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Marco was busy studying for an upcoming exam while Star gazed at her phone in anticipation. She was waiting for Oscar to call her. He rarely did, yet nothing prevented her from lusting after him. Marco couldn't judge her though; he crushed on Jackie but didn't carry conversations with her. He wasn't in a position to criticize.
Marco's concentration was broken by the doorbell. He averted his eyes from his textbook and glanced at Star. She continued to moon over her cell, oblivious and content. He sighed and stood to answer the door. Star was determined to wait for Oscar's love until the end of time.
Marco opened the door and gasped. "Tom?”
He certainly hadn't expected the demon prince to appear on his front porch. Tom was dressed sharp; a crisp white button down shirt contrasted against his black suit and tie. He stood poised with one hand twisted behind his back and the other presenting a rose. The demon's broad smile dropped once his three eyes landed on Marco.
"Hello… human," Tom sounded less than pleased to see him. There was no doubt he was still upset about the fiasco that was the Blood Moon Ball. He peeked eagerly over Marco's shoulder. "Is Star home?"
"Uh..." Marco was stunned. He knew he should lie. He didn't want Tom anywhere near his friend. The guy was obsessed with her and Marco didn't trust him. He rummaged through his brain, searching for a plausible excuse as to why the demon couldn't see Star.
"Marco, who is it?" Star spoke from behind him and he cringed. Too late. He glanced over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of her unamused expression.
"Oh, it's you," Star rolled her eyes when she saw her ex-boyfriend. The prince's entire face lit up when he saw her.
"Starship!"Tom exclaimed, gleefully, trying to push past Marco and enter the house. Star hurried over and started to close the door.
"For the last time, I'm not interested! Goodbye, Tom," she farewelled, rather rudely, and slammed the door in his face. However, Tom stuck his foot in the way and stopped the door from completely closing.
"Wait! Just hear me out!" he cried and pushed his weight against the obstacle, desperate. Marco leaned against the wood and assisted Star in closing the entrance.
The princess grunted with effort, huffing in annoyance. "Not listening!"
A low growl could be heard through from the other side and Tom shouted with anger. "Star!"
Marco could feel the wood beneath his palms heat up and frowned in worry. "Hey, you're gonna catch my house on fire!”
Suddenly the door snapped and Marco fell backwards, landing on his rear. He lifted his head to see the demon bathed in flames, his eyes glowing with anger. Perhaps he had been rejected one too many times. His anger had been pushed to the brink and he detonated. Tom now held a cocked bow, aiming in Star's direction. Was that the item he had previously been concealing behind his back?
Marco's eyes widened. Tom wouldn't actually shoot her, would he? He had to be bluffing. Maybe he was going to attempt to threaten her into dating him. Either way, Marco wasn't going to take the chance. He jumped to his feet and wrenched the weapon from the prince's fingers. If Tom's shocked expression was any inclination, the demon didn't expect the teenager to retaliate. He probably assumed all humans were weak. Well, Marco wasn't.
"You brat!" Tom snarled, kicking him in the stomach and sending him skidding across the floor. Star yelled something that Marco couldn't hear. He moved onto his elbows and ignored the pain in his abdomen; his heartbeat accelerated as the demon stomped towards him. Unthinking, terrified, surrounded by screams and fire, Marco raised the bow, aimed, and shot.
The arrow lodged itself into Tom's heart and the prince collapsed in a heap.
Marco breaths were shallow as his entire body shook. Did he... did he kill him? The thought revolted him and he tossed the bow aside, disgusted with himself. A comforting hand rested upon his shoulder and he flinched, still trembling with horror.
"He was gonna murder you," Star pointed out. Marco didn't question her interpretations of the demon's intentions. Tom might've burnt him to a crisp. However, he clearly hadn't been in control, he’d been so overcome with rage. Marco logically knew he had acted in self-defense, but he couldn't prevent guilt from flooding his veins.
Star helped him rise to his feet, unsteady on quivering legs, and they approached the unmoving body. No blood dripped from the demon's wound, oddly, which gave him hope that Tom was still alive. Marco kneeled down and ripped the arrow out of the prince's chest. He examined the odd, heart shaped tip. What the heck?
Suddenly, Tom gasped and jolted awake, panting heavily.
Star sighed with relief. "Thank goodness, I was starting to think you'd killed him."
Marco narrowed his eyes as his friend. "Gee, thanks."
In all honesty, he was just glad that Star's ex-boyfriend wasn't dead and that he wasn't a murderer. Marco returned his attention to the demon lying on the floor beside him. Star pointed her wand at the prince with a suspicious eye. He didn't know how infuriated Tom would be once he gathered his bearings. He waved a hand in front of the prince's three eyes (which had somehow changed from red to pink) and tried gain his attention.
Marco chuckled, nervous. "Are you okay?"
Tom’s gaze shifted landed on him. In a flash, the demon grabbed him. Star shrieked a spell. Marco yelped as bitter coldness surrounded him but then he was wrapped in a warm embrace. He dared to open his eyes, only to discover that he was standing in a pile of snow. He then realized that he was trapped in Tom’s arms. Marco looked up and met the prince’s intense stare.
Tom smiled. “I’ve never fully appreciated your beauty until now.”
Marco gaped, flabbergasted, and raised his eyebrows in shock. “What?”
“You heard me,” the prince replied with sincerity, pulling him into a tight hug. “You’re just so amazing, Marco Diaz!”
Marco tried to escape the hug to no avail. The demon was still incredibly strong, even after being shot in the chest. Confused, he glanced towards Star. The princess appeared to be just as baffled.
“Uh… he just shot you. Aren’t you gonna torch him?” she asked. Marco grimaced as the prince clutched him to his chest and began petting his hair.
Tom gasped in horror. “Of course not! I would never do such a thing!”
Star arched her brow in a disbelieving manner. “You just attacked us a few minutes ago.”
He sighed. “I… my temper is a problem. I’m working on it. I won’t ever hurt you, Marco, I promise.”
Marco broke out of his shocked haze; he was so done with this insanity. He struggled and pushed against the demon until his hold loosened. He shoved Tom away and staggered backwards. “What the heck is wrong with you?”
Last time he checked, Tom was a fire demon with serious anger issues who was in love with Star. Who hated Marco. Who was more than eager to turn him into a pile of ashes.
Tom’s lips curled into a grin and he laughed in a gentle manner. “Nothing is wrong with me.”
The prince reached out and took hold of Marco’s wrist, too fast for Star to blast him with ice, and pressed a kiss against his hand.
“I’m just in love with you, Marco Diaz, that’s all.”
Marco couldn’t believe what was happening. His eyes were as wide as the moon with surprise. He gasped incredulously, “Love?”
The demon nodded, the same bright expression etched into his features. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way that this was actually real. A messed up dream, perhaps.
“No you’re not! You’re in love with Star, remember?” Marco protested. He wrenched his arm out of the prince’s grasp, wiping saliva off of his hand.
“Silly Marco, Starship is just my friend. My heart only beats for you,” Tom declared with vehemence. Marco gawked as the demon produced a flaming rose out of seemingly nowhere and offered the flower to him.
Star squealed with excitement and relief. “All of my problems are solved!”
Of course she was happy about this. She no longer had to worry about the prince pestering her for a date. Marco frowned, suspecting that his problems had just begun.
“Star! Do something!” he exclaimed, gesturing towards Tom. The fiery rose had set the sleeve of his hoodie aflame and he waved his arm frantically in an attempt to extinguish it.
“Like what? Ice him? He promised not to hurt you. He’s not a threat,” Star pointed out. Marco glared at his friend, exasperated.
“He can’t stay like this! We have to fix him!” he shouted. He had finally managed to put out the fire. Even if the demon wasn’t trying to attack them, he was still a safety hazard. Plus, Marco didn’t even like Tom, never mind love him. They weren’t friends; enemies was a better word to describe their relationship. He wanted the prince back to normal as soon as possible and out of his personal space bubble.
“Don’t worry Marco, I’ll figure it out,” Star assured him with a positive smile. Marco continued to frown. He knew that they would solve the problem, they always did, but he wasn’t sure if he would last very long around the demon. All of a sudden he heard a phone ringing.
“Oh my gosh Oscar is calling me!” Star shrieked and raced towards her bedroom. Marco’s eyes widened.
“But what about Tom?!” he yelled. Star didn’t answer. He sighed and facepalmed. Until his friend was no longer distracted by her crush, he would have to take matters into his own hands. Marco glanced towards the demon. Tom stared at him with a warm smile and adoring eyes. The prince was absolutely lovesick.
How could this have happened? Only a few minutes ago, Tom had barged in, desperate for Star’s affections, and ignored Marco completely. At least until he got in the demon’s way, and Marco had to shoot him with--
The arrow. Of course. Marco scanned the tile floor and walked towards the discarded weapon, kneeling down and carefully picking it up. Tom hovered uncomfortably close behind him as he examined the arrow. The shaft was pink and the tip was shaped in a heart. Words carved in cursive writing lined the side.
“If lost, please return to… Cupid…” Marco read aloud. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Cupid wasn’t real, was he? Either way, the arrow was magical and had caused Tom to fall in love with him.
“Cupid is very romantic,” Tom chipped in, draping an arm over Marco’s shoulder and pulling him close. He suppressed a shudder; he was uncomfortable with the demon touching him. He stepped away, moving towards the discarded bow. The wood was decorated with glittering hearts.
“Well, I need to find him and reverse the spell,” Marco replied. Perhaps Star’s book could provide some guidance. An address, maybe? Where would Cupid live anyway? Probably another dimension.
Marco’s train of thought halted abruptly when a pair of hands rested on his shoulders. Warms fingers dug into his tense muscles and he gasped with surprise.
“You need to ease up, Safety Kid. Relax.” Tom’s lips were inches away from his ear and the prince seemed to be all around him. Those massaging hands felt sort of good, actually…
“No,” Marco pushed the demon away and spun around, “Okay. Clearly, we need to establish some boundaries here.”
Tom, a fearsome fire demon, literally pouted in disappointment. “Boundaries?”
“First of all, I need my personal space.” Marco gestured to the area around him. The prince’s somber expression transformed into a suggestive smirk. Tom stepped forwards.
“How much space?” the demon arched an eyebrow and leaned in close to Marco’s face. Flustered, he pressed his palms against the prince’s chest and pushed him away.
“A lot of space,” he retorted. “And no touching.”
Tom sighed in a melodramatic fashion. “You’re more evil than most demons I’ve met. How am I supposed to agree to that?”
Marco narrowed his eyes. “It’s not a question. It’s an order. No touching, or I’ll get Star to turn you into a block of ice.”
Tom’s frown deepened but then his pink eyes (how had they changed from red to pink?) brightened with an idea. He smirked mischievously. “She can’t freeze me if she’s too busy with Oscar.”
Marco raised a finger in protest but faltered. The prince had a point and they both knew it. Tendrils of fire wrapped around Marco’s waist and he screamed in fright. He calmed down once he realized that the flames weren’t hurting him. Still, he was annoyed. He tried to grasp at the orange ropes but his touch passed through. Tom snickered at his reaction and Marco was unwillingly pulled closer.
“See, I’m not touching you,” the prince purred. “Now let’s go bond.”
Marco was sweating profusely. The temperature seemed to rise. He blamed the fire.
“Bond?” he squeaked. No way, not happening. “I need to find a way to reverse the spell!”
Tom pressed a finger to his lips, promptly shushing him.
“Starship can handle it, sweetcheeks. You and I need to go on a proper date,” the prince declared. Marco’s amber eyes widened. A date? He didn’t want to go anywhere with Tom! He began to protest but the demon had already linked their arms together (clearly breaking the no-touching rule) and dragged him out the door.
Marco groaned. He couldn’t wait for this horrible spell to end.