First SVTFOE fanfiction, god, I wrote this when I should've been studying. Sorry for typos, or extreme OOC I just needed to indulge my self in this ship argh.
Star studied the dress she adorned on her body rather skeptically. It was red, patterned with pink hearts that rang reminiscent of the first time she'd worn the dress at the Blood Moon Ball. A bow was circling the waist, topping off the attire.
Though it'd only been a few months, she felt a little silly wearing the garb. It wasn't a formal dance, but her garments were practically childish for someone her age.
She knew that the girls at the school would wear more sophisticated dresses that were meant to be more enticing towards men, since the end of the year marked imminent growth for all of the students.
Oh, growth. The faculty emphasized that they were all on the road to high school, which was more frightening than middle school. Everyone was expected to act mature now, in order to smoothen out the transition to another academy, and that quite possibly included her.
If she'd grown physically or mentally over that time, she didn't know, but something definitely changed. Maybe Mewberty was the real reason why, but a little voice in the back of her mind informed her that really wasn't the only factor.
The decision made by her parents, the transportation to Earth, the inevitable fight with monsters every day - were those taken into account for her supposed "growth"? And what about Marco, did he contribute as well?
She shook herself out of the thought. What on Mewni was she thinking? Did it even matter? Pfft. She was only 15 and she sounded like an old woman.
She discarded the odd feeling and elicited an exhale from her lips.
She had been standing in front of the mirror to get a look at her face and hair. To think she'd gotten sidetracked so easily. .
She spared a cursory glance at her appearance, suddenly aware of the little time she had left.
She made a sound of self-satisfaction at the assessment and snatched the purse that lay on her bed. In it was her trusty wand, which was for back-up in case Ludo ever decided to travel to Earth and make another ruckus.
"Alright." She said, doing her best to restore her cheerful nature. "This is going to be fun!"
In 20 minutes, the party was going to start and she was as ready as she'd ever be.
When she slipped into the auditorium, she was blinded by the disco ball that hung from the ceiling, which glinted when the light bounced off of it. She grumbled a muddy complaint, but her affinity for sparkly things pulled through and she managed to appreciate the decor of the room.
She was giddy for a good moment, taking in the wonderful laughter of her peers and the sounds of feet dancing that reverberated in her ears. She couldn't find a single sad face in the crowd and in turn, that made her feel like she was floating in midair.
She spent most of her time socializing with her classmates, gossiping about the newest rumor and giggling with them when a few of the boys pulled stupid stunts such as "poisoning" the fruit punch and tampering with the ballots that determined the king and queen of the dance.
She didn't pay too much mind to their trouble-making despite how far they went to satisfy their mischievous selves. In the end of it all, she unpocketed the wand and wielded it to restore everything its previous state.
She was tucking her wand away just as collective applause and cheering met her sensitive ears. Star lifted her head to see the stage, seeing it was filled with the nominees for the king and queen.
She was more than qualified to be a candidate herself, but she found herself waving away the opportunity to gain the title. She indulged herself in her own royalty enough, and she didn't want to take it away when there was another girl who coveted the crown more than she did.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the principal of Echo Creek Academy announced. His stout figure was placed before the mic stand, which was lowered to match his height.
He placed a firm hand on the microphone. "Welcome to the End-of-the-Year dance! It's been quite a year and we thank you all for making it such a blast!"
Star held in a chortle. She knew that the principal had struck it rich with the money her parents had given him, and it had certainly made him happy.
Principal Skeeves cleared his throat. "Now it is time for you to see your king and queen of the party!" he was quickly handed a sealed envelope by a student, which he opened. Holding the paper between his thumb and fingers, the principal proclaimed, "The queen of tonight's dance is Brittany Wong! The king is Marco Diaz!"
Marco indicated himself with his index finger, looking confused as if questioning who the king was just before he was jerked forward by his queen.
The principal crowned the two students and stepped back as the auditorium rumbled with loud chatter of approval and applause.
Star clapped, managing a small smile.
Brittany smirked at the students below her as Marco put on a modest smile and voiced his thanks to those who nominated him.
To think he had risen so much in status after all these months was amazing. Surely Marco was much happier now.
Star twirled on the dance floor, letting herself sink into the beat of the music and follow its rhythm.
She didn't have the most graceful moves like other girls who were on the dance squad or the choreography that the cheerleaders had, but that was okay. She didn't care. She didn't allow room to think or doubt herself, because she was letting the melodies dictate her motions.
She had left her purse in the hands of one of her trusted friends, so she would have her hands free. Boy, was she glad she had done that. All of her worries ebbed away in her own dance, and she was really free.
She closed her eyes, thoroughly immersed in the song. The singer was powerful, pushing all of her strength into each word she sang. There was nothing half-hearted about the words, and there was nothing that did not portend that her emotions were real.
A hint of warmth encompassed one of her hands. It was nice and fuzzy and it felt good. It wasn't very strong, yet, it slowed her movements. She screwed her lips up in a frown, knowing she hadn't stopped dancing by sheer will.
"Hey, Star."
The warmth gripped her tightly, indicating his presence.
Star opened her eyes. She swiveled her head to see Marco grinning at her. He pulled her close to him until Star's head nearly touched his right shoulder.
"Mind if I take you for a spin?"
His other hand clutched her side gently to position her correctly for their imminent dance.
She had felt the wispy breath against her ear and she had to do her best to maintain composure when he stepped back and took the lead.
She wasn't a good dancer while he was. He guided her hands into his own version of a dance that followed the music. His movements were flexible and fluid and different, unlike her repetitive twirling. It was as if he mapped out everything before he'd approached her, and now he was performing flawlessly.
"M-Marco?" She mumbled, unable to meet his eyes as he drew closer again.
"Yeah?" Marco pivoted on a foot, causing her to do the same.
"Why are you dancing with me?"
Marco released her waist and lifted the hand that was linked to hers to spin her around on the spot. When she returned to him, she noticed the look of confusion alterring his features.
"Why not? Is there something wrong?"
She bit her lip, savoring his touch before letting go of his hand.
Marco seemed to take note of her going still and stopped dancing.
"Star. . " he trailed off.
Star averted her gaze to the side, in a selfish attempt to make it easier for herself to say,
"I may have to go soon."
From the corner of her eye, she could see him stiffening.
"I mean, " She tried to rephrase, "I'm honestly not sure how much longer I can stay here. My parents sent me here so I could train and be able to control my powers. I can. I can, and have been able to for such a long time, and I don't know if I will be able to-" her voice was lost and she covered her mouth, cursing herself for not being able to refrain from sneaking the sadness into her tone.
She hated herself for this, for ruining Marco's big night, for bringing this news on the last day of school. She and he had been planning out their summer for weeks, and here she was crushing them and scrapping them, uttering the dreaded reminder that she couldn't stay on Earth forever.
She could feel the warmth tingling in her palm again, and she held her breath.
Marco encased her hand in both of his in a gesture of comfort.
"Star." He said in that sheepish way of his.
Her head bobbed. "Uh. . huh. .?"
"You're being uncharacteristically sad right now."
Star tried to wring free from his hold, but he tightened his grasp on her hand.
"This isn't a joke, Marco! I'm serious!" Star couldn't help but cry out.
"I know, I know, you just look super sad right now. It's just not like you." Marco regarded her apologetically. "But. . don't think of all those bad things Star. Yeah, it's going to happen, but who can help it? You're important and they'll need you back at Mewni when you're ready to take that throne."
"But, I don't want to go, I want to stayherewith-"
She was cut short when she saw him stepping towards her and enveloping her in a hug.
She stood limply in his arms, desiring to return the gesture, but being unable to. She was too overwhelmed by the fact she'd soon leave him for good, when the time came.
Marco pulled away. He sighed tiredly, making Star once again feel remorse for burdening him.
He leaned in once more, but this time, it was scaring her how close he was.
What was he doing?. .
The brunette tilted his face and touched Star's lips with his own.
They were soft and even more warm than his hand. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut. Hot heat made her heart-stained cheeks grow redder, and she could hardly breathe as she returned the kiss.
It was a totally foreign feeling to her, and it was nothing like she'd ever experienced. She was shivering as his familiar hand laced hers and the other rested on her lower back.
What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to do the same? That didn't sound right, so she reluctantly moved her arm around his neck. This pushed her harder into the kiss and caused her to unintentionally part her lips slightly. She eeped at the mistake and felt Marco slip away from their exchange.
It had been fleeting. It had been tantamount to a quick peck, if it weren't for her little accident, and Star was helplessly disappointed.
A hint of a blush was on Marco's own cheeks but it was nothing that compared to Star's, she was sure.
"Star, um, we'll never be able to escape what'll happen eventually. And I don't want you to go either, I really want you to stay."
Marco mumbled feverishly.
Star was in a daze, and she could swear that her mind was malfunctioning.
"So in that case, let's live in the now. Don't worry about the future, just live in the present. You're here with all your friends and classmates, and you're having a good time. I'm dancing with you, and you look even more amazing in that dress than before." He coughed uncomfortably. "When the time comes, it comes. But don't waste away the good moments by dreading it."
He blinked. "Okay?"
Star's breath hitched. She remembered how lucky she was, to have someone as wonderful as him introduce her to this new dimension. He didn't blanch once at the thought of battling evil beings with him, he never left her alone, and he made her feel right at home. He was dubbed the "safe guy," but that showed how sweet he was and how much he cared about the well-being of others.
He said the inevitable was guaranteed to come, but she could wait until then to worry and murmur her goodbyes. Not now, with this ambient, happy party happening around them.
He wasn't always right, but she knew that he was right about this. She just knew.
She lowered her head, nudging her forehead against his chest. "Sorry for being such a pessimist."
Marco patted her head, brushing his fingers along her locks. "I can't blame you. I'd want to stay here too."
"That's not funny, Marco."
"Oh, you know what I meant!"
Star laughed. "Ah, to feel nice and cheery again! Here, lead me again, you're quite the dancer."
Marco huffed out in exasperation. "Look at you, you're already fine. Honestly, if this is the definition of a mood swing, I'm not going to have an easy time tolerating it."
Despite her request, Star found herself marching to the center of the dance floor with him in tow. "Shut up and dance, Marco."
He hmphed as his fingers intertwined with hers while Star beamed for the both of them. She'd save her burdensome worries for another day, and experience the moment, like he'd said.