Marco was not looking forward to this. He had to pack, and then say his good byes. It was time to return to Earth. But there was something important he, reluctantly, had to do first.
He reflected on the recent events, of returning to Mewni only to become a prisoner of Ludo. Of starting a rebellion, such as it was, consisting of three artists and himself, and unsurprisingly short lived. Watching his best friend killed, he thought, by Ludo's exploding wand. Again thinking she had been killed by the monster Toffee. And watching Star in her beautiful, and frightening, butterfly form practically disintegrate the hated monster. Who, thankfully, was now dead.
His emotions had been in turmoil, from fear, anger, the anguish of loss, and the joy of rebirth. It was emotional turmoil of a different kind he now had to face.
He met Star in a sitting alcove in a seldom traveled part of the castle. Normally ebullient if not outright giddy, she was reserved, her shoulders slumped. A single tear rolled down the heart shaped mark on her cheek.
"Do you really have to go?" she asked.
"I do," Marco replied. "But I asked you here because we need to talk."
Marco sat on the bench. Star hesitated, then sat next to him, facing him.
"We need ..." Marco paused, suddenly frightened. What if he destroyed their friendship? Screwing up his courage, he cleared his throat and started again. "We need to come clean with each other because you said contradictory things to me the night you left. I have to ask you again, do you have a crush on me?"
Marco saw panic on Star's face. She leapt up, and Marco knew she was about to flee, again. He quickly grabbed her hand. "The truth. Please," he said.
Star gained control of herself, and sat. Marco released her hand. She stared at the floor, and quietly said "yes, I do."
His turmoil increased as Marco knew it would, if she confirmed her confession.
"I know you don't feel the same way, and I know I hurt you and Jackie," she said so quickly it was almost a single word.
"Star, you didn't hurt me," Marco replied. "You've confused me."
Star shut her eyes tightly. "Marco, I am so sorry."
"Please don't be." It was Marco's turn to look at the floor.
"You're my best friend, and I love you as my best friend." Star had looked up when she heard the l-word. Marco still could not meet her gaze.
"We do so much together. I feel closer to you than any friend I've ever had. I think we're closer than even best friends normally are." A waver entered his voice. "I thought I lost you forever three times in such a very short time, and each time I was devastated. The joy I felt when I saw you alive was indescribable. I felt a little fear, too, as you were a butterfly monster after all."
They both chuckled uncomfortably.
"I might have been developing feelings for you, but after the Blood Moon Ball you told me you wanted to be just friends. I thought that was right, that never in a million years would somebody wonderful like you, a princess, think of me in that way. And I was still crushing on Jackie. But I also thought Jackie would never think of me in that way. And now she does."
Marco risked a glance at Star. He saw the confusion on her face. He wondered if it was as deep as his own.
"When we played Truth or Punishment," he continued, "at first Jackie had a crush on that boy from skate camp. After she discovered I had crush on her, she wasn't certain any more. You said yourself that your head and your heart can disagree. You think you know how you feel about something, but then it changes."
Marco raised his head to look Star in the eyes. He took her hands into his.
"I am confused because I think my head and my heart disagree. My heart says I don't ever want to lose you again, that I can hardly bear to be apart from you. But my head says I have a girlfriend; her name is Jackie."
At that Star looked away.
"Star," Marco said so softly and sadly, that Star turned back and looked him in the eyes. "I have to return to Earth, and get my head and heart to agree. I love you as my very best friend, but had I known ..."
He stopped, he couldn't go on.
He stood, and walked back to his room, leaving a numb Star on the bench. He packed all his few belongings into his duffel bag. He smiled as his Johansen loincloth joined his Love Sentence toothbrush, corn soap, a Goblin Dog, and other personal items and mementos. He picked up his bag, took a deep breath, and walked out the bedroom door.
There Foolduke, Ruberiot and Mime lifted him off his feet, begging him to stay a little longer. He smiled, but had to refuse.
Ruberiot said their goodbye, then Mime flipped Marco across the room to the feet of the King and Queen. While Marco was packing, Star had joined her parents. She looked decidedly sad.
River gave his goodbye in the Johansen way, then, to Marco's surprise and pride, gave him a knight's cape and an offer of knighthood. Moon kissed him goodbye on his forehead. He then said his goodbye to Star.
"I guess this is it," he said.
"Well, bye," she replied.
Marco opened a portal with his dimensional scissors and began to walk through. Star suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back.
"I need a longer goodbye than that," she said.
"Me too," replied Marco. The gave each other a hard, lingering hug.
As Marco was leaving for the final time, he asked Star to let him know if she found his missing hoodie. Then he was gone.
Star sadly climbed the stairs, wanting to be alone in her room. She felt a horrible emptiness, and wondered what everything Marco said had meant. Their goodbye had sounded like he was leaving forever, but he also said he could not bear to be apart from her. When he made his head and heart agree, did that mean her or Jackie? What did "had I known" mean?
Star found an acceptable spot, then brandished her wand. Softly she said "sparkle glitter bomb expand." Her room sprang into existence. She entered the room, and dejectedly lay on her bed. After a few seconds she rolled onto her stomach, checked to make sure nobody had followed her into the room, then pulled the missing hoodie out from between the mattress and footboard.
She took a deep sniff, gagging at the smells of adventures past ... happy adventures with Marco. She smiled.
"He said he loves me."