I had a change of heart, but I'll leave a longer author's note about my thoughts below. First, here's a beach day we can get behind.
One is the loneliest number, Marco sighed and kicked an empty bottle of "Cold Ones" rolling around on the ashy beach of Lava Lake. Even though it ranked as the premier vacation spot in the Underworld, he had no idea why he decided to venture here, knowing the history of the place and heartache. The memories of finally realizing his feelings for Star and knowing she as with Tom still made his gut uneasy despite the drama having been long settled. Nevertheless, Marco felt led to be on the gray shore, watching the orange waves lick the sand like a child eating ice cream. Where else could he go in a time like this? Returning home to Echo Creek reminded him too much of the fun times with Star. There was not a place in the town she hadn't accidentally destroyed at least once. On Mewni proper, Marco didn't feel like staying in the Monster Temple or in the village below—again, because of the memories of dates. Like, there was the corn shake place they frequented with friends, the shops where Star bought cute outfits to purposely make him flustered at her beauty, and the secret lookout point on the side of the hill where they watched sunsets. Ugh does everything in the universe relate to Star?! He threw up his hands in wordless frustration.
The short answer: yes. She was certainly his universe—the destroyer of his normal life and harbinger of one among the cosmos. Without Star, Marco would have continued to be the maligned "Safe Kid" milling around in Echo Creek Academy with few friends. Would he have even had the courage to ask out Jackie? It was Star who got them together after all. There I go again, he sighed sadly. Back to the center of his world in only one thought. Like fighting gravity. Like fighting the order of how things should be. She was his air, his sky, his burning fire of graceful chaos. His star in the night, twinkling brighter than any point of light, and he loved her dearly for that. More than he could express in words.
Is it because of the Blood Moon I feel this way? Marco felt his heart flutter, and he was pleasantly warm. It was like snuggling with her close on a rainy day when there was nothing else to do. It was the same breathlessness he felt after a kissing bout, savoring every inch of her being. Surely, he wanted her like this without any external force but…how could he be so certain?
Before Marco could ponder the thought longer, his ears picked up footsteps trudging through the sand towards him. Behind him, Tom was cruising around with a surfboard under one arm and a beach towel under the other. Taking off his sunglasses, the demon smiled at his friend, "Out here to catch the waves too? It's a perfect day for that, y'know."
When his friend said nothing, the prince stabbed his board into the sand and set down his towel to sit. Marco tried to force a grin on his face, but he should have known his best friend sensed something was wrong between the pain in his eyes and the moons on his cheek. Tom tended to be very attuned to his emotional state. "Nice look with the cheekmarks," the demon smirked. "They make you look mysterious. Also, what's up? Where's Starship?"
Marco let out a long sigh in reply, too choked up to say anything. On a normal day, Star would be running around building a sand castle to smash or begging to explore. She loved going to the beach…
"Oh no, don't tell me you broke up…" Tom's eyes widened.
"It's not like that," the boy noticed the displeasure in his friend's three eyes.
"Good!" Tom relaxed. "Because you remember the promise I made you swear—that you would never break her heart."
A hint of snarl carried in his voice, but Marco understood Tom's protectiveness. The demon broke her heart twice trying to force a relationship that was bad for both him and Star. Although they both saw the second breakup coming from a mile away, it still hurt. Marco spent a while comforting both of his friends, watching them eat tubs of ice cream and punch the splinters of out trees to vent pent up rage. Star cleared out an acre patch in a day. When the dust settled and he asked her out, Marco went to Tom for dating advice and to make sure the demon wouldn't put a hex on him. But the prince was calm and gave sound ideas about making sure Star received the support she craved and not being overly clingy. Most importantly, Tom insisted that when things got muddy between them that Marco should come to him to talk things out. He didn't want her burned on this relationship. It was honestly the most serious talk the two friends had ever shared.
"I know, I know," Marco shoved his hands in his pockets. "I would never do that."
However, Tom wasn't done with the point yet, "You know why I said that stuff? Because you and Starship are forever, even if you don't see it yet. Forever and always. And I'm here to ensure petty drama doesn't drive you apart."
It's a bit too late on that, the boy bit his lip and nodded weakly, "Yeah..."
"Might be a bit late on the drama thing," Tom joked a bit. "Now, what's really going on? Worried about the Blood Moon?"
"You know me too well," Marco hid his face in embarrassment.
"That's my job. Since you're Marco, I was looking through some old books," Tom summoned them with a snap of his fingers. "If you're that paranoid about the Blood Moon—"
"—I'm not paranoid!"
Tom rolled his eyes, "And I'm not Prince of the Underworld. Anyways, Diaz, you can break the bond by finishing the dance and declaring that you don't desire to be soulmates."
"That sounds a little harsh…"
Marco wanted to think Star was his soulmate—the one person meant to be with him. In many ways, it seemed like the truth. They shared a connection that defied explanation almost immediately from the start, minus a few hiccups involving rain clouds and nearly burning down the school with rainbows. He and Star were a team in battle, in good times and bad, in everything as they grew from friends to lovers. Even when relationships and danger threatened to break them apart, they found their way home to each other. At the same time, Marco wanted that organically without the Blood Moon. If Star loved him, it had to be of her free choice. Being with her was so natural and perfect that he wanted it to remain that way—even if breaking the curse revealed the crushing truth that she didn't love him. This was still the right decision. "So, does the dance have to be the exact same as the Blood Moon Ball?"
Tom answered, "I mean you can certainly spice it up, but the overall ritual has to be the same. Here—" he passed him a book. "—I know you like homework, so read this. It's everything you need to know about the Blood Moon Ball."
"Thanks, Tom," Marco leaned in for a hug.
"That's what bros are for. Wanna catch a few waves?"
"Nah," the boy reached for his scissors. "I have a Blood Moon Ball to throw."
"Suit yourself!" Tom called after him as he waved goodbye.
After a couple of hours of lava surfing, Tom lay on a beach towel, soaking up the thermal radiation from the fiery lake. It was such a better option than tanning under the sun although probably still bad for the skin. But the prince didn't worry because he was a demon born of fire and rage. The heat didn't bother him anyway. Couples cuddled on the beach together, and Tom stuck out his tongue in disgust remembering when he used to be like that with Star. She probably thought I was a creep.
On that similar vein of thought, Tom reflected on the "Starco situation" brought to his attention by Marco. Honestly, his friend was overthinking it as usual. The Blood Moon bond sounded like something the two of them practically had already. They were always ridiculously close as roommates, best friends, and squire and princess. Did princesses even have squires? Even if they did, they probably didn't live down the hall from them in a castle. Dating naturally only added to the affectionate nature shared between friends. Tom saw this first hand when they invited him to third wheel a cornshakes date right in the middle of their "honeymoon phase." Never again. Seriously, everything the couple did together was laced in enough saccharine sugariness that it would cause terminal diabetes. They blushed at each other when their eyes met and at every instance of contact. They giggled like school girls at everything they said no matter how lame. And there was so much subtle PDA! Not over-the-top making out (although Tom knew about "Relationship Thursday"), but stuff like handholding, cheek kisses, hugs. So gross! In addition to that, Star and Marco often finished the other's sentences. It was creepy. What could be so different with the Blood Moon involved?
The answer hit Tom like Narwhal Blast: Marco was unsure if Star loved him. Why did his best friend reach such corn-brained conclusions! Saying she didn't love Marco with the uttermost of her being was contrary to the fibers of space-time. It was like having a snowstorm in a volcano in the Underworld in summer. Even Tom knew she loved him while they were dating. How can my bro be such an idiot?
Suddenly, a familiar figure popped out of a portal next to him. "Starship?" He noticed the tears in her eyes, staining her cheekmarks. It was only a matter of time before she would visit him too. Star and Marco were both that predictable, and Tom had a talk with her too before she went out with her new boyfriend. Running away from problems and not talking about them doesn't fix anything, and the demon told her he could chat with him about issues that came up with Marco.
"Hey, Tom," she said in a weak voice. "Uh…can I just sit here with you?"
"Of course," he made room on the towel. Silence settled between them, but Tom knew it was better to let Star talk first before diving into his feelings on the situation. Should I mention about Marco? His tail thumped against the sand. Maybe in a bit; right now, he had to focus on his friend. Sighing, Star curled into a ball and hugged her knees, causing Tom to throw his arm around her in support. He flinched when she leaned against his shoulder, unused to the contact, but he wrapped his arm around her in support.
"I'm just frustrated," she gritted her teeth. "Things were going great last night with Marco and me, but he's let himself get messed up about the Blood Moon!"
"He is fixated on that," Tom nodded. "The dude came to me earlier looking for a way to break the Blood Moon bond, and—"
The princess got up and kicked a cloud of sand into the air in a huff of anger. Unfortunately, a gust of wind blew the particles into her face, and she hissed. This is so Star, Tom smiled wistfully, trying to contain the laughter in his throat. The same impulsive girl who either made life really good or really crappy—for Tom, it was the latter. "I've got you," he picked up a bottle of water to flush away the grit. Uncapping the bottle, he tilted her chin upwards and poured the soothing liquid over her irritated eyes.
"Sorry," Star blinked the rest of the ash away. "Had to let off steam."
"Next time kick the sand away from the wind."
They both laughed then sat down again, noticing the lighter mood. This time, Tom broke the silence first, "Star, he's just worried about whether this is real or not. Of course, I think it's stupid that he's questioning that, but he doesn't mean to be a paranoid kid."
"I still don't get it because, of course, I love—" She caught herself and turned beet red. Uh oh...the L word, the demon smiled. What took them so long to say it?
He encouraged his friend with a chuckle, "You can say it, Starship. It's not a surprise that you love Marco."
"It's still so weird…" Star placed hands on her glowing cheeks. "I've never felt this way before. Not even with you—sorry if that sounded blunt."
Tom shrugged in nonchalance, "It's not like I didn't know."
Perhaps, he felt the same way once though he knew that was a half-truth. He loved the idea of dating Star Butterfly more than her actual self. Her free-spiritedness was great until she grew too impulsive or reckless. Her cheeriness could never understand his love of wallowing in self-pity. Star was an amazing girl…but for another guy. For someone who could match her fire but not seek to tame it. For someone who knew how to support her yet give enough direction to prevent an inferno of her exuberance. Marco, basically. It was a bitter pill to swallow once Tom realized the princess's heart lay with her squire, but he learned to accept it. One day, he'd find someone who would be a better match.
The two friends watched the waves crash into the coast, and the wind swept particles of ash in the air like mini dust storms. A few beachgoers passed by and gushed over how cute Tom and Star were, thinking they were a couple. In your dreams, the prince ignored them. He knew his companion noticed, and she turned to talk, "By the way, how do you break the Blood Moon bond?"
The prince could feel her reluctance, yet he knew Star would go along with it if it made Marco happy. "You basically have another Blood Moon Ball dance and tell the moon you don't want to be bound together."
"That sounds a little harsh…What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Star tilted her head, seeing the stunned look on Tom's face. Whether it was a coincidence or the Blood Moon, clearly Star and Marco were the same being in two bodies.
He dismissed her, "Oh nothing…I guess I'm gonna take you to the Blood Moon Ball again. Platonically, of course—done with the 'trying to get you back' chapter."
Star giggled, "Guess so. I think I don't mind going with you this time."
"By the way, you're not my only date," Tom blushed while playing with his hair. "I'm taking Janna too."
"Seriously?!"
"I'm getting my dance, Starship," he smirked. "This time, Marco won't intervene."
The day was still young, and the wave action called to Tom again after putting in time as a counselor. I'm so glad I'm not dating, he picked up his board to head out. Relationships are tough work. "Hey, Star, wanna vent some steam on the surf?"
She magically produced a surfboard, "Is that a question? Race you to the lava, Lucitor!"
He was about to chase after her when he spied a red moon hanging unnaturally in the gray Underworld sky. "I know it'll work out," he whispered, secure that the love his friends felt was as real as the sand and waves and sky. And as sure as he knew he was going to kick Star's butt in surfing.
Author's note
First, let me thank the messages sent to me by some of you. I appreciate that you think my writing is worth continuing and that it gives you joy. Yesterday hurt. Like really, really hurt. I started writing because I fell in love with the show and with the characters. I stand by what I said about my fics being a love letter to the show, and that the show has given me the inspiration to write my own original series one day (hopefully soon). As with many of you, I am not in love with what's going on. This is not a direction I support or think it good for the show. Starco is one of the most organically-written ships in Western animation, but I now have concerns that we may never see its full potential. While my trust in the writers is severely eroded, I hope for the best as always.
Now, after much reflection, I've decided to continue all of my stories still in the works (which is this, The Dance of the Stars and the sequel The Dawn of the Sun). I think the role of fanfic writers is to explore what the canon is unwilling and/or unable to do, and that is what I will do. I think you will enjoy them, and I hope it gives something for us to rally behind no matter what.
-blackwolf