Ah, finally, a post-Cleaved story. I knew it would show up eventually.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

I'm not sure if it's necessary, but because of this particular chapter, the rating on this story has been changed to T.

Marco remembered a time not that long ago when his best friend thought chopsticks were "tiny wands" and fortune cookies could accurately predict the future. There was a time when he had to show her the correct way to use a broom. And the very first time they met, she was in the process of viciously attacking a water fountain at school. But Star had adapted to Earth life well, and when she had returned just before the cleaving of dimensions, she fit right in as if she had lived on Earth all her life.

But every once in a while, a gap in her knowledge of Earth-customs would pop up, reminding Marco that Star was from another dimension. It didn't matter quite as much once Mewni and Earth melded to become Earthni, but on one particular occasion about two weeks after the cleaving, Star's knowledge gap nearly gave Marco a heart attack.

One rainy summer night, the blissful new couple relaxed quietly on the Diaz's living room couch, watching reruns of the sitcom The Workplace. They sat side by side, their fingers intertwined between them, each happy to simply be in the other's company.

It was late. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz had gone upstairs over an hour ago, tucking Mariposa into bed before turning in themselves. The room was dark, save for the glow of the television screen. Star and Marco were tired, but neither was ready to adjourn to their respective bedrooms and be separated for the night.

The show broke for commercial, and Marco muted the tv, the sound of the rain pelting the living room windows reaching his ears. He smiled as he looked at his girlfriend beside him. After fighting their respective feelings for each other for so long, finally, they were together, and he was overjoyed.

I hope this never ends, he thought. I could go on like this forever. Just me and Star. A happy sigh escaped his lungs, and the sound brought Star's eyes upon him. She grinned back at him, her vibrant blue eyes shimmering with reverence. Marco felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her adorable features bathed in the flickering glow of the tv.

And then his heart stopped beating altogether as she whispered to him in the darkness.

"Hey, Marco, you wanna fork?"

Marco froze, his entire body nervously trembling at the sentence he thought he had heard. "W-what?!"

"Do you wanna fork?" Star repeated as if it were the most straightforward question in the world.

"Do I want...?!"

"To fork me."

Marco could scarcely believe what he was hearing. He and Star regularly exchanged hugs, and holding hands had become an almost constant occurrence in the past two weeks, but they had only ever shared about two dozen kisses or so. And now, she was seriously suggesting...?!

She squeezed his hand affectionately. "C'mon, Marco. Forking will be fun. I've always wanted to try it."

Marco stared as if his girlfriend had three heads. That particular statement wasn't typically accompanied by such an adorable and innocent smile. "Wait, hang on...are you saying 'fork'? Like, the eating utensil?"

"Yeah. What else would I be saying? I just thought you might want to fork with me."

Marco narrowed his eyes. "What...what do you mean...? Define 'fork'."

"You know. I lay down on my side, you lay behind me, put your arms around me, our whole bodies make contact like forks in the drawer?"

Now Marco understood. He breathed slowly as he allowed his tense body to relax. "You mean 'spooning'."

"No, I mean forking."

"On Earth, we called it spooning. Because...you know..." He cupped his hands and laid one inside the other, back to front. "Like spoons?"

"Forks do the same thing, dude."

"Yeah...but...'forking' sounds like...you know what? Never mind."

Star raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Whatever. Spooning. We gonna 'spoon' or what?"

The prospect of making so much physical contact with his girlfriend for an extended period of time was certainly appealing, but it was uncharted territory for Marco. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Um...I...uh..."

Star glanced back at the tv again. The Workplace was back from its commercial break. "Yes or no, Diaz? The show's back on."

"...Okay."

Marco scooted over to the far end of the couch to give Star space to lie down. When she had done so, he clambered over her and laid himself down between his girlfriend's back and the back of the couch, careful not to lay atop her long mane of blonde hair, and nestled snuggly in the space between. He snaked his right arm beneath the pillow on which Star rested her head, and his left arm-

"Uh..."

What am I supposed do with this arm?

The limb hovered over Star's body, Marco completely unsure of where he was supposed to put it. Star noticed this, and turned her head until she could see him out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh...Marco? Whatcha doing there?"

"I...I don't know..." He moved his arm back and forth, trying to decide on the least inappropriate location. "...where...to put...my arm." He moved it downward toward her stomach. "Here?" She just blinked at him. He nervously moved his arm up until it was just below her chin. "H-here?"

"Oh my gosh, Dude. Just put it wherever it's the most comfortable."

Marco lowered his arm until it felt like it was at its most natural angle, but that left it hovering above the single most inappropriate spot on his girlfriend's torso. And Marco was extremely cognitive of that fact. "Um...Star...the most comfortable spot is, uh...right...right here."

"What's your point?" she asked, becoming annoyed at the distraction from the tv show.

"...I can't. Put my arm. There," he squeaked out nervously.

Star rolled over to face her boyfriend, giving him an encouraging smile. "Aww, you're so bashful and polite. But it's cool, Marco. Really. I don't mind."

Marco swallowed. "I just don't...think it's appropriate. At least until we're a little older."

Star rolled her eyes. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this is what dating the safe kid would be like."

"Hey! Nobody has called me that in a really long time!"

Star giggled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, I guess I should have known this would be a problem. But don't worry, I can fix this!" She rolled off the couch and got to her feet. "Get up."

Gripped with embarrassment, Marco slowly stood up. To his surprise, Star immediately flopped back onto the couch, taking up the spot he had just vacated. She held her arms wide open. "C'mere, you!"

Marco hesitated. "Uhhhh..."

A sarcastic smile crossed Star's face. "Marco, I'm missing the show. Either come here and let me cuddle you or go away."

"...Okay."

Marco carefully laid down and immediately found himself wrapped tightly in Star's arms. Any apprehensions he'd had evaporated as he melted into his girlfriend's warm, loving embrace. He felt the shape of her legs against the backs of his own, folding to match their angle, her body pressed firmly against his back. It was cozy, soothing, and intimate. Best of all, though, there was no need to stress over the location of his hands.

"Better?" Star asked.

Marco sighed happily, closing his eyes as he reveled in the closeness. "Yeah...Much better."