A/N: Not much to say. Please, enjoy this little fluffy treat!
Replies to the latest reviews:
LordThunderGamer: Sure :)
Emojiswagger123: Yeah, well, I've gotten used to it. People thought I was a teenage girl for the longest time XD!
Guest Sorta: I'm sorry! I couldn't resist the temptation of teasing you guys!
Rock Raider: *Note to self: Turn off autocorrect* Um, the date is gonna be on Saturday, not Friday. I have a running gag where Star keeps getting detention all the time so Friday was a bit too risky for dear old Marco. And why do you still suspect Tom? He's come to terms with it and he'll find a much more fitting 'companion' in the following chapters. Also, kinda obvious who it's gonna be.
FeMorgenstern11: Aww, shucks! Thank you! Yep, things are gonna get really dark in the future! And your English is good, no worries :)! I ain't exactly Mr. Perfect either, specially in my earlier works... (Most of which I removed).
ElleFreak: Yeah, I love Tom... AS A CHARACTER! YES! THAT'S IT! Anyway, I can't say what Marco's parents will do exactly but I've got a feeling my head will come up with some pretty sketchy stuff. And I'm glad the Starco scene turned out the way I wanted it to but I have 3 words that sum up my thoughts: Awkward to write...
Disclaimer: All characters from Star vs. The Forces of Evil belong to the creators of the show. The plot of this story and any original characters that may appear in it, however, do belong to me, and I would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this story in your own fanfic.
Beta read by ElleFreak.
Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!
Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Staring it up!
Chapter 3
First Date
Part 2
Location: Tom's castle; Library
The demon-boy found out why his gargoyle servant had said wing instead of hands, although 'talons' may have been the better choice of words. Turns out that their librarian was a young Harpy -young for her species which could live up to several centuries- with two wings in place of her hands and wearing round glasses. It did bother Tom that she wasn't wearing any actual clothing but her 'privates' and most of her body were covered in feathers, at least.
"So," Tom looked at the name tag that was pinned to one of her feathers. "Trisha, is it?"
"Y-yes... Master Tom..."
"I told you she was shy, milord," Robert, Tom's gargoyle servant, said.
"Thank you, captain obvious," Tom replied. He seemed annoyed.
"Don't worry," Rober began. "Once she gets interested in something, she'll calm down and fully focus on the task."
"Ok. You can go now, shoo!" Tom ordered. The gargoyle bowed his head and left the Alcove, leaving Tom alone with the librarian.
He looked at her. His mere gazed caused her to tense up and jump. Tom sighed. "Robert told me you know your way around the library?"
She nodded. "Yes..."
"Splendid, then I'll just get straight to the point; I'm looking for information about The Bloodmoon Ball's magic. And I'm not talking about the trivial stuff everyone knows, like the fact that it binds two souls together or something similar. I need to find out details about the actual seal and what its consequences are, plus something about a prophecy related to the Bloodmoon. Would there be anything in our library containing such information?" Tom asked.
Upon hearing this, Trisha's nervousness seemed to pass as she fell into thought. "The Bloodmoon Ball you say... Prophecy..." she murmured. After awhile she looked at Tom and spoke with a more relaxed and confident voice. "Mind me asking what exactly you wish to find out?"
"You've heard about the recent events on Mewni, right?" Tom asked.
"You mean about Princess Star Butterfly's hand being promised to an Earthling?" Trisha inquired and Tom nodded. "Yes, I've heard of it. The noble's of Mewni didn't like it when they found out, nor did many ruling families."
"They'll come around," Tom shrugged. "Anyway, you may not know this but she and he were both bound under the Bloodmoon's light prior to the whole thing."
"Aww, how romantic!" Trisha exclaimed in pure delight.
Tom rolled his eyes. "Whatever! Bottom line is that I owe that Earthling a favour and I need to get some information about the Bloodmoon. Do we have anything in our library that could help me, because I've read over 21 books and still haven't found out anything new or useful!"
Trisha shook her head. "No. We don't have anything like that in the library but I do know of a book that contains various secret and even forbidden information about all sorts of magical and non-magical things. It's called the Codex Ex Inferis."
"Alright. And where exactly is it if it's not here?" Tom asked, slowly becoming impatient.
"I believe it's in the Chamber of Forbidden Artefacts, which is located in the lowest section of the Castle."
"Alright," Tom spoke in an authoritative voice. "Take me to it; If that thing potentially contains some vital information, then I wanna see it!"
The Harpy bowed her head respectfully. "As you wish, master Tom."
Earth, Diaz Household, Saturday night
"Is everything alright, my boy? You seem anxious." Said Rafael Diaz to his son, Marco. The boy was in the living room, sitting on the sofa, dressed in a red tuxedo -one Star had given him the day prior to their date- with black trousers and a black tie. He was holding a neatly wrapped box on his lap. He kept tapping his fingers repetitively on the box and taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. In just a few minutes, Star Butterfly, princess of Mewnie, Marco's best friend and girlfriend would come down the stairs and the two would head out on their first date.
"I'm fine, dad," He absentmindedly told his father. "Just... a little nervous, is all..." Marco added and took a deep breath.
He heard the door upstairs close and looked at the stairs only to see his mother walking down with a smile on her face, which grew even wider upon seeing her soon so neatly dressed. "Marco, you look absolutely charming."
"You think so?" Marco eyed his tuxedo sceptically. "I'm not really sure about this whole 'tuxedo' thing..." he commented and looked at his mother. "Star told me it's customary to dress formally but... I don't know..."
Angie chuckled. "Well, Star's parents will be pleased when they see-" The woman widened her eyes upon hearing her own words and swiftly corrected herself. "I-I mean, would be happy if they saw you respecting their customs and traditions!"
Marco raised an eyebrow at her. He shrugged it off; His parents were weird at times, so it was best not to pursue the issue. "Speaking of Star..." Marco trailed off.
Angie smiled. "She's almost ready."
Marco frowned. "It's been two hours! I put this tuxedo on and got ready in under 3 minutes!"
His mother chuckled. "Well, you're a man, and she's a woman. There's a difference!"
"Yeah; One hour and fifty-seven minutes... and counting!" Marco murmured. "It's the same when you and dad go out. He's ready in under 5 minutes while you spend 3 hours in the bathroom getting ready and for what? There's really no point..."
Angie crossed her arms and smirked. "You'll see why it takes so long for a woman to get ready, Marco. And I think your opinion will change drastically once Star comes down those stairs." She went over to Rafael and wrapped her arms around his right one. "I know your father's did when we first started dating!"
Rafael chuckled and kissed his wife on the forehead. "Son, women are and always will be a mystery. But when they're right, they're right! Just be patient and get used to it."
Marco sighed and smiled, then shook his head playfully. He still remembered how gorgeous Star looked when she went to the Bloodmoon Ball. If she was going to look even half as pretty as she did back then... A blush crept onto Marco's face at the mere thought of a girl actually taking her time to dress up for
A blush crept onto Marco's face at the mere thought of a girl actually taking the time to dress up for him. Yep, Star was doing her best to look pretty for him, and nobody else.
All of this caused his worries to increase. Would she even like the date he'd planned out for the two of them? Sure, Jackie had assured him that she would but...
Queue Flashback
"What am I gonna do..." Marco Diaz muttered to nobody in particular as he sat outside on the school's fountain and watched the other students pass him by as they left for their homes, the final bell having rung a few hours ago for Marco and Star and signalling the beginning of the weekend for them. Other students were also exiting their classrooms, the weeking having arrived for them aswell.
Marco was alone. Star had managed to get herself detention, again. But this wasn't what was troubling him. It was Friday, meaning that tomorrow was Saturday, meaning that the date he'd promised Star was also tomorrow. Great, right? Wrong!
Star was expecting Marco to surprise her but he was completely clueless about what exactly that 'surprise' was supposed to be. Seriously, what exactly did she mean by that?
How does one surprise a magical princess from another dimension? Especially one that has a complete grasp over - One that can cast spells.
Well, he'd already made the arrangements and the plan for the date was pretty much set and done but, the more he pondered about it the less he liked his own idea. Was it going to be enough? Was Star going to have a good time? Would she even be surprised?
Marco let out a loud groan of frustration.
"Marco?" He heard a familiar voice. The boy looked up and noticed that Jackie was eying him curiously and taking off her helmet, skateboard in hand. "Why are you sitting here, alone? Did Star get detention again?"
Marco nodded.
Jackie sat down next to him. "So, I'm guessing that a.) you're here waiting for her, b.) something's bothering you or c.) both."
"C" Marco dully responded. "I'm supposed to take Star out on a date tomorrow but..." he trailed off.
"Let me guess. You can't come up with anything, am I right?"
To Jackie's surprise, Marco shook his head. "Nope. Actually, I've already got everything set up."
"Oh?"
"You wanna know what I planned for Star and me?" He asked halfheartedly. Jackie nodded.
Marco leant closer to her and whispered his little scheme into her ear. Jackie's eyes widened as she listened to the boy's words and looked at him in disbelief once he pulled away and sighed deeply. "I've already arranged the whole thing but... I'm not sure whether I should-"
"Not sure!?" Jackie asked with a delighted smile. "Marco, what you've planned is so sweet! And corny!"
"I know! And that's why I hate it so much!" Marco exclaimed, angry at himself. Jackie eyed him worriedly. "Just a few weeks ago I was the one telling her she wasn't the type for those kinds of dates and now I'm considering taking her out on one exactly like that!"
"Well, if you're not sure about it then why not just hang out like you usually do?" Jackie asked. "Wouldn't that be a simple solution?"
Marco remained silent and sighed. "I wanted to, at first..." He trailed off. "But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do the exact opposite!"
"Why?" Jackie asked, her eyebrow raised.
"I..." Marco muttered. "You said it yourself; Star and I always hang out and have lots of fun, enjoy each other's company; I just want our dates, specially our first one, to be... something special... and different form just hanging out..."
Jackie couldn't help but chuckle. She placed a hand on his back, grabbing his attention. "Marco, you wanna know the simple solution to this problem of yours?" Marco remained silent and stared at her. Jackie took that as her queue to continue. "You keep overthinking things and worrying about nothing. Just relax, will ya?"
"Worrying about nothing? Relax?" Marco said, straightening his back. "Jackie, this is gonna be mine and Star's first date! Of course, I'm worried! What if I mess up and she doesn't have a good time? What then?"
"Well-"
"She even specified that she wanted me to surprise her! How could I just brush that off?" He cut her off.
Jackie sighed, finally realising what the dilemma was. "Why do guys have to be so dense..." she murmured. "Marco, what exactly did you understand under the term 'surprise'?"
"I dunno..." Marco admitted. "Something grand and mesmerising that she'll never forget?"
Jackie looked at him dully and blinked a couple of times. "Alright. Does Star seem like kind of girl who'd expect something 'grand and mesmerising' from you?"
"Um... No...?"
"Wow! Maybe there is still hope for you..." Jackie said. "Marco, I'll let you in on something; When a girl says she wants a 'surprise' that usually means she just wants you to do something for her you normally wouldn't do, no matter how small the gesture is." She looked at him sternly. "I seriously don't know what you guys see us as..."
"Hey!" Marco exclaimed. "It's not our fault you girls can't just be direct and speak in riddles instead! Plus you're hard to read!" He argued.
"That, or you just keep misinterpreting our words? Anyway..." Jackie trailed off. She fell silent for a few moments. "Stop pressuring yourself. Just do what you think is right-" Jackie suddenly stopped and looked at the ground wistfully. Marco raised an eyebrow at her.
"Um, is something wrong?"
Jackie shook her head rapidly and continued as casually as she could. "No, no. It's... it's nothing."
"Really?" Marco inquired sceptically.
"Really," Jackie said flatly. "Listen, here's my advice to you: Just act a bit more impulsive and don't worry about the consequences of your actions and focus on having a good time, instead. Don't make a big deal out of it and everything will be alright, you'll see. And even if things do go wrong, Star's not the type of girl who'll hold it against you. She'll probably just tease you about it for the next few... years..."
Marco remained silent and thought. Jackie was probably right; Star was Star. She and he had had several arguments in the past but at the end of each one, their bond had only grown stronger. And even if his surprise wouldn't fulfil her expectations, she was certainly going to give him a second chance, at the very least. Who knows? Maybe she truly wasn't expecting anything extraordinary, like Jackie was suggesting. And who could understand a girl's motives better than a girl?
Marco (miraculously) decided to listen to Jackie's reasoning and nodded. "Alright. Alright. I guess panicking isn't going to accomplish anything. I'll just go through with it and hope she'll like it..."
"She will," Jackie reassured him.
"I sure hope so..." Marco murmured. He looked at his watch and stood up. "Well, I'd better go and pick Star up from detention. I'll see you later, alright?"
Jackie gave him a thumbs up. "Good luck, dude!"
Marco smiled and waved her goodbye. Once he was out of sight, Jackie sighed.
Do what you think is right? Jackie hugged her knees and chuckled grimly. I can't believe I'm the one telling him that...
End Flashback
Marco was snapped back to reality when he heard the door upstairs close for a second time. Angie and Rafael smiled and the former turned to Marco. "Sounds like she's ready."
Marco swallowed as the footsteps drew closer and closer. Then, he saw her walking down the flight of stairs. Time stopped. His breath was caught in his throat. His eyes widened and followed her every footstep.
There she was, Star Butterfly, more beautiful than ever.
She wore a simple yet elegant red floor-length dress, black around the waist and shoulderless with black flowers woven into the skirt. Not only did it match his attire but it gave her a provocative yet charming appearance. He also noticed that she was a few inches taller than usual, meaning that her dress was probably concealing a pair of high heels. He was surprised that she even knew how to walk in those! Must have been part of her royal training, he concluded.
Before his mind could wander off any further, he looked away from her dress and at her head, only to have his eyes widen and his mouth part open in awe as he sharply inhaled.
Star's hair was cut shorter than usual, managing to reach just around half the length of her back. It was slightly curled and completed by a waterfall braid which gave her an enchanting look. Her hairband was absent and she wore no makeup, none that Marco could see, apart from a layer of lipstick on her mouth.
All in all, it took Marco a small eternity to take all of her in and he was snapped out of his trance only when Star was standing right in front of him and grinning seductively.
"See something you like?" Star said, her voice sweet and teasing, a blush on her face.
It took Marco's brain a few moments to catch up and think of a response. "Y-yeah... You look... pulchritudinous..."
Star raised her eyebrow and chuckled. "What?"
"It means..." He subconsciously placed his hand on her cheek and gently swept a loose lock of hair away to get an even better look at her cherry-tinded face. "I... You look... You're beautiful, Star..."
Star placed her hand atop of his and smiled. "Thanks. And don't worry; I see something I like, too..." She ran her free hand down the length of his arm and the side of his suit. "I have to admit, you look good in a suit!"
"Thanks." Marco smiled. "So," he began and rubbed her cheek lightly with his thumb. "This is why you had me waiting down here for over two hours..."
"Was it worth the wait?" Star took a step closer to him and locked her gaze with his own.
"Definitely..." Marco murmured and began leaning in while drawing her closer, eyes half-lidded. Star mimicked his expression and didn't rebel as he drew her face closer and closer to his own. Soon their lips were mere inches apart. The two were locked in a blissful trance and nothing could ruin this magical moment-
*cough* *cough*
The young couple's eyes flung open as they remembered the two other people in the room, Marco's parents, who were smiling at them suggestively and suppressing laughs. Angie, in particular, had a rather devilish smirk on her face and her arms crossed.
To say the least, Star and Marco's faces were about as red as a pair of ripe tomatoes and the two practically jumped apart from each other in a fit of panic. Angie and Rafael laughed, the couple's adorably shy attitude reminding them of their own youthful years.
"Well, looks like I was right, after all, Marco. Huh?" His mother said with an edge of confidence in her voice and chuckled.
Star raised an eyebrow at Marco. "Right? About what?"
"Ehh... Nothing important," He said and took her hand into his own and gripped it firmly, and was rewarded with another heartwarming smile by the princess.
The two then noticed a bright flash of light and knew it could only mean one thing...
"Mom! Dad!" Marco groaned and pointed at the digital camera Mrs. Diaz was holding. "Why do you have to take pictures? It's not like we're going to the prom or anything like that!"
Angie and Rafael both chuckled. "We know! We thought you both looked so cute just now, and it's your first date, which counts as a special occasion in our book!" Rafael stated.
Marco sighed and shook his head. He couldn't help it as a smile crept onto his face. "Alright, I guess taking a few pictures wouldn't hurt. I mean, it's not like the two of you will be stalking us all night with a camera and recording out date, then showing it to Star's parents, or anything like that!" Marco laughed, as did Star.
His parents exchanged a worried glance before laughing nervously. "Of course we won't! I don't know where you get these crazy ideas from! Hehe..." Rafael exclaimed.
After a short photo session -and by short I mean almost an hour long- Star and Marco managed to pry themselves out of the clutches of the boy's parents and escape through the front door, finally ready to begin their date.
Once they were outside of the house, Star wrapped herself around Marco's right arm possessively and nestled her head into his shoulder, thinking that they were going to walk to their destination in such a fashion. What she didn't expect, however, was Marco freeing himself from her grip, walking behind her, and tying a blindfold over her eyes.
"Marco...? What are you doing?" She questioned.
"Turning this a blind date, hehe." *Best joke of 2017, ladies and gentlemen*
The boy made sure the knot would hold and spun her around, then gently grabbed one of her free hands.
"Marco, I'm going to ask you again. What is all of this? And why am I wearing a blindfold?" The princess inquired.
Instead of answering her question, Marco gave her a quick peck on the lips and smirked. "Gosh, you're an impatient girl, aren't you?" He chuckled. "Just hold onto my hand and let me guide you, alright?"
"Guide me where?"
"It's a surprise. Cmon, we've got quite the walk ahead of us and the night isn't getting any younger."
Before Star could protest, Marco wrapped an arm around her waist and began gently pushing her forward. While it did bother her that she had no idea what was going on anymore, she was also curious to know what precisely her boyfriend's intentions were, and it was rather exciting being left in the dark like this, figuratively speaking.
She smiled and decided to go along with it, and resumed her previous pose by wrapping her arms around his. She trusted Marco to guide her and if he'd gone through all the trouble of doing this, then she had a feeling that tonight was going to be awesome.
End of Part 2!
A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed this one. Feel free to leave a comment and suggestions for the date, otherwise, I'm just gonna 'wing it' like I normally do.
Till next time!
Expected update: 2 weeks from today (Probably; Exam Period -_-)
