Star and Marco vs Evil Book 1

I

Possible spoilers between the ⭐🦋 and 🦋⭐.

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"We ... kissed."
"I thought the booth was magic."
"You're my squire."
"Which is a job I take very seriously."
"I have a boyfriend. His name is Tom."
"I was just trying to get us out of here!"
"Hey. I'm glad you were honest with me ... just maybe not that honest."

Marco awoke with a start. For a few seconds he was confused as to where he was, expecting the interior of the photo booth. Slowly he realized he was in Star's darkened bedroom on Mewni, sitting on the sofa in front of the big screen TV, now off. He was not alone, snuggled under a blanket with Star on Friendship Thursday.

Marco's brain screamed, Snuggled under a blanket with Star on Friendship Thursday? What?

Marco looked down to see that he and his bestie were wrapped in a tight hug; Star was asleep with her head against his chest, ear over his heart. Marco was in his light blue pajamas while Star was in her blue nightgown. Marco noticed a very slight smile on Star's lips, and a light glow in her heart-shaped Magic-Pips, what Star called her "Cheek-Thingies." It was something of a small miracle that she wasn't snoring.

Earlier in the day Star had gone on a private mission to the Cloud Kingdom to lift Princess Ponyhead's spirits. Ponyhead was despondent, all the way down to her body bone, over losing her unihorn in a fight with Meteora, the former Miss Heinous of St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses. Star returned from her visit successful but exhausted.

Star's smile and calm breathing told Marco that Star was in a blissful sleep, not experiencing a nightmare. More than once since Marco returned to Mewni, Star had waked the castle with her screaming. Marco was having nightmares as well; reliving the "evil episode," as he'd come to think of the booth kiss, was one of his nightmares, just not one of the night-terrors sort. Those usually ended with Star being killed and Marco being unable to prevent it. The worst one was helplessly watching Star commit suicide by blowing up Ludo's wond ... because it wasn't just a nightmare, it was a memory.

Marco was quite happy snuggling with his bestie, but he had to admit to himself he was confused. Star had been very understanding about his confession that he had developed feelings for her, but she rejected him nonetheless; romantically, anyway. She still wanted to be his bestie, and Marco still wanted to be hers. Although humiliated thanks to the manipulation of that evil little Hirsch Goblin, he was glad it happened. It allowed him to stop masking his feelings and allowed them both to reset their friendship. They both could stop hiding behind the "princess and her squire" façade and be besties again. Resurrecting Friendship Thursday was the first thing they did.

Still, Star's behavior went far beyond what Marco, and, judging by people's reactions, everyone but Star, thought was typical behavior between best friends. She had always been handsy and even a little clingy with him, but in the days since the photo booth, Star had taken it to a new level.

Star spent some time with Tom, going on dates and casual hangouts, but since Marco returned to Mewni she spent most of her time with him. As he thought about it, he realized over the last several months Star's dates with Tom had steadily become less frequent and shorter. Marco assumed it was due to Star's involvement in Mewmin-Monster affairs, among other commitments. He had seen with his own eyes at Lava Lake Beach that Tom and Star were definitely smooch buddies, yet that, and the hugs and handholding, seemed to be the extent of their relationship. Marco thought it was likely there were as many hugs and as much handholding lately between him and Star as between Star and Tom.