The ruckus outside had calmed down, but her mind hadn't.
Star paced back and forth in front of the infirmary doors. The red drapes on the wall kept reminding her that her best friend was behind those doors.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I let him go off on his own…" Star threw her arms up and flailed her wand around, paying no attention to the cuts and bruises on them.
"Princess, you really should let the doctors and mages see you," one of the attending nurses standing outside spoke up for what Star thought was the billionth time. "They may be light injuries but injuries nonetheless. Please, we assure-"
"No! I can't. Not yet. I need to see him. I need to make sure Marco is okay!" Star pressed the sides of her head out of a nasty combination of restlessness, frustration, and worry. Her hair bunched up and poofed out like a fluffy albeit distressed cloud.
"Princess, please-" Just as Star was about to yell back, the doors opened. The doctor stepped out.
"Princess. He's awake, and he's asking for you." Star let out a brief gasp.
"Marco."
As if knowing she was going to slam straight into the doors, the doctor stepped aside swiftly and quietly left the room.
And there he was, lying soundlessly on a bed.
"MARCO!" Star rushed to the side of the best and gripped the sheets tightly. Marco opened his eyes and smiled at the familiar sight in front of him.
"Star," Marco let out a small chuckle. "Indoor voice, please."
She choked back a light whimper. "Sorrysorrysorry, it's just you were here, but then you went flying through the air! And I screamed! And then you were there, and you took so many hits. I'm sorry Marco I'm sorry! I let you go because I knew you could handle it I knew you were tough but oh man Marco I didn't expect so many monsters-" Marco placed his hands gently yet firmly on her shoulders and simply stared for a while. Star reached out for him and he brought her closer.
When they met, everything was just… right. Star kneeled down to rest on the floor while keeping Marco in her embrace. Marco pulled back a little bit, still keeping his hands on her shoulders.
"Star. It's okay. I'm glad that it's…" Marco lost his smile when he noticed all the scratches and cuts riddled along Star's arms. Her signature green dress was torn and frayed all over and the spider was hanging on by a single string. Traditional Mewni battle armor would've helped but he knew that she probably wasn't expecting fighting off an angry mob to be on the schedule. "Star! You're hurt! You need to be healed too!"
"Oh, what? Me? Psh, this is nothing! It's gonna take more than that to bring lil ol' Star down," she exclaimed as she held up her wand in other hand proudly. "Eep!" Star winced as her arm gave out and the wand dropped to the floor. "Okay. Maybe it hurts. A little bit."
"Star." She knew that look in his eyes all too well.
"Okay, okay! I'll get patched up later, don't worry. I was just… really worried about you. Like, really. Really. But, argh, this whole thing was so stupid! Can you believe those monsters?! We're trying to make Mewni a better place for everyone. It's only been a couple days since we started the unity act this is how they react? This whole thing could've been avoided if they were just more… I can't even think! And they had to take it out on you, of all people!"
Marco slowly edged closer to Star, not wanting to move too much. "I'm just glad we're finally getting somewhere. Monsters and Mewmans living together isn't so bad, right? I mean sure, those monsters didn't think too well of it but it seemed like a lot of the others were happy. I think we're doing the right thing." Marco spoke with confidence. They both shared a smile.
"You're right, Marco. We're right. Mewni welcomes all monsters! And to those who think too highly of themselves to be peaceful, they can either leave or face Star justice!" Star stood up from the floor and pumped her fist into the sky, holding up Marco's arm with her other hand. The small celebration was cut short as they both immediately sunk back down after being reminded by their aching bodies of the battle they had just fought. There was a symphony of "ow's" and "ouches" as they both settled naturally back into each other's arms, full of warmth and relieving laughter.
Star laid down on the side of the bed and rested her head on Marco's chest, who was now propped up against his pillows. "I'm just glad you're okay…" Star whispered as she listened to his gentle breaths. "We- I couldn't have done this without you."
Marco cradled her head softly. "Nah, you guys did all the work. Did you see your mom out there? Your dad was pretty cool too! I was just caught in the crossfire." Star gave him a playful punch.
"Oh is that so, wild man? You know for someone who plays it safe all the time you sure were in a hurry to throw yourself at those monsters, shouting stuff like 'I'll hold them back' and 'Don't worry about me!'"
"Eh, comes with the job. Save the Queen and all that junk." Marco shrugged. Star now had the biggest smirk on her face. She started tracing circles on his chest.
"Mom and Dad are still out there helping the innocent monsters. A lot of them were attacked too by the angry ones but thankfully I don't think anyone got seriously hurt. From now on, everything is going to be better for everyone. The Butterfly family means it. I mean it. You know Marco… I think you're right. Right about me being queen in my own way. I can make it actually work. There's still a lot of silly puff stuff I still don't get, but at least I can make a difference in my own way." Star spoke with a determined look, but soon closed her eyes to rest. With each slow rise and fall of Marco's chest and a warm light shining through a nearby window, she was lulled closer and closer into a deep, relaxing sleep.
"Yup! It's just like I told you. When your day comes, it's your time. I mean, that's pretty cool to think about, right? Star Butterfly, Queen of Mewni! Oh that just sounds awesome, don't you think?" Marco was quietly interrupted by the sound of Star's soft breaths. This was so her - letting all the exhaustion catch up to her making her knock out in the middle of a conversation. He didn't mind, though. He simply smiled and planted a tiny kiss on her forehead.
"You're going to do great, my queen."
I saw a lot of sad fics and art for day 4's "recovery" theme :( lol i got so bummed that i whipped this up in one night. It's a little rushed but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. thanks for reading :3