Starco vs Parenthood Introduction - These chapters can be read separately but they are all connected. It's always the same Star & Marco, same kids, same world.
The title does not lie, we have a chapter featuring Tom. Bonus, I snuck in a little demonic magic. This story starts just 1 week after Cleaved.
Favs, reviews, and constructive feedback are all really helpful. Thanks! (Something demonic might happen.)
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Chapter 21 - Tom and the Breakup Box
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Inside the Diaz home Star and Marco are busy getting ready for a road trip.
~ Ding-dong ~
"HEY MS. DIAZ, I GOT THE DOOR! PLEASE TELL MARCO I'M ALL PACKED!"
Star opens the front door revealing a large wooden crate being held by a defeated looking Tom. "Hey Starship, been a few days."
"TOM! Hey come on in! I'll go tell Marco that..."
"No Star, please don't tell him I'm here. I-I just wanted to give some things back to you. I don't need to come in."
"Oh. Well I'll come out then, what do you have for me?"
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Star steps outside, closing the door behind her. Before turning to Tom she gives a quick wave to someone in a dark van and they wave back.
"Star, do you know those people? They asked me a bunch of questions before saying I was on the list."
"Yeah. Evidently there have been some totally crazy people who REALLY aren't happy with the new world. A few days ago someone called F-bi sent people to keep an eye on us. We gave them a list of our friends to make sure you guys could still come visit. It's almost like having castle guards but these guys all wear cool sunglasses."
"Huh."
"Hey, sorry we haven't called at all. You have no idea how busy we've been! Seems everyone wants to talk to Marco and I, ask us uncomfortable questions, yell at us about things we didn't mean to do. You know, the usual stuff. Anyway, now that you have an Earth phone we should have done more than just text you to see if you were okay."
"Believe me Star, I get it. The Underworld has been crazy with all the changes. You have no idea how many pipes humans run underground. Anyway speaking of changes, it seemed like a good time to clean up my room and I found a few of your things. I figured the best a friend could do was bring them over to your...new home?"
"Yeah, Marco and I decided it would be best if we were living here for now. We did have the option of moving into a yurt but I kinda have this whole love-hate situation going on with my mom right now that I'd rather avoid. It's mostly love but I still get angry when I start thinking about..." Star stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I won't get into it right now. Something to deal with later. Anyway, I'm sure you didn't come over to hear me complain about Moon the Undaunted. Or as I like to call her now Moon the What-the-corn-were-you-thinking.
So yeah, new home! It's a little tight with Marco and I sharing a room but it's been good so far. Mariposa is in the old guest room so...ah...Tom?"
The half-demon just let out a sigh.
"Tom, are you okay?"
"No Star, I'm not okay. ARRGH! I thought I could do this without getting upset! I-I'm just here to get rid of all these Starship reminders." * Sniff *
"Oh...OH! I'm sorry Tom."
* Sniff * "Here just take the box. There are some photos and a towel you left at the beach house. We found a few stuffed animals, I didn't know if they were yours but I know they aren't mine. Some glitter pens, a book, some music and games I borrowed from Marco, one of Marco's sweatshirts..."
"Tom? What's up with the underwear."
"Yeah, that. I can explain that."
"Tom? I don't remember doing anything that involved me taking off any of my clothing when we were dating, especially not my underwear."
"Oh! No Star! Nothing like that happened! I got these back before we started dating the second time."
"Ah...Tom, that doesn't sound much better. Does this involve something gross?"
"Listen, we've talked about how I did some dumb things back around the time of the Blood Moon Ball. I think it was sometime after the ball when I took these from your room. You know that Mewni saying about walking a mile in another man's shoes? Demons have a similar saying about spending a day in someone else's underwear. I just added a simple ritual that helps the people involved understand each other better."
"So you did this with me? With my underwear?"
"Yes but..."
"Was this another attempt to curse us into being together!?"
"No Star! The ritual is ONLY for encouraging friendship and it never worked anyway. You were always still mad at me whenever I wore them. I stopped using them before you went back to Mewni and I forget I had them until I was cleaning out my room this week."
"Tom-Tom-Tom...so there was a point when you were in the same room with me while wearing my underwear? Okay, that is beyond weird. Why didn't you tell me about this before now?"
"Listen I'll tell you the truth. I found that I really liked how they felt on my skin so I didn't want to give them back right away. Then I forgot I still had yours once I bought my own. You have to understand, they are so smooth and hold everything in just the right place. Silky low-riders are pretty much all I wear these days."
"Tom, if you've worn my underwear and you like the way they feel, why don't you just keep them. I-I...eww. You know I'm not ever going to wear them again."
"Nope, going cold turkey here and I want to make sure I have as few Starship reminders as possible. Sorry, this really hasn't been a good week for me with everything that's taken place." * Sniff * "I thought I could handle it but then you guys...I mean wow!"
"What do you mean 'wow'? I know we haven't talked since I ran after that final portal but did something change? Other than maybe the merge with Earth I thought you would be all good with how things have turned out. You do remember breaking up with me? The different directions thing?"
"Yes, well...like an idiot I got my hopes up." * Sniff * "Don't get me wrong, breaking up with you is what I wanted and I've always thought you might be happier with Marco but...after the magic was destroyed, when I thought you would be on Mewni forever and Marco would be on Earth forever...and then you gave me that hug. Anyway, it gave me hope that we could finally become best friends. I mean that was the whole point of the breakup, I wanted a best friend too."
"...yeah, I remember what you said and...and I remember the hug too. And pony saying -here we go again-."
* Sniff * "Then you and Marco have to go ahead and cleave worlds together. Did you know that I first learned that you two were a couple from one of your TV interviews? I did the math in my head Star and there wasn't much time between collecting tennis balls and destroying magic."
"Well...no. We were separated but when he found me on Mewni we finally started talking about our feelings. Then we went to some bar before destroying magic. Ah...what's your point?"
* Sniff * "Star, I'm trying to wrap my head around what you two did exactly in the magic dimension while it was collapsing. Don't get me wrong, I want you both to be happy but it took you not even forty-eight hours to go from telling me you are trying to be a better girlfriend to the two of you having a universe changing Starco moment! Maybe if the feeling you had for Marco were that strong maybe-MAYBE YOU KEEPING ME HANGING AROUND AS YOUR BOYFRIEND UNTIL I ENDED IT WAS NOT THE COOLEST THING TO DO!" * Sniff * "SERIOUSLY STAR! Based on what I'm seeing there was enough built up Starco tension where maybe you should have ended it with me weeks or months ago? Think about it Star, how should I be feeling right now knowing I was being led on!?"
"Tom! Do you really think I was just leading you on?"
* Sniff * "I know Marco has liked you since he karate chopped one of my hands off and from what I've seen on TV Star, you two act like you've been a couple for years."
* Sigh * "I admit, I'm super happy right now that Marco and I are together. I also might have told the world Marco and I were dating before I even asked him if he would be my boyfriend BUT I totally wasn't leading you on. The only thing that happened in the magic was that we hugged and we admitted to each other that we should always be together. I also know it may look weird that we're sharing a room but we've been best friends for awhile now. Listen, at this point what Marco and I do is none of your business. That said, I'll tell you this as a friend...because I really do care about your feelings. He and I are still trying to figure out this whole boyfriend-girlfriend situation. I mean, you know Marco! Just yesterday he wouldn't give me a hug because my hair was wet and he was afraid if he messed it up there was a chance I might break up with him."
"That does sound very Marco. Well like I said, I'm glad you're together. I just figured with everything that happened and how on TV you two already act like you're in love that...well...maybe you two were in love when...anyway, that is why I thought I was being led on."
"Listen, I'm really glad you support Marco and I as a couple. We both consider you a good friend. Maybe if you and I ended things sooner we would both be happier right now but I was just doing what I thought was right at the time. I don't like seeing any of my friends hurt and I likely have some things about myself that I need to figure out. Anyway, it is weird to say but you're right. I'm sorry we didn't break up sooner. You just have to believe me when I say that I wasn't intentionally trying to lead you on. It's just...well...in a really short period of time everything fell in place."
"Star, with or without magic I'm sure you and Marco are going to be a magical couple and I'm sorry if it seems like I'm overreacting. I just expected you two would be together within a few weeks of our breakup, at most a month. But not in a little over a day. I also feel like I had a good reason to think you two were concealing your feelings for each other from me when you two did all this..."
Tom points to the new world around them.
"Yeah, I get it Tom and I'm sorry." * Sigh * "Listen, I know this is going to sound like I'm blowing you off but Marco and I are supposed to go to some town hall meetings today to talk about Earth and Mewni and one of them is over an hour away. Then we are supposed to travel the kingdoms for a week. Maybe when we get back we can talk more? Hopefully by then I'll have a better answer for you about how we did all this."
"Were you ever going to tell me I was trapped in the magic?"
"Ah...trapped?"
"Star, I remember getting into the backseat of some guy's car and then I remember Marco giving me pudding. Sounds like you totally forgot about me."
"No Tom, it wasn't like that! We were all separated and we figured you would have been sent back to Mewni like the rest of us were."
"Yeah. Well, I'm a bit disappointed that I had to find out about it from your mother after the Cleave. Maybe I could have helped with those Solarian Warriors."
"Sorry."
"Star, I suggest not visiting the underworld for a while. Maybe skip it when you tour the kingdoms. I had to tell my parents everything that happened. Not only are they upset that we aren't dating anymore, the underworld is a mess. My mom also starts crying lava storms every time she sees you and Marco on the news acting like newlyweds."
"Thanks for the warning. I've actually been hearing that a lot of Mewmans are unhappy that you and I aren't together anymore. Evidently they thought I was going to be the next Queen of the Underworld or something silly like that."
* Sigh * "Yeah, silly. Really silly. You know Teen Princess Magazine had us pegged as the biggest future power couple."
"Hmm...power couple."
"Anyway before I go can I have my Panda-cat? I could really use a new cute fuzzy animal to pet right now. I've-I've been under a lot of stress."
"Sure-sure, just give me a minute. The Diaz's have been keeping her safe."
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Star takes the wooden box inside with her. Several minutes later she returns with Tom's sorry-I-hurt-you pet. Carefully taking the kitten Tom forces a smile while a single tear slowly fall from his eyes.
"One...one last question before I go." * Sniff * "Was there ever a point in our relationship where you would have jumped back into the magic like that for me?"
* Sigh * "Sorry Tom."
Tom gives a simple nod before turning away from Star and walking to his carriage. Within a few seconds a fire column appears and he is gone. Star rubs her hands over her face before returning inside. Several minutes later Star is in the backyard with matches in hand and a sad expression on her face. While reviewing the box's contents she prepares to put several of the items onto an old charcoal grill.
"Hey Star! Mom said you're all packed. I finished folding the laundry in case you want to bring a few extra sets of clothes. Sorry you just can't just magic-zap them clean anymore."
* Sigh * "Hi Marco. Yeah, thanks for doing that."
"Hey! You found all my old Turdina underwear! Where were they?"
"WHA-WHAT!?"
"Don't you remember? When you made that Turdina outfit for me you transformed my underwear too. After we got back I kind of liked how they felt so I bought a pack of them for myself."
"SERIOUSLY?"
"Yeah, that's not too weird is it? You-you seem upset. Oh-no! That is too weird! Is it breakup with me too weird?"
"NO-NO! I mean it's just underwear it shouldn't matter who it was made for. Totally-totally cool."
"Whew, I knew you would understand. To keep my parents from asking questions I hid them in one of your drawers back when you had the guest room. See, I drew a little M inside so you'd know they were mine."
"Marco, how often did you wear these?"
"Only a few times. They all disappeared the same day the class went on that dimensional field trip. I always figured they just got mixed in with your stuff and they really weren't that special to me so I didn't worry about it. What are you doing with them anyways?"
Star places a single pair on the grill and takes a match to it. The underwear explodes with multiple demonic ghosts floating out.
"Yeah...I SO do not need those anymore. Did Janna do this?"
"No, Tom."
"Ohhh...that's weird."
"Did you start becoming friends with Tom AFTER that field trip?"
"Ah...yeah. Why are you rubbing your faces like that, did he do something to me?"
"He might have done it to the both of you but it's fine, totally-totally-TOTALLY fine. Listen, just in case it ever comes up in the future, I played no part in him having any clothing of mine."
"Do we need to do an exorcism on anything?"
"Maybe a lip-orsism on me to be safe. I'll text Janna, I know she has some books on it. Maybe we can pick them up on the way out of town?"
"Sounds like a plan. Since we've been kissing maybe do mine too?"
Star places the rest of the clothing on the grill before setting it alight. She and Marco then spend several minutes watching a colorful array of burning souls escaping their cloth prisons. Afterward they head inside to finish preparing for their next post-cleave town halls.
"Marco, something I might want to talk about later..." * Sigh * "...maybe I really was the worst girlfriend to Tom."
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Three and a half years later Star and Marco are in their tiny off-campus apartment. Star is helping Marco with some school work when a video call request pops up.
"TOM! Tommy-tommy-tom-tom! I'm glad you called, reviewing this paper for Marco is SO BORING. How's it going in the Underworld this week?"
"Hey Starship. Everything is fine...well...except..."
"Wait, don't tell me! First guess, you need to cancel Sunday game night. Still sore from Settlers of Mewni when I stole all your corn?"
"No but between you and Marco running a pig-goat monopoly I should cancel it."
"Second guess. Did you get into another Reddit argument over seasons three and four of Youths? You know people are always going to complain that the show wasn't the same after seasons one and two."
"Also not why I called but I did make a big post about it yesterday. Some idiot made a ninety minute video about what he thinks went wrong in Youths. The guy presented all his opinions as facts and left out EVERYTHING that didn't match his point of view! His video is just so wrong about everything and the Youth creators deserve to be treated better than that! He better hope I never catch him on Discord or I'll REALLY give him a real piece of my mind. I love the fanart but I swear if I have to hear another complaint on Reddit about how taking down the walls between apartments wasn't a beautiful ending I'm going to totally lose it!"
"So if it wasn't that, you must be calling about Janna."
* Sigh * "...yeah."
"What happened this time? She caught you stealing her underwear?"
"I don't have to steal them, she is always giving them to me. Listen, Janna was supposed to be my date for this demon event Saturday night but we got into an argument and now she's going with some necro-lich instead. Evidently I'm always asking 'too much' from her as she likes to put it."
"So you want me to send thoughts and prayers? You know I won't be able to change her mind."
"I know. I know."
"Tom, serious question. Are you two using the L-word at all?"
"You mean Lunatic? Lush? Lust? Loony? Looie?"
"LOVE you horn-head!"
* Sigh * "Eh...listen, I was just hoping I could get a last minute stand-in date for the night. It's couples only and my parents really want me there. It's kind of like an Underworld version of the Silver Bell Ball but with karaoke thrown in."
"Yet another Underworld prom. Got it. I'll have to check with Marco but I should be available. I think we have dinner with Marco's parents planned for Saturday but nothing I can't miss."
"Sorry Starship, I actually wanted to know if Marco would be available to go."
"Oh...OH!"
"Yeah, I'm afraid if we went together people might get the wrong idea."
"Wait, so why call me then. Is Marco not answering his phone?"
"Well, I wanted to check with you before I asked him. I mean you two act like you're married so I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea either."
"Engaged Tom, we are only engaged. Listen, this isn't one of those dances where you're going to dump blood on him or curse him are you?"
"Star! You know I'm not fourteen anymore. I mean Janna might but I just need someone so I don't have to ask my parents to set me up with some random half-cousin or anything like that."
"Alright-alright. Hold on.
MARCO, TAKE OFF THE HEADPHONES AND STOP YOUR CRUNCHES."
"SORRY? WHAT'S THAT?"
"SO I HAVE IT RIGHT, CAUCUS SETS UP THE CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION? THE COMMISSION DRAFTS THE CONSTITUTION, THEN ONCE THE CONSTITUTION IS APPROVED THE COMMISSION SENDS THE CONSTITUTION BACK TO THE CAUCUS FOR FINAL APPROVAL?"
"YOU GOT IT."
"GREAT. ALSO, TOM NEEDS YOU TO GO ON A DATE WITH HIM SATURDAY NIGHT."
"DATE? WHAT ABOUT JANNA?"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK."
"YEAH I'LL GO IF IT'S OKAY WITH YOU. WE'LL PICK ANOTHER DAY TO SEE MY PARENTS."
"Hey Tom, so I'll need him back in once piece and if I find out that someone got handsy with him I'm crushing some demon skulls starting with yours. Got it?"
"But karaoke and dancing are okay?"
"Two inch of space between you at all times."
"You got it Starship and about that L-word, do you two use it a lot when no one else is around? Sounds like you love him as much as ever."
"We do and I do. I love him so much it hurts sometimes. Totally hurts."
"Star, you don't need to answer this but...have you two been feeling it since the beginning?"
"Beginning?
"Back when you two started dating? Before you started dating?"
"Well...ah...sorry Tom, I-I should go. I need to finish reviewing this paper. I hope you guys have a good time Saturday."
"Right. Thanks Starship."
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Six and a half years later Star is holding her infant son while Tom sits next to her on a park bench. Star's oldest and Tom's little sister, both three, are running around the playground while the two adults are watching.
"Tom, can you hold my baby for a minute? Watch out, he's super squirmy."
"Hey big guy. You haven't really hung out with your Uncle Tom yet have you. Star, thanks for meeting with me today. I'm not really good at this whole solo babysitting thing but my mom really wanted me to get Angel out of the Underworld for the afternoon. Normally I'd try to get Janna to do it with me but she is at a necromancer convention in Vegas all week."
"No need to thank me, I'm glad to have the company. Plus maternity leave is way more fun when you have another adult to hang out with. You know, your baby sister is super-sweet. Notice how well the girls are playing? I think we'll need to get them together more often."
"Star! STAR! Your baby is making a sad face! Sad-baby-face Star!"
"That's fine, it's lunch time for him. Come on, hand him over. Here buddy, let's get you going."
"Going? WHOOAH! STAR!"
"Relax Tom, it's just breastfeeding. Oh! Sorry! Did I give you a flash before covering up?"
"Marco's not going to be mad at me for seeing that is he? I really don't want Marco upset with me!"
"Marco is totally not going to care. Listen, after two kids you have no idea how many people have seen me half-naked at this point. It's one of the reasons we didn't want to have the births at the hospital. From talking to friends it's a constant flow of nurses and doctors coming in and out of your room all wanting to look all up into your lady parts."
"Funny, at fifteen I would have killed to get you to flash me. Now I just feel embarrassed."
"You think that is embarrassing? Telling a nurse that you're worried that your milk isn't coming in. Then said nurse proceeds to grab your nipple and shoot your husband in the face from across the room, that...that is embarrassing."
"Wow. I knew I wasn't ready to be a parent but...yeah...I'm really not ready."
"You'd be fine Tom. Marco and I weren't as ready as we thought we were but we've grown into it. You'll grow into it too."
"Yeah, maybe someday."
"Hey Tom, since I have you here...thank you for being a good friend and putting up with me all these years."
"Well, you did forgive me for when I used to be a jerk to everyone."
"Yes but you've more than made up for it. I sometimes think about how it was for us growing up. You now, two lonely kids in their castles. I'm really glad we stayed friends."
"You were an unstoppable thunderstorm back when you were a kid but staying friends with you and Marco has definitely been worth it."
"I've been thinking, once a long time ago you sort of asked me if I loved Marco back when you and I were dating and I never answered you. Looking back, I think you wanted to ask me that same question even when we were dating."
"Yeah, I kind of did but I don't think about it so much now."
"Remember how I used to talk about being a bad girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
"Tom, you were there for me at a time when I really needed a friend. You know what my last interaction with Marco was before you and I saw each other at the Silver Bell Ball?"
"He served you burnt nachos?"
* Laugh * "No. Marco knew how I felt about him but he chose to be with someone from Earth instead. Remember Jackie?"
"Janna told me ALL about Marco and Jackie. She was his crush growing up right? Janna told me that you even pushed Marco and Jackie to date. Sounded like you guys were a real mess even before I got involved."
"Hmm...well I didn't push him that hard, he could have pushed back. Anyway, I know why he chose her but it hurt for a long time. It still hurt even while you and I were dating. I probably wasn't the most fun person to be around but you really helped to start breaking me out of the funk I was in. I don't know how you feel about it but I'm glad we were together even if it was never going to work out.
When Marco finally figured out that he was miserable without me and then told me about how he really felt, I was still afraid that he would hurt me again. It also didn't help that at fifteen I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. So I guess this is a long way to tell you the truth, I didn't admit it to myself until maybe our car ride through the magic but I did love him the whole time. Sorry I couldn't talk about it sooner. I'm still figuring things out about myself and this crazy being a mom thing has really changed how I see the world, how I see friends."
"Thanks for telling me Star. It's good knowing I didn't blow it, I just never had a chance in the first place. Was I a good boyfriend at least? You know how competitive I am. I had to have done something better than Marco other than ping-pong? I know I was a better dancer."
"To quote a friend, you were pretty standard as boyfriends go."
"Standard? I'm the crown prince of the Underworld! How could I ever be standard!?"
"Tom! You were never a standard person and never will be. However, you know our titles never mattered. You were just my boyfriend and what we had was pretty standard for teenage boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. That is if you take out all the crazy magic and adventures."
"Yeah. I guess you're right."
"Call me selfish but even with you being a standard boyfriend, at the time I didn't want to let go of either of you. I didn't want to hurt you BUT I was afraid if I changed anything I'd lose you both. You know how lonely it can be growing up nobility. Finding friends you can trust is hard and for me the thought of losing a friend was unbearable."
"I never told you what I had originally planned for our trip, did I?"
"No but let me guess. Watch a thousand sunsets? Romantic walks through a volcano?"
"I was going to try to 'escalate' our relationship."
"Escalate-escalate?"
"Maybe."
* Snort * "You know I would have rainbow-punched you in the crotch right?"
"What? Is that what escalate-escalate means to you? You know, you and Marco do this all the time."
"Do what?"
"The repeat the word thing! I know the word means something different when you repeat it but I always guess wrong. Anyway, not that kind of escalate. I figured if the trip worked out I would have felt confident enough to start thinking about us having a real future together."
"Yeah well, we never used the L-word so even talking about a future together might not have worked out the way you had hoped. Was a future together what you really wanted?"
"At the time it was. My parent's didn't pressure me to date you but being crown prince I put pressure on myself. Then of course there was me being clueless about relationships. Maybe I wasn't as clueless as you and Marco but I was still clueless."
"Looking back, if that's what you were planning for that trip you really did a good job holding it together when I told you I wasn't going."
"I admit, if I had known that you were going to spend all our vacation time with Marco I would have totally lost it. Even when I went to his house for that roof picnic I hadn't realized that you had been there the whole time. Anyway, I did do a good job keeping it together and somehow I also never got mad at Marco about any of it."
"...well you did spend a day in his underwear."
"What's that?"
"Oh, nothing."
"So I was still a better dancer right?"
"Tom?"
"Yes Starship?"
"I think your sister set the seesaw on fire and my daughter is adding sticks to it. Can you please go stop them? Marco has this crazy idea that kids shouldn't destroy playground equipment. I'd go over but I got this squirmy baby attached to me."
"You got it Starship. GIRLS! WHO WANTS A PUSH ON THE SWINGS?"
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Call me silly but I'm big on not sharing toothbrushes or underwear, eww. Anyway, I've seen a lot of other post-cleave takes on Tom. Other stories handle it differently but when I thought about it I figured he might not be as immediately cool with how everything turned out.
Hey Disney, I'd like to see a Mewni version of 'Settlers of Catan'. Corn, pig-goats, mud, stone, and wood. Replace the robber with the wand. Thank you!
Special thanks to Ngame for some advice on this story. I totally overdid some of Tom's reactions in my working version but I was set straight. - Olin
nightaroma - Thanks again for the comments on the last chapter. As for the cover art, based on the numbers a bunch of new readers are now going through the story. Maybe it was vacation week but I'm going to blame the cover and keep it up for another week, maybe more.