Disclaimer: I don't own Star vs. the Forces of Evil!
Title: Blue Lips
Summary: Sequel to Superman. Star has a nightmare and Marco's an insomniac.
...
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet from far, far away
Blue, the most human color
Star awoke with a flash of yellow magic, bursting into the air in a wave with her yell. The room went from blindingly bright to too dark in the span of her blinking her eyes, silently thankful that she hadn't set anything aflame. Full of sudden energy, she edged out from under the covers, running her fingers through the top layer of her hair. The snarled mess wasn't in the mood to be contained.
The night was thick and oppressively humid as Star stepped out onto the balcony in her light blue nightgown. Bags clung to her eyes. The princess perched her arms on the stone ledge and looked out over the castle wall. There wasn't much to be said of Mewni. Some smoke in the distance signaled recently put out fires, while still others didn't even have that. The kingdom was as silent as a tomb. She wondered, not for the first time, where her mother was in and amongst it all. She hoped Moon was safe, if nothing else.
A clatter startled her out of her reverie, followed by a knocking. "Star? Star, are you okay? I heard an explosion."
Define okay, she thought, swinging the door open. Marco didn't look to be in much better shape. He'd forsaken his hoodie for a Goblin Dogs t-shirt and old boxers. He wore neither socks nor shoes. Clutched in his hands was a dagger. Star didn't even know Marco had one of those things. Or maybe it'd been nicked from her stash. She was too tired to tell.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he said, scanning the room. "Sorry to bust in like this, but I could've sworn-"
"I had a nightmare," Star grunted, and Marco went very still. She moved to the side. "Wanna come in and stargaze?"
Marco stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He set the dagger down on the floor, having no pockets to stash it away in. "You want me to call your dad?"
She didn't respond. Marco took it as a negative, reluctantly trailing after her into the hot night. The small, shriveled up part of her brain best classified as analytical wondered if she should be worrying about a possible water shortage, but it got shot down like always.
"What did you dream about?" Marco asked finally.
"What didn't I dream about?" she replied wearily. Star pointed out a diamond-shaped constellation with ease. "It's kind of tradition to make one up for every queen," she explained with a shrug. "This one is about Luna, who vanquished a great evil with her sharp wit and unbreakable nails."
"So... they basically copy-pasted your mom's history?"
"Some are more original than other's." She shrugged. "Do you think Buff Frog's doing alright?"
"Yeah," he said, then repeated it with more certainty; "Yeah, definitely. It's Buff Frog. He's pretty hardcore." Marco paused, trying to decide whether to drop it, but it was a little late now. "Is that... what you're worried about?"
Star made a so-so noise in the back of her throat. Her blue eyes were drawn to the smoke in the distance; hoping, wondering, doing a whole lot of nothing else. "It wasn't that long ago when I thought all monsters were evil, Marco. I- I attacked them. For fun. How many of them were innocent? How many monsters did I bust in on, thinking I was doing some good for Mewni, when all I was doing was widening the divide between us?"
"Hey, hey," he said quietly, touching her arm. "I've got plenty of monster blood on my hands too. We're both guilty here."
She let out a long-winded sigh. "Yeah, I know. But they were my people. I've helped contribute to a world where an entire group of people are terrified to ask for help. That sucks."
"They're still your people."
"No, they're not." Star pulled her limb away. "They're Eclipsa's now. They always were. I just hope she can do better than I did."
Marco stared after her. "You do realize it's a bit unfair to compare yourself to a couple hundred year old woman, right?"
The humid air followed Star as she walked back inside, pausing to hold the door open. "It's kind of hard not to, Marco. I've always had someone like that in my life, y'know? Someone to compare to. It used to be mom, but no one knows where mom is, soooo..." She paused. Her tone was flat. "I hope, whatever Eclipsa does next, she's still my friend."
"Maybe you could be her personal guard," Marco suggested, only half-joking, as he closed and locked the balcony door behind them. "Take care of Meteora on the weekends."
"Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice." Star flexed her fingers. In the darkness, it was impossible to see her ring, but she touched it and felt the lukewarm metal. "Man, I'm really batting a hundred with my friends lately, huh? Ditched Jackie and Janna on Earth, asked Tom to marry me for politics only to give up a really important and symbolic part of the throne, and then there's you." The Butterfly turned to meet his eye. "What're you gonna do, Marco?"
"Umm... good question?"
"Oh."
Marco reached out and grabbed her head, intertwining their fingers. "Whatever it is, I'm still here for you, Star. We all are."
"I know that," she answered empathetically. "I just wish I could say the same in return."
He didn't respond in words. Rather, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come'on. We both need to get some rest."
They fall asleep in the same bed that night, Star's chin digging into his chest, a million things left unsaid, and a little more unsatisfied than before.
Author's Note: This is the shortest work in the series yet, but it felt apt. Realizing that you and your dad's childhood hunting trips, along with every time she randomly went off to fight monsters, were Actually Pretty Bad must've taken a serious toll out on Star. (I originally named this after First Burn, and that's what it's titled in my docs, but Blue Lips fit better lol.)
-Mandaree1