Disclaimer: I do not own Star Vs The Forces of Evil. It's a pretty good enough show as is, and it doesn't need a fanfic author telling it what to do. ...oh, I made myself sad...

Of Magical Wands and Safety Helmets
Presence

Marco closed the door behind him and made his way to bed. His pajama top was slightly askew, a couple buttons unfastened, but with how stiff his arm still was, he didn't care if his sleeping attire was a little messy. Climbing into bed, he pulled the covers over his body as much as he could, being careful to lean on his good shoulder when doing so. He leaned over, turned off the light, and then settled back into bed.

He blinked.

"Star, I know you're there. Get out here."

He heard a shuffling from underneath his bed, and Star's head popped out from beneath the side. "What's up?"

He narrowed an eye and sighed. "What are you doing under there?"

"Protecting you against monsters the bed."

"...monsters don't live under peoples' beds. That's just an urban legend."

She nodded sagaciously. "Ah, that's just what they want you to think. Actually, the bed's undercarriage is the best place for monsters to reside - surprisingly roomy and all the dust bunnies and discarded snack foods they can eat."

Marco raised a hand to palm his face and decided against it; he'd need all the energy he had to get through this conversation. "...just get up here."

Star grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled herself out, somehow being dexterous enough to do a front flip onto his bed. She kneeled while he pulled himself into a sitting position, flipping the lamp on so that he'd have enough light to see by. He looked the girl over.

At the very least, she wasn't wearing her full battle armor and wielding a mace like when he'd first realized she was watching him. Instead, she was in her nightwear and almost looked at home except for the grim and determined frown fixed on her face. Her wand was clutched loosely in her hands, but he noticed how her fingers would inch up and down the artifact's handle, almost as though she was ready to blast any intruder or aggressor at a moment's (and probably not even thought's) notice.

He sighed. "Star, we have to talk."

"Sure," she chirped, her fierce visage melting into the gooier, more laidback features he was used to. "What'cha need? You want me to get you a glass of water? A nighttime snack? The heads of your enemies?"

"...what was the last one?"

"The head of your enemies," she repeated dutifully.

"...you weren't supposed to actually- never mind." Why did he think Star would have the tact to not show the more bloodthirsty aspects of her nature? How long had they been friends? Also, considering what he was able to gather of Mewni culture, he could see how that was a completely viable option. "Listen, some things need to change around here."

"I know!" Star huffed indignantly. "Your home's defenses are woefully unprepared for any kind of lasting assault against it. If someone tries to besiege the place, you don't even have any spots to dump boiling oil on them!" She gestured vaguely with her hand (the one with the wand, he absently noted). "Not to mention you don't have nearly enough shooty-stabby holes."

"I don't even-" He groaned and rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "No, see, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. This..." He made a circling motion in her direction. "This whole thing needs to stop."

She gave him a quizzical, confused look in return. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? I'm talking about... this!"

She laughed. "Jeez, Marco, you gotta be more specific. 'This,'" she made quotes with her fingers, "isn't going to tell me anything."

He twitched. This was going a lot worse and stupider than he'd hoped. "Star, this whole 'protecting me' shtick has to stop."

She blew a raspberry. "Oh, is the big, strong wild man embarrassed that he's being protected by his girl bestie? I thought we went over that junk already."

He narrowed both eyes at her evasiveness. "No, this guy is embarrassed by his best friend smothering him."

Star snorted. "What'cha-"

"I'm serious, Star," he interrupted. He was starting to get annoyed by the facetious way Star was treating the whole situation, like she didn't know exactly what he was talking about. "Things are getting way too out of hand here. You're getting out of hand."

She gave him a smoothing smile, which was somewhat marred by the small twitch to the corners of her lips. "Marco, you kinda do need some extra protecting now."

"I'm not an invalid, Star."

She poked him in the chest and flicked a stray loose button. "Says the boy who can't even dress himself properly."

He swatted her hand away, perhaps with a bit more force than he'd meant. "Darn it, Star, I'm not joking," he growled. The girl's smile slipped a bit. "You're going overboard with... with everything!"

"But Marco, I'm just trying to-"

He steamrolled ahead. There was no way she was going to sidestep or evade him now. "Following me to the bathroom, both in private and in public? Blasting anything that seems even the slightest suspicious? Watching me when I sleep? Those aren't normal, Star!"

"I just want to keep you safe!"

"From what? From everything? Nothing here is going to hurt me! There's nothing in Echo Creek that's suddenly going to attack or eat or stomp on me!"

"There could be! You never know what-"

"There's nothing here like that!" His emotions pouring out, Marco didn't even pause to consider what he said next. "In fact, the only thing that could harm is you."

The room went silent.

Star looked like someone had punched her in the gut. Tears came to her eyes, and Marco panicked at the thought that she'd start crying. That was all he needed - trying to have a serious conversation with the girl and instead he'd emotionally broken her.

His fears went (somewhat) unfounded, as the girl made a huge snort and stopped the tears from falling through an act of sheer force of will. Star drew her arm across her face and wiped away the wetness from her eyes, consequently wiping a stream of snot along her arm.

"I knew it," she muttered darkly. "I really am nothing but trouble."

"Star, I-" Marco tried to say, but she barged on ahead.

"It's true! Ever since I got here, I've caused nothing but chaos in your life! And look where it ended up!" She flung an arm out recklessly and pointed at his bad shoulder. "I got you shot and sent to the hospital! What kind of friend, what kind of person, am I?"

"You can't blame yourself for that!" he said. "You weren't the one who shot me!"

"But you wouldn't have even been in place to get shot if I hadn't forced you to!"

Marco seethed and hissed through his teeth. "Don't think you forced me to do anything! I came along of my own free will!"

"But I was the one who forced their hand! If I had just listened to you, pulled back, gotten some reinforcements, you wouldn't have... wouldn't have..."

"Star, I was-"

"You could have died!" she cried. This time, she didn't even try to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. "If I hadn't gotten you to a hospital in time, if I hadn't kept myself calm long enough, if I hadn't been so stupid in the first place... You could have died, and it would've been all my fault!"

"But I'm not dead!"

"And you being injured is any better?" she growled harshly, her fear, rage, despair, and anxiety bubbling together and out of her throat like a caged beast. "If that arrow had landed anywhere else, your arm could've... could've..."

"But it didn't," he stressed. "Besides," he said, grasping at straws, "chicks dig scars right?" The twin marks on his front and back from where the arrow had entered and the doctors had pushed out was already starting to scab over. It wouldn't be some great show of a thing, but he was certain the guys would find it cool beyond belief.

His joke had the opposite effect. Star's face collapsed, and she gave up any semblance of keeping it together. She started to bawl and made as if to run away, turning her body to scramble off the bed.

He didn't think, he didn't ponder, he just did. Marco launched forward and wrapped his arms around Star, pulling the girl into a tight hug. The blonde weakly tried to escape his grasp, but he just tightened his grip. As he did, his injured shoulder screamed in pain, and tears collected in the corners of his eyes, but Marco refused to show any signs of discomfort. He thought that if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep hold of the still squirming girl.

"Star. Star!" he whispered tersely, gritting his teeth. "Star, I'm here; I'm right here." He leaned his head on the girl's shoulders. "I'm here, I'm not anywhere else. I'm... just here."

The girl's wriggling died down, as did her crying. "Mar...co?"

"I'm here, Star," he repeated. "I'm here. I can't... I can't say I'll always be here, but I'm here now."

Her hands found purchase on his pajamas, and he could feel her nails digging into the fabric and partially into his skin. "But what if you aren't anymore? What if... what if I, what if someone-"

"Star, I'm here... for as long as I can be." Marco forged on through the pain and tightened his hold, his arm now completely on fire. The girl squeaked as he did. "I can't say anything about the future, but... but Star." He closed his eyes and rested his face full on her neck. "I'll be here, with you, for as long as I can be. You're my friend, my partner. You can't always protect me-"

Her nails scratched his flesh and her chin lodged firmly into the crook of his neck. "Like Mewni I can't."

He chuckled, a hitch to his voice, but from the pain or sudden burst of mirth at her words he couldn't tell. "You'll try, I know. But... but you also have to know... that... that's just life, Star. You, you can't always predict what's going to happen. I..." He laughed softly. "I didn't predict my best friend would turn out to be a completely psychotic princess from another dimension with a penchant for setting things on fire and kicking fairytale monsters' teeth in."

He felt her shrug and heard a light giggle on her breath. "I guess I didn't think my bestie would be a total wet blanket who organizes his underwear by the days of the week."

"It's organization at its finest," he defended. She giggled again, louder. He smiled and took a deep breath. "But you see, we can't know what happens next. We just... we just have to take it as it comes and hope for the best."

"But what if you-"

"I'll try not to. But... sometimes... you just have to roll with the punches. You know, like we always do."

She remained quiet for a few moments. Marco started to speak again, hoping to quell any more fears she might have, but then she suddenly spoke up. Her voice was soft, and he could hear the tremble in her tone, but there was something... radiant... and hopeful there, too.

"You promise. You really promise you'll be here?"

"...for as long as I can."

"...then I guess I can tone down what I've been doing a bit." She cut him off before he could respond. "Just a bit! Just until your shoulder gets better!"

He laughed hoarsely. "I think I can deal with that."

The two stayed like that, each holding the other, until Marco felt an uncomfortable, aching twinge pulsing from his shoulder and radiating throughout his entire body. He suddenly felt drained, and his hold on the girl started to loosen, his arms weak and lethargic.

"Star?"

"Hmm?" she hummed contentedly.

"Promise you're not gonna freak out or anything but... I think I'm gonna take a nap now..."

Her voice was filled with confusion. "What are you-"

Marco's arms fell away from Star, and his surroundings and awareness dimmed. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Star's scared and somewhat furious expression, and he wondered if he had perhaps lost some of the credibility he'd built up with that heartfelt talk.

Ah well, he supposed that was the price he had to pay for pushing himself (and his injury) further than he should've. Still, in the end, he considered it an equitable price as long as fixed this whole mess he and Star had found themselves in. If it meant they could go back to how they used to be, a little fainting was well worth it.

Still, he mused, when he woke up again, what kind of expression would be on Star's face then?

He really hoped it was a smile.

A/N: Penultimate episode of the arc. This one had a lot more dialogue than I usually write for these drabbles, but I felt it would be impossible to get the point of the chapter across with just narration. Also, I wanted to show more of the actual relationship between Star and Marco... even if it got a wee bit too melodramatic at times.

Once again, if you guys have any criticisms, please tell me. Do you enjoy the longer chapters, the dialogue, or are the shorter, more lemony narrator ones more to you liking? Are the mini-arc ones any good? As much as I like positive reviews, 'negative' ones with constructive criticism are also dearly adored. In any case, the last episode of the mini-arc is coming up next, and then we're back to random drabbles and such. See ya then.