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Things should be some semblance of normal now, right? Near death experiences, being trapped in a realm, and Marco in princess attire as they just barely escape? That's par for the course really. Also usual for them is to go about casual antics immediately after. So the fact that Marco is furiously pouting right now has Tom utterly confused. He’s never seen this expression from him before, despite how expressive Marco is and how often they’ve hung out. He’s seen some pouting, sure, but nothing like this. Marco’s arms are crossed, he won’t look at Tom directly, and he keeps huffing. All Tom said was that he's going to catch up with Star, needing to talk with her about something.
By all of Tom’s understanding that’s a pretty normal thing to do and say. Maybe it's weird because he spends considerably way more time with Marco and that's his go to. But Tom cares about Star too, likes to think they're friends at this point, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Not for Marco at least, who is always supportive of the two even at times where Tom can see him getting a bit nervous over their ideas. So he just doesn’t get why Marco is suddenly upset like this.
It’s...awfully similar to his own behavior when jealous...
It’s only been a minute since Tom noticed the pouting, but Marco is looking more hurt than annoyed now, making Tom’s gut twist. He does not like Marco looking hurt. There's a fleeting but poignant thought of how he’d do anything to keep Marco from hurting. “Um, Marco? What’s up dude? Why are you looking like that?” Tom hesitates, hand hovering over the poofy mauve-pink sleeve of Marco’s dress. “...are you okay?”
Marco sighs and bites his bottom lip (Tom notices with a sweat how rosy and soft it looks). He still won't meet his eyes, doesn't look at him, which makes Tom’s skin crawl with anxiety. (He hates being ignored, it’s suffocating, wrong, especially from Marco, Marco always pays attention to him -)
Just as he's going through scenarios of his potential fuckups, Marco tugs on the silver necklace Tom gifted him on his birthday (a protective charm), and finally speaks. The tone, soft and anxious, makes Tom’s heart twinge in an empathy he rarely feels (except around Marco. Marco gets these feelings out of him too easily, and it’s making his panic rise. It’s too much at once.) Marco flips the charm between his fingers. “It’s...i-it’s stupid. I’m just being childish and unreasonable, i-i- just, don’t worry about it.” Marco continues biting his lip in what Tom can now see is an attempt to hold back emotion.
Oh no.
Tom lets himself rest hands on Marco’s shoulders in the need to comfort ( it hurts, so deep it’s surreal ), and his eyebrows furrow. “Of course I’m gonna worry about it dude, you're important to me, and you've been through a lot of my shit. I can do the same, return the favor.” He quietly hopes Marco will look at him.
He doesn't. ‘ It's not a favor...’ Marco stops himself from saying. It hurts thinking Tom is comforting out of obligated kindness. But he knows that's not really Tom’s style. He doesn’t expend energy on things or people he doesn't care about, appearances or not. That should be more comforting than it is at the moment. The comfort is overshadowed by thoughts that churn up guilt inside of the human's chest.
“Marco...” Concern bleeds from Tom’s tone. It makes it harder not to cry, and Marco just wants to hide against Tom and tell him everything he feels, be forgiven and reassured for this ugly insecurity eating him inside.
“Are you and Star dating again.” Marco forces it out in one go, still refusing to look at Tom. If he sees Tom’s reaction he might start sobbing, he's too wound up.
There’s shock in Tom’s voice. “What? ...Marco. I’d tell you if we were. We’re bros.” Tom grimaces in chagrin and forces himself to pull back. He has to just go and ask, dwelling on it might make him lose what little emotional regulation he has. “...I don’t wanna jump to conclusions here. But are you jealous over Star? Is this related to...ya know, your thing together?” Wow nice job there Tom, really couldn’t hold back that hint of malice on the word ‘thing’ could you?
The surprise of it is evident in how Marco snaps his head up to finally look at his best friend. “No? I’m-... Oh my god.” He flushes and stares back down at their shoes with a shaky laugh, one hand balling up his dress skirt. Tom watches with a tad impatient confusion as Marco starts fidgeting with the necklace again. His voice goes small. “I’m jealous and I guess insecure that you like Star more than me still.”
If this is some kind of cosmic joke, man, some deity must really be laughing at Tom. Marco, Tom’s best friend who he’s been pining over nearly since meeting, is worried he likes his ex more than him? Tom doesn’t know whether to laugh or pull Marco in for a hug. “Marco?” Tom’s voice is strained in a semi-laugh, blood rising under his cheeks. The other teen peers at him from beneath his swept bangs, still looking vulnerable. “That’s-” Tom’s thoughts are fizzing a little, unsure of what he should do even as his body moves for him. His hands cup Marco’s soft cheeks. “possibly the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”
Despite a small part of Tom's mind screaming he shouldn’t do what he’s doing, the rest of him feels so magnetically drawn to Marco that it feels like he’d use all his strength to pull away. His lips press against Marco's, an audible sigh of energy that’s been wired up now being released. There’s a small gasp from the human that Tom wants to devour, just have all of Marco’s sounds to himself. The release of energy is quickly revealing a more intense undercurrent of need. He keeps the kiss chaste, the most effort he can expend to restrain himself.
That restraint nearly snaps when instead of pulling away, Marco pushes into the kiss and makes a breathy small noise, a moan , and oh god all at once Tom feels like he can’t breath and that he’s been holding his breath his entire life only to find relief in kissing Marco. How the fuck is this so intense? He’s fucked people with less intensity, this is- this is insane.
Marco’s fingers curl into Tom’s shirt at the back. He never ever wants to be sane.
When he pulls away, Marco makes a small noise of discontent, a sort of whine that the teen quickly hushes with an embarrassed look away. They’re still close though, hands still on each other, and Tom is watching Marco with a sort of dreamy heat. “You... you good?” he asks, just a little worried that this wasn’t actually what Marco had wanted, even if he was receptive.
“Mhm.” he hums out quick and higher pitch than usual, strained in nerves, and still looking away while his fingers clench at Tom’s back reflexively. There’s a moment of quiet between them, and then Marco leans up to kiss Tom again, making the demon’s heart skip.
"What are you guys doing! Let's hurry home for junk fooood!" Star interrupts, having walked back towards her dallying friends when she noticed they hadn't caught up. She fails to notice what's going on as she's hungry, tired, and ADHD. Then she blearily notices the proximity of Marco to Tom, their hands cradling each other, just a second before Marco trips over his dress in an attempt to scramble away. He groans miserably from his new home on the ground.
Tom's feelings at Star's inevitable intrusion is a mix of resentful anger enough to spark flames, cooled only by seeing Marco's embarrassment and subsequent fall. He moves to help Marco up, but Star intervenes again, and this time Tom growls a little.
"Oh yeah yeah ya big tom cat!" Star wags her wand at him carelessly, like it was her finger. "Growl all ya want! Marco are you okay?" Her expression turns on a dime as soon as she whips her head in Marco's direction (still on the ground). Tom is both a small amount envious of the kind reaction and annoyed by it. "Was Tom being creepy?"
"Hey!"
"Hush you!"
"Don't hush me!" His voice is layered, deeper, like multiple inhuman souls twisting to speak. He huffs through his nose roughly to calm down.
"Guys stop, I-I'm fine, seriously!" Marco waves his hands placatingly. With a grunt and lots of dust kicked up, he gets to his feet and pats the dress down. "Tom wasn't being creepy Star." Marco's flustered face rivals the red of Tom's shirt.
Tom nearly holds back his urge to stick his forked, pierced tongue out at Star in a taunt. Nearly. Star does it back with her non-forked non-pierced tongue, pushing her nose up at him for good measure.
"Children please." Marco mutters with a huge sigh. It'd be funny, since Tom and Star are both inhumanly older than Marco despite his time in Hekapoo's dimension. It'd be funny if they weren't all so exhausted.
"Uuuugh let's just go hooooome!" Star stomps her boot-clad feet impatiently, only to regret it immediately because for once they're a bit sore.
"I couldn't agree more." Marco sighs and hooks his arm with Star's, who pulls out dimensional scissors. She steps into the portal first, and as Marco follows he grabs Tom's hand with a smile.