Lovers of the World

Marco had asked Jackie out to the movies. And she had agreed. A reminder entered his head and he groaned as he realised what today was.

Star looked at him with puzzlement. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted Jackie to go out with you."

"Yeah, but it's also Friendship Thursday! How could I have forgotten about it!" Marco slapped his forehead and then looked around for Jackie. She was nowhere to be found in the crowds of people.

"I'm going to ask to cancel and put it to another day," he informed Star.

"No, you won't," Star protested. "You've been crushing on her for so long and this is your biggest chance!"

"But what about-"

"I'll be fine," Star waved his concerns off. "You just have fun with Jackie."

"You sure?" asked Marco.

"Yeah, of course! I can make my own fun. Going to other dimensions, maybe even visiting Ponyhead at St. Olga's."

"If you say so."

"And I do say so," Star nodded. "Now come on, Ms. Skullnick is going to yell at us if we're late!"

The date with Jackie was fun and without any problems. But there had been a thought in his head that he couldn't explain, a thought that kept him from enjoying the full experience of the date. The thought of 'I wonder what Star's doing' infested his mind. Other thoughts naturally followed. Ones such as, 'I wonder if she's having fun without me' or 'I wish Star had seen that.' It was unexplainable. Jackie, his lifelong crush, was on a date with him and all he could think about was the Mewnian princess that was his best friend.

A question entered his mind that night. 'Why do I care about Star so much?'

….

It was now a few weeks later and the question was still burning in his head. During that time, another question entered into in his head. Thankfully, he had someone to ask.

Mr. Diaz was in the kitchen making a snack. Mrs. Diaz had some sort of meeting to attend to for work. In the meanwhile, Star had to temporarily go back to Mewni for some royal business.

"Dad?" Marco went up to his father. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure mijo, what do you need?" Rafael replied.

"How do you know if you love someone?" Marco blurted out.

"So, what prompted this?" His father asked with raised eyebrow.

"I don't know… I've just been… having feelings that I don't know what are."

His father nodded and turned to the stove. "Okay. Well, do you care for them?"

"Yeah…" Marco had expected his father to some something like this but it didn't make it any less embarrassing.

"Do your feelings change with theirs?"

"What?"

"Do you feel sad when they're sad and happy when they're happy?"

"I feel that way with you and mom," Marco replied.

"Aw, so you do still love your parents, that's good to know," Mr. Diaz chuckled.

"Dad," Marco whined out.

"Okay, okay." Marco's dad became serious again. "Do you feel especially happy or sad with them?"

Marco thought about how Star's smile always seem to brighten up his days. It wasn't his fault that her smiles were so contagious. Plus, her hugs were always nice. And when she was downtrodden during the time Oskar hadn't called her, he went through the plan of luring monsters to Earth so she could feel better by beating them up. Was it actually love though? The two of them were just friends, right? Marco would feel bad if anyone was sad. Okay, maybe not for Jeremy, but you get the point. But would he have gone to the same lengths he did for Star? For someone like Jackie? He internally shook his head. He was thinking about it way too much.

"I… guess…" Marco hesitantly answered his dad's question.

"Do they have a special place in your heart?"

"Um…" Star was just his best friend, right? He cared about her, but she cared about him too. It was only natural for him to want to return the favor.

"You don't have to answer it now," Rafael said. "You shouldn't worry about something like this when you're so young. You've got plenty of time to decide who to let into your heart. And you'll know when you really love somebody. You'll feel warm and happy when they're next to you, like your heart has sang a song of pure joy that lights up your body. Your fears and worries will melt away by their smile. Your-"

"I think I get the point, dad," Marco interrupted. He exited the kitchen and made his way up to his room.

"And remember, trust is very important in a relationship," his dad yelled. "You shouldn't fall in love with someone that you can't trust."

Inside of his room, Marco flopped down onto the bed. He groaned at the fact that Star made his life even more complicated than it should be. They were now best friends, but could they be something more? Did he want to take that chance? If Star didn't reciprocate his feelings, then there might be a chance of ruining their friendship. In addition, Star was a princess to a kingdom while he was basically just a commoner. With Star, it wasn't just having a girlfriend, it was a life changing decision. He would have to be king and rule with her if he followed through on this.

'You'll know when you really love someone.' His father's words echoed in this head. Marco sighed at his own uncertainty. Why couldn't he just have a crush on Jackie?

…...

Marco's inner thoughts hadn't gone away but increased as the days went by. He started to notice more and more about what his dad had said. There was this unexplainable feeling of warmth that coursed through his body when he saw her bright smile.

However, the thought of ruining their friendship still remained and had him distracted. Star asked him if he was okay and he waved off her concerns by saying that he had been staying up too late. It was technically true and she didn't need to know the real reason.

…...

It was now Friendship Thursday and Marco had asked his dad for advice once more.

"With your mom, I just went up to her and asked her out," Rafael said.

"That's it?" asked Marco.

"Yep, that's it."

"So what would you have done if you were rejected?"

"I would have been extremely sad, but I think I would've moved on sooner or later," Mr. Diaz shrugged. "A lot of people's first love isn't their last, you know. There are plenty of fish in the sea, as they say."

"Hmm…"

"And it's better to tell that person sooner rather than later. So what if you get rejected? You'll be free of those nervous thoughts."

"Okay, thanks dad."

"You're welcome," Rafael ruffled his son's hair. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

"Dad!"

….

Marco calmed down his nerves as he prepared to ask Star out. Pacing around the kitchen and taking deep breaths, he waited for her to come home. Star bursted through the front door.

"Hey Marco," she said excitedly. "You feelin' good enough for Friendship Thursday?"

"Yeah," he replied with a smile and nod. "Hey Star?"

"Hmm?"

"You want to go out tonight?"

Star looked towards the front door. "Outside? What's happening outside tonight? Ooh, is there going to be a party? Or is it one of those Earth traditions?"

"No, not outside!" Marco yelled. "Go out, like a date."

Star looked at him with a puzzled face and he was impressed that he was still able to have eye contact with her.

"Oh, I get it. You're practicing to ask Jackie out again. I knew something was bothering you." She went up to him and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. She's already gone out with you."

"No! This has nothing to do with Jackie! I'm asking you," Marco pointed at her. "to go out on a date with me." He pointed at himself.

Star put her right hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should get some rest, your face is super red right now."

He gently removed her hand. "I'm fine! It's just that I've been talking to my dad and… uh… andIthinkIlikeyou." He looked towards the floor as his face burned up.

"Huh?"

"I think I like you," Marco repeated in a slower pace. "You know, like like you."

"Oh…" Star's hearts on her cheeks began to glow.

The silence between the two made Marco feel like the air was thickening more and more with each passing second.

Star broke the silence. "Well, I think I like like you too." Marco felt his stress completely melt away and sighed. Another moment of of awkward silence followed. He had planned for rejection but not for this.

Once again, Star broke the silence. "So, what now?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"What about that date?"

AN: Inspired by the song "Lovers of the World" by Jerry Wallace