Hey, guys! Big Starco one-shot coming! Lots of feels! I might make it a two-shot if I get requests and have an idea. Anyway, Star and Marco go to a winter dance. Except it's not really that kind of dance. I'm just going to treat it like a middle school dance since I'm in middle school (and it works for the story). So yeah, it's one of those dances where everyone just goes in whatever and parties to party music. Not prom or anything. Just keep that in mind. :)
Any and all reviews will be answered in a PM, unless I really want to answer a guest review, and that will appear at the bottom.
Also, each time you see the "[]" the point of view shifts from third person limited Marco (seeing Marco's thoughts) to third person limited Star (seeing Star's thoughts) or vice versa. It's not anything dramatic.
Added with second update: This is no longer a songfic because… well, you can just look at the reviews. But please! Don't let all those negative reviews taint your minds. The story is different now, and those reviews aren't even applicable! Instead, I have replaced all of the songs with original precepts. So… read on!
Finally, I'd like to respond to the guest review I got on the update chapter from Alaina brooker. Thank you so much for you kind words! They really did make me feel better. :)
Beta read by crysky.
The crowd was silent, watching the person with the microphone in awe. No one wanted to miss a moment of this. It was as if some otherworldly creature had come to please their ears more than they had ever been pleased before. And that's exactly what it was.
Whoa… thought Marco, momentarily speechless. Star stood before him in a beautiful red gown-the one she had worn to the Blood Moon Ball. She had makeup on and wore matching red high heels. Her outfit left Marco without words and made him feel wrongly dressed in his hoodie and jeans, but as he got over the initial shock of it, something felt… off. Then he figured it out. This wasn't the same girl he'd seen a few minutes ago. This was Princess Star Butterfly of Mewni, not his friend Star the rebel princess from Earth.
Even though this blew him away… it wasn't her. And if it wasn't her, then it wasn't as good.
Marco caught himself. Wait, I'm saying that as if I like her. As if I think she's beautiful…. Pull yourself together, Marco! Marco shoved the thought down. "Star, do you think that might be… a little much? This isn't like a ball or anything it's more like a… party."
Star smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. I can't dance half as well with heels on." She then busted out some dance moves, but stumbled. Marco stepped forward and caught her. For a moment, their faces were inches apart, and Marco was staring into Star's big blue eyes. They sparkled with excitement behind them. It was memories like these that Marco loved to hold on to.
Marco righted her, and the moment ended. "Point proven," Marco remarked.
"Yeah, I'll change. Don't want that to happen again." But she said it funny. Almost as if she did want it to happen again….
She dashed up the stairs. She eventually came down in her trademark green dress with a squid. Marco smiled. Now she was ready to be fun, goofy Star. The Star he loved… I mean, the one he liked. You know, like a friend.
The two walked to the door and stepped out to the cool night. It wasn't cold, though, just… nice. The stars were out and beautiful tonight. It wasn't that late, maybe 7:00, but the winter brought a shorter day. The moon was full and bright, flooding the town with soft light so that the streetlights were almost unnecessary. Marco glanced at Star. Her pale and radiant face seemed to glow in the night, just like all the stars above her. It wasn't weird that Marco thought his best friend looked kind of… beautiful. Right?
[]
Star stepped into the chilly night. Admittedly, wearing a short-sleeved dress and thin leggings hadn't been a good idea, but she assured herself that she'd be fine once they got to the school. And they needed to get going, otherwise they would be late.
Aside from the cold, the night sky was beautiful today. The moon shone down on them with a beautiful radiance, and each star twinkled like she was looking into a kaleidoscope.
Marco started walking, and she walked beside him. As she looked up at him, she got nervous. He was so close, and they were walking together to a… a dance. A completely non-romantic winter party dance, of course. Nothing romantic about it! Nothing at all…. Star was lost in thought and had stopped. Marco grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go! We're going to be late!" Star numbly let Marco lead her. The warmth of his hand sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She clenched her teeth, trying to drive the feeling away. This was really too much. She couldn't do this anymore. She slipped her hand out of Marco's, and the feeling subsided. Okay. That was alright. There were still butterflies, but they lay there more calmly.
Ugh! Why did she have to like Marco? She wished she didn't because everything would be so much simpler. But she couldn't deny it. She had a crush on her best friend. Her best friend who already had a girlfriend. That was just wrong. But it was true, and she couldn't stop liking him no matter how much she tried. So she just tried to pretend that she didn't. She bit her lip hard, replacing the emotions with pain. She put on a smile. "I'm so excited for the dance! I just can't wait to get in there and start dancing!" It was true, of course. She really was excited about this although she was a bit nervous at the moment.
They finally arrived at the school. Star burst through the gym doors, hearing the music start to play. Marco immediately left her to walk over to Jackie. "Have fun!" he said over his shoulder.
Without you, I guess, Star thought.
All around the room hung posters with a statement on them. There was one on pink paper, decorated with hearts, squiggles, and smiley faces, that caught her eye:
SOCIAL EXCLUSION IS WRONG!
What was another word for being socially excluded? Getting ditched. Exactly what Marco had done to her. But he wasn't really that kind of guy. Maybe there was something she could do about this. Marco… kind of had motioned for her to go off, but there was nothing stopping her for walking over to hang out with Marco and Jackie. She knew Marco wouldn't mind too much.
She approached them, and as they came completely into view, she shouted, "Hey Marco-" and was about to say Jackie's name when she realized that they weren't paying attention, eyes closed and locked in a kiss.
No. No way. No freaking way was she going over there now.
She walked over to the snack table, not much feeling like dancing anymore. Cheetos and sandwiches sat on the table, and she began eating some, having nothing better to do and unable to stand… well, just standing there, as badly as that was phrased. It was much better to eat than to just stand there and watch Marco and Jackie. Better to turn away… ugh. Everyone told her that she shouldn't turn away from my problems. But what was the point of making myself miserable by watching them? It would only make me more likely to accidentally mess everything up.
Maybe she could leave. No, Marco would probably wonder where she was. Then again, it might take him hours to even realize she had left.
The Cheetos were good, and so were the sandwiches, almost as good as the ones found inside the monster that she and Marco had gone after before he was kidnapped. So she would stay.
"Hey, Star," came Marco's voice. He stood there, holding Jackie's hand. I got a bitter taste in my mouth and drank some punch to dispel it. "Sorry about kinda ditching you back there. It's just… I can always hang out with you, but I don't get to hang out with Jackie all the time. We can hang out after if you want."
Star gave a weak smile. "No, yeah. I get it. I'm all right. Go have fun with your girlfriend."
"You sure, Star?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, thanks." He looked up at Jackie, beaming. Marco whispered something to Jackie, and Star caught it: "We've got this night to ourselves." They kissed and walked off, leaving a pit in Star's stomach that no amount of punch could cease. She closed her eyes, and a tear slipped out. When she looked up again, she caught sight of another banner:
ALL GOOD THINGS REQUIRE SACRIFICE
Star cared so much for Marco. She would easily sacrifice anything for him. She'd already sacrificed her wand, her most precious item. Of course, she had a new one, but that wasn't what mattered at the time. What mattered was Marco. Marco would never matter more to Jackie than to Star. He had a very, very special place in Star's heart and she just wished he could see that. What had Jackie done for him? Nothing. Star had sacrificed so much for him, placed so much trust in him, and yet none of those actions meant anything, did they? Marco just continued to break her heart without knowing it.
But really, what was she saying? Who was she to interfere with Marco and Jackie's relationship? Marco was happy. That's what mattered. Even if she felt heartbroken every time she saw him with Jackie, that was just a sacrifice. That was just the way things were. Like how eventually she'd have to become a good queen and rule the people of Mewni. That's just how it was. Whether she liked it or not. She really needed to stop running from her problems. She searched the gym for inspiration, eventually finding:
IF IT'S NOT SOMETHING GOOD TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT!
The only thing that dropping the bomb on him would do was hurt him, right? So she shouldn't say it. The last thing Star wanted was for Marco to be hurt by her. If she kept all her feelings bottled up, hopefully it wouldn't happen. She just had to hide the truth. Pretend that those feelings weren't there. And who knew, maybe they'd go away after time. Maybe she'd find someone else! Like Tom… well, no, hopefully not like him. Like Oskar… well, not like him, either. She had just found out what "record" meant, and at that point she realized that she didn't really like him for anything other than… she couldn't even say, exactly. But she loved Marco, she was sure about that. Everything about him.
No. No. Nononono. She absolutely did not have a crush on Marco!
Her eyes darted around nervously. She caught a glimpse of a green poster with blue letters painted on:
THE FIRST STEP TO HONESTY IS TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF
That was another thing Star was bad at. Being honest with herself. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she did have feelings for Marco that likely weren't going away.
But maybe-
No! No buts. It was true, one hundred percent true. She loved Marco. She didn't want to, but she did.
Truth Number Two: Marco had a girlfriend that he was very invested in and wasn't likely to leave.
Truth Number Three: She didn't like that. She felt like their friendship was suffering because of it. They hardly ever did anything together anymore. Marco was always doing something with Jackie or whatever. Most of the time it was the three of them, but it always ended up like this. It was the same at the Love Sentence concert. Star had prepared everything for them to have an awesome time: she'd gotten the tickets, made the t-shirts and everything! And she just ended up… on the outside, forgotten almost. It sucked. But was there really anything she could do?
Again, she pored the walls, looking for an answer to her questions somewhere up there. It was almost like that one time that she thought fortune cookies actually told the future. Then she found something inspiring. The paper was the color of twilight and had stars scattered about it. A large orange shooting star dominated the banner, placed above the words, in white:
YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR OWN DESTINY!
That's right. She had to make her own destiny. That she was good at; not following everyone's expectations and making my own way. She was going to go over and have a good time with Marco. She could do this. Upon coming to that decision, she walked toward the center of the dance floor. The next song came on, and Star got excited. It was her favorite song, "Just Friends" by Love Sentence. Star couldn't let anything upset her now. A smile spread across her face as she lost herself in the music. She moved her body to its rhythm, forgetting about everything for a few moments and just enjoying the song. She closed her eyes and spun around, letting the good feelings overtake her. Suddenly, she ran into someone, and they took her hands. Star opened her eyes to find it was…
Janna. Star laughed, albeit a bit disappointed. "Care to dance?" Janna asked mischievously.
"Sure."
Star and Janna laughed as they danced around.
Janna pulled Star close then sent her spinning away. "Catch ya later, I'm getting some punch," Janna said. She looked around. She was almost in the center of the dance floor. She caught a glimpse of Marco and immediately wished she hadn't. He was standing next to Jackie. They had their arms around each other, and they were singing the song together.
Star stopped to stare in disbelief. That's our song! That should be Marco and I singing together! She felt a tear sting her eye and retreated to the snack table to drown her misery in sandwiches and Cheetos again.
After her hands were completely covered in orange dust, Janna came over to her. "Not having much fun, eh?"
"No, this… this is great." Star attested, faking a smile.
"C'mon Star, it's obvious that either you haven't eaten in five days or something's bothering you."
"Star glanced down at the sandwich tray and Cheeto bowl. They were each half-empty, if not more.
Noticing Star's glance, Janna mentioned, "They refilled those right before you came back."
Star sighed, giving in a bit. "Yeah, you're right. But… it's something you wouldn't understand."
Janna rubbed her chin. "Hmmm, let me guess: you like Marco, but he's with Jackie. You're too afraid to tell him because you think he won't return your feelings. And why would he return your feelings if he already has a girlfriend? So you put up with it. And then tonight you've been watching Marco and Jackie, wishing you were in Jackie's place. And then they sing Marco's and your favorite song and that was just the worst. Does that sum it up?"
Star stared at her, slack-jawed. "How do you know all this?!"
Janna held up Star's journal and gave it to her, stating nonchalantly, "You really should upgrade your security on this thing."
"Janna!"
"Trust me, just hang on through these next few songs, and I've got a surprise for you."
Star smirked, knowing Janna had something up her sleeve.
There was a pause in the music and the DJ's voice came on the microphone: "Our last song of the night is gonna be a slow song, just for kicks! So all you lovey-dovey couples, come down to the dance floor!"
Star saw Marco shake his head and back away, but Jackie pulled him to the center of the dance floor.
This was all felt wrong. It was miserable, is what it was. Star watched Marco and Jackie dancing around the floor, holding each other's hands. They stepped and swung and twirled about. There was a look of anxious ecstasy on Marco's face, and Jackie looked to be having the night of her life. Star only wished that she could be feeling the same.
At the same time, Star tried to feel even an ounce of happiness for Marco, but had minimal success. At least she managed to fake a smile. She consumed another sandwich and a handful of Cheetos. She looked one last time to the walls for inspiration. This time, she found nothing until she looked behind her. This one said:
GIVE CREDIT TO THOSE WHO DESERVE IT
Star did have to give Marco credit. Marco was an amazing boy. He didn't deserve all her angry thoughts toward him. He deserved who he wanted. If it wasn't her, so be it. Marco was so great that no one was good enough to deserve him. You just had to be the lucky one. Which she was not. But she deserved him no more than anyone else. So why could she complain?
A minute or so after the song ended, Star was surprised to hear Janna's voice coming from the stage: "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! It's time to announce who's been elected Best Couple! We're starting with the freshmen!
"The votes from this week have been counted, and the winner of Freshmen Best Couple is… drumroll please… Marco and Star!"
Star's jaw dropped. Now that was one heck of a surprise! Although Star did wonder if she had rigged the voting.
"Now if I could have Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz please come to the stage."
Star shoved her way through the crowd. Meanwhile, Marco looked at Jackie apologetically. She shrugged. "Shipper's gonna ship, I suppose. Go on up there."
"Uh… thanks, Jackie."
Star and Marco met up on the stage, looking at Janna quizzically. "As winners of this poll," Janna announced, "you get to sing karaoke together! High School Musical style! Ooh, I'm pumped!" Janna handed Star her microphone and got Marco another. "You guys ready?"
Star and Marco nodded, Marco gulping.
The music intro started. Marco licked his lips nervously, his eyes darting around the room of maybe a hundred people.
"Hey," Star smiled at him, "you'll do fine."
"Thanks." Then he put his microphone to his mouth and started, shakily at first.
"I never knew I needed you.
But when you came around you proved
That you were something missing in my life
Someone who helped ease the strife"
The song started slowly but began to speed up gradually.
Someone I could trust and count on
To lift my spirits up from the darkness
To keep evil at bay,
To brighten up my day
Life's never slow around you
You make life worth living, it's true
Marco wasn't too bad, honestly. He took a breath. Star looked him in the eye and joined in for the chorus.
"You take me to a place I love to be
And I love the person that you make me
I can't believe I've waited all this time
And since I can't think up another rhyme
I'll just tell how I feel.
I'll just tell how I feel."
This was the most fun Star had had all night. She really started to get into it, singing passionately as she and Marco continued the chorus.
"You're exactly who I've been looking for
You're who I've awaited all these years
It's like we're meant to be
'Cause you're exactly who I've been looking for
You're who I've awaited all these years.
It's like we're meant to be
It's like we're meant to be"
Star felt a sense of relief, almost. She felt like she was expressing her feelings with this song, and it felt so good to sing them out loud so everyone could hear. Marco dropped off, and Star got a bit quieter for the second verse.
"Not long ago, I couldn't find myself.
I had lost me somewhere in my dreams
The only thing that was left:
A heart falling apart at the seams
And then there you came, out of nowhere
You came up behind me unaware
Said you'd take me out of here
Said you'd take away the fear"
[]
Marco's microphone almost slipped from his hand. Star had sounded good in the chorus, but when Marco had dropped off and her voice could be heard alone… ¡Dios! Her voice was a heavenly angel's-no, a voice no divine being could rival, much less a human. Her voice, just… wow. He could listen to that all night long. Had he really never heard her sing before? Not like this. And he wanted to soak up every minute of it. So much so that he refused to sing the chorus, leaving Star to take care of it.
[]
"You take me to a place I love to be
And I love the person that you make me
I can't believe I've waited all this time
And since I can't think up another rhyme
I'll just tell how I feel."
Star looked at Marco, concerned. She motioned with her hand, Keep going! But Marco waved her off, dropping the microphone to his side. Star furrowed her eyebrows but kept singing.
"You're exactly what I've been looking for...
You're who I've awaited all these years
It's like we're meant to be
'Cause you're exactly who I've been looking for
You're who I've awaited all these years.
It's like we're meant to be
It's like we're meant to be"
She enjoyed singing this part so much that her voice rose. The whole auditorium could hear her loud and clearly. She put so much energy and enthusiasm into each word that it seemed to burst off her lips, exploding into the air like a beautiful firework.
And when I look up at the stars at night
I see us together shining oh so bright
So take my hand, and let's take flight
I feel, I feel, I feel so alive
And in the moment it just feels so right
And now I finally see the li-ight!
After holding that final note, she started with the chorus again.
"You're exactly what I've been looking for...
You're who I've awaited all these years
It's like we're meant to be
'Cause you're exactly who I've been looking for
You're who I've awaited all these years.
It's like we're meant to be
It's like we're meant to be"
But her enthusiasm abruptly vanished as her gaze drifted to Jackie. She was still so wrapped up in the song and letting her feelings fly into the air that she kept on singing even after the song ended, unconsciously composing a new stanza as she sung in a slow, sad voice, looking straight into Marco's eyes:
"But I never can have you, can I?
Because I came just too late
But inside I will always love you anyway
Because, in my eyes, you're meant for me"
Her eyes drifted back to Marco, and she realized she'd just sung. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! Singing the extra lines not only revealed their content, but also revealed that she related to the whole song. That the whole song was true. That she thought Marco and she were meant to be. That it was all true.
And it was.
"I'm so sorry, Marco! I'm sorry!" Star cried.
But Marco was too lost in her singing to register it.
Star threw down the microphone, making it spin across the stage, as she ran off the stage and through the door. She found a bench and sat in it. As the weight of everything she had just sung came crashing down on her, she began to cry anew. Her hair hung down in her face as she slumped her head, but the wind blew it out of the way. The cold, bitter wind. The cold and the sadness all melted together into the same, and as her tears faded she started to shiver. The wind bit into her face and exposed arms relentlessly.
Then a warmth wrapped around her. It was Marco's hoodie.
"You all right?"
Star smiled up at him. The jacket helped, but Marco just being there cleared the cold away. "Yeah, thanks."
Marco sat down next to her. "You know, your voice was beautiful."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The whole school was staring."
"Well, I was just having fun with it."
There was a silence before Marco began, "I know I've been ignoring you a bit tonight."
Star nodded, not denying it.
"I'm sorry. It's just so hard… trying to be a good boyfriend and a good best friend at the same time. I love spending time with you, Star. I just feel… guilty, like I should be with Jackie instead. I mean, she is my girlfriend after all."
There was such a simple solution to the problem. Star only wished he could see it. If he did see it, he didn't act on it.
Marco continued, "It's just… is it weird that I enjoy being with you more than being with my own girlfriend?"
"Honestly, a little."
Marco sighed. "It's hard trying to split my attention between my girlfriend and best friend-"
"But what if they were the same person?" The elephant had been in the room since she had sung the extra lines to the song. Marco knew from that that she wanted to be with Marco. It just needed to be addressed.
[]
Marco's smile dropped into a serious line. He closed his eyes, coming to somewhat of a decision. He took Star in a tight hug and held her there for a while. "I love you, Star," he whispered.
He eventually pulled back, placing his hands on Star's shoulders, and stared into her eyes. A tear slipped out of Star's eye-not really out of sadness, not out of joy, but out of pure emotion. Marco wiped it away, brushing her hair from her face as he did so. She sat there, wrapped in his hoodie, the wind blowing her hair around the side of her face. She was beautiful.
"I love you, Marco."
They pulled each other into another embrace that they kept for a long time.
The song that Star and Marco sing to is titled "Meant to Be." This song is owned by me, and it is my own original work. The full song is up on chapter 3.
So that's it! Open-ended Starco!