed.

"We can't do that," Skullnick proclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Marco's in full Mewberty, he needs to be secured."

"But Marco's not going to hurt anyone, he's just confused," Jackie argued desperately, gesturing behind her to where the boy hovered, looking around at the Mewmans that now surrounded him in confusion. "We need to take him to Star." Marco's head snapped over to Jackie at the mention of his mate's name, his wings now fluttering eagerly.

But Skullnick didn't seem convinced, shaking her head and saying firmly, "No way! Orders are orders and I was told that any of the castle staff who suffer from Mewberty must be contained immediately."

"But he recognized me, he's not mindless like Star was," Jackie tried but her words now fell on deaf ears as Skullnick took a determined step closer, the other knights shuffling closer as well.

"Doesn't matter, that's a risk I'm not going to take," the general declared, her eyes digging into Jackie's skin. Her gaze darkened as she added, "Now stand aside so that I can do my job."

Jackie shook her head, saying with determination she didn't feel, "No way!"

"Then we'll have no choice but to place you both in temporary confinement," Skullnick replied snapping her fingers and signaling her men to move in, two knights sauntering purposefully over to the two girls.

Jackie looked desperately around for some help as the knights descended upon her and Janna, her eyes finally falling on Higgs, who had yet to move an inch, and she shouted, "Higgs, come on, tell them to stop! You know as well as I do that Marco wouldn't hurt anyone."

Higgs looked over at Skullnick than back to her friend and shrugged. "Yeah, I know but with Mewberty we can't take any chances."

Jackie let out a frustrated huff before one of the knights grabbed her arm and Jackie instantly struggled, trying to pull her arm free from the tight grip. "Hey, stop it!"

Another knight did the same to Janna, the half-Monster fighting back her instincts and forced herself to to be dragged away from Marco, shouting in her defense, "Knock it off! Let go!"

Marco watched numbly as the two strange men grabbed onto his friends' arms and instantly a powerful emotion overcame him, a burning rage and protective instinct flooding his chest. And as soon as his friends' struggles and desperate cries reached Marco's ears, the boy lashed out, thick webs of sunspots flying from his hands and striking the two men who held his friends against their wills. The two men cried out in surprise as they were yanked backward, away from his friends and flung across the room with one flick of Marco's wrist, the pair rolling to a painful stop a few feet away. They moaned in pain but Marco felt no regrets for the necessary action, his protective nature outweighing any guilt he might harbor at the moment.

The room had gone dead quiet at Marco's sudden action, the boy's instincts picking up on the dread that now lingered in the air but he paid it no mind, his glowing eyes instead moving to examine his friends, checking to be sure they were unharmed. He stared into their shocked and gawking faces for a second before concluding they were okay and turned to go back to his previous search for Star.

But the sudden movement set off one of the jittery and unnerved knights, the man suddenly springing into action by lunging toward the boy with a loud shout. Marco was startled to say the least as one of his legs was roughly grabbed by said knight and Marco's instincts took over again as he shot out more sticky webs, coating his attacker and gluing him to the floor, where he lay unmoving.

After that, it was pure chaos, suddenly all the knights swarmed Marco. The boy, frightened by the angry and loud crowd of strangers, began firing webs at them, desperately fluttering around in a desperate attempt to avoid getting hurt.

"Wait, stop!" Jackie screamed pointlessly to the knights. The skater turned to the general, who stood unflinchingly during all this chaos, and shouted, "Skullnick, please. You have to get them to stop! They're making it worse!"

"No can do! I told you Marco was a danger in this state," Skullnick argued, her mind already made up.

"Only because you guys are scaring him," Janna pointed out but this still didn't seem to sway Skullnick's resolve as she ignored the two taking a step forward and shouting orders to her men. Jackie and Janna let out frustrated groans watching as Marco continued plastering knights to the walls and floor. Suddenly a voice said beside them, "So now what are you gonna do." The two looked over to see Higgs observing the scene with a bored expression.

"Oh nice of you to actually listen to us," Janna commented bitterly.

Higgs shrugged. "Hey I can't ignore a direct order from the general." She smirked mischievously as she added, "But you can. So what's the plan?"

"Okay well, I guess our best bet is to get Marco out of the castle," Jackie replied thoughtfully.

"You really think that's gonna help?" Higgs asked with disbelief.

"Well it's better than him staying here," Jackie said, gesturing to the warzone taking place in front of them, a knight flying over them with a loud scream.

"Good point," Higgs agreed with a quick nod. "So how are you planning on doing that?"

Before Jackie could answer, Janna held up Star's devil-horned headband, saying in a smooth tone, "With this."

"Janna! Where did you get that? No, when did you get that?" Jackie asked in shock and slight concern.

"What? Star didn't need it today so I thought I'd bring it to Marco to cheer him up," Janna said with a shrug.

Higgs rolled her eyes, muttering, "Likely story."

Jackie wanted to comment further but knew she had more important things to worry about at the moment, letting the subject drop for now as she grabbed the headband from her friend's grip, her eyes slowly drifting over to the startled Marco.

Marco was afraid. He didn't like the way these strange people kept trying to grab him, tried to restrict his movement and keep him from Star. He especially didn't like that. He wanted to find Star but he couldn't do that if these strange people didn't stop attacking him. Were they trying to keep her from him? At that, anger pooled in Marco's chest and he held out all four hands, coating a new person in the webby substance. No one was keeping him from his Star.

Suddenly, Marco heard a shrill sound, like a whistle, and he turned to see the light-haired girl (Jackie, his inner voice corrected) holding up a headband. Star's headband. Marco felt a powerful emotion flow through him, all the fight leaving him at once as he stared at the sole reminder of his missing mate. "Hey Marco, look what I got," she said to him in a sing-song voice and Marco flew a little closer to her. He needed that. He needed it to find Star. "Starrrr..." the boy droned, hands reaching out to take the object.

Jackie smiled, glad to know her plan was working. "That's right, dude," she said encouragingly, stepping on her skateboard, checking to make sure the strap on her helmet was adjusted correctly. "You can have it, all you have to do is follow me." After that, she pushed off, skating smoothly down the hall.

Marco groaned in despair as the headband suddenly grew further away from him. He needed that. He chased after his friend without a second thought, his eyes never once leaving the sight of the red hairpiece.

Skullnick spotted the boy leaving, as well as Higgs and Janna chasing after, and quickly shouted, "Stop him! He can't get away!" But looking around she saw all her other knights were incapacitated, groaning in heaps on the floor, most unable to move due to the sticky sunspots that coated them. The general growled under her breath at her men's incompetence before her eyes landed on Jak and Dex who stood awkwardly on the sidelines. "You too!" Both guards jumped at being suddenly addressed. "We're going after Marco! Let's move!" With that Skullnick started stomping down the hallway but Jak and Dex hesitated, sharing concerned glances. But another shout from Skullnick got them moving. "I said 'Let's move!'"

"Y-Yes General S-Skullnick!" the two shouted in reply, running to try and catch up to the troll general's quick pace.

Farther down the hall, Jackie was doing her best to keep ahead of Marco but the boy was much faster than normal, even the speed on Jackie's prized skateboard no match for the boy's swift flying prowess. And his single-minded desire to get a hold of the headband was proving to be difficult to counter. Marco lunged, his hands reaching to snatch the headband out of Jackie's grip but the skater sensed the movement at the last second, holding her arm up at the last second and she shifted her position on the skateboard so that it would maneuver to the other side of the hall.

But this didn't halt Marco's efforts in the slightest, the boy reaching out a hand and shooting sticky webs at the headband, hoping to retrieve it that way. Again, Jackie managed to see the movement out of the corner of her eye and her feet instinctively shifted to the back of the board, the skater bending her knees and pressing down on the tail of the board with her back foot. The result was instant as her board left the ground, jumping over the string of webs, Jackie guiding the motion until the wheels met hard ground once more. After taking a second to recover from the jump Jackie took a risky glance back, only to see Marco was on her tail once more, his glowing pupils fixated on nothing but the headband.

The skater, shifted her attention back to what lay ahead only to nearly scream in surprise as she spotted Moon and River coming towards her, chatting happily, their attention too focused on one another to notice anything else. "Your Majesties, look out!" she screamed to them in warning.

The two royals looked over to her in surprise. "Jackie?" the queen said quizzically.

"Move out of the way, it's an emergency!" the skater replied, fear lodging into her throat.

"Moonpie, I think we might want to do as she says," River said as his eyes landed on Marco, grabbing his bewildered wife's arm and dragging her out of the way, just as Jackie sailed past them.

"What on Mewni-" Moon started to say in annoyance, only to gasp in fright as Marco flew past the pair. "Marco?" the queen muttered in disbelief.

"Sorry, I'll explain later," Jackie shouted back.

Moon was stunned as she watched the two disappear around the corner, turning to her husband with a look of pure disbelief. Suddenly though, Janna and Higgs ran past, the girls huffing and puffing as they struggled to catch up to their friend. "Janna! What is going on here?" the queen asked in a demanding tone.

"Mewberty," was all the two girls said before they too vanished around the corner.

"Hmm, well it would seem young Marco has finally reached the age of Mewberty," River commented.

"After them!" a booming voice cried and the royal couple once more looked down the opposite hall as Skullnick and two guards ran toward them, the guards looking close to collapsing from the swift jog. "Don't let them escape!"

"Yes ma'am!" the two guards replied tiredly.

"General Skullnick just what exactly is going on here?" Moon began but the general simply ran past her monarch, saying, "No time, I'll give you my report later!"

Moon could only gap in shock as the troll ignored her, opening her mouth to argue when Jak and Dex ran by, saying in a panted breath, "Queen Moon, King River."

River and Moon could only watch stunned as the final three in the cat-and-mouse chase through the castle vanished from sight, before sharing a look.

"My, my things certainly are exciting today, Moonpie," River said, a look of joy flashing across his face.

"Yes it would seem so," Moon said softly, before she came to a decision, starting after the group as she told her husband, "Come, River, we should make sure no one gets hurt."

"Oh, what fun!" River replied, happily, easily following after his wife. "A hunt through Butterfly Castle! Just like we used to do when we were teenagers!"

"River, I think you and I remember our teenage years very differently," Moon deadpanned.

"Oh come on, Moonpie," River responded immediately. "I remember when you went through Mewberty. Haha, you gave me a run for my money that day!"

Moon smiled softly at her husband. "I remember yours as well," the queen whispered, her tone almost flirty now. "I had to kiss you just to get you to stop."

River sighed at the memory. "Our first kiss," he muttered, getting teary-eyed at the wonderful memory of their youth.

…

Jackie nearly had Marco out of the castle now, the last obstacle in her way was the staircase, Jackie seeing her hurtle up ahead. But luckily, the skater girl already had the perfect way to get down. She once again, positioned her body for a jump, waiting until just the right second to make her board airborne, quickly turning the board to its side in mid-air, before it landed with a loud screech on the stair railing. Jackie glided smoothly down the stair rail, looking behind her to see Marco had stopped. Even with his pupil-less eyes, the skater could still tell her friend was in awe at the stunt. Jackie smiled, before facing forward, needing to be ready to stick the landing.

Marco shook his head, his fuzzy brain pushing aside all thoughts except Star's headband, before descending after the girl, flying easily over the staircase. Jackie finally reached the bottom of the stairs, maneuvering her body at the last second so that her board was now facing forward, just barely missing getting hit with more of Marco's sticky webs.

The girl saw the doors to the castle were closed tight and cupped a hand over her mouth, shouting to the two guards, "Hey, open up! It's an emergency!"

The two guards lazily caught her eye, one of them saying harshly, "Yeah right, Skullnick ordered the castle on lockdown and we ain't openin' these doors up for nobody!"

"Well if you don't then you'll have to deal with that," Jackie replied, pointing behind her to the fast-approaching Marco, determination fueling his movements his glowing eyes flashing sinisterly.

The two guards shared a nervous look, before throwing open the doors to the castle, Jackie skating past them and Marco zooming by a second later. The moment Jackie was outside she threw the headband at her friend, the boy snatching it up out of mid-air, hugging the object to his chest and purring loudly. Jackie brought her skateboard to a stop, pulling off her helmet as she watched her friend fawning over the object and couldn't help but grin at the boy's cuteness. Even in this state, he was still Marco.

Higgs and Janna showed up a few seconds later, breathing heavily as they too just studied their lovestruck friend, still purring like a cat as he rubbed his cheek against the headband. "Okay, well that is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen," Higgs commented.

Janna just scoffed, nonchalantly telling the young knight, "If you think that's strange you haven't been around us for nearly long enough."

Higgs decided it best to ignore that, instead turning to Jackie and asking, "So we got him outside, now what?" The group made sure to keep a close eye on Marco out of the corner of her eye even as they talked.

"Now we call Star," Jackie said, pulling out her phone. "She'll know what to do from here."

"There he is!" Skullnick's booming voice interrupted the moment, as she, Jak, and Dex came charging out of the castle, now carrying thick lengths of rope. Marco, recognizing the voice even in his primal state, started to panic, fluttering in nervous circles, his eyes looking around for an escape and his hands clenching the headband just a little tighter against his chest.

The three girls noticed this and Jackie shouted to the general, "Skullnick, stop! You're scaring him!"

But the general ignored the girls, instead throwing the rope she had fashioned into a lasso at the unsuspecting boy. The length of rope caught on one of his hands and the boy instinctively began fighting against it, making terrified groans and unintelligible pleas as he fought to free his appendage. "Got you now!" Skullnick roared in victory, giving a sharp tug, which pulled the boy closer to her and Marco dropped the headband in his fright. But with his hands both free, he held them out shooting sunspots as the general's body but the troll expertly jumped out of the way, before giving another tug on the rope. "Jak! Dex! Restrain the rest of his arms!" Skullnick cried to her two comrades.

"Yes General Skullnick!" they shouted, before lassoing the boy's other hands, only one now left free. Marco at this point was in a state of pure panic, fighting against the ropes with every fiber of his being, flying back in forth in hopes of dislodging them while the general pulled him in, inch by inch.

"Dad, what are you doing?!" Higgs screamed at Dex.

"Oh hey, honey!" Dex said, shooting his daughter with one of his goofy smiles. "Don't worry, we've got everything under control!"

"That's not what I mean!" Higgs retorted in a vicious shout.

"Please, General Skullnick, you need to let Marco go!" Jackie screamed, watching as her friend panicked more and more. Who knew what he would do if Skullnick pushed him much further and Jackie would really rather not find out.

The general firmly shook her head saying, "No way! I've got this!"

"Higgs do something," Janna said to the young knight who shot her an annoyed glare.

"Like what? Attack the general and my dad?" Higgs snapped.

"Uh or try and talk some sense into them," Janna shot back.

"General, please, I think we should call Star," Jackie tried.

But Skullnick stayed as stubborn as ever, letting out an over-the-top sigh before saying sharply, "For the last time, we don't need Star! I've got everything under control!"

"What is going on out here?!" Moon exclaimed the second she and River stepped outside, taking in the scene before them.

"Queen Moon," Jak and Dex said as one, their attention snapping away from their target and onto the monarch and their hands for just a second slipping on the ropes.

"No, you idiots!" Skullnick shouted to them in frustration. "Don't-"

But it was too late, the minor slip-up was all Marco needed as he pulled his arms free of the heavy ropes, shooting two streams of webs at the unsuspecting guards, coating them and pinning them to the ground in half a second. The boy then grabbed onto the end of the remaining rope with all three hands and pulled on it with all his might, his wings straining as he lifted Skullnick off the ground. Everyone watched in disbelief as the puny and delicate form of Marco flung the tough, muscled form of Skullnick over his head like a ragdoll. The troll general could only screamed as her weightless body soared through the air, before crashing hard to the ground.

Jackie, Janna, Higgs, Moon, and River gaped openly at the sight of the general slowly rising to her hands and knees, groaning in pain. But the skater's attention returned to Marco as she saw his gaze shift off into the distant woods, his wings fluttering as he seemed ready to take off. Jackie, ran toward him in a panic, shouting, "Marco wai-" But the boy was gone in a burst of speed, the sudden rush of air, knocking Jackie back and kicking dirt up into her eyes and the skater had no choice but to stand there and shield her face with her hands.

Finally, once the wind had died down enough, she could only stare helplessly at Marco, who was now no more than a red dot in the distance. Defeat filled Jackie's chest as she just stared longingly toward her friend, helpless to reach him in his time of need, her entire being shaking with worry for her confused, frightened friend. She was so lost in despair she didn't even notice that the general was now standing next to her, also looking off in the direction Marco had vanished. After a few seconds, Skullnick finally let out a deep sigh, before admitting bitterly, "Okay fine. Call Star."

…

Star smiled as she sat amongst the group of Monster leaders, listening to them freely voicing their opinions on the problems they had been facing. The meeting was going really well and Star felt they had made some significant progress into building a trusting relationship with their Monster allies. At first, it had been awkward and uncomfortable, none of the Monsters willing to say a word in the presence of the future ruler of Mewni but, luckily, Butch had been the one to get the ball rolling, freely discussing the positive change he had seen in the attitude for Hydra's Point since Star and her friend had helped. This had been enough to get the Monsters to slowly open up to her, the blond royal making sure to give them all positive and encouraging smiles whenever they did so, until the whole group was chatting happily. The plan was going perfectly, Star easily winning the Monsters to her side even without the aide of Marco.

At the thought of Marco, Star bit her lip, her fingers itching to pull her phone out of her purse. She really wanted to call and check up on him but she also didn't want to risk waking him from some much-needed sleep. Maybe she should call Jackie instead? Or text the doctor again to see if he was ready to see Marco yet. Or maybe she was just being too overprotective, Marco was fine, it was just the chickenpox. Star tried to relax but her mind felt like it was running a million miles an hour, her heart hammering away in her chest. What was going on?

Then with stark realization, Star's eyes widened as it finally hit her, her heart wasn't what was racing. It was Marco's. She was feeling Marco's heartbeat in her chest and it would seem he was panicking over something. Then Star felt a creeping, unfamiliar fear and longing jump up her spine and Star could resist it no longer, she stood up and quickly excused herself, moving away from the group as she pulled out her phone, ready to call and check up on boyfriend. But before Star could do so, her phone rang, the word "Jackie" appearing on the screen and Star swallowed thickly as she put the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Jacks, what's up?" Star asked, trying to keep her voice calm despite the anxiety she could still feel bubbling up in her chest.

"Star, we have a problem!" Jackie exclaimed, Star nearly flinching at the change in her friends' normally calm, laid back tone. She sounded stressed. If Star was nervous before, she was downright terrified now. What on Mewni could cause the levelheaded Jackie to freak out?

"Why? What's going on? Is Marco okay?" Star asked, worriedly, now holding the mirror phone in a death grip.

"We were wrong, Star," Jackie replied, her voice nearly quivering. "It's not the chickenpox. It's Mewberty."

Star froze up at the word, staring unblinkingly ahead as her mind fought to process that. "What?!" Star exclaimed, not caring as every single Monster was now looking in her direction with befuddled frowns. "Mewberty! A-Are you sure?" the girl asked, a tight knot forming in her stomach. That couldn't be good. No wonder Marco was so scared, he probably had no idea what was happening to him and Star instantly began beating herself up for leaving Marco alone.

"Yeah, pretty sure," Jackie said and Star could tell she was cringing. "And there's another thing."

"What is it?" Star asked, her own voice now shaking with worry and guilt. What more could possibly be wrong?

"I did my best but he got scared and flew off," Jackie replied hesitantly. She paused before adding, "We have no idea where he is."

Star felt her heart come to a crashing halt and she muttered into the phone in a remarkably calm voice, "I'm coming back."

…

Star ran all the way through town, not stopping for anyone or anything, ignoring the friendly smiles and waves of the townsfolk, her thoughts only on Marco. And thanks to the stupid anti-portal generators she had plenty of time to do so. How had she not thought of this sooner? Of course, Marco would be going through Mewberty, he was fourteen after all, the proper age for such things. Sure hers had been a few years early but Marco's was happening right on time. They should have been prepared for something like this happening. Got him some pills to help dull the effect or even just talk to him about it, knowing Marco he probably didn't even know what Mewberty was.

It hasn't even occurred to Star when Marco had said he was sick, hadn't even crossed her mind that his overly clingy nature that morning was a result of Mewberty. Marco was just always so innocent and naïve that it was hard to imagine him going through such a thing. But he was still a teenager and it seemed his body was changing to try and deal with his magical and emotional growth just like everyone else's. She should have stayed with him, canceled the meeting and stayed by her friend's side maybe then Marco wouldn't be missing.

After what felt like a lifetime Star finally reached Butterfly Castle, the gates for once opened wide, probably in anticipation for her. The moment she entered the courtyard though, the blond royal froze in her tracks, doing a double-take. There were tiny sunspots scattered everywhere, littering the ground and even places where clumps of them stuck to the ground. But what really caught her off guard was the large crater in the ground, a massive crack no doubt caused by someone and she felt boiling anger in fear that it had been her poor, fragile Marco who had taken the impact. And if that hadn't been enough than her keen eyes didn't miss the ropes laying in the middle of the courtyard either, and her fury doubled. It was clear what had happened, they had been trying to tie up her boyfriend!

No one had noticed her presence just yet, Jackie pacing while Higgs and Janna just sat on the ground, staring off into space, lost in their own thoughts. Jak and Dex stood at attention around them, sad and sorry look on their faces, and Star noticed the clumps of the sunspots stuck to random parts of their body. Her mom and dad stood worriedly off to the side, Skullnick standing rigidly next to them, showing zero emotion, though her tightly clenched fists told a different story.

Jackie suddenly noticed Star and shouted her name, running over to greet her, Janna, Higgs, Jak, and Dex right behind her, with even Star's parents and Skullnick trailing behind. The moment Jackie was in range, she threw her arms around Star in a relieved hug, saying, "Thank goodness you're back!"

Despite the intense situation and worry she was feeling, Star returned the hug wholeheartedly, giving the skater a reassuring squeeze, needing this comfort just as much as her friend did. "I'm here, everything's going to be okay now," she told her friend, Star's voice confident and strong, despite feeling the opposite and she silently thanked her years of royalty training.

"I'm so sorry, I tried to keep him here but-"

"It's fine Jackie, I know you did your best," Star said in reassurance. "We'll get him back."

As the two pulled out of the hug, Star, not wanting to waste so much as a second, asked, "Okay but first things first, tell me what happened? Why'd Marco run off?"

"Well for starters, Skullnick and the other knights attacked him and kept trying to capture him," Jackie explained quickly, uncharacteristic bitterness in her tone.

Star gasped, before turning to glare in the general's direction, the other girls doing the same. "I thought so! You attacked Marco!" she hissed, staring daggers into Skullnick's soul.

Jak and Dex both hung their heads in shame, looking embarrassingly at the ground, but Skullnick showed no signs of regret, instead stating stubbornly, "It's my job to keep the castle safe! I was just following orders!"

"Who told you it was okay to attack Marco?!" Star shouted, her body practically shaking with mirth.

"Actually Star, I'm afraid Skullnick isn't to blame, your father and I are the ones at fault here," Moon admitted.

"Your mother's right, we were the ones who gave the general permission to act in such a way I'm sad to say," River muttered, a guilty frown on his face as he slowly stroked his beard.

Star stared at her mom and dad in shock, saying with disbelief and surprise, "Mom! Dad! How could you?"

"It wasn't our intention for things to go this far," Moon explained, giving her daughter an apologetic gaze. "But after your Mewberty transformation, we realized we needed more appropriate safety measures to protect the castle. With so many of your orphan friends staying in the castle at the time we had to make sure what happened with you didn't happen again."

Star was blushing bright red at this point, fighting the urge to hide her face in shame of her actions all those years ago. She had done a number on the castle and the staff with her wildly out-of-control magic and as much as Star hated to admit it, she understood their reasoning. But that didn't mean she had to like it. "Well was trying to tie Marco up still necessary?" Star questioned, gesturing over to the pile of discarded rope laying off to the side.

"I agree, Star, that was a bit excessive if you ask me," River spoke up.

"Yes, I'm afraid maybe the general got a bit carried away with our orders," Moon agreed, shooting Skullnick a sideways glare. “Which we will be discussing at length later.”

Skullnick realizing she was being accused quickly jumped on the defensive, exclaiming, "Your Majesty I had too! Marco was dangerous in that state! He attacked me and my men!"

"Only because you scared him!" Jackie shouted. "I told you he wasn't dangerous but you didn't listen to me."

"Hey I don't need some kid telling me how to do my job," Skullnick barked back.

"Well if you had listened to us in the first place Marco wouldn't be missing right now!"

"Or maybe if Higgs had actually done something to help instead of just standing there," Janna muttered, burying her hands into her pockets and the young redhead whipped her head around to glare at the creepy teen.

"Hey, I didn't see you jumping in to stop them!" Higgs argued loudly. "This is just as much your fault as it is anyone else's!" The girl crossed her arms before adding bitterly, "But given your track record that isn't surprising."

"Well I'm not the highly trained knight here," Janna pointed out, her voice calm but her tone full of repressed anger. "What's your excuse?"

"We're so sorry Princess Star!" Jak suddenly shouted, tears streaming down his and his partner's face. "It's all our fault!"

"If we hadn't gotten distracted Marco wouldn't have left!" Dex sobbed, burying his head into his hands to cry.

Star just stared numbly as everyone around her continued to loudly argue or apologize, their voices blending together until they were an incoherent mess. The blond covered her ears as the noise grew unbearable, making it impossible for Star to even think, and the rapid heartbeat drumming against her chest made her more and more flustered. Until finally, Star could take no more and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Enough!"

Everyone froze, staring at the blond in disbelief. "I don't care what happened or who's responsible for what! All I care about is finding Marco and I can't do that if you're all too busy fighting! And unless you have a way to track Marco than I don't want to hear it!" Star screamed, staring long and hard at each person before her, making sure they would stay quiet. The blond royal took in a deep breath, before saying a bit more calmly, "So, now then, can we please just focus on what's important, we can deal with all the rest latee."

Everyone nodded slowly, Star's parents staring proudly at their daughter for taking charge like that, and the blond smiled confidently. "Good. So then, any ideas?"

"Actually I think I already know a way," Janna spoke up, a smug smile on her face, her hands buried in her pockets.

"Well then let's hear it," Star said, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

That seemed to be all the creepy teen needed as she suddenly out a small black device, saying, "I just so happen to have a way to track our dear Marco down, ready to go."

"Seriously, how?" Star exclaimed, grabbing the device out of her friend's hand. Her heart leapt for joy as she saw a red dot with the name 'Marco' dispalyed above it, feeling infinitly better knowing where her friend was at.

"Easy, I just put a tracking device on him, no big," the creepy teen admitted with a shrug.

"Wait, you bugged Marco?" Jackie said in a scolding tone.

"Uh yeah, I have one on all of you for just such an occasion," Janna replied like it was no big deal.

"What?!" Jackie screamed.

"We'll deal with that later, right now let's get Marco back," Star said, already heading in the direction the device was telling her, only to be cut off by Higgs.

"Wait, you're actually going to go with Janna on this?" Higgs said skeptically, jabbing a thumb in the creepy teen's direction. "She just admitted to bugging you! How do you even know you can trust her?"

"Because she's my friend and because nobody else has any better ideas," Star replied calmly. "But if you don't think it's safe than your welcome to stay behind," the blond added, before pushing past the girl, her eyes now on the screen and her Marco's location.

"Ugh, okay fine!" Higgs shouted in annoyance. "But I'm keeping my eye on you." She stabbed the creepy teen once in the chest, who simply smiled smugly in reply. "Fine by me."

"I'll come with you, in case you need back-up," Skullnick started to stay, only for Star to turn to her with a glare.

"I think you've helped enough," Star bitterly snapped.

The general didn't know what to say to that, though the look of anger in her eyes was clear. Seeing this, Moon told the troll, "I agree with Star, General Skullnick. I think it would be best if you stayed behind. Otherwise, you might end up frightening Marco again."

Skullnick looked like she wanted to argue with that, before sighing in defeat, crossing her arms and saying, "Fine but if you need help, don't hesitate to call."

"I think we'll be fine," Jackie responded, sharing a look with Star, who nodded.

The blond turned her attention onto her parents as she asked, "Hey can you guys do me a favor and call Buff Frog? Let him know what's happening. Something tells me Marco forgot to do that."

"Well he was a little distracted," Janna said jokingly.

"Of course, Star," Moon said, giving her daughter a loving smile. "Be careful, Mewberty is unpredictable."

"I will, mom," Star replied with a nod. "But I doubt Marco's going to try and hurt me."

"I do too, but you can never be too careful," Moon agreed.

"If need be just stare into his eyes to break his spirit," River suggested.

Star gave her dad a quizzical look before saying hesitantly, "Uh right. I'll... keep that in mind, dad."

"Good, that's my girl," River said, a proud smile on his face.

The group started off for the woods when something latched onto to Star's ankle and she turned to see Jak and Dex clinging to her leg, sad looks on their faces, their eyes pouring tears, as they stared up at her. "Please takes us with you!" Dex begged brokenly.

"We just want to make it up to Marco for acting like total jerks!" Jak added, sobbing loudly.

"Ugh, dad would you please get off the floor?" Higgs muttered in embarrassment, burying her face in her hands.

Star gave the two guards sympathetic looks, seeing that their hearts were genuine, before saying, "You know what, sure. You can come."

"Yes!" the two shouted, while Higgs screamed, "No!"

"Oh thank you, princess! Thank you!" Jak said hugging the blond royal tightly. "We promise we won't be in the way!"

"Hear that sweetie, it's our first mission together!" Dex proclaimed, hugging his daughter, who immediately struggled to get free.

"Yeah, I heard dad," the redhead replied. "Now please stop embarrassing me!"

Star and the others hid their smiles at the father-daughter moment before the blond loudly cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. She waited until all eyes fell on her (Dex never once loosening his grip on Higgs as he turned in the princess's direction) before she smiled confidently, saying in a firm, determined tone, "Come on, guys! Let's go bring back Marco!"

…

Star led the group as they trudged through the thick vegetation of the Forest of Certain Death, the blond never taking her eyes off the tracker pad in her hands. She stared at the object intensely, watching the small dot for any changes in position even to the slightest degree, her knuckles white as she held the device in an iron grip. She was terrified for her boyfriend, though the second heartbeat had soothed some, not beating nearly as hard and fast, the fact that she could still feel it meant that he had to be in some form of distress, which caused her own heart to race in response. She had to find him and quick, for his safety and her own sanity. She wasn't sure how much longer she could wait. Luckily, it didn't look like she'd have to, the dot nearing more and more with every step.

Star sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, before turning to the others and saying, "Okay guys, we're getting close. Marco should be just up ahead."

"Ugh, thank goodness," Higgs replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

"We haven't been walking that long Higgs," Jackie pointed out, giving the redhead a confused look.

"I'm not talking about the walking," the young knight mumbled. "I'm talking about that!" The redhead pointed a finger in the direction of her father, who was smiling ear to ear and humming a tune, Jak doing the same beside him.

"Isn't this so exciting Higgs?!" Dex exclaimed, hugging his daughter from behind. "I mean the two of us on a mission with Princess Star! How cool is that?!"

"This is no time for goofing off, dad!" Higgs said, pulling out of her dad's grip. "Marco is in danger, remember?"

"Oh of course I do," Dex said immediately, still as gleeful as ever, not even his daughter's sharp tone or gaze enough to lessen his spirits. "And once everyone hears how Jak and I helped rescue the princess's boyfriend, they'll be so impressed!"

"We might even get a parade in our honor," Jak spoke up, staring dreamily off into the distance.

"Yeah, the king and queen might even knight you," Janna added nonchalantly.

The two guards gasped, but Higgs just shot the creepy teen a glare. "Don't encourage them," she hissed, but Janna just smiled smugly and shrugged. "What?" she asked innocently, causing the redhead's glare to only increase in intensity.

"You really think that could happen?" Jak asked the creepy teen, hopefully.

"You never know," Janna replied calmly. "Heck, Star's a princess, she could make you knights just like that." The girl snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"Do you hear that Higgs?!" Dex shouted excitedly over to his daughter. "We could be knights! Just like you and your mom!"

"Yeah, I heard," the young knight grumbled bitterly.

"Uh Janna I don't think that's something Star can do," Jackie pointed out to her friend.

"She's a princess, Jacks, she can do whatever she wants," Janna replied, patting her friend on the shoulder.

"That doesn't mean she's going to," Jackie deadpanned.

"Guys!" Star suddenly called from up ahead, everyone immediately returning their focus to their leader, who was giving them a look that was a mix between shock and concern, her hand parting a large bush that blocked the rest off from whatever sight had caught her eye. "You're gonna wanna see this," she muttered breathlessly.

The group quickly ran over to join the princess, peeling back the shrubbery so they too could see whatever it was that had caught the princess so off-guard. Everyone gasped in disbelief, no one prepared for the breathtaking sight that lay before them. A large orange structure stood in the middle of the forest, its bright colors making a stark contrast to the dark greens and shadows of the rest of the woods. The thing almost resembling a house of some sort, but it was in the shape of a deformed, lopsided heart. It had to be at least two stories tall and just looking at it almost hurt, Star and the others having to shield their eyes to avoid going blind. The blond royal could see the whole thing was made of thousands of tiny sun shapes, crudely and almost haphazardly stuck together, a gust of wind causing the sunspots to scatter all around the clearing. Spots of red dotted the mostly orange structure and Star's heart pounded at the perfect match to her boyfriend's cheekmarks. "Marco," she breathed, her eyes shining in wonder.

"Whoooaaa" Janna muttered, for once in her life rendered completely speechless.

"Did Marco do all that?" Jackie asked, looking equally as flabbergasted as her roommate.

"I think he did," Star replied, though she sounded like she didn't believe what she was seeing.

The three girls entered through the bushes, Jak, Dex, and Higgs doing the same a second later, all of them staring up at the structure completely dumbstruck. "So is Marco in there?" Jak suddenly asked.

Dex and Higgs face-palmed. "Yes, Jak, I think that's a pretty safe bet," Higgs stated, while sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"What is this, anyways?" Jackie asked, still staring up at the structure in disbelief.

"It's a nest," Janna explained, finally recovering enough from her shock to hide her own bewilderment behind a calm facade. "Mewmans in Mewberty will sometimes make them when they feel threatened."

"Aw, poor Marco," Star whispered to herself, her face now drooping with sadness.

"But why is it so big?" Jackie questioned.

Janna shrugged. "The body produces sticky spots in reaction to emotional states. The more out of control your emotions are, the more spots are made."

"Wow, Marco must be a really emotional kid then," Dex commented.

"You have no idea," Higgs responded with a shake of her head.

"We gotta find him and fast," Star said, out of nowhere, her voice tight with worry. "Before he gets any worse." With that Star headed for the entrance inside, the others following after her, though much more hesitantly.

Inside Marco's nest, it was almost pitch black, the sunspots completely blocking out the sun's rays, leaving everything within covered in inky shadows. Jak and Dex seemed unnerved by this, clinging to each other and casting longing glances back at the entrance but Star was undeterred, merely holding up her wand and using it to light the area around her. "Marco!" Star called out, as she gazed around for any sign of her boyfriend. "Marco are you in here?!"

Silence was the only reply Star received and after an uncomfortable few seconds, Jak quickly said, "Whelp, he's not here! Let's try somewhere else!"

The inexperienced guard turned to leave, only to be cut off by Higgs, who said in a scolding tone, "No way! You two promised to help Star find Marco and I'm not letting you get out of it that easily!"

"But what if he's not here," Jak suggested, his voice shaking in obvious fear. "Maybe this is another Mewman's emotional nest."

"Well, the tracker pad says he's in here," Star pointed out and the guard gulped, his face turning paler by the second.

"Oh right, forgot about that," the guard muttered quietly under his breath as the rest of the group continued deeper into the cave, only Jak's partner staying behind.

"Relax, Jak, it's just Marco," Dex reassured him, before following after the others, Jak reluctantly doing the same, thinking about the future parade that would be thrown in his honor as a distraction from his current predicament.

As the group continued deeper into the large structure, the random sounds of rustling could be heard all around them, completely unnerving the party, all except Star who stared forward with unwavering courage. Jackie clung close to her royal friend, practically stepping on her heels, while the other two girls did their best to hide their own fears, almost shoulder to shoulder, all previous antagonisms forgotten as they pressed on through the dark nest. Jak and Dex, however, were very obviously terrified, shaking in their boots and jumping at every noise they heard, looking ready to dart outside at any second. But to their credit, the guards stayed with the group of girls, forcing themselves to follow along deeper inside.

Star tried to reach him with their bond, honing in on his feelings, reaching through their sacred connection in an attempt to pinpoint his location in the darkness around her. It was a long shot, she knew, but she had to try. But it seemed it was a dead end, she couldn't feel him at all, the boy had hidden himself deep in his self-made nest.

There was another loud shuffling, before a pile of sunspots fell in the path in front of them, causing Jackie to scream in surprise, gripping Star's shoulders tightly for support and comfort. Star didn't even register the jump scare though, cause her ears had just picked up on a very small and subtle voice in the tunnel up ahead. One she would recognize anywhere, even in the weird tone her Marco was clearly speaking in.

"Starrrr."

"I hear him!" Star shouted in joy, her eyes lighting up with relief and warmth. She turned back to the group, telling them all quickly, "He's up ahead, come on!" The blond didn't wait for the others as she ran forward through the dark, hurrying over to her friend in need. She heard the others call out to her but ultimately ignored them, her only thoughts on Marco. As she drew closer, she could feel a warmth in her chest, his heartbeat heating up, as if guiding her right to him. She could see a light up ahead and in a matter of seconds, she was in the very heart of Marco's giant nest. Star had to shield her eyes from the sudden sunlight peering in through a large opening at the top of the structure, the blond blinking as her eyes struggled to adjust. The whole area was glowing due to the rays of light bouncing off their shimmery surface, warm colors of red and orange made the place feel safe and secure and Star was awestruck by it's unexpected beauty.

However, something else caught Star's eye, one that made her heart pound in delight and surprise and her cheeks flush as red as the room around her. All around the center of the nest were crudely-shaped hearts just like the shape of the nest itself, all of them made with bright red suns and molded by hand. And the longer Star looked at them, the more she realized that they were supposed to be her cheekmarks, and she pressed a hand to her warm cheek, completely speechless but flattered none the less.

As Star's shimmering blue gaze panned across the room, looking at each of the pretty hand-crafted hearts, her eyes froze on the form of Marco, his bright red hoodie blending in perfectly with the rest of the room, camouflaging him well. His back was to her, his hands fiddling with something (probably making another heart shape) and had clearly yet to notice her there, but Star didn't care. She was just thrilled to have found her bestie and she called out to him, "Marco!"

The boy flinched, his wings fluttering in alarm as he quickly turned around to see the intruder to his sanctuary. Star was taken aback by Marco's Mewberty form for a few seconds but immediately bypassed that at the sheer joy of seeing her Marco again and she took a step closer to him. "Marco, it's really you! I'm so glad I found you! I was so worried!"

Marco stared blankly down at his beautiful mate for a few seconds, before a smile slowly formed on his face and he muttered in a delighted tone, "Starrrr!"

Star squeaked as Marco crashed into her form, pulling her into an extra tight hug, all four of his limbs wrapping around her and bringing him closer to her, his translucent wings fluttering happily behind him. The blond royal laughed and hugged her Marco back, saying sweetly, "Its good to see you too, Marco!" The boy's grip on her remained as tight as ever as he held her against him to an almost painful degree as if he was afraid if he let her go she would disappear on him forever and Star felt a lump form in her throat for worrying him so much.

Star was about to voice this apology when Marco let out an unexpected hiss, moving the two of them a little farther back. The blond was confused by this action until she heard the voice of Jak call, "Oh hey, Star. You found him!" Star turned her head as best she could still being held in Marco's protective grip, spotting the others standing in the doorway, grinning in relief.

The group took a step closer and the reaction from Marco was instant, his two extra limbs leaving Star's sides and raised so they were aimed and level with the intruders of his nest. Jackie and the others took a fearful step back seeing their friend ready to attack them but Star did her best to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand, letting out a gentle shhh and saying in the softest tone she could, "Marco, it's okay, they aren't going to hurt you."

The boy wasn't convinced, his pupil-less eyes steadying on Jak and Dex, watching them closely for any sudden movements, his fuzzy brain remembering the discomfort and fear at having his limbs restricted by the two and the loud, angry one. He didn't want them anywhere near him and especially Star. "Baadd," he hissed in a low tone so that only Star could hear.

"I know," Star said sympathetically. "They scared you earlier but they're sorry about that." She turned to Jak and Dex and said in a hinting tone, "Aren't you, guys?"

The two nodded quickly, trying to hide their anxious faces as Dex told the boy, "Yeah, we're really sorry, Marco. We didn't mean to scare you."

"We shouldn't have listened to Skullnick," Jak blurted out.

"We won't ever do it again, promise," Dex finished, flashing the boy what he hoped was a non-threatening smile.

"See, Marco, they're our friends," Star said as she turned back to the boy, keeping her voice light and cheerful. "They aren't going to hurt you. Everything's okay, you can relax now."

Marco's arms slowly lowered to his sides, no longer on the defensive and ready to attack anything that moves, and Star took that as a positive sign to continue. "See. There's nothing to worry about. You're safe now." The boy said nothing, but as his glowing orbs turned to face her, no words were needed, his eyes speaking to Star in a way only she could understand, reading her Marco's expression easily.

She gestured for the others to come closer, saying softly, "Okay guys, it's safe, you can come over."

The group seemed apprehensive at first, but it was Jackie who broke the uncomfortable tension, walking slowly over to the two, keeping an eye on Marco for any changes in his demeanor as she did so. Once she was finally beside her two friends, she smiled at Marco, saying in a gentle tone, "Hey dude, you doing okay?"

Marco cocked his head to the side, before reaching up with one of his free arms and poking her cheek. "Friend," he replied vaguely.

Jackie just rubbed her cheek and said calmly, "Yep, that's right, we're friends." Inwardly though, she was more confused why Mewberty Marco kept poking her. Seriously what was that about?

Marco turned his attention next to Janna, saying in a more friendly tone, "Friend."

"Yep, that's right bud," Janna replied, burying her hands in her pockets. "Glad to see you didn't get eaten by anything."

Marco looked over to Higgs, Jak, and Dex, who were all watching him wearily, the young redhead's body tensed and ready for anything. There were a few seconds of silence that was nearly unbearable to the group, Jak and Dex sweating profusely out of fear of what Marco might do to them, but when Marco did finally speak it was in the same pleasant tone as earlier. "Friends."

The group let out a simultaneous breath of relief, Dex saying, "Uh-huh, that's right, Marco. We won't ever scare you like that again, promise."

Marco nodded slowly and Star, seeing all that was finally settled, seized the opportunity to continue with her earlier conversation, turning to the others and telling them, "Can you give us a minute?"

The group nodded, before moving to the other side of the room to give the two lovebirds their space, making sure to keep their backs to them. Once they were (relatively) alone, Star pushed Marco out of their hug, and instead intertwined her hands with his, looking up into his eyes since he was still hovering a few inches off the ground. "Marco I just wanted to say that I'm really, really sorry."

Marco cocked his head to the side but allowed his mate to continue her apology. "I shouldn't have left you. If I hadn't then you wouldn't have gotten so scared or acted the way you did. And I know what you're thinking, 'Well you had no way of knowing.' But that doesn't matter. You didn't want me to go, did you? You spent all that time looking for me and I didn't even realize how badly you wanted me to stay. You were just being the same selfless boy you always are, giving up the things you want for others. And I should have known that. So I'm sorry."

Once the blond was finally done, the two stared at each other for a few seconds, Star's eyes shining with guilt and remorse, Marco's just devoid of emotion. "Can you ever forgive me?" Star asked softly, feeling her heart clench at the brokenness in her own tone.

Marco's reaction to that was almost instant, as he suddenly began cuddling into her neck out of nowhere and the blond giggled at the unexpected action, all previous self-loathing and shame vanishing in a heartbeat, her world consumed by Marco's sweet display of affection. "Okay, okay I get it, you forgive me," Star said in a near laugh, running a hand through Marco's soft hair. She nearly cooed as the boy suddenly started to purr in response to her touch and her heart felt like it was floating around in her chest. How could Marco get any more adorable? "Starrrr," he purred, still nuzzling her neck, proving her previous thought wrong.

So cute, she thought, her cheeks flushing some as her world finally righted itself, Marco, her sweet, adorable bestie was back safe in her arms.

The others were doing their best not to interrupt the sweet moment, struggling to keep their attention on literally anything else as they heard the quiet murmuring of Star behind them. Jak focused his attention on one of the heart piles Marco had made, examining it closely before slowly reaching out to touch it. "It's gonna fall over if you do that," Dex told his friend.

Jak hesitated for a moment, before touching it anyways. It collapsed instantly, the guard jerking back with a surprised squeak. "I told you that would happen," Dex told his partner, who gave a sheepish look in reply.

The three girls, just stood in awkward silence for a moment, Jackie standing between the two feuding girls, both of whom were purposefully avoiding eye contact. Finally, the skater had had enough of the uncomfortable tension and said via whisper, "Okay enough. This has gone on long enough. You two need to make up."

"Uhh, actually we really don't," Higgs commented.

"Yeah, Jacks, this is a classic rivalry thing," Janna explained to her friend. "The two enemies destined to hate each other, those don't typically resolve easily."

Jackie let out an annoyed sigh, running her hands down her face, before regaining her composure saying in her cool, radiant tone, "Okay look, whatever you are, you're both my friends and I'm not putting up with this for the rest of my life. So you're just gonna have to make up, whether you want to or not." She fixed the two with scolding glares and the two shifted uncomfortably under the look.

Still, the two stayed stubbornly silent for a few seconds before Janna finally spoke, staring up at the ceiling as she muttered, "So I didn't really mean what I said. It wasn't your fault that Marco flew off. I've just been... going through some stuff lately."

"And maybe I judged you a bit harshly," Higgs said, keeping her eyes on the ground instead of the beanie-wearing teen. "You may be a troublemaker but at the very least you do seem to care about your friends." The two finally made eye contact, the young knight finishing by saying, "And that counts for something."

The two, for the very first time, shared a smile, a small, almost professional grin but a smile none the less and Jackie took that as a victory. However as soon as it came, it was gone again, Higgs' grin replaced with a scowl as she added bitterly, "But I still don't trust you."

"That's fair," Janna said, shrugging.

"Aww look at my daughter making new friends!" Dex suddenly exclaimed, running over and pulling his daughter into a hug.

"Ahhh! Dad, let go! You're embarrassing me!" Higgs shouted, her face turning redder than her hair color as her father continued showering her with unwanted affection.

Star and Marco, meanwhile, finally pulled away from each other smiling as they stared lovingly into each others eyes, their hands intertwined as they let a relative peace settle over them. Finally, Star broke the silence of the moment, saying to her boyfriend in a soft whisper, "Okay, Marco. So I think it's best if we head back to the castle. I know you probably want to stay here but I promise nothing is going to hurt yo-" Star was cut off as Marco suddenly wrapped his extra limbs around her slender frame, holding her against his chest and she flushed with surprise. "Marco, what are you doing?"

Instead of answering, the boy lifted Star off the ground and the blond gasped in fright, putting her arms around Marco's neck and the boy's other arms securely circled Star. Once the two were airborne the boy met her eye and Star instantly understood what Marco was about to do.

"Oh Marco, that's okay we can walk," Star started to tell him, but it was too late, the boy had already taken off in a burst of wind and speed, exiting through the hole in the ceiling. The others turned and stared up at the skylight for a few seconds before Dex said, "Huh, wasn't expecting them to do that."

"They must really be in a hurry to get out of here," Jak pointed out.

"Can't say I blame them," Higgs responded, flashing the nauseating bright area around her a dirty look.

"Or maybe they just wanted some alone time," Janna said in a hinting tone, arching her eyebrows playfully.

"No," was all Jackie said to her creepy friend, giving her a scolding look for good measure.

Suddenly, a thought hit Jak and he gasped in shock, asking in a panicked tone, "Wait, so how are we getting out of here?!"

"I guess we'll just have to go back the way we came," Jackie replied with a shrug.

Jak let out a strangled groan but kept his comment to himself.

…

Star gasped as cold air rushed around her, her hair blowing freely in the breeze and the swirl of wind in her ears making it difficult to hear anything. Her stomach was doing flips at the feeling of weightlessness and she had to breathe slowly to try and calm down her shocked system. Star risked a look over her shoulder to see how high up they were and immediately regretted this decision, the long drop below causing her to let out a chocked scream, the treetops of the Forest of Certain Death looking even more menacing than usual. Her grip on the back of Marco's neck tightened, fearful of losing her grip. Star wasn't typically afraid of heights but she also usually had the luxury of both feet planted on the ground not dangling thousands of feet in the air, with only four thin arms keeping her from plummeting to her certain death and this has pushed her completely out of her comfort zone. She pressed her head into Marco's chest, trying to calm herself down, focusing on the rapid pulse of Marco's heartbeat pounding against her temple.

Marco noticed his mate's discomfort, casting her a worried glance as she shook in his arms and the boy tried to think up some way to ease her mind. Thinking fast, he slowed their speed and flipped them over, so that Star was no longer the one dangling in mid-air, effectively shielding her from the danger of terminal velocity should something happen, but he made sure to keep his grip tight all the same. Marco felt Star's own grip relax some after that, the death grip she had previously had on his neck loosened, her body no longer trembling in fear and she even looked up from the safety of his chest to meet his eye. Marco gave his mate what he hoped was a reassuring smile and his heart hammered away in his chest as the girl returned the smile, her face lighting up in the most beautiful way that only Star's could. Her eyes were so startlingly blue it was almost painful and the way her golden hair danced in the breeze was simply breathtaking. How one person could be so beautiful was a mystery to Marco but he was beyond happy that such a person existed and that she was currently being held in his arms.

Now that her initial fear began to wear off thanks to Marco's efforts, Star began to grow more confident, openly scanning the skyline. She didn't think she had ever been this high up before even the few times she had ridden Cloudy and the view was breathtaking. She could see almost all of Mewni from this height, the pink hills and lush green countryside blending together into perfect harmony, the wildlife mere shifting dots on the world below. She could see the huge pink cloud that was the Kingdom of the Pony Heads off to her side, as well as the shape of the massive castle that rested atop it. She could see the massive lakes and rivers that the river folk of Mewni dwelled in, she even thought she could see the curve of mountains way off in the distance. And the longer Star looked the more entranced by her beautiful home she became. She had never realized just how gorgeous Mewni truly was.

She looked up at Marco who was watching her closely, not even looking where he was flying, keeping his speed slow and steady, his wings beating at a rapid pace to keep them airborne. Star smiled at her transformed boyfriend, telling him softly, "Hey, I'm okay now, you can carry me like before."

Marco made no movement to do so, clearly torn on keeping Star calm and doing as she said, but the blond gave him an encouraging smile. "I know you won't let me go," she said and this seemed to be all Marco needed to hear, flipping them around again so that Star was once more beneath him, though he shifted her in his four arms so that she was no longer facing him, holding her firmly but gently against his chest, allowing her to freely survey the countryside.

The blond giggled as Marco picked up speed again, now enjoying the wind as it tickled her face, smiling ear to ear as she observed her beautiful Mewni. Marco seemed to tense at first, worried he was scaring her but soon he too was smiling as his girlfriend's cheerful laughter reached his ears. This encouraged him to try and make her laugh more, doing loop-de-loops in the air, causing her to laugh and scream in delight. Under her encouragement, the two began dipping and diving toward the treetops, Star trying to reach out and touch one of the branches before they pulled up again. They flew past a flock of eagles that all looked completely dumbstruck by the two air-born Mewmans. Soon the sky was alive with Star's laughter and Marco felt his heart warm at the wondrous sound.

Finally, the two were both thrown off guard as the sun peaked out from behind a cloud, the two gasping as the most colorful and stunning sunset the two had ever laid eyes on filled the sky, colors Star and Marco had only ever dreamed of invaded their senses and the two stared misty-eyed at the wonderful sight.

But the moment came to an unfortunate end as they had, at last, reached Butterfly Castle the hooded teen guiding him and his blond passenger into a safe landing on the soft grass just inside the courtyard. Star took a few deep breaths as her feet finally touched ground once more, her legs wobbly and her heart pounding but the look of delight couldn't be erased from her face. She turned and smiled at Marco who was hovering over her, his glowing orbs clearly examining her closely. "Thanks for that, Marco," Star said in a loving tone, holding out a hand for him to take, which he eagerly did. "That was... magical." The girl giggled and Marco smiled, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Hey, they're back!" a voice suddenly screamed, interrupting the moment for the two teens, who looked over to see Skullnick, along with several knights and guards rushing toward them. Marco reacted immediately, grabbing Star's wrist and pulling his blond mate closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her. The group all stopped, watching the boy wearily as he kept a suspicious gaze leveled at them all, keeping Star close to letting everyone know she was under his protection. But when no one seemed to get the message, Marco raised a threatening hand up in warning and the others all took a reluctant step back.

The knights slowly reached for their swords and crossbows, but Star quickly shouted, "Wait, everyone stay calm! You're all freaking him out! Just give Marco some space!"

No party made any move to back down, Marco and the knights now in a tense stand-off, all of them waiting for one to make a move. Star was quick to quell this though, as she put a comforting hand on Marco's arm, saying in the lighthearted tone, "Marco, it's okay. They aren't going to hurt you." The boy blinked once, his face otherwise remaining blank, but he allowed Star to lower his arm back to his side.

Star then turned to the knights, who's hands still hovered over their weapons, itching to pull them out in defense and the blond shot a pleading look at Skullnick. The troll general stood there rigidly for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. "You heard the princess! Stand down, all of you!" Skullnick barked and the knights were quick to obey their order, their postures relaxing though their faces still filled with uncertainty. And after a few seconds, Marco seemed to do the same.

"All right, everyone move along! The princess has this under control! No one goes near Marco without the princess's say by order of King and Queen Butterfly!" Skullnick continued, virtually ignoring the two teens as she glared down her men, forcing them to reluctantly disperse.

Star mentally breathed in relief, while grinning smugly over at the general. It would seem Skullnick had had a complete turn-around from earlier, no doubt her parents had reprimanded her for her previous actions and had given her new orders on how to handle such situations. Skullnick must have noticed Star staring at her because she turned in her direction, staring at the blond royal blankly.

Star gave the general a slight nod of appreciation for her help but nothing else but the general didn't return the gesture, continuing to just stare unflinchingly at the two teens. Marco seemed to be growing uncomfortable from the look, shifting next to Star, but the blond made sure to hold the general's gaze. Finally, the general said in a grunt, "Well it seems for once I was in the wrong here. Just do me a favor and try and not let your boyfriend destroy the whole castle." Star was so shocked to hear Skullnick admit to being wrong that she almost didn't register the last comment, not that she had a chance to comment on it as Skullnick suddenly turned on her heels and marching away, her stance as strong and determined as ever.

Star frowned as she watched the general storm away, unsure how to feel about the apology, on one hand, it was unheard of for Skullnick to admit to making any form of mistake but on the other hand, it had felt very halfhearted and Star couldn't help but wonder if her parents had put the troll up to it. But finally, Star decided she would take what she was given, that was the closest she would probably ever come to having the general admit defeat and that small victory was enough for Star, besides she had more important matters at hand.

As if on cue, the doors of the castle were brutally slammed open and Star flinched in surprise, Marco clutching the girl's arm fearfully. Star watching in disbelief as the entrance to her home was almost destroyed, the doors practically ripped off their hinges and the wall behind them cracking from the sheer force of the violent and careless action. A second later, the flustered forms of both River and Buff Frog emerged from the castle, the later looking like he was having some sort of breakdown, his yellow eyes darting from left to right as he panted heavily, sweat dripping from his face. "Where is my baby?!" the frog Monster practically screamed.

"Hmmm, I don't see them anywhere," River said in his big, bombastic voice, gazing around the courtyard in search of something. "Perhaps they aren't back yet." He turned to a very nervous looking guard and shouted, "I thought you said they had returned!"

"Um, um, th-that's what I was told Y-Your Majesty," the guard said, doing a nervous salute.

Moon appeared behind her husband, saying in an almost exhausted tone, "River, Buff Frog, please. You're both making a scene."

"Hey guys! Over here!" Star shouted over to her parents, causing Marco to jump at the sudden loud noise.

All three adults turned to see the two teens, Buff Frog's body visibly sagging in relief, while the Butterfly couple just smiled at their daughter. The frog quickly ran over to the pair of teens at record speed, before throwing his beefy arms around his son, pulling him in close as he muttered, "Oh my baby! I so glad you safe!" Marco's arms flailed for a moment in an attempt to escape his father's crushing hug, clearly unsure about what was going on and he gazed over at his mate for assistance. But the frog father didn't seem to notice this, continuing to voice his thoughts out loud to his young son, "Thank corn you okay, Marco! When Butterflies tell me what happened I so worried. I feared you'd never come back." Slowly the boy stopped struggling as he recognized his adopted dad's voice, instead pulling into the hug.

The Butterflies watched father and son reunite for a moment, trying to hold back their smiles as Moon said to the Monster, "There now, see Buff Frog. I told you there was nothing to worry about. Star had everything under control."

Buff Frog gave said teen a grateful smile, while still holding his son close to his chest, "I cannot thank you enough for saving my son, Star!"

"Of course, I'd never let anything bad happen to Marco," Star replied pleasantly.

As Buff Frog continued showering his son with affection, Moon looked around the courtyard quizzically before leaning closer to her daughter's ear and whispering, "Star, where are the others that came with you?"

Star gasped, face-palming as she shouted, "Oh right, I totally forgot! Marco sorta flew off with me and we ended up leaving them back at the nest."

"Nest?" Moon asked quizzically.

"It's a long story," Star explained quickly while pulling out her wand from her cloud purse. She held the wand out and loudly chanted, "Summoning Cloudy Charm!" A second later a smiling pink cloud appeared in front of her, greeting her in a sing-song voice, "Hey there, Star!"

"Hey Cloudy," the girl greeted back with a smile of her own. "Think you could do me a favor and go pick up my friends? I accidentally left them back in the Forest of Certain Death." The blond gestured behind her so Cloudy knew the general direction to go.

"Sure thing, Star!" the cloud replied before floating off to go fetch his master's friends.

"Very clever spell, my darling," Moon complimented her daughter, watching the cloud flying off into the darkening sky.

"Thanks, mom," the girl said, proudly resting her hands on her hips.

"Only I have one question for you," Moon said hesitantly.

"What's that?" Star asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"How does he know where they are?"

Star paused at that question, before replying with a halfhearted shrug, "Uhh, he's magic. I'm sure he can figure it out."

A sudden gasp from Buff Frog brought Star and Moon's attention back over to father and son, the frog now holding the boy at arm's length, taking in his son's new form, muttering in concern and fear, "Look at you, my son! I have heard of Mewberty before, but never seen up close!" He tutted to himself for a few seconds before adding, "Hopefully you not in any pain. Does anything hurt, Marco? Do you need me get you medicine or something?"

Star tried to hold back her laughter, as she watched Buff Frog doting over his son, worriedly examining him from head to toe, while the boy hovered there in confusion. Marco wasn't kidding before, Buff Frog really did get overprotective of Marco when he was sick and seeing the normally calm and confident Monster turn into this flustered mess was so jarring to Star she couldn't help but chuckle, clapping a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

"Now there's no need to worry yourself, Buff Frog," River cut in, giving the Monster dad a knowing look, understanding Buff Frog's situation quite well himself. "Marco is perfectly fine. Right, my dear?"

"Yes, it's a perfectly normal thing for boys Marco's age to go through," Moon said. "And I can assure you he is in no form of pain, whatsoever."

"Oh thank corn," Buff Frog said, letting out another relieved breath.

"But y'know, right now he almost looks like he could pass for a Monster, don't you think?" Star pointed out, smiling brightly at her boyfriend.

"Da, but I happy with old son," Buff Frog agreed, a smile slowly spreading across his features. He paused for a moment, giving his son a thoughtful expression, before turning to the three royals with a quizzical frown, asking, "How much longer till he turns back?"

The three Butterflies all exchanged glances at that, Star biting her lip as she struggled to answer that question herself. "Honestly, I'm not sure," the blond replied. "He was alone in his room for a while so I have no idea how long he's been like this. It could still be hours before he changes back."

The frog Monster nodded, staring down at the ground in intense thought, before saying almost sadly, "Then it would be best if he stayed here, till he gets better. As much as want to take him home, you know more about how help him, Star." Buff Frog finally released his grip on his son and the boy instantly flew to Star's side, grabbing on tightly to her arm and nuzzling her neck while purring loudly. Buff Frog's eyes widened in shock for a second, before he said almost jokingly, "Besides, it seems he prefer to be with you."

Star flushed in embarrassment from the comment, while her heart swelled at her boyfriend's show of affection, and she gave the frog an apologetic grin, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Especially since me not being here is what made him freak out in the first place." She ran a hand lovingly through Marco's hair, before returning her focus to the frog, adding pleasantly, "But you're welcome to stay, Buff Frog! I'm sure Marco will be much happier having you here too."

"Oh, wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon," Buff Frog replied cheerfully, though he did cross his arms in front of his chest in determination. "After all, Marco may be older but he is still my baby."

"Oh yes, I know how that is," River said, nodding in understanding. "Star is still my baby girl no matter how old she gets."

"Aww dad," Star cooed, shooting her dad a grin, though her cheeks turned the slightest tinge of pink.

"Now then, the big question is where Marco is going to stay?" Moon spoke up, her voice full of regal authority. A habit she didn't seem to be able to break no matter what the situation. "I don't think the castle staff would be too happy having him inside, shedding everywhere."

The group all looked down to see small orange sunspots drifting off of Marco's body and landing on the ground below his feet. "Yeah, your right mom," Star agreed, tapping a finger to her chin in thought.

The blond royal frowned as she brainstormed on where to keep her boyfriend until his Mewberty experience was over with. It would have to be outside somewhere, preferably away from people, where it could just be Marco and his friends and family, no chances of any intruders frightening him and setting him off. But it would also have to be within the castle boundary, Star didn't want to risk moving him anywhere where he might be tempted to fly off again. What Star really needed was a place within the castle grounds that people rarely ever visited. And that's when it struck her, Star smiling ear to ear, as an idea popped into her head. She turned to her parents and Buff Frog, telling them in a proud, confident tone, "I think I know just the place."

…

The castle garden was peaceful and calm as Star and the others entered into it, stars beginning to blink into existence above them as another night on Mewni began. A gentle breeze danced through the flowers and vegetation, making them sway in the wind, creating an even more beautiful scene. And thousands of fireflies circled the air around them, creating a simply breathtaking sight for everyone present to witness.

Marco was clinging to his girlfriend's arm tightly as she led him into the tranquil garden, confusion shimmering in his glowing orbs, but the moment he saw where Star had taken him his wings fluttered in excitement, a smile slowly appearing on his face. He started to let go of Star to go explore the area but quickly looked over at her, waiting for permission to leave her side, like a child would to their parent. Star nodded and smiled, telling the boy softly, "Go on, Marco. It's okay, I'll be right here if you need me."

The boy nodded once before zipping over to the nearest firefly, staring at it unblinkingly for a few seconds, completely mesmerized by the tiny light. He slowly reached out towards it with his four hands before quickly clapping them together around the unknowing bug. He paused before gazing into his hands, a smile slowly stretching across his face before it vanished as he saw nothing in his palms. But a blinking light right in front of his face caused him to rear back in surprise, almost sent tumbling through the air as his wings struggled to balance himself again. Once he had, he looked around for another light, before trying to snatch that one up instead, only to once more come up empty-handed.

From there the boy began chasing lightning bugs all around the garden, his four hands constantly outstretched as he tried to grab at them, while his entire being seemed to be radiating pure joy and happiness at the fun game he had discovered. Buff Frog, Star, and her parents all couldn't help but laugh at the cute sight, watching the boy zooming around playfully. "What a brilliant idea, Star," Moon complimented her daughter proudly.

"Thanks," Star replied with a grin.

Her dad putting a loving hand on her shoulder before adding, "That's my daughter for you, as clever as her old man!"

"River you once thought it was a good idea to eat a map while on one of your camping trips," Moon pointed out.

"In nature, everything is food!" River exclaimed dramatically.

"You were lost for four days," the blue-haired woman sighed, massaging her temple with her fingertips.

"Out in the woods, anything goes," River continued, his voice intense, and Moon just rolled her eyes.

Star and Buff Frog slowly shuffled away from the pair, leaving them alone to their devices and instead going over to join Marco, who was now crouched low to the ground, staring down one of the fireflies intensely, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. His hands slowly cupped around the bug, not taking his eyes off it for even a second, before closing his fists around it. He held his hand up to his face, slowly opening his palm in concentration before his head lowered in defeat, making a low groaning noise.

Star and Buff Frog shared a smile, before the girl sat down on her knees beside her boyfriend, telling him softly, "Here, Marco, let me help." As Buff Frog sat down on Marco's other side, while Star slowly reached out a finger toward the lightning bug, pausing just inches short of it before waiting. A few seconds passed, Marco watching with such childlike curiosity that Star's heart almost melted right there, before the tiny bug landed on her fingertip, lighting up a few times calmly.

Marco gasped, leaning in closer to the girl, who had to hold him back by placing a hand on his chest. She giggled before saying sweetly, "Calm down, Marco. Your gonna scare it away."

Marco instantly relaxed, though his eyes never left the firefly, sitting down in the grass next to her. He scooted as close to her and the firefly as he possibly could and the girl smiled before grabbing his hand. She brought it slowly over to her own, before touching the tips together softly and the two watched as the lightning bug slowly crawled over to Marco's own finger, before flashing once.

The boy's mouth made a cute 'O' shape as he held the bug up to his face, watching it blink in pure delight and both Star and Buff Frog couldn't help but both inwardly coo at the hooded teen. Star leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder, while Buff Frog hugged his son's right side, though the boy noticed neither, his attention still completely on the firefly.

However, when a loud voice called from above, it immediately drew everyone's attention. "Hey there Star! We're hooommee!" came the cheerful call and everyone looked up to see Cloudy descending toward them, carrying a group of passengers in its fluff.

"Thanks, Cloudy!" Star called out to her spell, raising her head off the boy's shoulder but not moving from her spot at her boyfriend's side. "Hey guys, glad to see you back!"

Her smile vanished though as she took in the sight of her friends, who were all covered in leaves and twigs, their hair and clothes now badly disheveled (their clothes even torn in a few places) and they stared down at the girl with either annoyed or impassive looks. "What happened?" the blond asked quizzically.

"Well it seems your spell decided it would be a good idea to fly through every single tree on the way back," Janna explained, while angrily untangling twigs from her messy hair.

"Yeah thanks for the ride, Star, but I think next time we'll just walk," Jackie commented as she slid off the cloud and back onto solid ground once more.

Star chuckled awkwardly while scratching at her blushing cheeks as she muttered out, "Sorry."

"Well, I had a great time!" Cloudy suddenly said, doing spins in the air. "I loved getting to fly through all those bushes, it was so much fun!"

It wouldn't have been so bad if dad and Jak didn't insist on singing road trip songs the whole way back," Higgs muttered.

Jak and Dex quickly put their arms around the redhead's shoulders, Dex said excitedly, "Oh come on Higgs, you used to love those!"

"Well, I don't now!" Higgs snapped angrily, pulling out of the two guard's grip.

"Oh good your all back safe," Moon suddenly spoke up behind them, and the three all turned on their heels, Jak and Dex gaping openly at the two royals standing in front of them.

"Your Majesties!" the two exclaimed before dropping into low bows.

"Thank you so much for your help in assisting my daughter," Moon said, her voice kind but regal as she addressed her two subjects.

"The pleasure was all ours, Your Highness!" Dex said, the two looking up so they could smile to their queen.

"And for your great effort," Moon continued and the two guards held in their squeals of delight. Here it came, the queen was about to knight them. "You have my gratitude," the royal finished and the two's faces fell.

"What that's it?" Jak blurted out, only to be violently elbowed by his partner.

"I beg your pardon," Moon said, an eyebrow slowly rising.

"What Jak means to say is that your gratitude is all we needed to hear," Dex replied, giving the queen a nervous smile, Higgs face-palming and shaking her head in disbelief.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we should be going," Dex continued as he pushed his partner away, still smiling at the queen, who stared at the two quizzically. The moment they were out of earshot, Dex whispered, "We'll be knighted next time for sure."

"Well that was utterly embarrassing," Higgs commented. She rolled her eyes before saying in exasperation. "Now can we please go home."

The two guards shared a look before Dex said, "Sure thing, sweetie." Then, the two began loudly singing one of their corny road trip songs, bellowing it out at the top of their lungs, Cloudy soon joining in. Marco happily bopped his head along to the song, not sure what the catchy noise was but loving every second of it.

Higgs pressed her hands over her ears tightly before letting out an annoyed shout, storming away from the two, who followed after her, still singing.

Once that was all over, Star pulled out her wand and said decisively, "Okay Cloudy I think it's time for you to go home."

"Aww, but I was just starting to have fun-" the spell began, only to vanish as Star undid her magic, before tucking the wand away inside her purse again.

"So I see Marco's still not back to normal," Janna commented, casting the boy a glance as she tucked her hands into her pockets.

"Yep, but until he turns back, me and Buff Frog figured it'd be best to keep him in here and away from everyone else," Star explained, the boy purring as the blond brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

"Sounds good to me," Janna said before her and Jackie sat down in the grass.

"Mind if we join you?" Jackie asked with one of her cool grins.

Star looked over to Marco, who showed no signs of discomfort or fear and shrugged, telling her friends pleasantly, "Sure, why not?"

An hour passed as the group all sat in the grass, talking and laughing as they waited for their friend to turn back. Buff Frog, stayed pretty much silent through it all, never moving more than a few inches away from his son, staying close in case Marco needed him for any reason at all. The hooded teen for the most part stayed by Star, occasionally holding her hand or snuggling into her side, where the girl would either hug him back or plant a loving kiss on his cheek. At one point he curled up into her lap, where Star gently played with his hair as he purred with affection. There were a few times that the boy grew bored of laying around and would fly around the garden trying to play with the fireflies or sniffing the large selection of flowers the expansive garden had. But he would soon tire himself out and return to Star's side, seeking her attention which she was happy to give.

After a while though, the group grew too tired after the long day and one by one drifted off to sleep. Jackie and Janna lay side by side on the ticklish grass, breathing gently in the comfort of their dreams. Buff Frog's body was slumped forward as he slumbered peacefully, his exhaustion for once more powerful than his protective nature. And finally, Marco rested happily on top of Star, who lay on her back running her hands up and down his back in a soothing manner, being careful to avoid his wings. Only Star remained awake, though she too was slowly starting to drift in and out of consciousness, yawning quietly every few seconds.

But still, somehow the girl managed to stay awake, despite her body and mind's attempts to thwart this, because she had Marco and that was all that mattered. She kept casting the boy long, tender looks as she stared at his sleeping face, his body still in stuck in its Mewberty state. Even though a part of her missed Marco's old look she couldn't help but admire his new form, he looked as cute as ever, with his bangs so long they lay in his face, which blew around with every breath Marco took. His glowing cheek marks actually blinked in time to his even breathing. Just like a firefly, Star thought with a smile. And Marco's wings continued to flutter every so often in reaction to whatever he was dreaming about, though not enough to lift him off the ground.

Star sighed dreamily as she stared into Marco's adorable face, her cheek marks turning white as she examined every inch of his features, admiring her boyfriend with every ounce of her being. She gently leaned over and planted a kiss to his forehead, the boy smiled before shifting a bit in his sleep which made Star's pupils dance, her heart beating at a mile per hour at this point. "Oh Marco," Star cooed, as she touched the end of her nose to his, unable to help herself as she wrapped her arms around him in a warm, affectionate hug. Then, without even thinking, she breathed out in a voice just barely above a whisper, "I love you so much."

The blond froze, her cheeks turning bright red as she realized what she had just said. It had just slipped out, she hadn't meant to say something like that to her snoozing boyfriend. The girl quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard her and breathed a sigh of relief when she found everyone still asleep and oblivious to her unintentional confession. After a moment, she willed her cheeks back to a normal hue and lay back, hoping after some sleep she could forget she had just said that.

But the moment she closed her eyes, a bright flashing light invaded her senses, as well as a loud shuffling sound. Her eyes flew open as she looked up to see Marco's whole body now glowing and the girl let out a startled squeak. But a smile widened on her face as she recognized the final stage of Mewberty and turned to her friends shouting, "Guys, wake up!"

Jackie and Janna groaned, the two sitting up and rubbing their eyes. "What? What's happening?" Jackie asked groggily.

Buff Frog, however, was instantly awake and alert, showing no signs of having been asleep mere seconds earlier, as he jumped up and rushed over to his son, saying in panic, "Oh no is he okay? Is normal for him to glow like that? Should we do something?"

Star just shook her head, telling the frog father simply, "Nope, Marco's just fine. He's about to turn back."

"Oh," was all Buff Frog said in reply, his nervous eyes never leaving his son.

The boy slowly lifted off the ground his wings guiding him gently up as they flapped for the last few times of their existence. Sunspots began appearing all over his body, his face, chest, arms, legs, everywhere, quickly spreading and surrounding the boy in a make-shift cocoon. Soon the boy was completely out of sight, only a large orange shape hovering in the air over their heads remained. For a few seconds, nothing happened, the group staring up at Marco's cocoon intensely. Then, all of sudden, there was a bright flash of light from within the object, the outline of Marco's form appearing within, not that the group could tell having to block their eyes from the blinding light.

Once the glow ceased the others all looked up at the cocoon with bated breath waiting for what happened next. Slowly sunspots began peeling off the cocoon, fluttering to the ground below, but as the seconds ticked by more and more followed until it was practically raining small orange suns, the garden soon coated in them. Then, Marco form suddenly dropped from the sky, and Star lunged forward to catch him. He landed safely in Star's arms, although the momentum caused her to fall to the ground and the breath was temporarily knocked out of her lungs. The girl recovered quickly though, shifting her grip on Marco so that Marco was laying in her lap. "Marco?" the girl whispered, trying to keep the anxiety out of her tone.

The boy groaned, turning his head to the side before his eyes slowly peeked open. He blinked a few times, clearly trying to get his barrings, before letting out a tired yawn, stretching his arms over his head as he sat up some. "Aw man, Star you wouldn't believe the dream I just had, it was crazy," the boy began in his typical cheeriness, though his eyes still drooped some with exhaustion. "I was flying and I think I was looking for something and there were these little blinking lights-" Marco paused mid-explanation as suddenly become aware where he was, looking up at the faces of Buff Frog, Jackie, and Janna, before turning to Star with a quizzical look. "Um, Star, what are we doing out here?"

The others all exchanged looks, clearly trying to think of the best way to explain it to Marco, before finally Star said, "It's a long story."

"Let's just say your dream wasn't actually a dream," Janna added cryptically.

"Wait you mean that really happened?" Marco exclaimed jumping up, the shock on his face clear as day. "I really was flying!"

"Yep, you just went through something called 'Mewberty'," Jackie explained.

"Mewberty?" Marco repeated, cocking his head to the side, confusion pinching his brows.

"That's right, it's a normal thing teenage Mewmans go through to adjust to their magic," Star explained.

"Oh, okay," the boy said, nodding his head some in understanding, his eyes shining with curiosity. "So does that mean I don't have the chickenpox?"

The group all shook their heads.

"So then everything in my dream really happened?!" Marco exclaimed in total disbelief.

"Da, everything," Buff Frog said wisely.

"Even the part where you all turned into giant marshmallows?" Marco asked, giving them all a confused frown.

The group paused, looking between one another before Jackie corrected, "Okay, so not everything in your dream really happened."

The boy sat down cross-legged, resting his head in his hands as he asked, "So did Skullnick and the other knights really attack me?"

"Yes, as sad as it is they did," Jackie muttered angrily.

"They what?!" Buff Frog exclaimed.

"Apparently my mom and dad gave them orders to detain anyone going through Mewberty but Skullnick took it a bit too far," Star explained.

"And did I... throw her like in my dream," Marco asked, a guilty look in his eye.

Jackie and Janna both nodded, the latter saying, "Yeah but you didn't really have much of a choice." She paused before adding, "Plus, it looked pretty cool."

The boy looked sadly at the ground before turning to Star and asking in a nervous stutter, "And did we... I mean, in my dream there was like this beautiful sunset and I was wondering if-"

"Mm-hmm, that part was real," Star replied, scooting closer to the boy and putting a hand on his back.

Marco smiled, clearly reminiscing the fuzzy memory, before he said bashfully, "That was my favorite part."

"Mine too," Star agreed, leaning over and kissing his forehead.

Suddenly though a thought occurred to Marco and he gasped, looking around fearfully at each of his friends and dad and asked, "Oh no, the meeting! What happened?!"

"I left early to come find you," Star explained and the boy's face fell.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble for everyone," the boy muttered, the guilt evident on his face, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

The group all shared a concerned look, before Star said softly, "Marco, you didn't do anything wrong."

"But the meeting," Marco sniffed, giving his girlfriend a sad, apologetic look that melted the girl's heart.

"That wasn't your fault and the other Monsters completely understood," Star said, cupping his head in her hands, staring deep into his chocolate brown orbs, giving him a warm, loving smile. "Besides, your more important to me than some meeting."

The boy didn't seem convinced though, his eyes still full of regret as he muttered, "But I-I hurt Skullnick and the other knights and-and-"

"Marco," Star interrupted, giving him a compassionate grin, hoping to silently convey her message. "It's okay," she whispered.

"Look, dude, you weren't thinking straight. That's all," Jackie spoke up in a soft, comforting tone and the boy looked over at her hopefully.

"Really?"

"Yeah and I mean, it was really more of Skullnick's fault for antagonizing you, she brought it on herself," Janna added, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I still worried all of you," the boy muttered sadly, looking down at the ground.

The group shared a look before Janna blurted, "Well duh, of course, you did."

"Huh?" Marco asked in confusion.

Jackie sat down next to the boy and told him much more gently, "What Janna means to say is that we're your friends and we care about you. So when something is upsetting or scaring you of course we're going to worry a little."

"We know you don't mean anything by it," Buff Frog added, putting a comforting hand on his son's shoulders. "We just happy you safe."

"The important thing is you're okay," Star finished, giving him a kind smile. "So you don't have to feel bad, we never mind looking out for you."

Marco returned the smile with one of his own, before leaping forward into his girlfriend's arms, hugging her tightly and the girl quickly squeezed him back. The others soon joined all in the group hug, all comforting and supporting their friend, who was sniffing again as tears ran down his cheeks.

After a moment the group pulled apart, Marco swiping at his eyes with his hoodie sleeve before he gave each of his friends and family a grateful smile. "Thanks, guys. You're the best!" He paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he added a bit bashfully, "But I still can't believe how my Mewberty made me act."

"Eh, still wasn't as bad as Star's," Janna commented, jabbing a finger in said girl's direction.

Star gave her creepy friend an annoyed glare, snapping, "Okay I really wish you'd all stop bringing that up now."

"Was yours really that bad, Star?" Marco asked, his eyes shining with intrigue.

"She almost destroyed the entire castle," Janna explained quickly before Star could answer, and the blond royal growled under her breath.

"I was 11 and going through some stuff, okay! Give me a break!" Star shouted, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation. The girl let out a deep sigh, burying her head in her hands, saying with a muffled cry, "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Not as long as I'm around," Janna replied with a mischievous grin, elbowing her friend in the ribs and Star promptly looked up from her hands to glare in the creepy teen's direction.

"So what was your Mewberty like Janna?" Marco asked, hoping to change the subject off his clearly uncomfortable girlfriend.

The beanie-wearing girl shrugged, before casually explaining, "Actually I haven't had one yet."

"Oh," the boy said simply. He paused before asking, "Well when do you think it'll happen?"

"Hopefully not anytime soon," Jackie commented, a tired look on her face. "I'm not sure I can handle another Mewberty, especially Janna's. Something tells me it's gonna get way weird."

Janna shrugged, before commenting, "Relax, Jacks, I'm sure mine won't be for a long whi-" The girl suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes going blank and her mouth hanging open dumbly. The others all froze in place, Marco watching with nervous curiosity, while the others grew tense as their friend continued staring off into space. Finally, the girl's head slowly lowered so her eyes were hidden behind her bangs as she said in a low, creepy tone, "Toooommmm."

"Oh no," Star muttered worriedly, slowly reaching for her purse and subsequently her wand, while Buff Frog pushed Marco behind him for protection.

But a second later, Janna lifted her head, a smug smile on her lips, back to her normal creepy self once more as she said with a teasing wink, "Nah, I'm just kidding."

"JANNA!" everyone shouted angrily and the girl just laughed at her successful prank.

While the girl celebrated her victory and received a scolding lecture from Jackie, Marco turned to Star asking one last pestering question that had been on his mind since waking up, "So, um, Star I was wondering, just before my dream ended- or I guess I changed back- I thought I heard you say something to me?"

Star's face instantly flushing bright red, embarrassment and fear causing her brain to go haywire. Her heart began hammering away in her chest as her boyfriend's quizzical, chocolate brown orbs rested on her hot face and she quickly averted her eyes, trying desperately to think up some kind of answer. Any and all words froze on her tongue though and she coughed to clear her tight throat, before playing with a loose strand of blond hair. But she could feel Marco growing concerned by her lack of response and she blurted out the first possible thing she could think of. "Oh, uhhh, n-no, I can't think of anything I would have said to you," she stammered, still not meeting Marco's eye as her cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson. "It must have been part of your dream."

Marco nodded, a thoughtful look on his face for a second before he smiled with his typical cheeriness and exclaimed, "Yeah, I guess that's all it was!" He chuckled to himself, rubbing at the back of his neck in that cute way he always did and Star grinned at her boyfriend, a wave of relief washing through her, glad her secret was still safe. She did like Marco a lot, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for such big words like that just yet and decided it would be best to keep her earlier confession to herself... at least for now.

But unbeknownst to Star, someone else had been listening in and knew exactly how the princess felt about her hoodie-wearing friend.

It had been a total accident on Buff Frog's part, using an old trick he had learned spying for Toffee to appear asleep when he secretly wasn't, relaxing down his muscles and body while simultaneously keeping his mind awake and alert for any potential threats. And with his sensitive hearing, well, it hadn't been difficult to pick up on Star's hushed tone.

Not that Buff Frog would ever say anything to Star or Marco about it. No, he knew better than to meddle in Marco's love life, it was best to let their relationship happen naturally. For now, it would just be his little secret. And as the amphibian watched the pair closely, picking up on every loving look and heartfelt smile that passed between the two, he couldn't help but grin knowing to himself. Give it time, he thought to himself. They'll get there someday.

#Star vs #Star vs AU #My Writing #Light of the Sun and Stars #Starco #Mewberty

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Red Letter Day (baon)

Summary: Edge and Stretch are finally paying a visit to Alphys to check on the results of her tests.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Mentions of sickness, Mentions of LV, mentions of past trauma, Possible Past Medical Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort

Notes: I’m getting my timeline a little scattered, but man did I need something funny and cute.

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

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Read it on AO3

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Read it here!

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The drive to the Embassy from New New home took about fifteen to twenty minutes depending on traffic. During the week, it was one that Edge took twice a day, occasionally listening to the radio, more likely to a podcast or the news.

Today, they were hardly five minutes into the drive and Stretch was already fidgeting. He’d hold Edge’s hand for a moment only to drop it, switch to flicking his lighter through his fingers, then back to holding hands. Once, he even started pulling out a cigarette only to catch himself, tucking the pack back into his hoodie pocket and switching back to the lighter.

It ached to see him so disturbed. Whatever Alphys had to say about his test results, at least Stretch’s anxiety over them would be finally over.

He’d come awake slowly that morning, having woken last night with Edge’s nightmare, and his sleepy pleasure at being brought a cup of coffee in bed had quickly turned to suspicion after a few sips. His reaction at being told Alphys moved up their appointment had been pure anxiety and Edge did not regret keeping the information to himself until then.

Sitting here now, his attention split between the road and watching as Stretch squirmed, he only wished there was something he could do to help, past keeping a hand available to be held whenever it was needed.

He’d accept his helplessness for now. This part would be over soon and he was braced for any answer Alphys offered, ready to do whatever was needed to help his love. Physically, mentally, anything and everything in between, he was prepared to offer it.

Now they only had to get there.

The parking lot at the Embassy was a secured one that required an ID, and Edge had his own parking spot at the back of the lot. Today, he forbore using it, instead parking as close to the entrance as he could.

If Stretch noticed, he didn’t comment on it, scrambling out of the car and already heading towards the entrance the moment the car was in park. He lingered there outside, waiting for Edge to catch up, hands shoved into his pockets and even then Edge could see his hands clenching and unclenching, the shrunken quality of his eye lights. He was scared and trying very hard not to show it.

The protestors across the street were there night and day, though at this hour there were only a handful of Humans, their ragged signs sitting propped at their feet. It seemed even racism required morning coffee to get going, Edge thought with dark humor. He moved to stand with his back to them, blocking their view as he gently took Stretch’s face in both his hands, giving him a brief kiss.

“It’s going to be okay, love,” Edge whispered to him. Stretch took a shaky breath and let it out, nodding slowly.

“yeah. let’s get this over with.” He turned and opened the door, and Edge followed him in.

Everyone who came in was required to swipe their ID, and even though Stretch could easily shortcut to any place in the building, he always did. It was for security purposes and Stretch had told him once that if Ass-gore had to do it, then he supposed it wasn’t beneath him.

Edge hadn’t commented on the nickname, that was a battle he wasn’t about to join.

As far as he knew, Sans was obedient about scanning his badge as well. His own brother, Edge couldn’t say, but that was another pie he was refusing to take a slice from. Red was a part of the security department, in official and unofficial roles, and if they had issues with him, he’d leave it to them.

The guard at the station offered them both a genuine smile, his curiosity obvious, but he didn’t question them. Anyone else would need to sign in with a purpose to visit, but Stretch was on a rather short list of people with classified access. Not that he ever used it. He knew the way to the labs, was already headed towards the elevator with Edge on his heels, but he went to them only rarely.

That was an issue that Stretch did not discuss, but then, neither did Red or Sans. Edge couldn’t remember the years his brother spent working at the labs in Underfell. On the rare occasion he said anything, Red usually made cracks about working there as a janitor. Sans was more amicable and often helped out in both the laboratories here and Stretch’s in New New Home, but for all the usefulness his brilliance offered the Monster community, Stretch refused to work with any of the other scientists.

Once, many years ago, Edge thought him selfish for it. Now, having spent dark nights with his lover in his arms, listening to him brokenly confess to watching his brother die during the resets, he could only wonder at what sort of trauma Stretch endured in the labs in Underswap that he refused to even discuss it.

It might be better that Edge didn’t know, and that whoever deserved to be punished for it was far from his reach.

At least Stretch was able to still enjoy his love of science, that hadn’t been stolen from him. But Red avoided the labs entirely when he could, and if Stretch wouldn’t talk about it, expecting any information from Red was less likely than stumbling across the Loch Ness monster in a puddle on the street.

In this elevator heading to the labs, all he could do was hold Stretch’s hand, squeezing gently as it trembled in his grip, and try not to think of the day Stretch had come on his own to get the tests done. He should have been suspicious then, too trusting and—

No. He was not allowing that thought any sort of traction, would not allow the faint whispers of his LV to taint any other part of him. He was here today and Stretch had told him the truth. That was all that mattered.

He heard Stretch inhale raggedly as the elevator doors opened, but he didn’t hesitate, walked straight through them with his normal lackadaisical stride, forcing Edge to slow his own steps.

The labs took up an entire basement floor of the Embassy, chosen to be placed here rather than at New New Home for reasons of practicality and safety. As far as construction went, Monsters were well familiar with how to build underground and the structure of the entire building was able to withstand everything from earthquakes to a concentrated magical attack.

The main room was an open layout, with plenty of tables and machinery around, and the walls were lined with doors that led to private labs for experiments that required more discretion. The scientists who worked here did so with the knowledge that their experiments would be used to better the lives of Monsters and Humans alike, and Alphys herself had demanded strict protocols on what experiments were allowed.

That was not a surprise; Edge had met the Amalgamates who stayed within New New Home. He had his own opinions on them that he kept to himself, and he’d easily agreed to the rules for laboratory protocols. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with her being the one to run tests on Stretch, but no one knew more about souls than she did.

Alphys was at one of the work tables and she brightened when she caught sight of them, waddling over.

“hey, lizard lady, how’s it going?” Stretch’s grin was the most genuine expression he’d offered since they’d gotten in the car. He leaned down, holding out his arms in offering. Once, Stretch had told her she could take the hug if she wanted or not, and he wouldn’t be offended either way. Today was a hug day and Edge did not know if that was good or bad.

But her smile was warm. “It’s g-going well! Why don’t we talk in my office?”

She led them to a closed door, unlocking it, and they followed her inside. The various clutter was a stark contrast to the orderly lab; her desk covered in papers, walls lined with anime posters and a framed picture from her wedding. There was another picture of Undyne on her desk, grinning at the camera, and a pink paper heart was taped to one corner with a sticker that blared the word ’kawii!!’.

Alphys bustled around, muttering to herself as she gathered up paper stacks from the chairs, gesturing at them to sit before she settled into her own seat. “Did you want a drink?”

“nah, i’m good,” Stretch waved it off, “just tell me the truth, do i need to start shopping for a urn or what? ‘cause i’d kinda rather get my dust sprinkled properly and a mason jar isn’t the aesthetic i’m looking for.”

“Don’t,” Edge said sharply before he could stop himself. He knew that biting sarcasm was only a defense mechanism, but he couldn’t listen to that. He couldn’t.

Sweet creature that she was, Alphys looked horrified at the black joke, “N-n-no, of course not! Y-you’re fine!”

That was not the answer Stretch was expecting. He blinked, the mask of his indifference slipping to show a struggle between disbelief and tremulous hope.

“fine.” Stretch repeated, slowly. “so why am i down an hp?”

She shrugged, “Stress, past sickness? There’s a lot of reasons for HP to drop and nothing unusual showed up on any of the tests. B-but, see here. You can’t see it in a Check but—“

She pulled out a small device out of a drawer that looked like a tablet and walked over. Alphys didn’t seem to notice Stretch’s slight flinch as she settled something that looked like a stethoscope over Stretch’s chest. She showed them the tablet, charting a mass of numbers.

“See here?” She pointed at the screen with one clawed finger. “Checks don't show the decimals, but if you can look a little deeper, you’ll see it’s c-coming back up.”

It was, Edge saw, swallowing down his own relief. The tablet was showing deeply into the decimals, but as they watched, the last number went up by one. And again, very slowly crawling upward.

“If it keeps up like this, y-you’ll be back to five in a few months!” She beamed. Her smile faltered as Stretch made a small sound, shaking so hard the bones of his fingers clattered against the chair arm. “Are you okay?”

“He’s fine,” Edge told her quietly, and pulled Stretch into his arms as he finally broke and the tears started. Held him gently as he cried, murmuring soft words and nonsense while the fear loosened its hold. Long minutes passed before Stretch pulled away, sniffling and wiping at his face with his sleeve.

Alphys already had Kleenex and a bottle of water in hand, practically shoving them into Stretch’s lap as she burbled out tearfully, “I’m so sorry! I would have told you over the phone if I’d known you were so worried, I only wanted to show you the results! I should have known, I could have told you—“

“it’s fine, lizard lady,” Stretch said and this time it was Alphys who held her arms out for a hug, the two of them embracing amidst tears. “s’all good.”

She nodded, sniffling, and drew back. “Th-the only thing I can recommend is getting plenty of rest, eat good food. It’ll speed up the process.” She gave the pocket of his hoodie a little poke, tapping the visible bulge there. "You should stop smoking. It retards your magic and it could be slowing down the process.”

“did you have to say that where he could hear?” Stretch groaned.

“Yes,” she said unrepentantly. “I don’t want to see you in an urn or a mason jar, and definitely not an ashtray.”

Edge said nothing, but Stretch still sighed. “i’ll try, okay?”

“Try hard,” Alphys said sternly.

She went on to show Stretch a few more test results, the two of them slowly descending into scientific jargon that Edge didn’t even try to understand. He’d gotten what he wanted out of this visit, the only words he wanted to hear.

Stretch was going to be fine and that was enough.

Once they were finished at the lab, Edge drove them back home. He thought about offering to take them for lunch, but the stress of the morning was hitting Stretch before they even made it back to the car, his untied shoes dragging as he walked. He was asleep by the time they made it out of the parking lot and Edge didn’t hesitate to let him sleep, carrying him carefully into the house and settling with him on the sofa, a blanket drawn over them both.

Normally, he wasn’t one for naps, especially not in the mid-morning. Today, he felt unexpectedly tired, all the worries of the past days seeping away and leaving exhaustion in its wake. His normal urges to be moving, working or cleaning or cooking, abandoned him, and Edge settled on the sofa with his sleeping husband in his arms, holding him close. Drowsing in the pocket of shared warmth beneath the blanket.

He couldn’t say how long he slept when he heard the soft click of the unlocked door, the almost silent footsteps. Edge didn’t opened his sockets as he called on his magic, flexing his fingers beneath the blanket as he reached out to turn his brother’s soul blue and lifted.

When he turned to look, Red was dangling in the air like a marionette, a sharp grin on his face. He tipped his head towards the door, one brow bone raised and Edge frowned, lowering Red to the floor before carefully pulling away from Stretch. Who murmured discontentedly, his face scrunching unhappily at the loss of warmth. Edge pressed a kiss to his skull and whispered a soft promise to return. Likely it went unheard but Stretch still settled with a sigh, burrowing into the blanket

Red was sitting on the steps when Edge walked out, an unlit cigar clenched in his teeth, “how’s the honey bun.”

Ah, of course. If there was one person Red had difficulty getting intel from it was Alphys, and they’d been in her office to talk.

There was a small, petty temptation to let his brother squirm a bit for the answer, but Edge resisted it, “He’ll be all right. His HP is recovering. She recommended he quit smoking.”

Red snorted loudly. “have fun with that.”

Edge didn’t think he imagined seeing a line of tension in Red’s shoulders relax. He’d been worried, Edge realized, far more than he would ever show or say, but enough to come by the moment he knew they had answers. Knowing that made a painful knot in Edge’s soul ease, a silent forgiveness for his brother keeping secrets from him about Stretch. Red did care about Stretch, he knew, past him simply being a precious liability for his brother. It was still nice to have it confirmed from time to time.

But it didn’t stop him from slapping Red on the back of the skull when he started lighting his cigar, hissing, “Do not smoke that near me!”

Red only grinned, unrepentantly, “yeah, yeah, get back in there with the honey bun. might want to get in your chucklefucks while you can, before the nicotine withdrawal hits.”

“Sans—“ Edge started to snarl, but he was talking to thin air, leaving him with no one to take his irritation out on. He blew out a sharp breath and shook his head, rubbing at his nasal bone to stave off an incipient brother-shaped headache.

Then he went back inside to take his brother’s advice.

-finis-

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #by any other name

[fyeahwonderbat]

Here's just a thought, Bruce who has been awake for days refusing to go to sleep. Diana sick of arguing with him picks him up and carries him to bed, Imagine her walking by Alfred while Bruce squirms and demands to be put down,

The punching bag reacted to Bruce’s punches like it was frightened by every hit, but he refused to stop his assault on the leather-bound bag. Every time his knuckles collided with it, the sound challenged every grunt that came out of his mouth. Teeth gritted and brows knitted, he was nothing more than a wild creature slugging a stationary enemy, channeling all of the anger and pain that was threatening to swallow him whole for the past week and a half. In the comfort of his BatCave, where he didn’t need to wear any kind of mask as a hero or a man, it was the only catharsis he knew.

“Bruce,” he heard a familiar voice hum his name and it rang within his soul. She possessed the dangerous gift of silencing parts of him that he wasn’t always comfortable letting go of, so when Wonder Woman surprised him with a visit at such a late hour, Bruce wasn’t at all amused.

He went so far as to pretend he didn’t hear her over the smacking sound his punches made. So desperate to avoid her, he moved faster, throwing all of his body weight into every hit like the punching bag would dare to hit him back the moment he was distracted. Unfortunately, Diana took his coldness as a challenge and approached him with her warm heart on full display. She grabbed the bottom of the bag when it swung back and refused to release it from her Amazonian grip. Then she stared him down and offered him another chance to address her properly.

Bruce didn’t say a word until she arched her brow at him. Recoiling slightly, he muttered, “It’s late, Diana.”

“Luckily for me, I was given the access codes to the mansion, so I can come and go whenever I want.” she reminded him cooly.

“Thanks for reminding me, I need to change those tomorrow.” Bruce bit back. The flush of heat from his workout had nearly fallen to a simmer and he refused to let that happen. Lifting his fists up to his jawline, he arched his brow at her as an informal invitation to give him back his punching bag. Though she refused to release it, he was shocked to see her lower it enough so that he could resume his training.

She was offering to spot him, but didn’t need to announce it to him. Instead, she sparred with him verbally and said, “I’ll be sure to get them from Alfred in the evening, then.”

Bruce threw an unprofessional punch forward as an immediate reaction of disfavor regarding her words. He felt a jolt of pain in his thumb due to his haste yet he refused to show the discomfort on his face. Instead, he threw out his other hand in a tight first and moved with more caution. Diana’s presence was much too distracting for his liking and he was more than prepared to ask her to leave.

“Can I do something for you?”

“You can,” she admitted calmly, then paused before telling him what it is. “You can tell me what’s bothering you.”

The fact that she would think it was her place to ask him such a personal question motivated him to fire off a few more swings, regardless of how proper his punches were. “You did not come here just to chat.”

“Maybe I did.” Though she didn’t say it, there was a question that sounded like it needed to be tacked on to the end of her sentence: what are you going to do about it?

The urge to swing at her face came to mind, if only to distract her with a sparring match and keep her out of his head. However, he knew how cunning Diana liked to believe that she was, meaning she’d most likely attach a bet to their match and demand he confide in her if she won. It was much too early in the morning to deal with her sentimentality, so Bruce decided he’d move on from the punching bag altogether.

Turning away from her, he shouted over his shoulder without considering his volume whatsoever, “Wonder Woman’s time could be better spent somewhere else, where she’s needed.”

“I decide where I am needed, Bruce.” Diana informed him with a snap in her tone. She made it clear that she was not a fan of his dismissal of her, but she still refused to leave.

Spinning around at his waist, Bruce glowered at her and bellowed, “And it’s not here. Go home, or go find someone else to play charity case with.”

“If you actually tried to have a normal conversation with me, instead of biting my head off without even trying to be civil,” Diana warned him of his missteps as she walked towards him. She stopped herself from reaching him by planting her feet into the floor a few feet away from him, providing them both with some necessary space. “Maybe I would have left by now. But you’re much too proud to let that happen.”

Her boldness matched his own and it dismantled his confidence somewhat. Normally, he had to rile her more for her to pick up the gauntlet of a hostile conversation. Instead, at such a late hour on a rather stormy night, Diana was having none of his backtalk. Whatever the goal was in her mind, it only put him off of speaking to her even more.

“Go home.” He ordered her bluntly, unconcerned with how she’d take it.

Bruce turned away and took a step toward his weights, only to hear her drag her one of her Wonder Woman boots along the cemented floor behind him. Curious, he walked forward again, and the same noise followed him. He didn’t know if it was her own pride that was causing her to stick with him or if she was actually as benevolent as she claimed to be, but he was having none of it.

Not tonight.

Not after what he had been through, the haunting memories keeping him awake until the early hours of the morning, punching the anxiety and regret out of his soul with evident futility.

His fists acted like nothing more than dead weight when he felt his body fly backward suddenly, the years of physical training he’d suffered through rendered useless when he was at the mercy of an impatient Amazon. Bruce knew he had been tugged by the collar of his shirt, but he was caught off guard the moment his boots left the ground. “Diana!?” He screamed, both reprimanding her and demanding an explanation.

She didn’t offer one, though. Instead, she chucked his two hundred and fifty-pound body over her shoulder and left the BatCave’s training space without any type of warning. Furious, erratic, he tossed and squirmed uncontrollably as he fought her clutches to the best of his mortal ability. Nevertheless, nothing he did slowed her down. She carried on with her unannounced trek from his at-home gym, to the staircase that would take them upstairs, through the secret entryway and into his front hall.

Bruce’s could feel the blood that rushed into his face when he roared, “Put me down, NOW!”

“You’re only making my job that much easier when you flail like a child.” Warned Diana. She sounded exhausted from her efforts of transporting him from the basement to the upper level of his house, but he had never asked her to handle him like a brute. It felt like his personal coping mechanism was being scolded, making him believe that she saw him as inferior when stacked against her eternal wisdom. The longer he was in her hold, the angrier he became.

When they reached the hallway leading to the bedrooms, Bruce heard a door open and knew at once that Alfred had been awakened by his wailing. “Alfred!” He called to his butler with a tone so desperate, it embarrassed him. He felt even more foolish than he already did when he blurted out, “Stop her! Do something!”

By the time they passed by Alfred’s door, it was magically closed, and his so-called friend was nowhere in sight. “Traitor!” He condemned his butler, nearly seething by the time they reached his bedroom door.

To his dismay, Diana predicted his attempt at an escape and flattened his wrists against his sides so he couldn’t cling to the doorframe. He had handled villains with more respect than she was showing him at that moment when she went so far as to throw him down onto his bed. If there was one thing he hated, it was losing control of any situation. Glaring at her from his sprawled out position on his own mattress, it took everything he had left in his weary body not to tackle her to the ground and fight her right then and there. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”

She couldn’t have looked more repulsed by his behavior in the darkened state of his bedroom, with nothing but the moonlight coming in through his open window highlight the scowl on her face. Still, she pretended that she wasn’t wearing her heart on her sleeve and inquired, “Are you trying to manage your stress or overwork yourself into the grave? Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference with you.”

Those words struck him as if she had sent his punching bag right back at him. It felt like her voice was a can opener and his heart had been forcefully exposed when she dared to mention death around him. There was the typical reason as to why he loathed discussing grief, and then there was his newly founded reason.

Jason.

Bruce felt sober all of a sudden. All of his efforts to expunge the hurt from his heart were revealed as completely fruitless under the careful eye of Diana, Wonder Woman, friend to all and savior to some. Her entire energy was such a shift from those people who lived in his city and were trapped by its demons, she had the force of an earthquake behind her when she tried to move his mind into perspective. He was just so rebellious to any way of doing things that weren’t his own, but the resurrection of his ward was something that he had the skill set to handle.

The way Jason yelled at him as he walked away from the chance to kill the Joker proved that to him.

Shoulders sunken and breathing shallow, Bruce glanced at Diana’s shadowy form and told her the truth. “Neither can I.”

He feared she would let a pause sit between them and emphasize the deplorable authenticity to his words. Instead, she graciously carried on like his admission wasn’t horrifying. “A great midway point is going to sleep.”

“How do you figure that?” Bruce said, stunned.

“Because,” she was humming again, speaking softly to him as she approached the bed. Diana dared to even sit on the edge of it when he had been rejecting her the entire time she’d bee with him that night. Impressed by her bravery, he said nothing when she made herself comfortable. “Sleeping replenishes the energy that stress can steal away, and when you’re asleep, the world doesn’t exist.”

“Sleep doesn’t exist in Gotham.” explained Bruce in a monotone voice.

To his surprise, Diana’s delicate touch grazed his forehead. She had leaned in while he rebutted her and brushed his hair off of his forehead carefully, tenderly. She maintained her gentle composure when she responded, “It will, once you close your eyes.”

“Diana–”

“You’re the most powerful man in the city. You can schedule in sleep if you need to, and I’m saying you do need to.” decreed Wonder Woman. She still managed to appear almighty while speaking to him in the softest tone of voice he’d ever heard. He had witnessed her transform from a domineering dictator to an amicable ally within the time span of mere minutes. Nevertheless, he knew that both sides of Diana were based upon the respect she had for him.

Even when he didn’t deserve it.

A heavy breath escaped him while he summoned the courage to admit his agreement to her, both rising from deep within his gut, “I’ll try to sleep. I won’t make any promises though.”

He didn’t need to see her clearly to know that he had just made her grin. Diana lifted herself off of the bed, bringing herself to stand tall next to the bed as she praised him, “That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Wait,” Bruce exclaimed rather threateningly when he saw her turn to leave. After everything was said and done, he felt uncomfortable to have her usher him to bed and then depart. “You can stay here, in the manor, for the night. You never even told me why you stopped by but we can discuss it in the morning.”

A beam of moonlight landed on her shoulder when she stopped in her tracks, and it traced the length of her collar bone as she turned back around. When she faced him once again, she explained, “I came here to check on you, Bruce. I was worried about you. So long as I know you’ve rested - even a little bit - I’ll take my leave knowing you’re taking better care of yourself.”

Bruce felt himself becoming unhinged again at the suggestion. “There are more rooms in this house than I know what to do with. Just take one of them for the night. Please, Diana.”

“That’s not necessary–”

Bruce jumped out of bed in an obvious attempt at protesting her rejection of his offer. Before a single word of argument could escape that mouth of hers, he poorly veiled an order as a suggestion, “Either you stay the night, or I’ll just go back downstairs. You know I will.”

“Your stubbornness truly knows no bounds, does it?” It was not a compliment that she was giving him, but he took it was one to know he could get under the skin of a literal goddess so easily.

The idea of getting under something inspired him to find a compromise between both of their motivations. The king-sized bed next to him was so foreign to him at this point in his life that it wasn’t truly his own, so he thought it was fair to divide it between the two of them. “Stay here tonight. I’ll sleep, you’ll sleep. Deal?”

She didn’t even hesitate to add her one clause to their agreement, “I claim the side closest to the door, then.”

Bruce held up his hands as his answer. Then, he crawled over to the side of the bed she hadn’t declared as her own and fell against the headboard in a slumped over position. His back had been facing her for no more than a few moments, but she had already climbed into the bed and laid down flat on her back. Dressed in her armor still, he realized quickly that he should present her with some time of sleepwear as well. Leaping out of bed and seeing her rise from the corner of his eye, he latched onto the handles of his wardrobe and threw it open in order to find her a long shirt of some kind.

The mattress didn’t creak as he searched, proving to him that she was merely observing him as he scavenged through drawers that he hadn’t looked at in months. As he dug for something appropriate, he came across an old t-shirt that was gifted to him years ago. It was a group he never listened to, but they were a favorite of the person who gave it to him. Seeing the red letters sprawled out on the black fabric even reminded him of the colors associated with…

“Jason.”

“What?” Diana asked.

“It’s… It’s Jason,” Bruce fought the lump in his throat and forced the name of the revived Robin out of his body like he wanted to exorcize the evil energy attached to it. He threw the shirt back into the drawer, fuming. Refusing to relive the shock once again, he ground out the words he needed to say in order to supply her with context. “He’s back. From the dead.”

Diana didn’t say anything right away. In fact, she didn’t utter a single word until he decided upon a shirt and turned around to toss it at her. When she caught it, it was almost as if she had grasped the concept of what she wanted to tell him.

“Not in a way that benefits him, though.” Diana implied with her tone of voice that she assumed she was correct but was still open to hearing him divulge his point of view.

Bruce returned to the bed just as she stood up and began to unclasp her Amazonian girdle. In order to give her - and himself - some privacy, he faced the alarm clock on the nightstand next to him and fiddle with the alarm he’d need to set for the morning. “It isn’t how he’s back that’s the problem. It’s what he’s wasting his second chance at life on, and what he wanted me to do, to repent.”

He heard the fabric of his shirt being moved around as she surmised his meaning, “Revenge.”

“Murder.” Bruce clarified.

“One of your villains?”

“Yes.” He grumbled.

The bed dipped next to him and he almost didn’t turn over to face her. He felt absolutely stranded in the uncharted territory of their conversation, even though he had been the one to start it. Opening up about one of his greatest shames wasn’t easy, to the point that his chest tightened like it was compressing his heart to keep him for admitting to anything else he kept locked within his heart. His body was a cage for so many atrocities that his personality, his essence was so easily skewed by everything that was trapped inside.

The moment Diana touched his shoulder and grazed her fingertips against his sternum, Bruce felt a shiver rattle his spine. He threw himself into the middle of the bed to keep her from feeling the way his muscles shook, only to be met with the most understanding and empathetic expression he’d ever seen on her face, the face of Wonder Woman herself. Then, she pressed him further for more information, “But you didn’t do it.”

“No.” Was his instantaneous reply.

She didn’t look relieved or shocked. She looked exactly the same. She never expected anything else from him and that unspoken confidence touched him, even though he felt disassociated from the warmth it provided him with. “Then the only thing you can do” - she inhaled while processing what he had told her, trying to come to grips with what his life was truly like, most likely - “is hope that he sees the meaning behind your choice, and seek you out once again.”

“Right, but he might not–”

“He just might,” Diana said plainly. Bruce heard the finality of her statement and knew that it wasn’t meant to cause an argument. Instead of challenging his pessimism, she unintentionally pointed out an important piece of the puzzle: he no longer knew what this Jason was capable of. Perhaps he could travel down a darker path, becoming an adversary for the Batman rather than a partner in crime. Or, maybe all he needed was to face his inner demons to see what he was capable of when given the chance to live again.

The high risk-high reward lifestyle was nothing new for the Batman. As he grew older though, Bruce secretly wished that he could play the odds less and less. More and more people were coming into his life through the Justice League meaning there was such a greater chance of loss. It wasn’t something Jason had toyed with when he was his partner, however. It was the Batman’s game, not Robin’s. Witnessing the cruelty of Jason’s circumstances after Dick’s desertion prior, it felt like his teammates were nothing but weaknesses to him at times.

Then, there was Diana with all of her godly might. She had stayed with him even when he hadn’t deserved it, which he could easily blame on her immortality and thousands of years of life, where she had been encountering prideful people for centuries in order to prepare herself for his ego in the present. Her fortitude wasn’t always something he admired, a fact that she knew all too well. Tonight, however, it was the only solace he’d had in far too long. Her companionship was the balm he had never even dared to ask for. Still, it was always there to try and minimize the damage done to his soul.

“He might,” Was his whispered response to her after the long pause he introduced into their conversation. Unable to give her anything more for the night, he reached for the bed sheets and tugged them up over their bodies. They had fallen asleep together on missions before in grassy fields, in caves and other uncomfortable places. Sharing his bed with her felt just as intimate as unveiling his grievances. Overwhelmed by the amount of exposure he’d given her in one night, Bruce muttered an incoherent, “Good night.”

For the last time that evening, she hummed to him like she was using his name to sing him a lullaby, and he swore to himself that he’d never tell her the immediate sense of calm it provided him with to hear her serenade him to sleep with nothing more than a few simple words, “Good night, Bruce.”

#maiden writes #wonderbat #brucexdiana #Wonder Woman #Batman

[ron-inn]

Week 3: Black Smoke

     Kenji doesn’t know the protocol for calling on an ancient god—that was more of Masami’s expertise as one of the village’s senior shugenjas, the magic wielders who could connect to the spirit realm and commune with its inhabitants.  The old legends were super vague on instructions: just travel east until you couldn’t anymore, then two more days to reach the Forbidden Lands; cross the Bridge of Sorrows until you reached the Temple of Ancients; boom, wake up a god.  The legends didn’t go any further, so Kenji just wings it and also lights the candles surrounding the stone altar in the back. He waits for the black smoke to rise up midway to the ceiling before he unsheathes the sword and starts calling out names of power, trying to enunciate them exactly the way Masami did whenever she had to perform the annual Rite of Seals for the village. 

     Then, something responds.

     “Who Is It… That Calls Us… From Our Slumber?” The multitude of voices speaks in a jumbled, echoey collective.  It is neither male nor female, but the deepest instinct inside Kenji knows that this being is very old, very powerful, and very ready to strike him down if he doesn’t explain right now why he marched into its resting place and started waving a mystical sword around, yelling for “the Captive God” and “Dormin the Sky-Render” to wake up.

     “Hi, Kenji here.  Grandson of the grandson of Nakamura the Brilliant and all that.  I’ve also got this ‘Sword that Cuts the Heavens’ that’s supposed to call upon you.  Anyways, I’m here because I want you to help me save this girl,” Kenji answers back.

     “Who?” 

     “Masami.  She was sacrificed for a fate she didn’t deserve, to ‘save Hyuga’ from ‘unimaginable doom and destruction.’”  Kenji snarls sarcastically and has to stop himself from spitting on the floor to show exactly what he thinks of Satsuma’s prophecy.  He continues, “Her spirit was separated from her body but I grabbed her before they could continue the ritual. ’S not right to happen to her.  So now I’m here because I heard you can do the impossible.” 

     He looks over to the stone altar he had gently laid Masami’s small body upon; she was still clothed in those ceremonial white robes. If one could ignore the barely audible rattling breaths and the ice-cold, ghostly pale skin, he could swear it was like she was just sleeping. 

     Kenji looks back and narrows his eyes at whatever’s talking to him from up high. “So, Dorma or Dormin-kami , or whatever fucking kind of god you are, how about you do your magic jumbo shit and tell me how to get her soul back?”

     The voices boom and roll: like thunder, like earthquakes, like the powerful echo of Satsuma’s voice whenever the Guardian Lion God seized control of him in the throes of visions.  “It Is Not That Simple… Our Powers… Have Wasted Away… Since We Were Sealed Here…  Many Of Your Human Lifetimes Ago… You Must Free… The Fragments Of Our Power… From The Shadowed Colossi… Only When… We Are At Our Fullest… Can We Bring Back The Soul… Of The One You So Care For…”

     Those voices then tell him of six massive guardians scattered across this vast land, represented by the mighty stone statues lining the path leading up to the altar.  Every time one was slain, its corresponding statue would shatter and release some of Dormin’s power. Kenji puzzles over some of the descriptions that the voice(s) listed off.  A spirit causing mudslides and quakes? He can probably find it in the mountain range he saw in the distance while crossing the bridge to the temple. A spirit inhabiting the bones of an ancient general?  Shouldn’t be too hard to find a giant walking skeleton. And maybe that spirit of boats and salt is hidden at the bottom of some lake. But a spirit of greed and a spirit of manipulation and illusions?  A spirit still yet pure? Where the hell is he supposed to find those? A small part of him wishes Akane or Toshio were here to help him solve this riddle—they were always the smarter ones—but he crushes that thought as quickly as it forms.  Kenji knows he couldn’t drag anyone else into this taboo the moment he swiped the legendary sword from the village’s shrine.  

     “Hunting, huh?”  Kenji muses as he swings himself up onto his horse and draws out the sword, holding it high above his head for the metal to catch the sunlight as Dormin instructed.  He watches the beam of magic shoot forward from the blade and into the distance, smiling when he sees a pillar of light erupt in response. “Well, that won’t be too bad, I’m pretty good at stabbing, hacking, and making sure things stay down.”

     “Ikuzo, Kiso-chan!”  And with that, they’re charging forward to kill the first guardian.  

     The smoke from their first target doesn’t feel that horrible, just sears down his throat and into his lungs like he’s just inhaled burning coals, just leaves him reeling and dizzy as if he took one of Hatch’s famous haymakers to the temple.  But by the time he watches the black smoke erupt from the fourth guardian’s corpse and rush into his nose and mouth yet again, he’s starting to really hate it.  His chest feels like someone’s ripping open his rib cage, his sore arms are pulsing with new black veins,  and his head is pounding worse than an all-night drinking sesh with his friends and barrels of Ume-Ume’s “special” brew.  He’s also trying to ignore the solid bump that’s starting to sprout from his head.

     “Ack, Kami,” he curses God as he hacks up something thick and dark, leans over to the side to spit the sludge from his mouth as he rides on.  The sleeve he wipes his mouth on is already streaked with black and blood and other nasty things he can’t think about right now. “No wonder why Momoko never let me try smoking,”  Kenji mumbles as he reminisces about all the times the village doctor lectured Jun whenever she caught the guardsman on a break with his ivory pipe and tobacco satchel.

     Two more to go is the only thought that overrides all the aches, pains, and fears in his mind. He urges Kiso to ride faster to the next pillar of light, using the shine emanating from the Sword that Cuts the Heavens to keep them on course. He thinks, Just hold on Masami , I’m almost done.  Then I’ll wake you up, you can scream “ baka” at me all you want and I’ll laugh like before.  You can finally give me that gift you promised me for the Rite of the Silver Moon .

     Kenji doesn’t know how he made back to the Temple after killing the last guardian (he thought for sure he wouldn’t be able to survive when the guardian started crumbling and Kenji hung onto the sword still embedded in the giant’s weak point on its head as they started falling down, down, down).  He sobs when he sees Kiso, limping but still alive after she bucked him off to save him from the fifth demon’s jaws that had ambushed them. He completely ignores the sonorous voices of Dormin, the rumbling delight evident in the chorus as It thanks him for what he’s done. He just keeps resting against Kiso and weeping into her mane, relieved that he didn’t lose his only other companion on this crazy, stupid quest.  

     When he looks up at the sound of horse hooves and rustling armor, there’s a group wearing the colors of his old village, maneuvering around the shattered blocks of stone from fallen titans to approach him at the base of the altar’s steps.  Kenji laughs upon seeing the faces of his friends, now grimly waiting to kill him. There’s Vice-Captain Kohaku (well, probably “Captain" now that Kenji fucking ran from his village and effectively resigned from his position), looking at him with those same stern eyes and disappointed frown on her face.  There’s Hatch—he looks good with that new armor but judging by the way he squirms and shifts atop his horse, Kenji knows the brawler is itching to trade the heavy lacquer plate for the light karate gi he favors.  Toshio is off to the side, looking at him with almost pity in his green eyes, but Kenji knows that he wouldn’t hesitate to nail him with a few of his steel shuriken and rifle bullets.  And there, at the front, the Demon Slayer herself—Kenji begins to bellow with laughter even harder when he sees that it’s his best friend, Akane, leading the group.  

     He wipes away the tears, flings his arms wide open, and grins with that old Kenji flair for dramatics.  “Hey! Nice of you guys to join me at this party, but I don’t recall sending out invitations!” Judging from Kohaku’s and Hatch’s horrified expressions (Akane’s and Toshio’s faces remain impassive as per usual), he must make for quite the sight: torn clothing, bloody and banged up body, arms pitch-black up to the shoulders, a full bone-horn protruding from his forehead, and black smoke swirling around him like some sort of evil aura.   

     “Kenji.”

     At that single word, his smile drops and he watches Akane dismount and walk forward.

     “You know what happens now.  You broke the rules,” she says.

     “Funny, I thought you of all people would have hated being tied down by rules, especially when they hurt people you love.”

     “Satsuma threatened to go after Momoko.  I didn’t have a choice.” Oh, Akane, always straight to the point, especially when it comes to her wife.  Kenji both fumes with wrath and aches with understanding at her words. The pulsing in his arms speeds up and the haze in his mind gets worse as he wants to strike out and beat that calm determination off her face.

     Kenji barks out a bitter laugh.  “Well, guess who didn’t have a choice either!  Oh wait, Masami wants her soul trapped in the spirit realm while her body rots!” Can’t they see? He thinks, That this is what Satsuma and his god wanted?  To convince everyone that her sacrifice was the “only” way to save Hyuga?

     Akane stops a couple of feet away from him, warily watching the sword by his side, calculating as always what her foe will do next.  “She did want this.  You were supposed to respect her choice.”

     “ I was supposed to protect her! ” he roars.  (He doesn’t want to remember the tight-lipped resignation on Masami’s face when Satsuma first marked her for damnation; he doesn’t want to recall the fiery argument they had the night before the ceremony.)  “ That’s the duty of the Captain.”  He looks over at Kohaku, who has stayed oddly silent this whole exchange, and shoots her a lopsided smirk.  “Sorry, Kohaku. I guess that makes me a failure, huh? I hope that you can do better than me now that I’m gone.”

     Kohaku bows her head and murmurs, “I will never be like you.”  At the same time, Hatch cries out one last useless request for Kenji to come back with them with Masami, tears streaming down his face.  Toshio continues to look at him with indescribable emotions swirling in his dark green eyes. Honestly, why didn’t the ninja take the shot?  Kenji knows he made for such an open target when trying not to break down completely in Kiso’s presence. Perhaps Akane held Toshio back. He’s grateful if she did.

     It means she remembers that pact she made with him years ago: when they were young, wild, and oh-so-afraid of their capacity to kill.  Of being alone at the end of the slaughter.

     Kenji turns back at Akane.  Upon his attention, she draws her katana and shifts into Gedan, a basic low stance favored by her Alligator Style for its powerful counter-attacks.  Instinctively, he shifts into Jōdan, an aggressive, overhead stance of the Firefly Style.  They wait. It’s an old routine, as familiar as a lullaby to a child.  He’ll swing downward first, she’ll sidestep and aim a slash to his arm, he’ll pivot to block her sword and force her back with a shove, she’ll leap back to analyze him for openings but he’ll press forward with wild swings that will break her focus and force her to defend. They’ll switch off.  He knows he’s always been stronger and more resilient, but she’s more agile and has the sharpest instincts for finding weak points. They’ve always been equally matched, a constant push-and-pull that has never known an end.

     But this isn’t a training duel in the village fields and this isn’t a battlefield where they stand back-to-back, cutting down whichever enemies foolishly rush them. Now Kenji and Akane face each other to witness which is stronger: their promises to their loved ones or their promises to each other.  Perhaps this was inevitable, for loyalty and bonds built over years to gradually crumble away to dust with each clash of their swords.   

     What a mess.  

     Kenji sighs.  It’s not a dead man’s sigh of regret when the body releases its last gasp for forgiveness and peace.  No, it’s a sigh of tired endurance, of indomitable will; a breath loosed into the air before it rises and condenses into storm clouds that break open and unleash heaven’s wrath.  He smiles. “I’m guessing it makes sense that they brought you out to kill one last demon, but you better be prepared for the fight of your life!  I won’t go down without giving it my all!”

     Akane simply nods.  “Goodbye, old friend.”

     Kenji replies to her unspoken words, “I’m sorry too.” 

     And he thinks, And I’m sorry, Masami. Guess you’ll have to wait a little longer to give me your gift.  I’m sure it’s beautiful, whatever it is.

     And so, what else can he do but to charge forward?

----------------

A03 LINK:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848121/chapters/49974308#workskin

#samurai of hyuga #fanfic #submission #sohtober 2019

[lokidokiliteratureclub]

Don’t Touch Me

Loki X Reader

Warnings: Angsty, cursing, refers back to the more graphic scenes in Infinity War.

A/N I realize that the plot of Thor: Ragnarok would have been at least a bit different if Loki had been a friend of the Avengers, but the fact is that Odin still would have died so Hela would have still been unleashed, and the story might be more or less the same. Either way, he would have still ended up where he was in the end credit scene- if you know what I mean. So just.. for the sake of the story.. just go with it. Anyway, enjoy!

Prompt: While so many others were born with mutations that gave them wondrous, blessed gifts, you seem to have been stuck with a curse. Some have referred to it as a form of clairvoyance- as a seeing of the future. At its core, that’s true. But deeper down... it’s much worse than that.

There was no reason why Loki Laufeyson should not know about your feelings for him. No. Good. Reason.

It was irrefutable how obvious your crush on him was. When you spoke, your face reddened- your heart rate quickened- you lost the ability to speak with full sentences. He was just so... breathtaking. So... beautiful. And even if he was ugly as a headless cow-chicken-blobfish-donkey hybrid, he would still manage to captivate you with the way he spoke, or the intensity to which he did things, or the books he recommended you read, whether they were from earth or Asgard.

And, unlike many others, he didn’t ask about the gloves, or the long sleeves, or the way you flinched away from human touch. He didn’t pry at your past, even though everyone in the tower knew his. He didn’t even bother you about the cautious glances the Avengers and other SHIELD Agents gave you around the clock.

What was not to like about him? Other than- you know- the whole evil dictator thing, or the fact that he could be a whiny bitch about his brother. He was basically irresistible.

“Y/N, may I ask why you’re still pouring coffee even though it has spilled over your hand?”

Oh, that’s right. You were pouring searing hot liquid into the contents of your cup while day-dreaming about the man right in front of you.

“Shit!” You cursed, rather loudly, drawing back your hand and ripping the silk, coffee-stained, burning hot glove from your left hand. You shook your arm uselessly back and forth as if waving your hand through the air would cool it down, ignoring the arched eyebrow Loki was giving you from a few feet away.

“Perhaps,” he mused, grabbing a washcloth and wiping the counter down, “if you actually slept instead of relying on coffee for sustenance, you wouldn’t continuously ruin everything all the time.”

“Perhaps if you weren’t so goddamn beautiful, I’d be able to disagree with that statement,” you murmured sourly under your breath, through gritted teeth. When you realized you had said that out loud, you reddened thoroughly.

Loki seemed to hear, too, because his hand paused mid-wipe and his lips thinned out into a smirk. “What was that?”

“I said that perhaps if you didn’t force me to read all these fucking books I’d have more time to sleep,” you said quickly, turning away from him and grabbing your glove off the counter. “Nerd.”

“First of all, I do not force you to read anything, I simply recommend the literature which I find more intriguing. And second,” he grabbed hold of your wrist as you were leaving, effectively spinning you around, “that’s not what you said, Y/N.”

That was the first time in your life you saw Loki Laufeyson make a mistake.

All it took was the tip of his finger grazing your hand to throw you forward, launching your head into the future like a stone plummetting after skipping across flat water. You screwed your eyes shut and held your breath, knowing what was coming next and dreading it all the same, your entire body beginning to shake at just the idea of what you were about to see.

You opened your eyes, and you were on a spaceship.

The ship was decimated- bodies lie strewn across the floor and piled up near the walls. Children and adults alike clung to each other, motionless and unbreathing on the floor, each person dressed in what appeared to be traditional Asgardian clothing. At the center of it all was a small clearing, where a group of heavily-armored beings stood, all surrounding, in one way or another, a purple colored Titan who you did not know the name of who wore a hefty gauntlet with two bright stones in it. Across from him was Thor, Loki’s brother, bound with pieces of metal to a spot on the ground. He looked pained. For a short, horrifying moment, you thought you were going to have to watch him die too.

You lifted a trembling hand to your mouth to stifle a sob, and tried to even out your breaths.

The huge Titan-man turned to his allies or minions or whoever they were, and spoke, “There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, and bring them to me.”

“Father,” one of them said, bowing their head, “we will not fail you.”

“If I may intergect-” spoke the all too familiar voice from behind you, causing you to spin around and stagger backwards, your eyes clouding up but unable to close. “If you’re going to earth, you may need a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena.”

You saw the betrayal flaring in Thor’s eyes. You felt it, too. You didn’t want to believe that Loki would give up Earth to some douche like this, but it was happening right in front of your eyes, so what else was there to believe?

You shrunk backward.

“If you consider failure experience,” the Titan said, unimpressed.

“I consider experience experience,” said Loki, that insufferably persuasive smirk plastured on his face. “Almighty Thanos,” he spoke, slowly and clearly, taking a few steps forward as he spoke, “I, Loki, prince of Asgard-” then he paused, and his eyes fell to the ground to the right of him, before raising upwards to look at Thor, “Odinson,”

Thor looked like he might break in half.

“The rightful king of Jotunheim,” he continued, his head snapping back in the Titan- Thanos’ direction, “God of Mischief,”

That’s when a dagger appeared in his hand, and you realized exactly what was about to happen.

“No, no-” You said out loud, uselessly, pleading with all of my being for this to stop. “Loki!”

“Do herby pledge to you my undying fidelity.”

On that, he bowed his head, took a few shallow, deep breaths, and then swung sharply for Thanos’ neck. But Thanos had raised his gauntlet, and a strange, blue light trapped Loki’s arm in the middle of the movement, preventing the assassinatoin he was hoping for.

“Undying,” he echoed, almost amused. “You should choose your words more carefully.”

They he grabbed Loki by the neck, lifted him, and started to tighten his grip.

This time, you couldn’t mask the scream. It ripped through you like an earthquake, and you dropped down to your knees, wishing desperately for the ability to look away, but coming up dreadfully empty. Loki squirmed and fought against Thanos, but it was all in vain. Thanos even gave Thor a sideways glance to make sure that he was paying complete attention.

You barely heard Loki’s words, and you certainly couldn’t see him speak through the flod of tears that escaped your eyes. But very faintly, almost like a whisper, you heard Loki’s last words.

“You will never be a god,” he hissed through his teeth.

And then his neck snapped, Thanos threw him to the ground in front of Thor, and it was over. You didn’t hear a thing after that. You barely even saw the purple light explode across the ship, throwing you back into reality like a cold bucket of water.

You stumbled harshly backward from Loki, and fell to the floor, shaking madly.

You just saw him die.

“Y/N- are you-”

“Don’t touch me!” you yelled, your affections for him taken over by fear. He froze in his place, taken aback, before very slowly picking your glove up off the floor and offering it out to you. You didn’t respond at first, but then very slowly reached a trembling hand up to take it.

It fell silent.

“Are you alright?” he asked gently after the period of silence, not moving any closer to you. “Do I need to get Sta-”

“I’ve never told you about why I wear gloves all the time,” you said  quietly. ““It’s because whenever I touch someone for the first time I see how they will die.”

He was silent once again, and then he took a set on the ground right in front of you, looking down. You tried to look at him normally- tried desperately to grasp onto the shard of light he normally offered you, but all you could see were the bloodshot eyes- the popping veins- the clawing hands that you saw in the vision. It was like a shab to the chest. You swallowed back another round of harsh tears.

“I’m sorry,” he said gently, not daring to look at you either. “I didn’t mean to cause you any harm, Y/N.”

“I- I know. I just, you, this, we, Loki, I care a lot about you,” you stammered, stressed out and not really in the mood to keep secrets, even your own. “I, like, a lot. Too much. And sometimes, sometimes I want to punch you in the face and other times I want to shove you up against a wall and kiss you, and it’s awful, because even if I had the confidence to do those things, I never could. And this is why. Because- even though I could just touch you once, get it over with and never have to worry about it again, this is what I’d see! I’d see-”

I’d see your neck get snapped by some guy with a gauntlet, surrounded by bodies, your brother forced to watch.

You broke off mid-sentence and brought your knees to your chest, shrinking down into yourself and sobbing into your knees. Seconds later, Loki scooted to your side, placing an arm around your shoulders. “Y/N, darling, it’s alright,” he cooed, gently caressing your arm. “Look at me.”

You peeked out from between your knees, leaning slightly into his touch, his blue-green eyes paralysing.

“You never have to hide your feelings from me, Y/N. Never. You can always talk about these things,” he very cautiously brought a hand up to the side of your face, brushing away one of your tears with his thumb. “We can always find a way to work things out, alright? And I don’t know what you saw in your vision or whatnot, but I can assure you that we‘ll have time before then.”

“We?” You cracked, trying to soak in the feeling of his skin on yours, knowing you probably wouldn’t he able to touch many other people in your lifetime ever again. 

An then he did something you didn’t expect.  He cupped the other side of your face, leaned forward, and kissed you. Soft and slow. Relaxing a little bit when you dropped your shoulders and leaned into him.  You brought one hand to his jaw and fit your palm against it, wrapping the other arm around the back of his neck, until you were both fully entangled in the kiss. You could hear him panting slightly as you pulled away, eyes locked on eachother from the minute they opened.

“We,” he repeated, not lifting a finger from your skin. “at least, unless you have a better idea as to what to do with the time.”

#loki x reader fluff #tom hiddleston #loki laufeyson #loki #marvel #loki odinson #lokixreader #loki/reader #loki x reader #loki angst #loki x reader angst #loki fluff #i'm so sorry

[retvenkos]

“when did you feel so lonely”

You froze as Sirius Black sat down beside you. There were plenty of empty chairs at the table, plenty of places for him to sit. Places where he wouldn't hear your breath hitch whenever he spoke, places where you could exist without ever being the center of attention. But no; Sirius Black sat down beside you, a good fifteen minutes before the meeting would start. He didn't look at you, but his mere presence was enough for you to have the urge to squirm uncomfortably. You didn't. Instead, you anxiously watched his stormy grey eyes, praying to Merlin that they didn't land on you.

They did. You suppose it was your fault, you had been the one staring first, but you hadn't been staring because you were interested. Not that you weren't; everyone in the Order of the Phoenix was interested in the eldest child of Walburga Black, though the reasons differed. You pulled your eyes away from the man, but you felt his gaze linger. You wished that it didn't have to be this way; your heart filling with dread every time he was near, your blood rushing through your ears, your mind flashing back to that moment in your past where you learned so much about the history of the Blacks. Where you spoke with someone whose voice was full of unshed tears and eyes glassy with regret. You saw the place where the Dark Lord had branded them; where he had taken the scared, sacrificial lamb and marked him as his own.

You winced as your left forearm tickled your skin, a reminder that you had the same mark. Sirius Black turned his head your way, then. The small gesture pulled you out of your thoughts, reminding you where you were and who you were with. You dared a glance at the man who was watching you and found him staring right through you, his brow furrowed with concentration, an almost-scowl on his face as if he were living through memories of his own that were none too pleasant.

He looked remarkably like his brother in that half-moment, and that thought alone pulled you back into the depths of yourself. The Dark Lord's merciless laugh, the smirk you had learned to plaster on your face, the fear deeply rooted in your heart. When Dumbledore had asked you to be a spy you had known the dangers of being caught. What you didn't know was the damage that it would cause you. You knew plenty now; far more than you had ever asked for. You knew things about Sirius Black too, things only a brother would know. Things only a brother would share after being tortured and secretly rehabilitated by an old acquaintance.

You traced the cracks in the wooden table before you, choosing to focus on them rather than the luminescent green ones that filled your mind.

"They're going after Lily and James, aren't they?" This time you turned and his eyes were focusing on his hands. You nodded slowly, your throat having dried, your vocal chords having left you. He didn't look at you explicitly, yet you knew that he had seen your answer.

You started to lean forward, started to open your mouth and say some hollowed apology or mention that it didn't have to be them, that another couple was in danger. But the two in question walked in at that moment, and the words died in the back of your throat. They were smiling genuinely, a lighthearted air surrounded them and the corners of your mouth quirked upward when they glanced over at you. Happiness radiated from them in a way that was only achieved by the life growing inside of Lily's stomach, discovered only a week before. 

You watched the rest of the group walk in during the following minutes. One by one, two pair, some smiling, some yawning, a glance from some, a smile from another. Benjy Fenwick sat on the other side of you right as the meeting began.

Conversations that didn't pertain to you filled your ears and distracted your mind from what had plagued you minutes before. Decisions were made slowly and carefully, and the coffee that magically flew to each person sustained the conversation. The atmosphere of the room put you at ease in a way nothing else had for a long time. When it was your turn to relay information your composure held strong, your voice firm and authoritative. You heard Alice Longbottom gasp at your news and felt Lily's horrified stare, but you finished your tale. It took all of your strength to discuss the outcomes and the few ways of possible prevention, and when you were done you hung your head and didn't say another word.

You felt the stares of the room but hadn't the courage to look them in the eye. Perhaps you should have looked up. Maybe then you would have caught the gaze of Peter Pettigrew, maybe then you would have recognized the thoughts of betrayal on his face. After all, you had seen the look in the eyes of Regulus Black just days prior.

Perhaps you should have guessed that the Dark Lord was already hiding secrets from you and planning your death the way one plans a vacation; time, place, who is there, what happens and how it is done.

The atmosphere died after that, and it wasn't long before the meeting was concluded. People left in the irregular pattern that you had learned to make sense of. It was only a matter of time before you were left alone with Sirius Black once again. Thoughts sat between the two of you once again and there was a long silence before you spoke.

"You're brother died." Sirius Black stiffened beside you and the sensation of being older than your years fell upon you like a snowdrift. You floundered in the sorrow that hung over both of you. "He rebelled... against You-Know-Who. I don't know how... but he's managed to damage You-Know-Who in some way. It's made You-Know-Who question the allegiance of his followers... I'll likely be next."

You saw the tears in the storm of his eyes, now. You watched the torrential rain fall from the sky and make rivers on his skin. You saw the earthquakes that forced his back to shake. You saw the silent torment tear him from within and felt the death of not only Regulus but a death of Sirius as well. You didn't realize you were crying until a hot tear fell onto your balled fist, and when you noticed the pain, you couldn't stop it from expressing itself.

You two cried together until your tears and been shed and only sorrow remained. "I never got to apologize for leaving him." Sirius' voice shook with the pain of remembrance and you looked at him, seeing a mirrored pain in his brother. "I left him when he needed me the most. I... I can never take that back."

"He felt like he left you." Sirius turned to you and blinked furiously, shaking his head in the slightest way. "You both feel like you abandoned the other and you both feel the abandonment."

He was silent. You let the moment stretch, giving him time to mentally draw another checkmark for all the people he had lost. You wondered if your impending doom was a bad thing. Maybe it was easier to die than to live. What was living if everyone you cared for died? You rationalized that it would be surviving; waiting for something to bring meaning to your life once more. You still didn't wish to die. You had been living for so short a time, there was still time to mend if you lived.

Regulus would have had time to mend.

"I cannot express how sorry I am."

"You don't have to."

And you felt his arms wrap around you in a desperation for someone to mourn with. And you heard his shallow gasps for air that made your hair move ever so slightly. And you felt his head dig into your shoulder in need of something to ground him. And you cried with him. And you broke with him. And when your Dark Mark tingled to remind you it was there you cried more. And when the sound of his mother's voice echoed in his mind he cried more.

And when both of you felt the fear of losing the little you had left you broke all the more.

#harry potter #marauder era #the marauders #Sirius Black #regulus black #reader insert #x reader #sirius black x reader #angst #angsty #imagine #lord voldemort #voldemort #death eater #the order of the phoenix #ootp #hp #siriusblackoneshot

[novantinuum]

Breaking Point (1/2)

Part of the “Smaller Than He Seems” AU, in which Ford was accidentally de-aged into a kid during his multiverse adventures, while retaining all his memories. He appears about 12 at this point.

Last one shot here.

AO3

Rating: T (for some language)

Word count: ~4000

Summary: In which Stan drags Ford to the mall to buy some shoes. Ford dodges an awkward encounter with a local. Stan says something he regrets.

Ford sat in the shadows of his old sitting parlor, trapped deep in a labyrinth of thought. Two bare feet dangled over the edge of the couch. Thanks to his diminutive stature his legs couldn’t reach the floor, and it was making him feel ridiculous. A pity he’d never acknowledged what a blessing being taller than 4’9” was before he fell into this predicament. And what a dreadful, annoying predicament it was. He found it hard enough pushing himself to extremes beyond the portal as an adult, trapped in an unforgiving world where he often wouldn’t have food to eat for days and had to constantly remain vigilant of the agendas of those around him. But traversing this road in the guise of a child?

Sometimes he truly wondered how he was still alive.

He’d tried his best to move past the set back then. He’d tried his best to keep his morale up, his wits about him despite his clear disadvantage. He’d tried to ignore dwelling on the logical repercussions. However, the unspeakable reality was that— barring supernatural intervention— he was stuck like this forever, a man with decades of life experience reverted in form to an age no older than the great niece and nephew he’d met only yesterday. Ford fancied himself a master of denial towards this fate before his brother activated the portal and unexpectedly dragged him home. But now, everything and everyone around him just served to prove how wrong this all was, how wrong he felt in his own skin.

Thirty years.

He’d been gone for thirty damn years, long enough for Stanley’s hair to grey and the skin of his face to crease and sag with age. He was supposed to look like him. He was supposed to age alongside his brother, and now no one would ever think to guess they were twins.

His wrists faintly quivered as he lay his palms out flat on his lap. He stared at his hands intently until his eyes watered and he was forced to blink. The skin was too smooth, too young and unblemished. Long ago a small part of him marveled at how the adjusting of his biological clock erased the decades of wear and tear, but now he’d do anything to see his old healed over wounds and scars. Anything...if only to remind himself that those past fifty or so years were real. He wrapped the scarf he brought back with him through the portal— plum purple in color— tighter around his neck.

A knock on the door rapidly shook him away from this maelstrom of thoughts. Hastily, he shot to his feet, thoroughly embarrassed at the thought of someone seeing him dangle his legs on a too-deep couch.

“Come in,” he said, cursing internally at just how small his voice sounded.

The door opened, and as expected in waltzed his brother. “Hey. Those clothes the kids found for ya’ working out fine?” Stanley asked whilst appraising his new duds.

A few minutes earlier, Mabel enthusiastically offered to lend him any of her dozens of homemade sweaters. After searching through her (alarmingly massive) inventory, (seriously, how does a child find the time to knit a new sweater every single day?) he eventually settled on an azure blue one, with a big floppy cowl neck and a constellation painted in glitter. Dipper lent him a spare pair of shorts, and shoes to try on. Immediately succeeding that, the kids scuttled away into the forest claiming they were trying to find ‘a magical cure’ for his condition. He appreciated their care and enthusiasm, but knew from experience they would return empty handed.

“Mostly,” he said, tugging at the neck of his sweater. “The shoes don’t fit.”

“Well of course they don’t,” Stanley murmured quietly, glancing down at Ford’s bare toes pressed against the wood floor. “Dipper’s got small feet. We’ll have to get some new ones for ya’. We can do that now, actually— I’m not givin’ any tours today, the Shack in the state it is.”

Ford shook his head rapidly, feeling his heart rate increase exponentially at the idea of having to venture into town. Within the past few years he discovered his perceived vulnerability due to appearance skyrocketed amongst large crowds, and always tried his best to avoid them at all means. He couldn’t even count on both hands how many times he’d evaded capture for the trans-dimensional child slave trade.

“N-no need,” he said, words strained from the lump forming in his throat. “My boots will more than suffice.”

“No. I’m not about to let ya’ clomp around in those dusty ol’ things all summer.”

“Well, what’s wrong with them? They fit perfectly fine.”

“They’re combat boots, Ford! The toes are solid metal. There’s utterly no reason for you to be wearin’ such heavy, ridiculous shoes in a place like this, lookin’ as young as you do, no less. And since no other shoes here fit, I’m taking you to the store and buyin’ you new ones!” His brother paused thoughtfully, scratching at his ear. “Oh uh... or stealing. Whatever gets me the most bang for my buck, y’know?”

He dug his fists into the folds of the sweater, ignoring both the last comment made and the rush of hurt that filled his chest at his twin’s untimely reminder of his condition. “While I appreciate the thought, I’m not sure you understand the sheer scope of how uninterested I am in going to town right now, Stanley.”

Stan tilt his head, peering at Ford with a searching gaze that reminded him far too much of the countless alien creature he caught gawking at him whenever he lingered in a market place for too long.

“What, you’re scared of what they’ll think? About you?” he asked evenly. “You’ll be fine, poindexter. They’re all idiots, remember? I can tell ‘em anything I want and they’ll eat it up. Probably wouldn’t make the connection you’re worried about anyways.”

“Bu—“

“But nothing!” Stanley poked him in the chest. He squirmed under the touch. “You need a pair of normal, everyday shoes. You’re coming with me and that’s final. Get your boots on for now, and meet me by the car.”

Ford stood motionless until his brother left the room, staring at the open door for so long he couldn’t rightly say how much time had passed.

“Dammit,” he muttered. In haste, he reached for his socks and boots and yanked them on, knowing that despite his deep-set reservations at venturing into public, it was preferable to go willingly rather than be dragged along by his stubborn twin brother.

And who knows? If he behaved, perhaps he could convince Stan to buy him a pair of sturdy kid’s hiking boots instead of sneakers.

As he feared, the Gravity Falls Mall— lovingly referred to as ‘Gravity Malls’ for bad humor’s sake— was full to the brim, and within minutes he’d developed a faint headache from sensory overload. The florescent lights were tinted a cool white that irritated his eyes. A myriad of scents— ranging from smoked ham to odiferous body washes— assaulted his nose without reprieve. The radio playing in the background mingled with the din of the shoppers, all the sound quickly fading into a single cacophonous orchestration. Without warning a taller figure shoved past him, causing him to stumble straight into his brother’s side. He shot a dark glare at the perpetrator, and tightened his grip on the compact dagger concealed in the pocket of his shorts. In response Stanley held him by the shoulder more firmly than before, and continued to lead him through the throngs of civilization.

However, past his own shot nerves and the carelessness of the people he shared this space with, he was surprisingly able to find some degree of amusement in this endeavor. Ford rolled his eyes as he read some of the store marquees. Most of the store names seemed just as quirky as the townsfolk who shopped there. Immediately to his left was a store proudly called Overalls Are Cool Now, which sold— as one might expect— nothing but various styles of overalls. Nearby were the shops Build a Beaver, (some sort of kid’s stuffed animal store), Edgy on Purpose, (punk teenagers probably accumulated here en mass), and— he had to stifle a laugh at this one— Beebly Boop’s Videogames.

Odd wares aside however, the greatest mystery about this mall was probably how it avoided being flipped upside down by the portal’s activation.

“You know, I’m faintly surprised that this mall is in as good of a condition as it is,” he mused out loud after thoroughly searching for signs of damage and finding next to nothing, “considering that strange earthquake that happened yesterday.

His brother quirked a knowing eyebrow. “Huh. That is interestin’. Perhaps it's because the epicenter of the, uh... the earthquake was so far from this side of town that its effects simply didn’t reach here.”

Epicenter, as in the portal itself, currently sitting in the basement of his house a few miles away. Good point. This must mean the portal’s affect upon gravity weakens with distance due to the interaction of the Dimensional Slippage Principle, he thought. Though he supposed if he had successfully carried out the tests on his creation back in the eighties he’d have considered this already. Nonetheless, his lips curved into a slight smile at Stanley’s logic.

“The potentiality of that is quite valid.”

“Oh, y’think so?” Stan was positively beaming at his praise, his face more alight with life than it’d been for a long while.

He hummed in positive.

They reached the foot of the escalator before long, and Ford hesitantly stepped on. While riding the step to the second floor however, he couldn’t help but notice some people on the escalator glancing towards him. Their expressions weren’t exactly what he’d deem predatory, (yet), but their lingering gaze unnerved him enough that he buried his hands further into the pockets of his shorts and pressed himself ever-so-slightly closer to his brother.

As he did so, Stan squeezed his arm. “You okay, Ford?”

He nodded, forcing down a heavy swallow as he tried with no success to ignore the harmless actions of the townsfolk around him. He utterly despised how useless attempts to mask his fear were in this hormone flooded adolescent body. No room for subtlety existed in his expressions now.

“Well hang in there, Sixer. we’re almost there.”

Once they reached the second floor’s landing, he noted with annoyance that this section of the mall was no less busy than the last one. Nuts 4 Hardware, a home improvement supply shop, seemed to be holding a lucrative sale. A literal riot of people crowded past the doors, the store not able to contain the sheer amount of chaos occurring within its walls. He supposed it made sense, given that a portion of the town had been shaken to pieces yesterday. As he continued to survey his chaotic surroundings, he noticed he began to feel slightly... disconnected from the present, his limbs seeming as if they were moving on automatic rather than acting on the whims of his mind. Ford rapidly grabbed a fistful of his scarf in response, stroking his fingers against the grain of the soft worn fabric to ground himself.

Before he knew it, his brother and him had arrived at their destination, a store called Brown’s Shoe Fit. Stan steered a disgruntled Ford towards the children’s shoe section. Much to his dismay, a fair number of townsfolk diverting their attention towards them to greet his brother, who apparently had forged a more positive rapport here than he’d previously realized. Once their gaze fell upon him, however, their friendliness turned to neutral curiosity. He squirmed where he stood, and leaned close to his twin to whisper to him.

“Just so you know, if anyone asks... I’m not gonna be your son or grandchild,” he grumbled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

His twin chuckled at this, his warm gravelly laughter filling the store and turning heads. Frantically, he tugged at his arm to regain his attention.

“Stan! Would you cut that out? I’m serious! See what you’ve done? Now the entire store is staring at us!”

“I’m- uh,” he began, clearing his throat once he’d quieted his amusement enough to speak again. “I’m sorry to hand this to ya’, sport, but that’s probably exactly what people will think.”

“Then fix it! Lie to them. You said it yourself these townsfolk would believe anything you say.”

“Well yeah, but—“

“Surely it wouldn’t be that difficult for the so-called ‘My Mystery’ to cook up a suitable ruse about my sudden existence?” Ford queried pointedly, making air quotes with his index and first middle finger as he called upon his brother’s newest moniker. He then began to sort through the displays of shoes for something suitable, glancing up periodically to monitor Stan’s facial expressions.

“I mean sure, I can do that if you really want me to, but...”

The question hung in the air far longer than either brother was comfortable with. Notably, Stan displayed the same air of uneasiness as that time their seventh-grade algebra teacher asked him to the board to solve an equation but he’d been horsing around throughout the entire lesson.

“But what?”

“I...” His brother paused, visibly considering his words. “Ford, why are you so against being introduced as my grandkid? You know that would make the most sense. It’d be easiest to forge in the future, too.”

He groaned, pressing his face into his hands. For god’s sake, this wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have right here, right now! “Never mind, just- figure out another plausible backstory, will you?”

Stan’s mouth hardened, causing the lines on his face to become so pronounced that for once, his age was truly evident. “Y’know what, I’m getting real tired of you dodgin’ or bein’ stubborn ‘bout every simple thing I ask or sa—“

“I said never mind!” he snapped in a half whisper, pouring as much resolve and authority as was possible into his adolescent voice.

“Geeze, okay, okay!”

His brother threw his hands up in defense, and left the aisle to give him some space.

Ford took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and reveled in the sudden peace and quiet the man’s absence brought. Thoughtfully, he began surveying the available stock of shoes. He picked up a small pair of children’s boots and ran his fingers over the tread, bending the rubber to test for flexibility. After a few minutes he found two suitable pairs in his size, and wandered towards a plastic cushioned bench to try them on.

He’d only pulled one boot over his socked foot when a woman about Stan’s age with voluminous grey hair coiffed atop her head approached with an overbearingly enthusiastic smile. Her face was caked in heavy makeup, and she appeared to have a lazy eye.

“Awww, well who’s this cute lil’ cutie face?” the old woman said in a drawl.

Ford slowly scooted away from her, not immediately recognizing her as any sort of threat but not desiring conversation with one of these... mindless townsfolk. He wrapped his arms around himself, hoping to appear closed off enough that she might give up and walk away. Annoyingly however, he could sense her persistence. He narrowed his eyes, preparing himself internally for a round of pedantic small talk. There was always a certain condescending manner in which older generations conversed with children he found, and being on the receiving end of that was never a pleasing way to spend an afternoon.

“Never seen you in town before! They call me Lazy Susan. What’s your name, hon?”

“I’m no—"

“Oh would ya’ look at that! If it’s isn’t my gal Susie,” Stan cut in suddenly as he returned to the aisle, blessedly rescuing Ford from any awkward encounters.

Susan pulled her lips back, smiling toothily at his brother. Half of those teeth were severely yellowed from age. Discreetly Ford made a face.

“Well hi, Stan! I was just talking to this cute young child right here,” she said. “Is he yours?”

“Yeah,” he said, brows pursed. Ford could nearly see the gears in his head turning, trying to come up with a suitable lie that would satisfy both his request and the woman’s voracious curiosity. “Yeah, he’s mine. This is my, uh... well, he’s... kinda Dipper and Mabel’s second cousin! Just came to town to visit.”

“Oh, is he your grandchild then?”

He shot a dirty look at Stan that might as well have been laced with poison. Stan shrugged and mouthed, I know, I’ll fix it. He then jabbed his fingers towards the boots that sat beside him, motioning for Ford to continue trying them on.

“Wow, I never knew you had children,” Susan continued, oblivious to the non-vocal conversation going on around her. “I always kinda assumed you were a... y’know, a bachelor. Wink!”

Ford doubted it was physically possible to roll his eyes any further without rolling them backwards in his skull. He untied the laces of the second boot quickly, keeping a wary eye on the scene in front of him. The older woman seemed harmless enough, but he deemed it smarter to be proactive for once than reap the consequences later.

“No no, he’s actually not mine, he’s my brother’s,” his twin lied effortlessly, plastering on a wide showman’s smile. “I’m his great uncle too, y’see?”

Great uncle? Okay. He could accept that for now.

Not delighted at the prospect of listening to the two gossip about him for the next passage of time however, Ford allowed their voices to fade into obscurity. He pulled the boot— a black lace-up— onto his foot, tugging at the lip to draw it over his heel. Wiggling his toes to test the fit, he quickly determined that this pair proved workable. He stood up and walked a few paces in them. They were appropriately snug, but not uncomfortable to wear. His fingers made quick work untying the laces, and he moved on to the next pair he’d pulled from the shelf, brown this time. Thankfully, at the edge of his peripherals he noticed Susan finally bid farewell and toddle off for another aisle. Good riddance, he thought, wrinkling his nose.

Stanley sat down on the bench next to him, letting out a heavy, weary sounding sigh. The plastic cushion sank under the added weight. His brother watched intently as he fumbled with the thick laces of the second pair of boots, pulling them taut.

After surveying their surroundings, Stan’s head owlishly swiveling from left to right, he leaned forward to whisper. “Hurry up and pick somethin’, would you,” he muttered, low tone doing nothing to conceal the roughness in his voice. “I’m losing my window.”

Ford pressed on the boot’s front, finding the tip of his toes. “Dare I ask what you mean by ‘window?’” he queried, raising a brow.

“My window of opportunity, of course!” his brother replied, bestowing him with a wide shit-eating grin. “The cashier’s gone to the back and there’s no tellin’ how soon she’ll return. These shoes ain’t gonna steal themselves, Ford.”

He could feel his face flush red with frustration. “F-for god’s sake, Stanley! You’re not stealing any shoes.”

“What,” Stan said with a bark of laughter, “you worried about the police catchin’ me? The only two policemen in town? The sheriff and his deputy are so distracted by their mutual pining that I could pickpocket both of ‘em and they wouldn’t notice, we’ll be fine.”

“I’m- listen, I’m worried because it’s wrong! It’s a crime.”

“Naw, it’s a crime that these shoes are marked up this expensive. Now shut your yap and let’s get movin’! Which ones have you tried on?”

“Um—“ he paused to grab the first pair of boots— “just these two. Thankfully they both fit well, but I’m at a loss as to which I prefer.”

“Oh great,” Stan groaned, burying his face into his hands. “I can’t believe I forgot how picky you always were about shoes.”

Ignoring his dramatics, Ford placed his foot over his opposite leg so he could compare his two choices. “I suppose I would prefer black, but the brown ones I’m wearing have a sturdier sole and do feel like they’re more durable...”

“Come on, sounds like the ones you’re wearin’ are good enough, let’s go!”

“Peculiarly, the brown ones are less expensive,” he continued musing out loud, hoping the ice in his glare would convince his twin to sit back down and release his arm from his grasp. “I suppose price would also be important to consider, right, Stanley?”

“Uh- Ford?”

“But if I bought the black boots I would get an extra pair of laces. Might be helpful.” He smiled wryly, at this point only seeking to press his brother’s buttons. Or to corner him into paying the cashier like any self-respecting adult. While lost in the multiverse he could excuse petty thievery in a matter of life or death— which in his case, it often was— but in his home dimension surrounded by CCTV cameras and noisy bystanders to witness such an act? Shoplifting shoes, of all things? Inexcusable.

“Ford, the sales woman is coming back.”

“Hmm....”

“Ford, I’m beggin’ you. I’m literally begging you to choose. I didn’t even bring my wallet!”

He picked up the black boot, and brought it close to his face as if he were attempting to solve some nebulous, vexing equation that had woven itself within the stitching. “Perhaps I should try on the first pair again to compare the two...”

Without forewarning Stanley ground his tightly closed fists into the plastic cushion of the bench. Ford’s entire body seized up in response to the unexpected motion and suddenly he found himself trapped within an insufferable second of infinity, hidden between ill-timed words and reminders of this unwanted fortune.

“Sweet Moses, stop actin’ like a damn child and just pick a pair!” his brother snarled, eyes ablaze with ire and his brow dropping a dark shadow onto his face.

Dazedly, Ford wiped Stan’s stray spit off his cheek. All the light and vigor drained from his body in an instant. He threw the black boots back onto the shelf, collected his original pair in his arms, and—  without sparing a single glance at Stan— began to stride towards the entrance of the store.

Everything that occurred after that passed by without much conscious input or recollection.

At some point, he was vaguely aware of collapsing into the back seat of a car— that anciently old El Diablo, red, its luster worn down from years of loyal service— and of painted blurs of green, brown, and blue whirring past his window. And he supposed he faintly recalled a few things... impassioned shouting, bumbling apologies, (‘M sorry, god I’m sorry I didn’t think didn’t mean to say that I didn’t mean to—), strong arms hefting him up like a rag doll... even through the impressions these stimuli left were hazy, as if they originated from miles away.

Ford.

Fingers wove through soft fabric.

Ford, talk to me, please!

This familiar motion, once a source of comfort, left him empty for once.

Ford. Sixer. Come on, listen ta’ me, please! I said I was sorry...

The gravelly voice faded into the recesses of his mind, crushed by the memory of the words that had shattered his morale once and for all.

A child. He called me a fucking child.

Is that all anyone could see of him anymore?

He hugged his original boots closer to his chest. Could feel the weight of the stolen ones on his feet. His eyes grew damp, and for once in his long, fatiguing life he didn’t even bother wiping them dry.

#my writing stuff #smaller than he seems au #gravity falls #stanford pines #stanley pines #stan and ford #gravity falls fanfiction