Hey. It's Part 3. It's also the last part.
By the third go around, any trace of awkwardness had long since vanished. Star and Marco were once-hundred percent comfortable around each other once again, and they enjoyed themselves quite a bit. By their sixth encounter, they had all but mastered their abilities in bed. Marco actually felt very proud of himself that night. He'd managed to get Star off twice, and she was very appreciative.
By their tenth time, Star was getting a little bored of the same old thing, especially since Janna started sending her links to...videos. Star had been apprehensive to watch at first, but soon found herself mesmerized and very turned on. Even more surprising still, she found herself wanting to try out some of the things she saw, but she wasn't sure that sweet, innocent Marco would be willing to get adventurous.
So, as a test, she decided she'd ease Marco into the idea of "spicing things up" by starting out with something simple.
As she allowed Marco to remove her dress for their eleventh rendezvous, she watched with amusement as his eyes bugged out when he caught sight of her in lacy, black, semi-transparent undergarments.
"See something you like, Marco?" she teased, seductively caressing her own curves.
"Star...wow..." Marco tugged at the collar of his T-shirt as if he couldn't breathe. "You look...so...hot."
Marco elected not to remove Star's bra. It was the best sex yet as far as Star was concerned, and from the way Marco panted for breath afterwards she assumed he agreed.
Star kicked it up a little higher the following week, forgoing one of her usual dresses for a tank top and shorts. When the appointed time arrived, she led Marco down the hallway to his room by the hand and steered him to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Sit on your hands," she told him. She'd considered borrowing handcuffs from Janna to restrain him, but had a feeling that was probably going way too far way too soon and worried she might give Marco a heart attack. Star had her doubts that he'd be into that, anyway.
"Sit on my hands? Why?"
"Because. You're not allowed to touch me until I say so." She pulled her phone from her pocket, searching for a music track.
"...Why?"
An evil smirk crept onto Star's face as she pressed play and tossed the phone on the bed as the music started. "Because I'm going to do a striptease for you."
Marco swallowed, just the very idea of watching his best friend do a strip dance arousing him. "...Ohhh...But why do I have to sit on my hands?"
Star cupped her hand under Marco's chin. "Because when you're at the club, you're not allowed to touch the dancers," she whispered.
Her words were enough to get Marco's imagination spinning. His subconscious conjured a mental image of Star up on a stage, spinning around a pole as she tossed away her bra. He was so aroused it became literally painful, and Star hadn't yet even begun to undress. He watched her shimmy slowly out of her clothes, mesmerized at her seductive swaying, before climbing onto his lap and throwing her arms around his neck.
"I'd ask if you enjoyed that, but I can feel you through your pants," Star told him with an amused smile.
"That was, like, the hottest thing I've ever seen."
Star giggled. "Good to know I'd make a good stripper."
Marco just about fainted from lack of blood to his brain.
That night, they both finished twice.
Months passed.
Regardless of how increasingly sexy he found his best friend to be or how satisfying the almost-weekly-sex was (some weeks it just simply was not possible due to biology), Marco would have traded all the lingerie, stripteases, and orgasms in the world just to be able to tell Star how he felt and have her reciprocate his feelings. For an hour or so once a week after they'd finished their sexual romp, he got to touch her, hold her, snuggle beneath the covers and be warm and cozy with her, and feel complete. The rest of the week, he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, feeling more alone than he ever had in his entire life, wishing he could tell Star that he was in love with her. But at the very least, he had that all-too short hour or so after sex on Sundays to be with her.
Summer arrived. Merging with Mewni had done strange things to the weather all over the Earth. In Echo Creek, summers became disgustingly hot and sticky to the point that even Tom was uncomfortable. One particularly scorching Sunday evening in July, there was a blackout. A massive spider had spun a web around a transformer downtown and Buff Frog was leading local authorities into battle against it. No electricity meant no air conditioning, and Marco's apartment was almost as hot inside as it was outside. He answered the door at the sound of Star's knock and found her leaning against the door frame.
"Marco, I'm meltiiiiiiiiing," she moaned despairingly.
"Yeah, me too. I guess I know what today's activity is," he said as he stood aside to allow her entry. "Beat the heat. I'd ask if you want to go to the beach, but I'm pretty sure the sand has turned molten."
"And there's no shade. At least in here we're out of the sun." Star floofed the skirt of her dress, attempting to release some of the heat trapped beneath. "Why did I wear a dress today? It's too hot for this thing!" She smirked. "We should just hang out naked!"
Marco was intrigued. "All evening?"
"All evening! It's the only way to cool off, Marco!" She was already pulling the dress over her head. "And it'll be fun!"
He shrugged. "Can't argue with logic like that."
It was still hot even without clothes, but it was significantly more comfortable. After making and eating dinner (not-so-cold sandwiches) they adjourned to Marco's bedroom. It was far to hot to think about holding hands, let alone having sex, so they laid sprawled out on Marco's bed, just talking. Despite the fact that neither wore a stitch, the subject of sex never once came up. They talked about school, and work, and the former Mewni queens' never ending efforts to better integrate human, Mewman, and Monster lives. They talked about Magic, and reminisced about the early years of their friendship back when Star was a princess. They talked about their friends, and how Star couldn't believe Pony Head was getting back together with Seahorse again.
They talked into the wee hours of the morning, Star staying even longer than usual. And when she finally got dressed and left, Marco felt more alone than ever.
A year passed since the two best friends had their first time, and they were still having sex nearly every time Star visited Marco's apartment. By now, they had experimented enough to know exactly what the other's limits were and what the other liked. Star was willing to go way further in pornographic territory, but Marco wasn't comfortable with many of the things she wanted to do. She was fine with that, though. Even though there were plenty of things that sounded wild and fun that Marco wouldn't do, he still never failed to satisfy her (well, except for that one time, but there were extenuating circumstances, and they had both agreed to never talk about the string bean incident ever again) and she supposed she couldn't ask for more than that.
They'd had a few mild adventures and surprises. One in particular stood out. On that night, their luck ran out as the ten percent chance of Marco "going off like a canon" finally caught up with them. It resulted in two very unexpected outcomes. Marco had expected it to be painful, but found it was in fact quite the opposite. Sure, he was thrown off the bed and haphazardly crashed to the floor, but the pleasure was so intense that he didn't even realize until a full minute later that he'd dislocated his shoulder. Star ended up having to take him to the emergency room.
Marco was miserable. After nearly two years, he and Star had experienced nearly one hundred intimate engagements. They'd been fun, hot, sexy, but he enjoyed the sex less and less. Bring so intimate with Star whilst being completely in love with her was torture. He found himself trying to get it over with so he could snuggle with Star afterwards and feel her body pressed against his as they relaxed.
I must be the only male to ever live that cares more about cuddling than sex, he thought to himself. He wished there was someone he could open up to, but it was an unspoken rule between he and Star that their almost-weekly engagements were kept secret.
For a while, Marco wondered if he were really truly in love with Star. After all, he didn't develop feelings for her until after they'd had sex. Maybe it was just a result of that intimate contact. He knew all the psychological effects sex had on the human brain. He thought maybe his feelings would fade after a while. They didn't. They only grew stronger.
He tried to tell himself that he shouldn't be in love with Star. One night, after he ended his nightly video call with his bestie, Marco opened a text document on his computer. He typed "List of Reasons Why I Shouldn't be in Love with Star Butterfly." He stared at the screen for nearly an hour as he tried to come up with even a single reason before he finally typed:
She doesn't love me back.
He shut his laptop and crawled into bed. For another hour, he stared at the ceiling, longing for Star's touch as he did every night, while he made a mental list of all the reasons why it made perfect sense for him to be in love with his best friend.
He finally fell asleep around item 126.
"Why shouldn't I be in love with Star?" Marco asked himself in bathroom mirror one night. "I'm more comfortable with Star than I am with anyone else in the whole world! She's my best friend! She's caring and thoughtful and sweet and funny and brave and smart and beautiful..."
Marco leaned on the vanity counter top. He felt weak. His chest ached. He wanted to rip his heart out and make these feelings go away. But he knew that he could not stop loving Star anymore than he could stop breathing.
And he was terrified to tell her.
Marco pushed the straps of Star's dress from her shoulders and she let the garment fall to the ground, stepping forward out of it. After she removed his shirt, he undid her bra, and strategically dropped it behind her back, dropping it atop her dress. He did the same with her panties, and then, taking her in his arms, quickly pushed her back to the bed. But he was not entirely focused on Star. He was focused on his own right foot. As he walked Star backwards, he flipped the edge of her dress overtop of her undergarments, and then nudged the package of clothing toward the bed as they walked and pushed them under the dust ruffle.
Five minutes into their weekly mission, the sound of the air conditioner kicking on pricked at his ears. Rigging up the A/C to kick on at a designated time had not been an easy task, but Marco was determined just to spend more post-coitus snuggle time with his bestie. Every week, she seemed to leave sooner than the last, and it physically hurt inside when her presence vanished.
Some time later, he watched her scan the room for her garments. "Where are my clothes?"
Marco shrugged, even though she wasn't looking in his direction. "I don't know." He watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her sides. She even shivered.
"It's so cold in here! Where the heck did my clothes go?"
Before Marco knew it, his plan came to fruition. Star slid back into his arms and snuggled up against him to warm herself, and he held her tightly. After teasing him a bit, Star relaxed again and resigned to stay a little longer. At first, Marco was content. He had succeeded in extending snuggle time with Star, and he was cozy and warm. But then, Star's teasing words began to echo back at him in his subconscious.
"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you hid my clothes somehow to keep me naked as long as possible."
Marco felt guilty. It felt manipulative, and it gave him an icky feeling in his gut.
He sighed. "Star, I'm sorry. I...I did hide your clothes, and made it super cold in here...just to try to get you to stay longer."
She smiled at him and gave him a squeeze. "Yeah, I know."
Marco felt his muscles tense. "You...do?"
"Mhm. I know you don't want cuddle time to end. But somehow, after all this time, you're still afraid to tell me anything." She looked deep into his eyes. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Marco. We're best friends. The best of best friends. We've been doing this for almost two years now. If there's something you want, just ask." She squeezed him again. "I know you like touching me and snuggling. I can't stay all night, but if you want me to stay longer, then just ask." She stared at him expectantly. He just blinked. "Ask me, Marco."
"Star, can we please cuddle a little longer?"
"Of course, Marco! I love snuggling with you." She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes again. "I'd stay all night if I could."
Marco hadn't been expecting that. "You would?"
"Mhm." She sighed contentedly. "There's no one I feel more comfortable with than you, and right now, I am very comfortable. Like I said, I gotta go back to my place, but I'm more than happy to stay a little longer."
They lay together happily for half an hour more. Marco felt more relaxed and at ease than he had in months. Then Star decided that she absolutely had to leave. Marco told her where to find her clothing under the bed, and watched her as she dressed, still longing to hold her and marveling at how beautiful she was.
As she dressed, Star unexpectedly gasped. "Marco! Oh my gosh! Your birthday is coming up!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess it is." Marco was still laying in bed, just watching Star get dressed. Her words almost didn't register in his head.
"You know what we should do? It's a Tuesday, right? Let's both clear our schedules for that day and we'll spend the entire day together! We haven't had an entire day together since summer!" She sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her hair to the side so that Marco could zip the back of her dress.
Marco couldn't help but smile. It was no exaggeration that he and Star had become incredibly busy in the last few years, and it was a very rare occurrence that the pair had an entire day to spend, just the two of them. "I'd love that, Star."
She turned around and knelt beside the bed, putting her at eye level with Marco. "What should we do that day? Explore the National Park of Certain Death? Go to the pier? Or the beach? Or-"
Marco wasn't listening. He knew exactly how he wanted to spend his birthday: Snuggled up in bed with Star.
"-we could go play laser tag! Or we could go rock climbing! Or we could-"
"-spend the whole day in bed."
Star smirked. "Oh, I see how it is. Diaz wants special birthday sex."
Marco's blood ran cold. Did I say that out loud? THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY IN MY HEAD! "Star, no! I meant- What I mean is-"
He suddenly found Star hopping up on the bed, kneeling astride him on all fours, and pressing the tip of her nose against his, her golden hair falling all around them and tickling his face. Marco's heart pounded. The urge to kiss her when she was that close was overwhelming. "I don't know why I didn't think of that. You got it, Diaz."
"I-I-I just wanted to spend time alone. With you."
Star leaned back, giggling. "Marco, we've banging for like two years. It's not like it's some big secret that we're attracted to each other. If you want to spend your birthday dressed in your birthday suit with me, I happily acquiesce." She pulled back the blankets and ran her finger tip down Marco's pecks. "Not like I need convincing."
Marco swallowed. "Thanks, Star."
"No sweat. Well, I mean, a whole day in bed together, there will actually probably be a good deal of sweat, if you know what I mean." She waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively. "You know, I still have those chains from when you restrained me to keep me from sleep-portaling. Maybe I'll bring 'em over. You can tie me up and do whatever you want to me."
"Cuddling in chains sounds uncomfortable."
Star smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Marco. You're so sweet. I should have known you'd say that." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We have to do something special. It's your birthday!" She scrunched her lips together, deep in thought. "Hmm...well, I'm sure we'll think of something." She hopped off the bed. "It's late. I really gotta go." She gave him an awkward sideways hug. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Two weekends fell between the night Marco hid Star's clothes and his birthday. Star declined sex or cuddling on both occasions. "It'll make your birthday more special if we both go without for a little while," she'd explained. "We'll want it more."
Marco quickly determined that was indeed the case. Whereas his normal nighttime routine was to lie in bed and miss his best friend's presence feeling empty inside until he eventually fell asleep, he now began to crave sex as much as he did cuddling.
On the other hand, not making contact with Star for so long gave him time to really consider his feelings.
I can't go on hurting inside like this, he thought to himself one night. I have to know if this is how I really feel or just a side effect of intimate contact. Because if I really do feel this way, I've got to tell her.
The conclusion that he reached was that he could not stop loving Star any more than he could stop breathing.
"I have to tell her," he said aloud to himself as he stared into the bathroom mirror. His birthday was the following day "I'll tell her tomorrow when she comes over. As soon as she gets here. I'll just say, 'Star, I really need to talk to you about something and it can't wait."
He turned and left the bathroom, flicking off the light switch as he did. But he froze in the middle of the hall. "But if I tell her right away...she might leave..."
Marco was still anxiously pondering as he climbed into bed. He glanced at his alarm clock. It read 11:34. Star would be arriving at his door in less than eight hours' time to spend the entire day with him. He didn't know how she would react to him confessing his feelings, but for all he knew, it could be the end of their friendship.
"Okay...I'm gonna tell Star tomorrow. But at the end of the day."
"Happy birthday, Marco!"
"Thanks, St- OOF!" The air rushed from Marco's lungs as Star wrapped him in a crushing celebratory hug. "Star...can't...breathe...!"
She released him, and pushed the door closed behind her. "I stopped at Britta's and got breakfast burritos. Do you want to eat them in the kitchen or-" She winked at him. "-in bed?"
"...Um..."
"That's what I thought!" Star grabbed Marco by the hand and dragged him to his bedroom. She dropped her backpack beside the bed and stood before her bestie. "I'm yours for the whole day, Marco. We can do whatever you want. We can have sex as many times as you want, however you want. Or we can just snuggle in the nude all day." She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Would you like to undress me? Or would you like me to give you a special birthday striptease?"
Marco swallowed. He couldn't deny that he found the occasions when Star danced for him extremely hot, but today, he had something in mind, and a striptease didn't quite fit the mood. "I'll...I'd like to undress you."
Star looked disappointed. "Aw, you sure?"
Marco nodded and got to his feet. "I'm sure."
Star smiled softly and held her hair to the side so that he could locate the zipper on her dress. He slid her dress to the floor, and his eyes about popped out when he saw what she wore underneath. Star bit her lip. "You like? I bought this just for the occasion."
Her strappy, red undergarments barely covered her private areas, not that it mattered whether or not they did, because the fabric was so thin that everything underneath was prominently on display.
Marco nodded. "You could make a burlap sack look amazing, Star. In this...you're breathtaking."
She giggled. "Thank you."
Marco slowly and carefully removed the delicate garments. As he did, Star found herself craving his touch, which was strange, because usually Marco was very eager to touch her and did so as much as possible (which she actually enjoyed) but at the moment, he seemed to be purposefully touching her as little as he could as he removed her lingerie. She kicked off her boots and he removed her stockings, also thin and transparent, and still seemed to be avoiding making contact with her.
When Marco had finished his work and his best friend stood before him entirely exposed, Star reached out to remove his clothing, but he stepped backwards out of her reach. "Not today," he said with a wink.
"Whaaat? Why noooot?"
"Because. Just wait."
Marco undressed himself while Star watched. He seemed to be taking his time, and she found herself anxiously waiting for him to finish.
And when he did, he quickly took her in his arms, holding her tightly as he nuzzled his cheek against her temple. Star melted into his embrace as he walked her backwards and gently laid her on the bed.
And they began.
Star felt like her limbs had turned to pudding. Her entire being felt simultaneously relaxed and euphoric. Never in all the previous times she and Marco had lain together had she felt quite like this afterwards.
It had lasted what felt like forever. She had told Marco he could do whatever he wanted, and he had done so. He'd been so slow, so methodical, very gradually letting the arousal and pleasure build and grow until it suddenly exploded all at once. During the entire event, Marco had seemed to engulf her in an intimate embrace that entangled their limbs, but it never felt suffocating. It was calming, and so gentle. Marco was always so gentle and caring with her in bed, but this was different. It was more than just unwillingness to cause even the tiniest bit of harm. Every single touch and caress felt special. No, not just special.
Loving.
Star had never felt so loved.
This hadn't been merely sex. This had been love-making.
And Star wanted more. She clung to his body as he clung to hers, neither willing to let go.
"Marco..." Her voice seemed uncooperative. The name came out as little more than a squeak. "Marco...that was...amazing..." she breathed. "I want to do that again."
Marco slowly exhaled. "Me too." He swallowed. "Star?"
"Yeah, Marco?" She smiled, gazing back at him through sleepy, half-lidded eyes.
"There's something else I really want to do."
"Whatever it is, I'm up for it, Diaz." Reluctantly, she released him, but only because she expected they'd be making contact again in seconds. "Do whatever you want to me. I trust you."
Marco gulped. I really hope this isn't breaking that trust... "Close your eyes," he whispered.
With a giggle, Star complied.
Marco took a deep breath, leaned over his best friend, and gently brushed his lips against hers. Her lips were soft and warm and tasted every so slightly of strawberry.
Star's eyes opened as he pulled away. He swallowed nervously. "Marco...was that supposed to be a kiss?"
"...Yeah..." Marco waited for her reaction with bated breath. Please don't be mad. Please don't be mad.
The next thing he knew, Star's arms were wrapping around the back of his neck and roughly pulling him to her until their lips mashed together. She kissed him hard, with passion and desperation, holding him to her until they both gasped for air and broke apart. They stared at each other as they panted for breath, both somewhat confused.
Finally, Star spoke. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?"
"How long you've wanted to do that?" Marco exclaimed. "Longer than two years? Because that's how long I've wanted to do it."
"Five. Maaaaaybe five and a half."
"Five...?" Marco's eyes widened. Star nodded. "Since we were fourteen?"
"Remember that night I had a sleepover with Jackie and Janna and Starfan13?"
Marco rolled his eyes. "Oh, Jeez, how could I forget? We played Truth or Punishment and almost died."
"Remember how the box asked who we had a crush on and everyone insisted they weren't lying?"
"Yeah, we never figured out why the box thought someone lied." He frowned. "Wait...did you...?"
Star blushed, smiling shyly. "Yeah, it was me. I said Oskar, but it was just a cover. My crush was on you." Her expression abruptly became saddened. "And it never went away."
"Really?" Marco asked. Then realization dawned. "Oh. Ohhh..." On the night in question, he had confessed his feelings for Jackie, and his long-time crush had been rather receptive of his words.
"I knew you didn't feel the same way," Star said sadly. "And you started going out with Jackie not long after that."
Marco was getting tired of holding himself up on all fours straddling Star, so he rolled over onto his back beside her. "Is that why you started going out with Tom again after you defeated Toffee?"
She nodded. "I honestly didn't think I'd see you very much, if ever again, because I was back on Mewni, and you were with Jackie. Tom had changed...kinda...and I hoped that being with him would make me forget about the way I felt about you." Star began talking faster and faster. "And then you came back, and you'd split up with Jackie, but I was with Tom, and then you started going out with Kelly, and- and-"
She froze as Marco took her hand, squeezing it. Their eyes met. For a moment, they said nothing.
"How come you never told me how you felt after Mewni and Earth merged?" Marco asked.
"Marco, you were practically inconsolable over being separated from Kelly for, like, a year."
"Oh. Yeahhhhh..."
"Besides...I figured if you didn't feel the same way after all that time, you weren't going to just up and change your mind."
"That's...actually exactly why I didn't tell you I had feelings for you."
"When did you start having feelings for me?"
"Oh, uh..." Marco turned red. "After the first time we had sex. At first, I thought maybe I only started having feelings because we'd been intimate, but the more I thought about it, the more it just seemed...I dunno...correct. I couldn't come up with any reason why we shouldn't be together."
Star smiled and squeezed Marco's hand. "When we started talking that night...I suggested having our first time together because- Well, yeah, I thought it would be a good idea. And I think it was. But I also thought it might be my only chance to ever..."
Marco rolled over and took Star in his arms. "I love you, Star."
She hugged him back, reveling in the feeling of his skin against her own. "I love you, too, Marco!"
They simultaneously went in for another kiss, their lips meeting in the middle. After each had been forced to resist for so long, they were hungry for loving affection. They kissed again and again, lost in the warmth of the other's embrace, until they were jerked out of the moment by the growling of their stomachs. They laughed.
"Oh, yeah," Star giggled. "Breakfast." Her eyes drifted to her backpack on the floor. "Our breakfast burritos are probably stone cold."
"I got it." Marco jumped out of bed and retrieved a pair of foil-wrapped cylinders from Star's bag before disappearing through the bedroom door. He returned a minute later, hopping back into bed and handing Star a warmed burrito.
"Let's have a toast!" Star said excitedly.
Marco laughed. "A toast with burritos?"
"Why not?" Star held her burrito aloft and spoke with a semi-serious air. "A toast: to best friends..." She paused, searching for the right words.
"...Finally getting up the nerve to reveal their feelings," Marco finished.
"And all it took was having sex eighty or ninety times."
They tapped their burritos together and dug in, both of them starving after delaying breakfast for their long love-making stint. They ate quietly as they sat side-by-side, swapping kisses between bites and playfully poking at the other's naked body.
When they were finished, they balled up the foil and tossed it into the trash can across the room. Then they laid down on their sides facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes.
"You've got the biggest, dopiest smile I've ever seen in my life right now," Star teased.
"So do you."
"I can't help it!" She opened her arms, inviting Marco into her passionate embrace, and he drew in, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as she held him. Their foreheads met in the middle. "So, birthday boy," she said, "Now that we've both spilled the beans about our love, what should we do now?"
Marco laughed. "We should lay here and not move for a while until those burritos digest. I'm so full I don't even feel like moving."
"Yeah, I hear ya." And Star punctuated her thought with a stifled burp. "What should we do after that?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure we'll think of something fun." Marco inched his face closer until their lips brushed when he spoke. "We always do."
Did you notice that Star and Marco are the only characters to actually "appear" and that the entire story only takes place in Marco's apartment? It's like a bottle story.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't expect anything like this again from me any time soon...or ever. I gotta get back to writing my Star Wars crossover.