A/N: Hey Guys! A little treat here from myself, Ronald Reagan, and Lord of the Storm! I organized us to synchronize a story release as a little holiday treat for you all! We've all stuck to a simple theme of "First Date," so I hope that theme rings true through all three stories. I've seen nothing of Ronald's or Lord's stories, so I'm as excited as all of you to read what they've come up with! You'll find Ronald's entry, "Hours of the Labyrinth" and Lord of the Storm's "What a First Date!" right near mine in the list.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy my entry into our little treat and know that right after this, I plan on jumping feet first into the next exciting chapter of Once and Future Queen, which will be the season one finale of that sprawling Star vs epic! As always, feel free to leave me your thoughts on the story, I always love reader feedback, and have a great holiday season!
"Gimme a Break!"
Padding across the still dark hallway from her tower room to the bathroom, Star let out an exhausted sounding yawn as she tried to clear away the heavy cobwebs in her head. The snapping, harsh light of the bathroom vanity made her eyes sting as she leaned close to the mirror to inspect her face, and she frowned at the lack of heart shaped cheek marks, their absence still jarring so soon after losing them. She also frowned at the dark circles that had seemed to be taking up permanent residence under her eyes, lately. 'This must be how my mom felt all the time…' she thought, feeling a newfound sense of appreciation, even if just a small bit, for what her mother had dealt with day in, day out when she had been Queen. Thank Mewni those days are over now, she grimaced. Reaching for her makeup, she began the now laborious process of applying it, 'by hand! Of all things…' A task that took infinitely longer than her old method back when she had magic, and one she had to ask Tom for some instruction with.
It had been six weeks since she and Marco had inadvertently joined Mewni and Earth together during the final, apocalyptic moments of the Realm of Magic in an event now known as, "The Cleave." And with the exception of that first, chaotic day where almost no one had any idea of what was going on, she had been spending fourteen hours a day answering questions to various government officials and functionaries of nearly every country on Earth. Now Star was usually inclined to look on the bright side of things, but 41 days of getting up at five am to be ready for six when The State Department car would come collect her for yet another debriefing was beginning to put a serious stormcloud over her life. 'At least I can stay with Marco, though,' she thought, smiling as a warm feeling swept over her.
It hadn't taken long for the humans to notice the appearance of monsters and mewmans in their mix, and if she was honest with herself, Star was actually fairly impressed with how well the government of California had taken things. Within a day, a massive quarantine had been placed around Echo Creek, and officials were quickly seeking answers from anyone who might have them. She really couldn't blame them either. Humans on the whole, had no idea magic had existed. So naturally, when thousands and thousands of alien beings had appeared suddenly in southern California, there were going to be questions.
"And that's where I come in…" she sighed to herself, knowing she was in for another fourteen hour day of intense questioning.
And just like its citizenry, it took a similarly short amount of time for Earth governments to deduce who was in charge, and they'd picked her up alongside her parents and Eclipsa and her family at a meeting with the Mayor of Echo Creek the day after The Cleave. Marco too had been caught in the dragnet, but after only a few days of questions, they had let him go. He'd said it was because he wasn't in any kind of leadership position, but Star suspected it was more the high-priced lawyer Angie and Raphael had sic'd on the local government that got him released so fast.
Not satisfied with the job she'd done on her makeup, but too tired to keep bothering, she tossed the concealer back onto the bathroom counter and padded over to the door she knew led into Marco's room. Quietly, she eased it open and took a moment to watch her boyfriend sleep, smiling at his cute little snores and messy bedhead. Part of her ached to be under those covers too, happily sleeping away the predawn morning with her arms wrapped around the love of her life, but both of their parents had had a long talk with them when she moved back into the Diaz's house: sleepovers were not allowed until both of them were sixteen.
'Dad probably would have preferred 30…' she thought with a chuckle.
It wasn't an unreasonable restriction, and Star and Marco had been playing it slow anyway, only progressing to passionate make-outs and some light petting over the clothes. She figured, and Marco agreed, that they had all the time in the world to explore the physical aspect of their relationship, and rushing into something neither one of them was quite comfortable with yet was silly. Still, as she stood there, illuminated only from the white LEDs of the bathroom spilling into the room from behind, she would give almost anything to be curled up under that blanket, head resting on Marco's chest and peacefully dreaming of a bright future together.
"…Star?" came the half-awake sounding voice of Marco, and she saw he had propped himself up in bed, hair tousled with sleep as he squinted at her in the dim light. Without a word, she crossed the room to his bed, crawling in on top of the covers while simultaneously snaking her arms around him to pull him into a tight hug.
"Mhorfhing," she said, voice muffled by the comforter.
"Hey, you okay? You don't usually visit at," he squinted over the mound of blonde hair at the alarm clock, "5:43 in the morning." He waited for an answer, but she didn't seem to respond immediately, instead just squeezing him a little tighter. Smiling down at her, he slipped his arms around her and returned the pressure for several minutes before she came up for air.
Blowing some loose strands of blonde hair out of her face, she let out a big sigh before picking herself up to sit on the edge of his bed. "It's just…" she began, meeting his worried gaze in the dim light from the bathroom, "Things have been so crazy for so long. I knew when everything happened in the Realm of Magic it was going to be nuts, but I didn't expect the last six weeks…"
All the frustration, all the residual anger she still felt at her mother for betraying Mewni, seemed to bubble up inside of her and she felt her eyes welling a bit as the cavalcade of emotions running through her strained at her self control. Balling her fists in the flannel comforter, she gritted her teeth. "I just want to be a normal teenager with a super cute karate master boyfriend and live happily ever after in the one place I truly call home. Is that too much to freakin ask for?"
He smiled at her, before reaching out and taking one of her balled hands into his, "Yeah it has been absolutely crazy." In truth, he was feeling the strain as well, having spent every day since, working with town leaders to help transition the mewman/monster population into some semblance of order. Having so many extra mouths to feed had been nearly overwhelming at first, until he managed to get in touch with the local Red Cross leaders to work out some approximation of a support system. It helped too, that so many mewmans and monsters had readily volunteered to help distribute food and supplies.
"I mean pegasus feathers, Marco! We've been living together again for almost two months and we're so busy, we haven't even had time for our first date yet!" Star frowned as she said that, feeling another sharp pang in her heart at how little time she'd been able to spend with him.
She wasn't wrong. He too had been feeling a bit needy lately, and the long days between hurried goodbyes and half-awake cuddle sessions in front of the tv were getting a bit grating. He'd have to plan something fun soon, something to get their minds off of their crazy circumstances and let them just be teens again. "Soon, Star, I promise," he reassured her, before leaning in and placing a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. He grinned as he felt some of the tension leave her body, but before he could move to deepen it, two sharp honks sounded from out front of the house.
"There's my ride…" she half-sighed, half-giggled before sweeping in for one final peck on those beautiful lips.
"Nachos and Fiesta de la Noche when you get home?" he asked after she'd reluctantly gotten to her feet and turned to head for the front door.
She twisted back and lifted a hand to his cheek, giving him a sympathetic smile as she did so. "Dear beautiful, sweet, simple Marco… It's Friendship Thursday. There is literally nothing else I'd rather do," she said, her voice a mixture of teasing and sweet.
But instead of grinning at her, Marco simply nodded, returning her blown kiss as she sprinted quietly out his door. There was something in her eye he didn't like the look of.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
After leaving Marco to sleep for another couple of hours, Star hurried outside to where a black SUV with a besuited man with an earpiece was holding open the rear door for her.
"Good morning, Miss Butterfly."
"Good morning, Agent Danvers," she answered back much more cheerily than she felt right now. She couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly as she took her seat. She'd asked him probably 50 times now to call her Star, but the man was a stickler for protocol and had kept things strictly professional in the last six weeks: always greeting her with a polite sounding, "Good Morning, Miss Butterfly," and dropping her off every evening with an equally polite, "Good evening, Miss Butterfly."
Thankfully, the drive to city hall was a relatively short one, even if they had to take several detours from how she remembered it before The Cleave. Streets had a nasty habit of becoming fouled by all manner of crystals, trees, and other Mewnian artifacts, throwing the neatly laid out city into commuter chaos ever since. But after dodging two large crystal formations, a two-foot deep imprint of a foot half as big as their SUV, and a grazing herd of pig-goats, they arrived.
When she got out of the car, however, Agent Danvers tensed, a hand raising to his ear as his eyes turned skyward. Following his gaze, Star had to rush over and frantically wave her arms in his face, barely stopping the man from drawing his gun as a black object dropped out of the sky with a throaty roar. It dipped in a tight spiraling barrel roll, pulling out at the last possible moment to skid to a stop in front of the two of them and she didn't miss a beat before dashing forward and pulling the chuffing dragon-cycle into a bear hug.
"Nachos! Ohmygosh, how are you?!" she squealed, drawing back and laughing when the happy dragon-cycle ran a wet tongue up the side of her cheek before drawing his lips back in a fanged smile. Reaching up, she scratched his scales right behind his horns, the place she knew was his favorite, and was rewarded with his rather substantial tail pounding the sidewalk in rhythm with her ministrations.
"Ma'am we really should get inside. Director Appleton has a very busy schedule," interrupted Danvers, his voice still soft, yet she didn't mistake the order there.
"Ok…ok…" she huffed, taking another second to say goodbye to Nachos, whispering a quiet, "go see Marco, he could use some company today." The dragon-cycle seemed to understand, acknowledging her with a puff of smoke from its nostrils before rolling away to rise into the sky on a flap of its leathery black wings. Standing, she threw one last sad wave at the dragon-cycle before following Agent Danvers inside to meet with whomever she was scheduled to meet with today. In truth, she'd met with so many of the humans' three-letter agencies, she had no idea who Director Appleton even was. CIA, NSA, DoD, FDA, CDC, they and a dozen-dozen others she couldn't even remember the names of, had all wanted to speak with her and her family, most of them many times over the last six weeks.
"Star, dear, are you alright?"
The concerned voice of her mother snapped her out of her brooding thoughts. She was so preoccupied with her them and her subsequent grumpy mood she hadn't even noticed her mother approaching. Looking up, she saw Moon giving her a worried look while behind her, River, Eclipsa, and Globgor looked on, all three sharing a similar expression to her mother.
"I'm fine, Mom," she answered, feeling a little ashamed at the heat still tingeing her words. Star hadn't yet fully forgiven her mother for what she'd done on Mewni, and as a result, their communication had been sparse at best since The Cleave. Short, rather clipped "Good mornings" every day when they all were escorted into the facility, followed half the time by awkward lunches together where only the most superficial of topics were discussed. The rest of the time Star simply ate by herself or called Marco on video chat so she could have at least some time with him during the day.
Try as she might, she just couldn't make herself let go of the bitter feeling in the pit of her stomach. She would never forget that the cost of her mother's short-sighted actions had been a near genocide of the monster population and the subsequent destruction of Magic. It was only Moon's unflinching help in undoing the damage she had caused, and the relatively happy ending for everyone involved that Star was even on speaking terms at all with her mother.
But that isn't entirely fair… she figured, remembering the heartfelt apology her mother had given her in the aftermath. Moon had acted impulsively, even foolishly, Star not missing the not-so-subtle irony there, but she had also acted out of a desire to see to the welfare of the mewmans. Had it been stupid to trust Mina, a woman nuttier than a fruit cake? Absolutely. But strangely, Star could understand her point…in a way.
Eclipsa had been in many ways, the complete opposite of her mother. And so when she took the throne, the needle gauging the crown's interest in its citizens swung a full 180 degrees from mewman to monster. Naturally, resentment had festered and anger flared when Eclipsa's decrees had taken back land originally settled by monsters before being annexed by mewmans. And while Star knew that Eclipsa had only meant to right centuries-old wrongs, she also knew that many of the villages that had been returned to the monsters had been settled by mewmans for hundreds of years, populated by none of the same people that did any of the stealing.
"Nobody likes being ignored…"
Marco's words of wisdom played in her head as she continued to brood. Both of them had been wrong in the same, although ironically completely opposite way and the real answer was so obvious, it drove Star crazy to know both of them had been too blind to see it. That if they'd simply provided an inclusive kingdom that catered to everyone's needs, then people like Mina and Toffee would never have gained any power. That so many mewmans and monsters would have avoided so much pain, frustration, and loss. And though she hated to admit it, a small part of her regretted giving Eclipsa the wand and throne.
The sound of a heavy door opening finally broke her out of resentful thoughts. It was past 6:45 now, and usually, they would have been separated into either small groups of two, or else individually to be "questioned" by various dignitaries or their agents. But something about today seemed…different to her for some reason. A man had walked in whom she had only spoken with a few times. Special Agent… Denton? Was it? She wasn't 100% sure that was his name, but what she was sure of was that this man was a no-nonsense, all business type just like her mom. And the fact that he was smiling so tightly? Now that was something that worried her.
"Good morning," he began, his tone brusque as he held out a hand to usher them through the door, "If you'll all just follow me."
Sharing a worried look with her parents, Star followed the agent through the door and down a sterile-looking corridor until they reached a featureless wood grain door with a tiny nameplate that simply read, "Debriefing." Inside, were a set of five chairs facing a single one across a metal desk. Warily, she eyed the neat loops of steel that were welded to the top of the table. She vividly remembered her first day here and how all five of them had been handcuffed to it, Globgor having his legs shackled as well. That had been a bit of a sticky issue between the various Butterflys and the agents present until Globgor had simply shrunk down until he could easily slip his hands and legs free of the shackles. After that, it seemed rather silly to keep the rest of them handcuffed, and they'd promptly been released on their word of compliance.
Now, as she sat down, Star focused hard on keeping herself from getting frustrated at all the unnecessary drama. Years with Pony Head had toughened her skin and trained her patience, but this was getting ridiculous. She was just about to open her mouth and let the stupid special agent know exactly where he could put all this scary good cop/bad cop mumbo-jumbo when he dropped five manilla folders in front of them before promptly taking a seat by a giant mirrored wall.
"Ladies, gentleman, and…monster?" a new voice came from the darkened corner of the room, and she couldn't suppress a nervous giggle when she saw Globgor throw the man a nonchalant little wave to continue. "My name is Deputy Director Appleton. The U.S. government would like to thank you for your patience and candor these last six weeks-"
As the man droned on and on, Star couldn't help but feel like she knew the guy from somewhere. Knew him, and hated him. From his impeccably pressed suit to the smug, sneering expression that seemed to constantly crease his face, everything about the man just screamed arrogant jerk. And his voice! an annoyed part of her screamed in protest. It was dripping with all the pomp and over-inflated sense of self-importance that she'd heard from every other noble that felt they were too good to breathe the same air as the rest of mewmanity.
"I have been ordered to inform you that you are officially released from protective questioning and are free to continue your daily lives. We will contact you directly if anything changes in the future, or we need additional testimony."
Those words snapped her out of her irritated thoughts, and she sat up straight in her chair to pay closer attention. Appleton had just closed his own manilla folder as he turned to address Eclipsa and Globgor specifically. "Madam, The State Department will be in touch in the next few days regarding the disposition of your Kingdom. Arrangements will need to be made regarding the mewnian diaspora, but for now, I've instructed your assigned agents to bring you back to your respective homes."
Star's heart leapt with excitement, her mind flashing so many wonderful possibilities about what to do with her newfound freedom she barely heard Eclipsa's, "Thank you" as they stood up to leave. Tantalizing images whirred through her mind: Friendship Thursdays that didn't start at 9:30, shopping with Janna, weekend beach trips with Marco, and…
AND…
She nearly swooned with the excitement of it, her hands clutching into fists. She wanted to dance, she wanted to jump for joy! She could surprise Marco tonight with their very first date! It was weeks past due, and besides, why wait for a good thing when she could make it happen right now! Just a quick trip home to get changed into that sundress he said he loved, and then she could surprise him by taking them both out for a night they'd never forget.
"Star, are you listening to me?"
Moon's annoyed-sounding voice once more broke her out of her date-induced ecstasy, and she looked up into her mother's expectant face. "Sorry Mom, just thinking about some stuff."
"Marco stuff?" interjected Eclipsa, unable to suppress the small smile as she watched Star's face turn about eight shades of crimson.
"H-H-How?" Star was flabbergasted as she gaped at the Queen.
"Your eyes tend to go a little glazed when you think of him, dear," she giggled, before looking up at her husband. "I do the same when I think about my Globby."
"Yeahhhh…" she trailed off before her mother cleared her throat rather more loudly than was necessary.
"As I was trying to ask you earlier, is that seeing as we now have the rest of the day to our own devices, your father and I would like you to come visit. I have several projects around the yurt that need some doing, and I would rather appreciate another set of hands. Now that magic is gone, Your father and I are finding it rather difficult to do certain things without additional help."
Star could almost hear the sound of breaking glass as her mother threw an ugly, fist-sized rock through her plans for the day. The selfish part of her screamed for her to politely decline, and instead offer to help her mother with whatever she needed tomorrow instead. But sadly, that part of Star was no match for her much more developed and well-defined sense of maternal guilt. So instead of using her excellent negotiating skills to preserve her idea of spending the entire day wining and dining Marco, she simply nodded and answered with a dejected little, "Sure."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Six hours later, Star was wiping the sweat off of her brow as she held her fifteenth rafter while River struggled to awkwardly pound in nails higher up in the roof. What had begun as a "few little projects" with her mother had somehow morphed into helping her dad assemble a whole other room for their yurt. Apparently, her mother wanted a new baking kitchen, and her father an armory. The long days since The Cleave had slowed work on the space to a crawl, so Star had been tossed into the mix with her father to finish putting the roof on today. Still, it's better than spending all morning in awkward silence with my mom… she thought before her father's voice pulled her attention back to the present.
"A little higher, pumpkin!" called her dad, and she gritted her teeth in frustration before hoisting the heavy piece of timber a little higher, wincing slightly when she felt the rough timber pull at her shirt. Her red and white striped top was a ruin of sweat stains, sawdust, and dirt; while she'd already written off her overalls dress as a lost cause, holed by multiple sharp pieces of lumber to leave small rips and tears. She just wished she could hurry up and finish here so she could get on with her plan of giving Marco an amazing first date.
"That about does it, I think!" declared River as he grinned at his daughter, his teeth full of nails before letting go of the wood and dropping to the floor lightly. He walked over and clapped a meaty, calloused hand on her shoulder. "Outstanding work today, sweetie. Why don't we take a little break for lunch before we set the last two rafters and tie the canvas on."
"Greatttttt…" she said under her breath as she followed him back into the tent proper where her mother was putting the finishing touches on what smelled to Star's hungry stomach like pig-goat stew with fresh corn.
The three of them made light conversation all through lunch, making sure to stay away from anything of substance. Star figured that just like herself, her mom was probably feeling some residual guilt and shame over what had happened on Mewni. So much so, that when River tried to bring up how he didn't envy Eclipsa and Globgor having to work with The State Department to figure out the disposition of the mewmans and monsters, Moon simply answered with a sharp sounding, "I suspect she will have a hard time of it," before immediately changing the subject to a planned dinner with Marco's parents that weekend.
For her part, Star made sure she volunteered as little information as possible to speed the lunch along. But unfortunately, her parents had other plans. Both of them wanted to catch up on the events of the last couple of weeks. And what could she tell them? That she was barely hanging on while feeling like she was being ground down to powder by endless days of drudgery and repetition? That all she seemed to be able to look forward to now were a few hours with Marco every night before they both had to go to bed to get up early the next day?
But instead, she just simply said, "Fine," and told them of some fun things she and Marco had watched together, as well as how she'd cooked corn for everyone at dinner the previous night. She wasn't ready to trust her mom with that level of her feelings right now. In the future? Probably. But as far as Star was concerned, her mother still had a ways to go to earn her full trust back. So after a rushed lunch full of trivial superficialities, she watched with dreadful anticipation as her father excused himself to get some supplies with Raphael for the canvas roof. It was only a matter of time until her mom hit her with the awkward conversation.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Darling, I'm afraid I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive for asking you here. I know the last thing you want to be doing right now is helping assemble a roof for your parent's yurt." There was a very pregnant pause before she continued, her voice a little thicker than before. "I also know how strained things have been between us since…"
"Since you decided that trusting Mina and her crazy, monster-hating flunkies was a good plan? Because I remember it being about since then too." Star was surprised at herself at the amount of anger in her voice. She had thought she was mostly alright with her mom, but hearing her talk about what had happened again had seemed to rip off some sort of emotional scab. Back was that bitter feeling of betrayal, that dark burning anger. She wanted to be anywhere but here right now.
"Yes. Since…then." Moon frowned as she watched her daughter's drawn face and anger-tinted cheeks. She had hoped that six weeks would have been enough for her daughter and her to come to some kind of peace or at least silent understanding over her actions. Star had seemed fairly normal in the immediate aftermath of the end of magic, but perhaps that was simply a byproduct of the immediate jubilation of ending Mina's ambitions. She was always one to wear her heart on her sleeve, and Moon worried that the true depth of the hurt she felt had been obscured by that wonderful moment, only to cut more keenly as time went on.
Looking her daughter directly in the eyes, she sighed, "Star I know you're still upset with me, and you have every reason to be. But I swear on my life and honor that I had no idea that-"
"Mom, you don't need to bring it up again," interrupted Star as she got to her feet. "I know why you did it, you've explained yourself before. But knowing 'Why' doesn't really change anything." She was pacing now, her hands moving in short, violent motions to emphasize her point. "You saw how close it was. Saw the monsters lined up on the cliff! If we'd been even a minute slower, they could have killed hundreds."
"I know…"
Moon's voice was quiet, almost prayerful, and something ugly inside Star enjoyed watching the shiver run through her mother when she said that. For about two seconds, until a wave of hot shame washed over her. "Look, Mom…" she began, fighting the urge to run out of there with every ounce of her self-control, "I'm just not ready to let this all go right now. We'll be okay…soonish. I just need a little more time to process this."
She hated herself as she watched her mother merely nod, her face tight and grim. LEAVE! RUN! GET OUT! The voice was insistent now, demanding she extricate herself from an intensely awkward situation. "Mom, I really need to go. I told Marco I'd meet him like three hours ago, and-"
"It's fine dear," her mother spoke up, suddenly sounding all business. "I'll tell your father you had to go. I can manage the yurt roof. Now go, and I'll see you next weekend when River and I come over for dinner."
"Sounds good. Bye, Mom!" Star cringed, hating how feeble her goodbye sounded as she nearly sprinted out of there as fast as she could. It felt terrible to simply turn tail and rush out, but she couldn't stand the tension any longer. Breaking into a jog, she turned in the direction she remembered Marco's house was in as she hurriedly pulled out her new cell phone to tap out a message to Marco.
Think I just broke my mom's heart…
Her chest felt tight as she waited for him to respond, her eyes boring in on the blinking three dots indicating he was typing something back to her.
Did she bring up what happened again?
Of course, he knew exactly what was going on, he was just like that it seemed. Marco was always so in tune with her, and she couldn't help but smile despite her terrible mood as she hurried across downtown Echo Creek. Furiously, she tapped out her response as she dodged several carriages full of mewmans and thorny pumpkins.
Yeah… And I kindaaaaa might have lost my temper a little?
Starrrr…
I know! I know! But I just couldn't help it! She wants to act like what she did is settled now just because she apologized!
Cold dread ran through her as she typed out her next message, her fingers slowing the further they got into it. Until finally, she found herself stopped on the sidewalk in front of a bustling cafe she and Marco liked, just staring down at her phone in her hands.
Marco… Are there some things you can't forgive someone for? Some things someone shouldn't be forgiven for?
Slowly, like the striking of a great hammer against a bell that could never be unrung, she pressed her thumb on the send button and waited as her heart hammered a nervous staccato rhythm in her chest. C'monnnn babe… hit me with some of that amazing Diaz advice you're so dang good at!
Blank.
The screen remained stubbornly blank with her message sitting on read. "C'mon c'mon, c'mon," she hissed to herself, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her entire body tensed in anticipation.
THERE!
There they were, those three little dots she hoped with everything she had would give her some kind of idea of how to process all this.
"Star!"
"Gah!"
The loud voice from so close behind her made her jump, sending her loosely held phone flying through the air to turn end over end in the bright California sun.
"No no no no no," she squealed as she ran forward chasing it as it bounced once. Twice. Three times…
To skid directly into an open storm drain. It clattered loudly as it bounced off the cast concrete walls of the pipe before plunging through the surface of the black, trash-filled runoff water with a *sploosh* of finality.
"Shitttttttt…" she groaned, sitting down heavily on the curb, still staring through the grate where the ripples of her phone's passage into oblivion were just beginning to fade.
"Ohhh, that looked expensive… Sorry, Starship."
Looking up, Star saw the sheepish-looking face of her ex, Tom Lucitor as he rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a weak smile. She wasn't mad. How could he have known how on edge she was right now? And besides, the storm drain thing had just been horrible luck. To match the rest of the day… she thought dejectedly before wiping her dirty hands on the knees of her already filthy overalls dress and standing.
"It's alright, it's actually my third one since The Cleave. Earth phones aren't as tough as the Reflectacorp stuff was," she sighed before looking up and finally getting a closer look at him. His mascara and eyeliner seemed to be streaked down his face, and it took only a moment for her to realize; he'd been crying. "Tom, are you okay?" she asked, feeling her already sky-high anxiety spike as she watched his face fall into a pained grimace.
He seemed to twist uncomfortably for a second before his three eyes brimmed with tears. "No…" he squeaked out, his voice pinched as his eyes spilled over and thin rivulets began to flow down his face.
"Is it Janna?" Star's voice was flat as she asked that and she felt her stomach drop when he nodded silently. She didn't have time for this kind of stuff right now. She just wanted to get home and have that amazing first date with Marco. And to find out what he'd said about her questions… she thought with a shiver.
Both she and Marco had been heavily engaged with texting Tom in their free time over his romantic interest in her Jannabanana. Marco, while initially professing to know very little about his enigmatic friend, had proven to be extremely helpful with suggestions, and Star, who felt at least she understood the Filipina the best had been giving him pointers for topics of conversation and ideas for hangouts to help them get closer together in the ensuing weeks. She remembered, now that she was actively thinking about it, that Tom had said he was going to make a move soon.
Apparently, it hadn't gone well.
"Can we talk for a bit?" he asked, his voice very delicate as his makeup continued to head southward on his cheeks.
Just like with her parents, she wanted to tell him that she didn't have time today, that she had a whole host of her own problems she was currently dealing with, and that he'd have to get through this on his own today. But that wasn't something friends did to one another. And besides, Star was so proud of how much he'd grown as a person since they'd reconnected at the Silver Bell Ball. She didn't want to give him any reason to backslide into his angry, peevish, more emotionally immature previous self. So what else could she do but accept?
Taking a moment for a calming breath disguised as an awkward stretch, she hitched her most genuine looking smile before answering with what she hoped sounded like a very unbitter, "Sure."
Three hours later, she was very much regretting her decision to act as Tom's confidant and sounding board as she listened to him drone on with the 40th reason he suspected she might have turned him down. Apparently, and she wasn't 100% sure about this as she'd had to piece it together between fits of ugly crying, Tom had asked Janna out earlier that day after seeing her at Britta's. Anddddd promptly been rejected.
"She wasn't interested in being 'a rebound,'" he'd explained to her through a mouthful of powdered donuts, before promptly pressing forward with a myriad of reasons as to the real reason she had rejected him. This, of course, all embedded in a greater recap and explanation of the last six weeks of his life and every single interaction he'd had with her in excruciating detail. Star could barely get a word in edgewise, try as she might, but whatever the last three hours had been, at least seemed to be helping him. Tears had been less frequent as the afternoon wore on, and he was starting to sit up a little straighter and make more eye contact with her.
Glancing at the bank across the street, Star blanched when she saw the clock on the side of the building tick over to 4:00 pm. If she didn't find a way to wrap this up, she'd never get out of here and completely miss her chance to have her date night.
"You know, two weeks ago, I forgot to compliment her on that new beanie Needles had knitted for her. Do you think that is why?"
Star's patience finally broke. Standing up, she fixed her ex with an exasperated stare as an eye twitched. "Tom do you know what a 'rebound' even is?" she asked, her voice deadpan.
"It's an expression," he answered back, sounding like he could hardly believe she'd even ask such a silly question.
"Yes, but do you know what it means." Tom had about five seconds before she simply explained the situation and sprinted out of here to finally meet up with Marco.
"Uhhh-" he started, before she held up a hand for silence.
"Marco and I had a similar discussion after his breakup with Jackie. Heee was sort of interested in Kelly at the time…annnd we'd already started dating by then," she explained, feeling intensely awkward as she thought about how badly she'd treated Marco when he'd first gotten back on Mewni. Seeing the flicker of pain behind Tom's eyes as she mentioned their old relationship didn't help it either. "Not important. But what is, is that when I suggested he maybe get back out there dating wise, he told me he didn't want to insult Kelly by making her a 'rebound.'"
"And that is?" Tom was eyeing her with interest now.
"Something not very nice," she explained, frowning as she remembered how Marco had explained it to her. "A rebound is a person you have a relationship with after a serious one ends. It's one you have when you're hurting, and not willing to truly let go of the emotional attachment you have with your previous partner."
"So she thinks I'm still into you?" Tom sounded aggravated as he angrily snatched another powdered donut and ate half of it in one snapping bite.
"Nooooo," she gritted her teeth as she fought back the rising anger at his continued inability to grasp the situation. "Janna's telling you she isn't interested in being in a relationship with a person that can't give her the emotional connection she wants."
Blank. Stare.
"Tom, I really gotta go. I was supposed to be back at Marco's like 8 hours ago…" she dragged her hand down her face in exasperation. "Long story short, Janna likes you. She just doesn't think you're ready to be in a real relationship with her so soon after we broke up. Just give it time and show her you're doing fine on your own. And when she thinks you're ready, she'll let you know by wanting to do more datey things."
"Wait!" Tom got up and put a hand on her shoulder as she made to turn and leave.
"So she does like me?"
"Pegasus feathers, Tom, YES!" she huffed angrily, but almost immediately felt the anger die when he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thanks, Starship," he said into her shoulder, "for everything." Another squeeze of emphasis, as she lifted her arms and returned the hug.
"Just give it time. She'll tell you when she's ready I think. My Jannabanana is definitely not afraid of going after what she wants," she chuckled and was glad to hear him laugh as well.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Leaving a much cheered Tom behind at Pete's Donuts, Star was feeling hopeful that today was just starting to turn her way as she passed Echo Creek Park. She wasn't far from home now, less than ten minutes if she kept her pace up, and then she'd still have time to take Marco out for a romantic dinner, followed by a night under the stars on a blanket where they'd be free to kiss each other to their heart's content. Just the thought of it gave her goosebumps all over, and she poured on the speed to make sure she had time to take a long shower aft-
"Yo, B-Fly!"
She skidded to a stop and turned to see Pony Head floating towards her. Behind her, Star could see a group of monsters holding up, I 3 Pony Head, and Pony Head Show #1 Twitch Talk Show! Signs. "Hey Pony Head!" she said, before pulling her bestie into a quick hug.
"Oh my goodness, girl! What. Is. Happening! You finally all done with those lame-ass interviews?"
"Just ended today. I was going crazy the last six weeks. I mean for corn's sake, how many times can I answer the same question. Make a damn recording if you need to show it to more than a few people!" Despite the annoyed feeling of having been waylaid again before she got back home, Star couldn't help but vent to one of her best friends.
"Girl, I knowwww. We've been dealing with the same ponyshit in the Cloud Kingdom. Daddy told them if they didn't get a move on, he'd just simply stop coming down to talk to them."
"Wish we had that option…" Star sighed before the two of them spent the next five minutes commiserating on the numerous hoops and rings they'd been made to jump through in the last six weeks. The date, idiot! her brain helpfully kicked her in the shin, snapping her out of her cathartic bash fest."Hey, I'd love to talk more, but I have to get home. Marc-"
"Yeah, yeah I know you and Earth Turd are a thing now, but seriously, girl I didn't come over to spill the tea on those jerk government guys! I'm in crisis here! I need your help!"
"Pony Head, it's been a really, reallllllyyyy long day. Can't this wait?" Star was exhausted, sweaty, and at the end of her emotional rope. But when she looked into her bestie's eyes, she saw the genuine panic there. "Is this that important?" she finally asked, after hating herself silently for a few seconds.
"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't. You know me, girl. But look!" Pony Head turned to the side to gesture at the scene behind her where an ambulance was just pulling away from the crowd of fans. "Seahorse got hit by a golf cart while we were trying to film Jackie's half-pipe segment for the next Pony Head Show episode. Can you fill in for him while we get the shots I need?"
"Is he okay?"
"That's not important right now! Jeez Star, they don't take dead people to the hospital in ambulances, do they? He'll be fine. Look, the show is blowing up right now. I'm live streaming to nearly fifty thousand people around Earthni right now! Pleaseeeeeee," she pleaded, her eyes huge and sparkling. "I need my best bestie in the entire multiverse to do her girl a solid just this once!"
Star let out an audible groan as she let her head flop back to stare into the late afternoon sky. She just wanted to get home, for corn's sake. Finally, she tipped her head forward to look at her bestie with narrowed eyes and held out her hand for the decapitated equine head to drop the camera into. "Fine. But you have an hour, tops."
"You're the best!"
"Now show me how to work this thing."
Blank Stare.
"Pony Head, seriously? You've been doing this show for six months and you don't know how the camera works?" Star wanted to throw up her hands in frustration and hurry home, but another glance at her sheepish-looking friend and she forced herself to stay.
"Well, psh, as it were…"
"Do you know or not?"
Star spent the next very frustrating twenty minutes playing with the camera until finally, after much trial and error, the two of them managed to figure out how it worked. After that, everything was a blur. She found that despite her bestie's tendency for making every single situation about her, the content of the show had vastly improved from the flaming train wreck of Eclipsa's debut episode. Jackie was electric on the half-pipe, ripping off dozens of tricks while an enthusiastic Chloe helped name and clarify them to an excited Pony Head.
After that, they all relocated to the downtown, and Chloe put on a clinic in parkour, despite the frequent interruptions for useless suggestions from Pony Head. Even Star, who was beginning to feel like she was running out of time, managed to set aside her feeling of urgency to film the astounding flips, jumps, and balance of the French girl. She was so enthralled, in fact, that she didn't notice the steadily lengthening shadows until Chloe had rounded off her last parkour demonstration with a perfect rolling flip off of a second-story balcony.
"Merde, I did not stick ze landing," she groused, dusting off her pants as everyone else broke into cheering applause.
"That was amazing, babe!" cheered Jackie, as she leaned in and planted a happy kiss on her girlfriend's beet red cheek.
"Eet az been a pleasure to be able to demonstrate ze parkour for all of you ere," said Chloe, and Star panned over as Pony Head floated back into frame to gush about the amazing demonstration they'd all just witnessed.
Star finally looked up from the camera eyepiece and froze. The sun was way way too low for this time of day. Motioning Jackie over, she leaned close and whispered, "What time is it? I don't want to spend more than an hour or so on this."
"Uhhh," Jackie looked confused as she fished out her cell phone. "Star, it's like 7:45."
"Shitttt," groaned Star, feeling the pit of her stomach fall out. There went any chance of her plan happening tonight… She just didn't have the time. By the time she got back and ready, which was taking much much longer now that magic was gone, it would probably be well after nine. And with Echo Creek still not anywhere near back to normal, there was a city-wide curfew at 10. That gave them probably 45 minutes to enjoy a romantic first date… "Jackie, can you take over? I really need to get home. Marco's waiting on our Friendship Thursday, and I've been trying to get home for the last twelve hours."
Jackie looked like she wanted to ask further questions, but instead, she simply gave her a sympathetic look and stepped behind the camera so Star could show her how to turn it off when Pony Head was done.
"Thanks," whispered Star, as she took off at a run, only acknowledging Pony Head's "Where are you going?" with a wave of her hand.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Star nearly sprinted the last mile home, only pausing to gasp for breath on the landing of 4815 Avocado Terrace before straightening up and smoothing the front of her soiled and torn dress. It was basically dark now, the sun having slipped below the skyline of L.A. to the west, and she felt rotten as she stood on the porch lit front step to the Diaz's house. The day had been one huge letdown after another, despite starting on such a wonderfully high note. She had been able to steal some pre-dawn snuggling time from Marco and found out she was finally free of those infuriatingly dull interviews. But what she thought was going to be a breeze of a day spent with the man she loved, turned into a grinding slog through one unpleasant situation after another. Oh well… she thought as she pushed open the front door, at least she still had Friendship Thursday to look forward to.
Or did she?
In front of her, the living room was dark except for a path of electric tea lights flickering in a walkway that meandered through the living room and into the kitchen. Without thinking about it, she found herself walking along the lit path, curiosity driving her as she crossed the kitchen and stepped out of the open back door.
"Wowwwwww," she breathed, suddenly finding herself in what felt like another world. Everywhere above her, lights twinkled. Thousands of them, over her head, strung up on thin cables that crossed the back yard in neat rows. Here and there, vines and foliage had been worked between the cables, giving the backyard the appearance of some wonderful, fairy-lit forest grove.
The sound of burbling water caught her attention, and she looked to see a large stone fountain carved in the likeness of a rearing warnicorn, water spouting out of its mouth to the scalloped basin at its feet. Definitely Raphael's work, she noted appreciatively before looking around and seeing some of her favorite Mewni flowers planted among Angie's Chrysanthemums and Black-eyed Susans.
And the smells, oh they were heavenly to Star. The scents of Mewni wildflowers mixed with freshly mown grass, wafted under her nose; though as she inhaled pleasantly, she could smell something else: food. Concentrating, she tried to discern every scent she could as she closed her eyes: grilled meat and vegetables, garlic, chili powder, cilantro, cumin, and hiding behind it all, fire-roasted corn. Her mouth began to water at the thought of whatever dish was going to incorporate all those wonderful ingredients when she heard someone sep out behind a small wooden partition that hadn't been there when she was picked up this morning.
It was Marco, in a red button-up dress shirt and black slacks, over which was a black apron that read, "Besar al cocinero" in bold white letters on the front. He was holding a platter piled high with grilled vegetables and meat, encircled by all the fixings one might want for fresh fajitas, and in his other hand, a huge platter of elotes. "Hi," he said, smiling at her before crossing over to a table for two that had been set up in the middle of the yard directly under the fairy lights and placing down the trays of food. "I know you mentioned us not being able to have a first date yet this morning and well…"
She didn't let him finish. She just ran over and collided with him before wrapping him in the tightest hug she could ever remember giving. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear, before leaning back to press her lips against his. They stayed like that for a long minute, Star simply losing herself in the blissful feeling of his kiss as she felt all the tension and stress melt away. And when they finally did break away from one another, Marco having that wonderful, slightly love-drunk look on his face, she finally smiled for what felt like the first time in hours.
"Hard day, huh?" he asked and watched as she nodded wearily. "I hope you like my little surprise."
"H-How?" It was all she could get out before her voice failed her. She was so touched at the gesture he was making she couldn't seem to quite verbalize her feelings right now.
"Wellll, when you told me this morning it had been six weeks and we hadn't even had our first date yet, I figured I'd do something about that. So I talked with my parents and they helped me get the backyard ready all day. Dad helped with the lights and sculpture, he'd been working on that for your birthday this year, while Mom did all the Mewni gardening and helped me with weaving all the plants into the cables. And I know how much you love fajitas, even if they aren't authentic as Dad likes to grouse, so I cooked us something we both love, to share together, " he explained, leading her over to her seat before pulling out her chair for her. "I'm uh… I'm actually incredibly tired," he laughed, before slipping out of his apron and sitting at the small table across from her.
"So you made us a first date?" Star felt like her heart was overflowing with affection as she stared into his loving brown eyes. She could tell her own were becoming a little misty, as she sat there in the balmy Californian night. The twinkling fairy lights were making her feel almost like magic was still there, and she reached forward to lay her hand on top of his.
"You do so much, for so many people…" he started, turning his hand up to hold hers before giving it a small squeeze. "I just figured you deserved a magical night all about you."
"You didn't… All this work…" Star was having trouble forming complete sentences right now. She wanted to drag Marco upstairs to her bedroom and spend the next hour showering his beautiful face with kiss after kiss until they were both a puddle of loving feeling.
"I love you, Star." Marco was having a hard time keeping his own eyes clear as he felt his girlfriend squeeze his hand back.
"I love you too, Marco," she said before they both leaned forward and shared another soft, loving kiss above their dinner.
Over the next four hours, the two of them shared what they both agreed was a "perfect" first date. The ambiance was like a dream, the food amazingly well cooked, and the company without peer. After their romantic dinner, the two of them retired to the living room couch where Star felt like she might have died and gone to heaven when Marco pulled out the best batch of nachos she'd ever tasted to eat as they binge-watch the new Fiesta de la Noche season. Two hours of cuddling and lazy make-out sessions later, and she found herself circling the drain of consciousness as sleepiness and Marco's body heat threatened to drop her into dreamland. But something was nagging her brain, a loose thread that the spackle of an absolutely amazing evening together hadn't completely covered over.
"Marco, what did you send me when I asked you about forgiving my mom?" she asked, turning to look up at him as he gazed down at her.
"You don't remember?"
"Lost my phone before I saw what you wrote," she watched him cock an inquisitive eyebrow and rolled her eyes at him. "This time it was Tom's fault. He says he'll replace it tomorrow."
"Oh, I definitely need to hear how that happened," he chuckled before he saw how serious she was looking all of the sudden. He remembered how somber she'd sounded when she texted him at lunch. "Well, it was a little long because I included a quote. But basically, I just said yes. Star, you'll forgive your mom. It may not be tomorrow or even next month. But someday, you will."
"But how do you know?" Star scooched a little closer and sat up, her face very near as her blue eyes bored into his.
"For two of reasons, actually. One is that she seems genuinely sorry about what she did. She knows she screwed up royally and endangered a ton of people on Mewni, including her own daughter."
"And the second?" she asked, her voice eager. She already knew her mom was sincere in her remorse over her actions. But knowing that didn't seem to make her feel better.
"And the second is because it's the only way you'll ever feel at peace over what happened. If you can't let what happened between you go, you'll always have it weighing on you, always feel it influencing how you look at your family. That's a hard way to live, Star."
She didn't answer, and he didn't need her to. She simply smiled at him before leaning in, eyes hooded with desire until they were once more locked in a passionate embrace on the couch where they spent the rest of the night entwined with one another.