Chapter Text
It took a moment for the realization to hit Marco.
Had he zoned out? For how long? It didn’t make any sense. It wasn't like him to zone out all of a sudden-
Wait no, he had to stay focused! Rooster was still looking at him. He had to say something, ANYTHING!
‘’Marco?’’ Rooster’s worried voice made Marco’s heart drop in an instant. The air felt cold and Marco could feel the walls closing in with every second. Maybe it was the alcohol that had started to set in or the lights that now felt like the blazing sun, making him feel lightheaded.
Marco put the feelings inside him to the side and ignored water soaking his clothes. He made his best attempt to get words out his mouth but nothing was coming out correctly. He had a hard time getting back to his usual self and all he could get out were halves of words and nervous chuckles.
After a moment of fumbling his attempts to gain back control, he finally got a sentence out.
‘’SO um- Rooster! H-how was the music? Pretty neat right?’’
‘’I…um- is everything okay? You don’t look too good.’’
‘’I- Why yes! I’m doing better than ever!’’ Marco gave the best smile he could, he was finally finding his way back to his Role.
‘’Say, Rooster! Is there anything you would like? More food? Drinks? Comfier chair?’’
Rooster’s expression didn’t change from his concerned look. He wasn’t moving on from the topic like Marco had hoped and instead Rooster kept his eyes on the other.
‘’Marco-’’
‘’Come on, you can tell me. It’s your night to enjoy so let me make it the best it could be.’’
Rooster started to look more uncomfortable at the situation, ‘’I don’t… really need anything though, I just-’’
‘’I mean surely there has to be something. Really just anything you need. Give me something at least.
Rooster stood up from his chair, ‘’Okay, okay! Let’s take a moment back. Something is bothering you.’’
Marco felt his body stiffen at Rooster’s comment, ‘’Huh? n-no everything is fine.’’
‘’Wha- no it isn’t! You’re clearly tensed.’’
‘’well… maybe.’’ Marco stayed quiet for a moment. Not sure how to turn the conversation around.
Rooster spoke up once more with an unsure tone, ‘’ This has all been great. More than great. I don’t think anyone has really done something like this for me. Honestly I don’t know if I even…
Rooster paused for a second before continuing his words with more quick pace, ‘’What I’m saying is that I’ve had a good time.’’
With a bit of hesitation in his voice, Marco finally spoke up. ‘’ Well- There has been clearly something on your mind too. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.’’
‘’Wha huh!?’’ Rooster jumped a bit from the comment,’’No that’s- That’s different! It doesn’t have anything to do with this.’’
There was a moment of pause as Rooster slowly sat back down to his chair. ‘’ Look. There is a lot going on right now. In my life.’’ Rooster composure lumped down a bit against the table as he continued, ‘’ I’ve done some… bad stuff. And I can’t really talk about it.’’
‘’Why not?’’ Marco asked with confusion which slowly turned to slight compassion as he continued, ‘’I mean you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m always open to listen.’’
‘’Well- I wish I could but… I really shouldn’t. But I promise I will, one day!’’
‘’That’s fine, Rooster. Just please let me know if I can help in some way.’’
‘’Yeah… I will.’’ Rooster gave a slight smile back at Marco until something hit him. ‘’But enough about that! We are talking about you!’’
Marco’s somewhat calm composure melted in a second. He was so sure he had gotten away with it, but oh well.
Rooster had his attention back at Marco. ‘’You haven’t really had the fun party vibe going on.’’
‘’what, no I’ve had the time of my life!’’
‘’Mmm… No, I don’t think so. You are worried about our… date thing, right?’’
It was hard to keep things down and Marco coyishly asked, ‘’Has it been that obvious?’’
‘’A bit, yeah.’’
Marco felt slight embarrassment from the comment before Rooster continued his speech, ‘’You have put a lot of effort into this. Like a LOT of effort.’’ Rooster was clearly putting his mind to good use, trying to solve the situation. ‘’And you want to make sure that I’m having a good time?’’
‘’It’s all for you, after all…’’ Marco stared at the empty glass next to him. Wanting to look at anything other than Rooster.
‘’But I just think that maybe the reason you are worried is because… you aren’t having fun.’’
‘’Huh?’’
The words stopped Marco. Of course he was having fun, right? This was something he had done before. Why would it have been different this time?
Marco didn’t have much time to think before Rooster kept going, ‘’You put this all together for me. But what do you want to do?’’
‘’I-’’
Marco paused
‘’I don’t know.’’
He stayed silent, pondering the question. He didn’t even notice Rooster, who had now moved from his seat next to him. Only noticing as the shadow of a genie looming over him.
‘’Tell you what.” Rooster offered, “How about I take the lead next. I have an idea you might like.’’
He offered his hand towards Marco, ‘’It will be just a small thing. We can go back to your thing afterwards.’’
With slight hesitation Marco gave in and took hold of the other’s hand. He could clearly see a wide smile forming on Rooster’s face.
Marco followed Rooster along, curious yet uneasy feeling swarming in his guts. Holding Rooster’s hand was a tiny comfort and something Marco wished he could have enjoyed more in the moment.
Outside the restaurant Rooster stopped and turned back to Marco. ‘’Oh, yeah we should probably take these off.’’ Rooster held up his hand with a ring Marco had given to him. ‘’We should have something more comfortable for this.’’
Rooster turned back to Marco before adding, ‘’Also your clothes are still kinda wet. Sorry about that by the way.’’
Marco looked at his still wet suit. He even started to feel the chill around him as well. He couldn’t do much but trust Rooster.
‘’Um… I guess that’s fair.’’
Without paying much attention, Rooster had let go of Marco’s hand and happily took off the ring. Getting back his old clothes he gave a good stretch in relief. ‘’That’s better!’’
‘’Was there something wrong with the clothes?’’
‘’Huh? No, they are good. The sleeves were kind tight… but I like them.’’
Marco wasn’t going to ask further questions. He hesitantly took off the ring as well and his old clothes quickly replaced his suit. All he could wonder was what Rooster had planned.
Instead of getting on the carriage, Rooster insisted on walking. He pushed Jesika as Marco cluelessly followed him. Questions were piling in Marco’s head and Rooster’s refusal to explain his plans weren’t helping. Only after arriving at Marco’s place did it start to become obvious what the genie had in mind.
‘’Your plan is to take me to sandsail?’’ Marco stood in front of his sandsailor Holga, who he had left sitting there all night. Rooster stood proud next to him, clearly confident in his idea.
‘’Yeah! The wind should be good for sand sailing. It will be great!’’
There was a clear excitement on Rooster’s face. How could he possibly say no. ‘’Well it’s not the most date-like activity, but suppose we haven’t gotten a rematch since last time.’’
‘’Last time I beat you, you mean?’’ Rooster gave a smug look back that Marco knew to be a challenge. There would be no backing down now.
- -
With both of their sandsailors ready, they took off to the empty desert. In the dark night sky, only the moon guided their way. Not the best time for racing, but it wasn’t going to stop either of them.
Both of them were determined to show off the skills they had gained in the past month of being apart. Even with Jesika’s new size difference, they both were able to keep up with each other and new tactics were needed to get in the front.
Marco quickly found Rooster’s weak point as the genie got slightly distracted with every look both of them shared with each other. It kept Marco in the first place for a bit until Rooster was finally able to get his head together.
For the first time that evening Marco felt like he was finally able to pull back and enjoy his time. He didn’t have to think about his plans and all, he just wanted to focus on spending time with Rooster. He had missed this.
As Rooster was finally starting speed past him, Marco stayed back just a bit to enjoy the moment. He had the time to think of another distraction. He soon found himself looking at Rooster’s way. Even in the darkness, he could clearly see Rooster from the light of the moon.
He would have stared longer if not for a sudden stop in his way. Distracted from his sailing, he failed to notice a rock that was placed in his way. Marco soon found himself flying forward through the air, and the sand below didn’t look all that inviting.
Rooster took a quick notice of the situation. With limited time he tried to stop Jesika to catch Marco who was flying right towards his direction.
With good reaction time Rooster was able to prevent Marco from hitting the ground and saved him from new injuries. But as an entire drow hit his body, Rooster immediately lost his balance, causing both of them to land on to the wooden floor of Jesika.
Feeling a familiar weight on top of him, Rooster got still as a statue. Momentary eye contact was shared between the two of them, the awkwardness then broken by the sudden laughter that came from Marco.
Marco took his weight off of Rooster, who had gotten out of his sudden stillness from the unexpected reaction. Marco was laughing harder than he had the whole evening, clearly having enjoyed the brief danger. With Marco’s laughter lighting up the mood, Rooster soon couldn’t help but join in as well.
After a moment of uncontrollable laughter, Marco was finally able to muffle out his giggles. He turned back to Rooster who had gotten up as well. ‘’I guess that means it’s a tie. Don’t you think?’’
‘’Wha- No I was going way ahead of you. It’s a second Rooster win.’’
The comment was able to earn Rooster another giggle. Maybe the drinks were starting to affect him. Strange, he didn’t think he drank that much though.
Suddenly Marco’s fun was interrupted as remembered his precious sandsailor. He rushed toward Holga, making sure to check for any damages. To Marco’s relief she wasn’t hurt too badly. Holga was definitely in need of some repair in the front, but she had gone through worse.
Marco turned to Rooster who had arrived at the scene. ‘’That might be enough sand sailing for tonight.’’
‘’We can carry her back to Teeck for sure. Jesika can definitely help out.’’
Marco walked past Rooster toward Jesika. ‘’Sure. How about we take a break here for now.’’ Marco sat on the ground beside Jesika and patted the spot next to him.
Rooster gave him a questioning look back. ‘’What about your other plans?’’
‘’Eh, it doesn’t matter anymore. We should enjoy the night.’’
Rooster gave a quick nod and joined Marco and Jesika. From their spot they could see Teeck in the distance. The slight glow of light that came from all the buildings was a rather calming sight. There could have been lights inside the Funnybone but it was too far to see.
Rooster took the opportunity to ask a question, ‘’Sooo~ What other places did you exactly plan?’’
‘’Hmm… well I guess at this moment we should be at this really great dance club.’’
The two of them soon found themselves going through all the places and how they would scale on the coolness chart Rooster created in the moment. None of the places had gotten a full score but it was getting suspicious how many 4.9 stars there were. Neither of them paid attention to the time, and the knowledge of how long they talked was a mystery. But Marco hoped it’d last longer.
‘’Karaoke!? That would have been awesome!’’
‘’Yeah I figured so. Who doesn’t like music and singing?’’
‘’I know right! Music is one the important parts of a good party. I did like the band. Kinda hoped there would be more music.’’
‘’Well… I did have one song I was planning to show you. Something I made myself.’’ Marco fidgeted with his hands, ‘’But in the end I scrapped it.’’
Rooster ears perked up with curiosity. ‘’You made a song? For me?’’
‘’Yeah, nothing too special though.’’
‘’Can you… play it for me?’’
Marco’s eyes met with Rooster’s. The genie gave a gentle smile back before continuing, ‘’I would like to hear it.’’
Marco thought about it for a moment before agreeing to his request. With a little magic he easily pulled out a simple violin. Marco got himself ready to play as Rooster sat next to him with a cheery smile on his face.
A sweet melody came out of the instrument. Nothing fast or loud. Just a nice calm sound that only the two of them were able to hear. It wasn’t something ‘’Rooster like’’ as Marco had hoped it to be, but he found the other quietly humming along. Rooster had all his attention on Marco and somehow this gave him a nice warm feeling.
It felt nice to just have Rooster next to him. Enjoying their time without saying a word. It was rather cozy.
Marco couldn’t bother to even think of his old plans. There was no need to worry about such things anyways. He just wanted to close his eyes and-
The calm moment was suddenly interrupted by loud noise. Rooster and Marco turned their attention to colorful splashes of light in the sky. There was a rain of fireworks just above Teeck. It wasn’t hard to guess who they were from as a picture of a Rooster's face was painted to the sky.
Ah.
Marco had forgotten all about those.
‘’Hey that’s me!’’ Rooster quickly pointed out. ‘’Was this part of the date?’’
‘’Maybe…’’ Marco avoided eye contact but he could tell he wasn’t hiding his awkwardness that well.
‘’That’s awesome! I mean you really didn’t need to do all of this for me, but it’s really cool.’’
Marco turned to look at Rooster who didn’t break the eye contact with him. ‘’I mean of course I would do this for you. Rooster, you have always been a great friend. My favorite sand sailing buddy. And I really want to show you how much you mean to me.’’
It was hard to tell from the darkness, but Rooster’s face seemed more pink than a moment ago. ‘’I- uh- You really think so?’’ Rooster said with a squeakier voice. ‘’Well- I guess you are also uh-’’ Rooster quickly looked away from Marco ’’You’re also cool I guess!’’
Marco gave a quick chuckle as he saw a slight smile from Rooster’s face that he didn’t seem to be in control of.
A sudden yawn came out of Marco, making him stretch his limbs a bit. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he actually was.
Rooster turned back at him ‘’You good?’’
A slightly tired voice came out of Marco, ‘’Oh! yeah! I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess. I don’t quite remember when I last slept to be honest.’’
‘’Oh… that doesn’t sound too good. I know most people don’t handle that well.’’
‘’No, it’s not great. I did spend all night planning everything…’’
Rooster stood up from the sand in front of Marco. ‘’How about I give you and Holga a ride back to Teeck. Sound good?’’
Marco looked at the figure of Rooster who was now offering a hand toward him. Behind Rooster, he saw the last few flashing lights sparkling and dazzling.
Marco stayed silent for a moment, staring at Rooster before finally taking his hand once again. Everything was quiet again and the sky was only filled with stars and the shine of the moon.
Finally getting himself up, Marco gave a tired smile back at Rooster. ‘’This was probably the messiest date I’ve had.’’
‘’I don’t know. This was my first time. But I think this was nice.’’
After getting Jesika ready and Holga in the back they took off towards Teeck. Marco rested his head to the side of Jesika, looking at the sand passing by. He wanted to stay awake, but the calm movement of Jesika quickly started to lull him into sleep.
The last thing he felt before falling asleep was a soft blanket tugged around him. Even if he couldn’t open his eyes, it wasn’t hard to guess who it was from.
A soft voice whispered to him, ‘’Sleep well, Marco.’’
If there were more things said to him, Marco didn’t hear it.
At that single moment. Marco was having the best date of his life.