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writethehousedown · 4 years ago

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Trust Fund, Gold Tongue 5/7 (Crygi) - Peridot

A/N: Your support for this fic means the absolute world to me, thank you so much! I wasn’t sure if I’d get this chapter up today, but here we are! It may not be the best chapter, but I really wanted to produce something for you guy. I hope you still enjoy regardless! Remember you can also find this whole fic on ao3 and can chat to me @artificialperidot as always. Love you guys!

“Undo my bikini at the back, will you?”

“Excuse me?” Crystal choked, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. It was about eleven thirty in the morning, and Crystal had been busy serving drinks by the poolside, but naturally she had taken some time to sneak a quick chat with Gigi when she had seen her sprawled on a sunlounger.

Gigi was laid on her stomach, wearing a similar floppy sun hat to the one she had worn on the day Crystal had met her, but in a different colour - a sort of beige, cream colour. Crystal presumed she probably didn’t wear the same outfit twice too often. She was mindlessly flipping through a magazine - Vogue, Crystal thought - with her eyes sheltered under massively oversized sunglasses, and wearing a bikini Crystal hadn’t seen before - it was red, and adorned with a paisley pattern, pink and yellow and white. Crystal thought she looked perfect in it, but then again, she thought Gigi looked perfect all the time.

But it didn’t quite distract her from the question at hand.

“You heard me,” Gigi peered out from under her sunglasses.

Crystal felt uncertainty bubble in her stomach. “Uh, Gigi, um-“

“Relax, it’s not like that,” she giggled, sticking out her tongue a little as she laughed. “I’m trying to get a tan and I don’t wanna get any tan lines.”

Crystal smiled. “Are you jealous of this gorgeous golden latina skin?” she teased.

Gigi playfully swatted at Crystal’s leg, smirking up at her, and Crystal took that as a yes. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Gigi eventually said, reaching a hand to her back to fumble with the strap. “Help me outta this. I mean, not literally out of it. I’m keeping it on at the front.”

“I presumed,” Crystal replied. “Didn’t think you were an exhibitionist.”

“Fuck off,” Gigi laughed.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

Gigi pouted, sticking out her lower lip, like a spoiled little girl begging for a puppy. Crystal thought that Gigi probably was that little girl when she was younger, but she kept quiet. “Please?” she asked, one arm still fumbling with the strap at the back.

“I don’t know…,” Crystal teased, twirling one of her curls around her finger and looking away coyly.

“Since when were you so cocky?” Gigi whined. “Isn’t your job literally customer service?”

Crystal rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Ugh. Fine,” she said sarcastically. “Only because I don’t wanna get fired,” she added, causing Gigi to choke out a laugh.

It was only when Crystal’s hands were centimetres away from Gigi did she fully comprehend what she was about to do. She, yes she, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd, was about to undo Gigi’s bikini. Gigi fucking Goode’s bikini of all people’s. She gulped, staring at Gigi’s figure, and questioned why god had decided to make her the luckiest person in the world.

She had heard that god hated the gays, but if he did, why would he have put her in such a perfect position?

She was counting her blessings for sure.

Gigi’s back was a porcelain canvas, and Crystal wanted nothing more than to run her hands over her shoulder blades, or at least engulf her in a huge hug. Instead, she let her heart beat like a dream in her ears and fumbled to untie the red bikini strap on her back.

After a small struggle to undo the particularly tight knot, Crystal loosened her straps and sent them flailing to the sides. She was very aware that this was a normal thing for someone to do, that she was just trying to get a tan, and she wouldn’t see anything whilst Gigi was lying on her front. She was also very aware that Gigi was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and was wearing very few clothes. And she was painfully aware of the heat of a deep rosy blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

Crystal ran her fingers through the ends of Gigi’s dark curls, smoothing them out neatly over her shoulders and trying to stop herself from shaking. “There. Perfect!” she said, clapping her hands together.

“Thanks, baby,” Gigi grinned. Crystal’s stomach did a somersault at the use of the pet name.

“You do know you’re just gonna get burned, though, right?” Crystal added. “You’re like a milk bottle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re so pale, you’re basically transparent,”

Gigi gasped, mock-offended. “Well, maybe you should put some sun lotion on me,” she said, lowering her sunglasses and winking, waggling her eyebrows.

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious,” she said stoically, blinking rapidly to drive her point home. “You don’t want me to burn, now do you?”

Crystal didn’t want her to burn, she supposed. She also didn’t wanna pass up a golden opportunity like this, that she might never have again, to get her hands all over Gigi. She also didn’t want anyone to see them, and was acutely aware that there were a few people milling around the pool area, but she supposed that putting on sunscreen wasn’t too irregular in July, and that if she didn’t make it too obvious that she was enjoying it, then they’d be able to explain themselves pretty well.

Fuck it. The customer is always right.

With that, she squeezed the cream onto her hands and went all in, sweeping like windshield wipers over her back. She traced over her shoulder blades and her spine, and moved up her neck and shoulders, giving them a quick massage whilst she was there, just because she could. Gigi giggled as Crystal gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, kneading her upper back like a cat.

And then her hands moved lower and lower, down her spine, hands caressing her waist, all the way down to the small of her back. She rubbed it in soft circles, tentatively, as if her skin was delicate. Crystal’s chest tightened as she looked at the girl below her, basking in the feeling of Crystal’s hands all over her. She didn’t know someone could be so perfect. Gigi was beautiful, undoubtedly so, but more than anything, she was kind. She cared about Crystal, just as much as Crystal cared about her. Crystal had never imagined finding someone like this, who fit with her so well. All she wanted was to scream to the world about this girl, about how wonderfully in love she was with her, but she knew that she couldn’t. Gigi had a reputation, and she’d never want to put her in danger. They made sure they were never seen together - Crystal knew what Gigi’s dad was like. It occurred to Crystal that this was probably the most public they had ever been, and the realisation made her suddenly a little nervous.

After hastily rubbing in the rest of the sunscreen, she lifted her hands off of her back and her eyes scanned the area like a hawk. She hoped no one had seen them.

The only people she noticed who were close by were an older couple, one with their back turned to them and the other seemingly engaged in a rather difficult sudoku puzzle.

The coast seemed to be clear.

Except for Heidi, of course, who was milling around the pool, busily wiping down some tables nearby, and had mimed clutching her pearls when Crystal had made eye contact with her after seeing the ordeal go down.

Crystal knew Heidi would keep a secret, though. After she told Jan. Crystal knew she was obligated to tell Jan.

Trying to shake off her worry, Crystal wiped her hands down on the front of her apron and gently sighed, partially in contemptment and partially to rid her body of fear. “All done!” she said.

“Thanks, Crystal. You’re a doll,” Gigi beamed. “You should probably get back to work, though,” she added. “Don’t wanna look too suspicious.”

Crystal shrugged. “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll see you later on the tennis courts?”

“Of course. I can’t wait,” Gigi replied with a wide grin, blowing a kiss as Crystal walked away, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t dancing on air at the thought of seeing Gigi again, even though she had just left.

Despite their arrangement having gone on for weeks at this point, the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach never seemed to disappear.

***

“So we’ve moved on to giving Gigi back massages now, have we?” Jan said with a quirked eyebrow, sneaking up to Crystal at the edge of the dining hall whilst they were waitressing on the lunchtime shift.

Heidi worked fast, huh?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crystal replied, tucking a red curl behind her ear in faux-modesty. “I just put on some sunblock on a customer who asked for assistance.”

“Sure, Jan” she replied with a smirk.

“Jan, I’m gonna be upfront here. It doesn’t make sense when you say that because your name is Jan and it just confuses everyone.”

Jan cackled mischievously, before clamping her hands firmly over both ears. “That can’t stop me because I can’t hear!” she said, a little too loudly considering they were both working. Crystal shook her head and chuckled, baffled by Jan’s infectious energy at all times.

“Seriously though,” Jan continued, “I’m happy for you. Go get her, tiger!”

Crystal’s face screwed up, as if she had sucked on a sour patch kid. “Not Carole Baskin!” she exclaimed, sending the pair into fits of laughter, getting a couple of looks by nearby diners. They laughed like hyenas, and Crystal felt that it summed up her relationship with Jan pretty well.

“You’re one to talk, though,” Crystal went on when her breathing had calmed. “I see you hanging off of Jackie’s arm in the break room.”

Jan bit her lip ever so slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she mimicked.

Crystal raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Sure, Jan.”

***

Crystal skipped onto the tennis courts that afternoon, eager as ever to see Gigi. As usual, Gigi was already waiting on her by the time she arrived, lounging on the ground with her legs outstretched, eyes glued to the illuminated screen of her phone. Crystal noted that she had straightened her hair since she had seen her last. It looked so glossy and smooth, and she could practically feel how soft it would be to run her hands through.

She’d get to that part later, though.

For now, she hopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs, nuzzling into Gigi’s side.

Crystal couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Hi.”

“Hey diva,” Gigi replied chipperly, pulling her into a hug, but her eyes barely left her screen for more than a second.

Crystal pouted. “What’s so important that you’re not giving me attention?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just my friend Nicky. She’s going to Aruba with her girlfriend Jaida next weekend and she didn’t know what to pack, and you know I gotta help a bitch out with fashion,” she said with a chuckle, tapping her screen before turning it off and placing it on the ground by her side. “Anyways, how are you darling?”

“Better now you’re looking at me.”

Gigi cooed. “Well isn’t that sweet?” she said, and Crystal could see her pupils tracing each of her features, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, before meeting her eyes again. She felt herself blush under her gaze, but she wasn’t embarrassed about it, because she knew Gigi wouldn’t think twice about it.

They fell into a small silence, but Crystal knew her time away from work was precious and often in short supply, so she looked for a way to keep the conversation going. “I, uh, I really like your necklace,” she blurted out.

“Really? Thanks!” Gigi said, taking it between her thumb and her forefinger gently. It was a pendant, in the shape of a sun on a gold chain, and Crystal liked the look of its little grumpy face. Gigi was grinning at the compliment, and Crystal’s heart fluttered in her chest at the way her nose scrunched up when she smiled. “You can have it, if you want,” she said.

Crystal was taken aback. “Oh no, it’s okay.”

“No really, I want you to have it. I have, like, a million necklaces,” she said, reaching her arms behind her neck to undo the clasp.

“I - Uh, thank you so much,” Crystal smiled, feeling grateful for such a sweet gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Gigi said, pulling the necklace out from behind her neck. “If I wasn’t stuck in this place, I’d buy you everything you wanted.”

Crystal paused. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with her. “I don’t want you to spend all that money on me, Geeg.”

“But I want to. I have the money, so I may as well treat you with it, right?”

“But I don’t need a handout, Gigi,” she explained. “All that expensive stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just wanna see you. I don’t need anything else.”

Gigi smiled. “Okay. Point noted,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “But I’m giving you this necklace, and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, Alright,” Crystal conceded, giggling.

“Can I put it on you?”

“Please,” she said with a smile.

With that, Gigi was placing her hands on Crystal’s shoulders, spinning her around and instructing her to hold her hair up out of the way. And then she draped the gold chain over her head and around her neck, fingers tracing her collar bones and her breath by Crystal’s ear. The moment felt precious, meaningful, and Crystal let herself be drowned in the feeling.

“Beautiful,” Gigi whispered, turning Crystal back around and taking her hands away from her hair and holding them in her own.

Crystal smiled, meeting Gigi’s big blue eyes, her pupils blown wide. And then her eyes glanced down to Gigi’s full pink lips, and she brought them together, colliding in a kiss.

Crystal lost herself in the scent of Gigi’s floral perfume and the feeling of her lips on hers, bringing her hands to hold the other girl’s waist. Gigi’s hands slid around her neck, and for a moment the only thing that mattered to Crystal was the two of them, because they had each other and she had Gigi and she never, ever wanted to let her go.

And then, Crystal’s attention was diverted.

There was a noise.

A click.

Almost like the click of a camera.

Crystal immediately broke the kiss and looked around for the source.

And who wa stood just metres away, camera in hand?

Matthew.

me?” Crystal choked, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. It was about eleven thirty in the morning, and Crystal had been busy serving drinks by the poolside, but naturally she had taken some time to sneak a quick chat with Gigi when she had seen her sprawled on a sunlounger.

But it didn’t quite distract her from the question at hand.

“You heard me,” Gigi peered out from under her sunglasses.

Crystal felt uncertainty bubble in her stomach. “Uh, Gigi, um-“

“Relax, it’s not like that,” she giggled, sticking out her tongue a little as she laughed. “I’m trying to get a tan and I don’t wanna get any tan lines.”

Crystal smiled. “Are you jealous of this gorgeous golden latina skin?” she teased.

“I presumed,” Crystal replied. “Didn’t think you were an exhibitionist.”

“Fuck off,” Gigi laughed.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

“I don’t know…,” Crystal teased, twirling one of her curls around her finger and looking away coyly.

“Since when were you so cocky?” Gigi whined. “Isn’t your job literally customer service?”

Crystal rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Ugh. Fine,” she said sarcastically. “Only because I don’t wanna get fired,” she added, causing Gigi to choke out a laugh.

She had heard that god hated the gays, but if he did, why would he have put her in such a perfect position?

She was counting her blessings for sure.

“Thanks, baby,” Gigi grinned. Crystal’s stomach did a somersault at the use of the pet name.

“You do know you’re just gonna get burned, though, right?” Crystal added. “You’re like a milk bottle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re so pale, you’re basically transparent,”

Gigi gasped, mock-offended. “Well, maybe you should put some sun lotion on me,” she said, lowering her sunglasses and winking, waggling her eyebrows.

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious,” she said stoically, blinking rapidly to drive her point home. “You don’t want me to burn, now do you?”

Fuck it. The customer is always right.

After hastily rubbing in the rest of the sunscreen, she lifted her hands off of her back and her eyes scanned the area like a hawk. She hoped no one had seen them.

The only people she noticed who were close by were an older couple, one with their back turned to them and the other seemingly engaged in a rather difficult sudoku puzzle.

The coast seemed to be clear.

Crystal knew Heidi would keep a secret, though. After she told Jan. Crystal knew she was obligated to tell Jan.

Trying to shake off her worry, Crystal wiped her hands down on the front of her apron and gently sighed, partially in contemptment and partially to rid her body of fear. “All done!” she said.

“Thanks, Crystal. You’re a doll,” Gigi beamed. “You should probably get back to work, though,” she added. “Don’t wanna look too suspicious.”

Crystal shrugged. “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll see you later on the tennis courts?”

Despite their arrangement having gone on for weeks at this point, the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach never seemed to disappear.

***

Heidi worked fast, huh?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crystal replied, tucking a red curl behind her ear in faux-modesty. “I just put on some sunblock on a customer who asked for assistance.”

“Sure, Jan” she replied with a smirk.

“Jan, I’m gonna be upfront here. It doesn’t make sense when you say that because your name is Jan and it just confuses everyone.”

“Seriously though,” Jan continued, “I’m happy for you. Go get her, tiger!”

“You’re one to talk, though,” Crystal went on when her breathing had calmed. “I see you hanging off of Jackie’s arm in the break room.”

Jan bit her lip ever so slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she mimicked.

Crystal raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Sure, Jan.”

***

She’d get to that part later, though.

For now, she hopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs, nuzzling into Gigi’s side.

Crystal couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Hi.”

“Hey diva,” Gigi replied chipperly, pulling her into a hug, but her eyes barely left her screen for more than a second.

Crystal pouted. “What’s so important that you’re not giving me attention?”

“Better now you’re looking at me.”

Crystal was taken aback. “Oh no, it’s okay.”

“No really, I want you to have it. I have, like, a million necklaces,” she said, reaching her arms behind her neck to undo the clasp.

“I - Uh, thank you so much,” Crystal smiled, feeling grateful for such a sweet gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Gigi said, pulling the necklace out from behind her neck. “If I wasn’t stuck in this place, I’d buy you everything you wanted.”

Crystal paused. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with her. “I don’t want you to spend all that money on me, Geeg.”

“But I want to. I have the money, so I may as well treat you with it, right?”

“But I don’t need a handout, Gigi,” she explained. “All that expensive stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just wanna see you. I don’t need anything else.”

Gigi smiled. “Okay. Point noted,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “But I’m giving you this necklace, and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, Alright,” Crystal conceded, giggling.

“Can I put it on you?”

“Please,” she said with a smile.

“Beautiful,” Gigi whispered, turning Crystal back around and taking her hands away from her hair and holding them in her own.

Crystal smiled, meeting Gigi’s big blue eyes, her pupils blown wide. And then her eyes glanced down to Gigi’s full pink lips, and she brought them together, colliding in a kiss.

And then, Crystal’s attention was diverted.

There was a noise.

A click.

Almost like the click of a camera.

Crystal immediately broke the kiss and looked around for the source.

There was a boy, just metres away, clutching a camera in his hands.

Matthew.

#rpdr fanfiction #crygi #crystal methyd #gigi goode #jan sport #heidi n closet #trust fund gold tongue #peridot #lesbian au #fluff #angst #tw: homophobia but not in this chapter #summer lovin' 2020 #day 5: tan #submission

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ngame989 · 5 years ago

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“Onward” - TGG SVTFOE Fanfic Collection Ch. 7

Writing: @ngame989

Art: @toxicpsychox

Editing: @toxicpsychox, @seddm, an IRL friend

Alternate fic links - FFnet, AO3

Summary: Bloodlines clash over the past on the first anniversary of the Cleaving, while Star, Marco, and others try to focus on looking forward.

Comic Page

Masterpost

Sorry for the big delay. In the meantime, we did a pretty massive in-character RPish Q&A session taking place in the time of the fanfic collection storyline just before this chapter, so check that out here! Post-summer schedules are settling in now, so hopefully we can get back on track for regular updates. See below for the text, hope you enjoy!

“Think we should head back downstairs soon?”

Star poked her head out from the closet to find Marco had taken his hoodie off and spread himself akimbo on their bed, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. “We probably should,” she admitted, turning the swords she held in her hands over a few times. Her own blade was relatively simple compared to the ornate craft of Marco’s falchion, the Cleaver. That name seemed especially fitting now, since it was exactly one year ago today that their new world was created. She carefully set them against the wall, still in their protective sheaths. “Ooooor we could just use my messiness as an excuse for why it took us extra long to find these!” she drawled out dramatically, giving Marco a sly grin. He finally tilted his head towards her and opened his eyes, treating her to his soft warm gaze while she kicked off her tennis shoes and adjusted her old sky-blue dress. Their day had begun only a few hours ago, yet she was already feeling drained, and his slight wince when she dropped onto the mattress, reclining against a wall of pillows suggested he mirrored her sentiment. “You OK?”

“If your uncle’s hug didn’t break something, your aunt’s sure did,” Marco mumbled, testing his joints for injury with a grimace before scooting himself further towards her and dropping his head into her lap. Normally she’d be all for the rowdy family party going on right under their feet, but today felt like it should be their day too. Earthni was a wonderful place for sure, but today was the anniversary of so much more for her. The perfect bliss of loving Marco, the terror of losing Marco, the overwhelming sadness of missing Marco, the enrapturing contentment after reuniting with Marco...

“Marco, Marco, Marco…” she singsonged, thoughts leaking out into words. Her left hand caressed his cheek while she tangled the fingers of her right in his hair; he closed his eyes and nuzzled further into her contentedly. Her smile grew all the wider as she upped the ante, squishing his cheek and poking his mole then finally honking his nose. After a few moments of trying his best to ignore it he started lazily swatting her hands away, but she persisted nonetheless. This adorable face was hers for the booping, dangit!

“Star.” His tone was firm, but she knew better than to assume he meant it.

“Yes?” she innocently crooned.

He caught her wrists and held them away from him. “What are you doing?”

“Having fun, silly.” She wriggled free and got a sneak attack in, pinching both cheeks at once. When he went in for the counter, she pulled back so quickly that he slapped himself, causing Star to fall backwards onto the pillow clutching her sides and laughing. Marco lifted himself off of her and onto his knees, and she caught only a glimpse of his cocky smirk before he dove forward, pinning both her arms above her. “Oh no! You got me, Diaz! I am at your mercy. Whatever shall I do?” Try as she might to keep up the mock damsel in distress act, she failed to suppress her giggles. Only a second later, he released her hands and planted a quick kiss on her lips before resting his head on her shoulder. Her arms wrapped tightly around him. When she’d made the fateful decision to risk leaving everything else behind for Marco, this was why, this was what she couldn’t see herself living without.

“Star… ow…” Her grip slackened and he wheezed in relief. “You definitely… got that… from your dad’s side of the family.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Hello, dears.” Eclipsa’s voice rang from the doorway, catching them both off-guard. Marco yelped and rolled off of Star, flopping to the floor with a thud. “Don’t mind me, I was just sent up to see if you two were ready for your demonstration. I must say, everyone seems quite excited for it.”

“Oh heeeeeey, there’s the swords!” Star pointed with a totally convincing shocked expression. “Silly Marco, I told you they wouldn’t be under the mattress!”

Eclipsa laughed heartily enough to make the light purple hem of her summer dress sway around her. “There’s no need for excuses, dears. In my younger days, I would have killed to have Globby with me at even a single family outing. I’m not one to tattle on the tomfoolery of love. You should probably go, though, before any more Butterfly-Johansen friction spills over.”

“Uuuuugh,” Star groaned. Things had been pretty civil amongst all the various interdimensional families thus far, but she’d known it was only a matter of time before something happened. When she was a kid it was fun watching everyone punch each other off cliffs to vent their frustrations, but now it just seemed petty and pointless to her. Had they learned nothing from everything that happened? She helped Marco off the ground then grabbed their weapons for the exhibition spar that all their guests were apparently anticipating. He slid into his hoodie while she slipped back into her shoes, then they closed the door behind them and descended the stairs.

The Diaz living room was largely occupied by the Butterflies for the time being, while Star could hear the characteristic Johansen ruckus from the backyard. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could all just get along forever? Probably, but she could scarcely fathom how that might ever happen. She glanced around to find her mom trapped in conversation with Great-Aunt Etheria in the kitchen. Despite wearing more casual clothing, Mom was in total “queen” mode right now, politely tut-tutting at all of Etheria’s observations. Maybe that wasn’t the best term for it, but it was how Star had known her mother most of the time growing up. However, there was still no mistaking the strain in her expression: even the Queen Moon of her childhood couldn’t put up with Etheria for long, and Star had no idea how the mom she’d gotten to know in recent years could handle it for more than half a minute. When Etheria noticed Star’s presence and strutted towards the stairs, Star could see her mother breathe a slight sigh of relief before following.

“Ah, dearie, there you are. Come, come, let me see this magnificent blade I’ve heard so much about.” Eclipsa held it up, but the eldest Butterfly snatched it from her grip without even a glance before running her fingers all over the blade. “Fine craftsmanship, indeed… where did you get such a thing? I must commission the maker for a new display.”

“It was actually Buff Frog who recommended me an old friend of his, she’s really cool. She does experimental art with molten metal that’s really pretty-”

“Ah. Hmmph.” The woman handed the sword back to Star tersely. “Well, it is well-made, I’ll give it that.”

“Speaking of artistry,” Moon chimed in before Star could respond, “weren’t you saying something about Marco’s parents, Aunt Etheria?” Star and Marco glanced at each other anxiously.

The large woman perked up, scorn diminishing in an instant. “Oh yes, they’re wonderful. A poet and a sculptor, how splendid! It’s positively delightful to see such devotion to the most noble of endeavors. The graceful wielding of a blade or a brush are signs of a good temperament. I’m glad at least your family can appreciate the finer, more delicate things in life, boy.” Star cringed a bit, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Marco doing the same, but the tension she didn’t even know she had in her shoulders dropped. Despite the tone, it was nice that Marco was being accepted, but… yeesh. “Let’s get on with this display, shall we?” The group headed outside where the Diazes had taken advantage of their spacious backyard.

Star instinctively shielded her eyes with one arm, blocking out the blinding light of the sun. Two poles held a banner up above a table loaded with all kinds of meats and vegetables. ‘Butterfly-Johansen (and Diaz) Annual Picnic’. Marco’s parents had resisted inserting themselves for long enough that Star had scrawled the addition on herself. They were hosting the freaking thing, why shouldn’t they be an official part of it? The Butterflies who had followed them outside were audibly scoffing at the various Johansen men and women sweeping up armfuls of meats and jamming them into extra large tortillas that were still far too small for the task. Finally she found her dad, who was guiding cousin Rock through the various foods that had become a staple of his diet, and when he noticed her in kind he skipped over. “Star, honey, there you are! And Marco, my boy, tell me: did you have your first encounter with Grandpappy Bear? The man with the grey beard down past his knees?” Marco nodded at the clarification.

“Ha! My father used to tell me stories of how he’d vanquish foes by opening his arms to feign surrender. Many great men and women fell right for it- went for the hug and had the life squeezed right out of them!” His eyes narrowed intensely, getting right in Marco’s face, and Marco’s nose ruffled at the wild beard hairs.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Marco dryly responded. “My everything hurts.”

“Nonsense, lad. If you’re even still standing, you’ve done better than most! It’s like you’re part of the family already.” He clapped Marco on the back with a joyous laugh, and Star grabbed onto her boyfriend’s arm to keep him steady on his feet.

“Try not to break the boy,” Etheria sneered from the doorway behind them, joined by a few of Star’s aunts and uncles.

“They are quite talented at breaking things,” Heartrude murmured low enough that anyone farther away than Star probably wouldn’t hear.

“Aye, we’re just having fun with ‘em,” Aunt Crag hollered back. “From what Rivey tells me, he’s gonna be an honorary Johansen soon enough!”

Daaaaaaad. Star tried to bury the rising heat in her cheeks. While her brain was still putting itself back together, Marco had jumped between them with a nervous grin on his face. “So, swordfighting, huh? What’s the deal with that?”

“Yes, I suppose some entertainment is in order,” Etheria sighed. “Are you quite sure that we can’t stage a rousing game of Flags, Moon? After the last few cancellations due to…” Her gaze flickered to Eclipsa and Globgor briefly. “Circumstances on Mewni, and now the Butterfly Kingdom being dissolved altogether, I dare say some stress relief might do us all some good.”

“Hear, hear,” the Butterflies behind her chanted. Even a few Johansens were mumbling their assent, though they’d never be forthright with their agreement with the eldest Butterfly.

“Be that as it may,” Moon spoke up, “my decision still stands. If there’s anything I’ve learned these past few years, it’s the value of letting go of the past if it’s holding you back, and Flags, fun as it may be, just kept this feud going. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Perhaps it’s best if we can all learn to find that which binds us together.”

“She’s right,” one of the Johansen cousins added. Phew. Finally, maybe people were starting to see the sense in- “Since we don’t have to bother with politics anymore, maybe we just shouldn’t put up with them!” Oh for the love of- calm down, Star. Deep breaths. Though she tried to ignore it, a tiny voice in the back of her mind pondered those words carefully. Why were they trying to make the families get along? Sure, it’d be nice for its own sake, but it wasn’t like her parents were BFFs with any of their in-laws, either. Maybe it was selfish to think, but what did they get out of it?

As the tensions mounted more by the second, Star felt something prodding her clenched fists. She looked over her shoulder to see Eclipsa surreptitiously handing over her sword, while Marco already had been given his. Star took the hint. Too late to turn back now.

“EN GARDE, MARCO!”

***

To anyone else, the sun being blocked out completely in the middle of a summer afternoon would have been alarming, but for Eclipsa it was a most welcome sign. “Having fun, my love?” a deep voice boomed above her.

Globgor shrunk down to smaller than his default size, his form-fitting sweater vest and pants scaling appropriately, and dropped down on the grass next to his wife to hand her a cup of tea. She took a test sip: black, with milk and a generous serving of honey. He only ever put that much in when he thought there was something bothering her, and as always, he was correct. “I get the unfortunate feeling we’re not quite welcome among some of the clan, Globby. Especially those on our side. The Johansens seem quite fond of you, though.”

“Ehhhh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right, they’re definitely nice in their own way, but I think it’s only because I’m strong. They kept laughing about eating people, and said maybe Etheria would be a gourmet meal.”

“Well, that is a perfectly acceptable reason to like you, dear,” she crooned, placing her free hand on his arm. “But yes, that is… troubling.” It didn’t surprise her, really; it had taken her nearly a year to find her place within the small portion of the Butterfly family consisting of just Star and Moon. Eclipsa had accepted being an outcast from the remainder of it, given her supreme infamy in Mewnian lore, but it wasn’t in her nature to sulk, and in all fairness it had been a good year for them. Perhaps she hadn’t been the best at guiding her people safely through dangerous times, but she still had earned respect and camaraderie from much of Monstertown. Rebuilding the town after Mina’s destructive rampage had been a satisfying effort, and she still had far more time to enjoy the company of her family than she ever could have dreamed.

Taking another soothing sip, her gaze wandered over to the only other people she knew that needed this time to be together as much as she had. Star’s combat style was fierce, unrelenting chaos guided by warrior’s instinct, but Marco balanced it perfectly with a keen eye for when to defend and when to counter. Eclipsa had guessed where they’d end up from quite literally the first moment she’d met Star, and where they complemented each other perfectly as a team, they were equally matched as opponents. The shimmering steel clanged over and over, neither combatant spending more than a handful of seconds on the backfoot at a time. Marco deftly ducked under a ferocious two-handed swing and jabbed forward, so Star rolled with her momentum to dash backwards. She was about to back into a cactus behind her when Marco kicked off the ground and lunged towards her, grabbing her free hand and twirling her to the side, eliciting hoots and hollers from the enthralled crowd. They both giggled before squaring their stances, and combat resumed.

“They’re quite extraordinary, aren’t they?” Eclipsa turned away from the match in progress at the sound of Moon’s voice. Globgor extended an enlarged arm towards a chair leaning against a picnic table and dragged it over for her.

“They’ve both turned out to be some of the best of us. Even with all my strongest magic, I wouldn’t want to get between them. It looks like they could keep this up forever.”

Moon raised an eyebrow and folded her hands in her lap, sipping from a mug with an ornate floral pattern. Royal status or not, Moon had a taste for the finer things. “I wasn’t talking about the swordfight, Eclipsa.”

“Nor was I.” Eclipsa playfully smirked, and Moon conceded the point with the two sharing a knowing look.

Globgor shrunk and hopped onto Eclipsa’s shoulder, gathering some of her flowing green hair with his tail as a headrest and reclining into her neck. “Wouldn’t it have been nice to be like that at their age? We only ever had minutes at a time to ourselves, and it’s not like we could just use giant mirrors or big glowy portals to chat whenever we wanted.”

“True enough, my love, but Star had been devoting everything to keeping an entire kingdom afloat at age 15 for half a year, and Marco’s own service merited knighthood in less. Even if we debate the details, I’m not sure I envy them.” She gently ruffled his hair with her fingers. “And besides, we’ve had the last year, and however many more follow to do whatever we wish.”

Globgor smiled back up at her, hugging one of her fingers. “You’re right, dear. Oh Moon, that reminds me, how are those big plans you mentioned a few weeks ago?”

Moon crossed her arms, frowning slightly. “It’s not anything that big yet. I’ve... just been gathering some information. Wrathmelior was quite helpful in finding Historia Homewnum for me, it’s older than the Butterflies themselves. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with it yet, but I want to talk to Star first.” She turned away from Eclipsa and Globgor, gazing with a solemn smile towards her daughter who was laughing hysterically as she chased Marco down and tackled him into the grass, weapons forgotten. “How we look back on Mewni requires guidance from those looking most forward.”

“How do you look back on it, Moon?”

Her brow furrowed as she took one sip, then another, clearly lost in thought. By the time she spoke, the entire glass had been drained. “I’m not proud of many of the things I did, or even those I felt I had to do, in my time as queen, but it’s a legacy left behind nonetheless. The people of this world deserve to know it as it was, sometimes noble and sometimes flawed.” A shout of “why I never!” was heard from the distance, and everyone turned to see one of the younger Butterfly cousins hastily retreating from an encounter with Johansens. “Very flawed,” Moon sighed. “The Johansens at least mean well, in their own ways, but my side… well, let’s just say it’s a good reminder of why the Cleaving was necessary. My apologies for any trouble they’ve caused.”

Eclipsa laughed sardonically. “Until quite literally hundreds of years after she perished, my own mother would have drawn and quartered me just for being in love. Family problems are nothing new.”

Globgor hopped off her shoulder, enlarging as he pointed across the spacious yard closer to Moon and River’s yurt, which had become a veritable house in recent months. “Is that River?” Eclipsa squinted to block out the sunlight and get a better view, and sure enough he was locked in a struggle with Heartrude, who was trying to wrestle a large drumstick out of River’s teeth.

“In all fairness, Moon, the Diazes are excellent chefs. I wouldn’t blame anyone for that level of passion over the catering,” Eclipsa sniggered.

“For heaven’s sake…” Moon grumbled while dragging her hands down her face. “River!” She darted off towards the scene, leaving Eclipsa and her husband alone once more.

A few of the others glanced over their way, but none responded. Globgor grew a little more and stretched his limbs before sprawling himself out on the ground, yelping sheepishly when his actions knocked the chairs over. That’s my Globby. Eclipsa giggled and jumped over the wreckage into his arms, using his chest as a pillow. They both loved their daughter more than anything, but time for just the two of them was always welcome. “There are certain advantages to not having much of an audience…” he said, chuckling and gently pulling her closer for a kiss. When she’d first started secretly dating monsters in her youth, the Mewman lore had maintained that size-shifters were clumsy oafs when large and insidious creeping vermin when small, and that was saying something since the pages written about the middle ground weren’t exactly flattering either. No matter his outward appearance, he always knew how to handle her with precision and grace, and they’d worked up a complete comfortability with the shifts in their daily lives. One of Globgor’s favorite amusements was trying to solve any mundane issue he could with only size-shifting, leading to some incidents such as the shelving unit they’d had to rebuild after he tried expanding in a confined space to reach some baking ingredients at the top, but it never failed to amuse her. They flirted in the grass until they’d lost count of the minutes, uncaring of who may have been looking at their innocent (by their standards) shenanigans, until the sunlight in the corner of Eclipsa’s eye went dark once more.

The moment that it took for Globgor to stop being distracted by her kisses lasted about as long as the time it took her to recognize that the usual cause of this was already beneath her, and both snapped to attention together. “Gotcha! Now we’re even-steven,” Star gloated.

All four eyes below her blinked a few times. “Um, it’s Globgor, not Steven.” The other three looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. “What, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing, darling,” Eclipsa responded. They both stood up, brushing any stray grass marks off their clothing. “Excellent fight, dears, though I’m afraid I was too, ahem, preoccupied to catch the ending. Who won?”

“Star did,” Marco said.

She poked him in the cheek, beaming with pride and doing a little dance. “First time, too! I was like, swing, swing, slash and I did this really cool twirl and knocked it right out of Marco’s hands. I did it!”

He wrapped an arm around her affectionately, which also served to calm her antics. “I was off-balance from pulling you away from the cactus,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“Love made you weak, Diaz, but I love you for it.” She nuzzled into his shoulder and he rested his head against hers. “Anyway, how are things going for you guys?” Star wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at them.

“The party is delightful. It’s so nice to get to celebrate with everyone, even if there’s the occasional spot of friction.” It wasn’t worth troubling Star and Marco over; this celebration was in service of them, in a way.

“The Butterflies don’t seem to like us too much, and I think the Johansens like us for not so great reasons,” Globgor ever so helpfully stated. Well, there goes that idea.

Star growled under her breath. “Why are they always like this? It seemed like things were turning around after the last Flags,” she moaned.

Marco shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, sometimes old grudges last a long time. I remember Uncle Miguel didn’t speak to his wife, Aunt Juanita, for 15 whole years because of a stolen enchilada. She’d even bought him one the next day, too. Probably explains why Cousin Bobby is a bit weird.”

Star puffed up her cheeks in indignation. “OK, I know this isn’t the point, Marco, but every story about your extended family just makes me want to meet them even more.”

“Maybe once the government sorts out all the passport stuff,” Marco said, “and maybe on their own, too. I’m glad your family likes my parents, but I’m, uh, not so sure how they would all get along.”

“Good to know.”

“Can’t you just eat like a well-behaved member of society!” The group heard from a distance away.

“I don’t want to be part of any society that has someone do the chewing for them!”

More and more Butterflies and Johansens clustered together in the center of the yard; it seemed like this whole debacle was about to reach critical mass. Eclipsa surveyed the scene carefully: Moon and River were trying ineffectually to calm it, and the Diazes watched from the sidelines, babies in tow. It seemed like they were the only ones left in action. Marco gathered them into a huddle, with Globgor shrinking down to the appropriate size. “Alright, how do we figure this out?”

“Families bicker sometimes, darling,” Eclipsa offered somberly. “Perhaps them getting along just isn’t meant to be.”

“I don’t get it, though! Okay, fine, they’re annoyed by each other, but who isn’t annoyed by family sometimes? Heck, even Marco grates on me when he says I should ‘eat less sugar’ and ‘eat something besides sugar’ and ‘stop pouring sugar into my soda until it becomes a thick paste’! Have you ever seen the nutrition labels on the Sugar Seeds you eat too?”

“Hey…” Marco pouted.

Globgor raised a hand. “Well, Star, healthy eating is an important-”

“Not the time!” she growled.

Marco squeezed her shoulder, which calmed her down enough for him to speak. “Well, when Uncle Miguel and Aunt Juanita’s feud finally ended, it was because his brother stole one of his enchiladas and then gave it back, so they made up really quickly. I guess that helped him realize he didn’t even know why he was still being so mean about it. So maybe if we just got them to realize their issues are normal…”

“They could just be annoyed by each other normally,” Star finished. “Marco, you brilliant man, you.”

Folding her hands in contemplation, Eclipsa finally spoke. “All well and good, but how? Even though my time was 300 years ago, I don’t think much has changed in just how stubborn any of these royal families can be. They’re not just going to give up hating each other so easily.”

Globgor’s tail swished up against her in excitement. “Remember when you helped me become a vegetarian?”

“Yes, of course.”

“For a while, I still thought about eating Mewmans every single day, so you made all those veggie-filled scarecrows for me to find. They weren’t that good.”

“Not my best work, I admit.”

“But being able to still have some way of scratching that itch was what helped the most, and now it’s not even a problem anymore!”

“So you’re saying we just need a way to still let out all their aggression without doing any serious damage, then. Globgor, you brilliant man, you.”

Rafael and Angie poked their heads in between Marco and Globgor. “If I may contribute a suggestion…” he said.

“Aaaa!” The other two couples stumbled back in shock.

“Sorry, we heard you from over there and we had an idea. You’re not that good at being quiet,” Angie laughed, ruffling Star’s hair.

“When I was growing up,” Rafael continued, “we used to always play silly games in the backyard and everyone got very competitive over it. I think I have some of the equipment still in the shed. Maybe a friendly competition is in order?”

“I love it!” Star shouted, her eyes lighting up with joy. She stuck her hand into the middle of the group, grinning fiercely at the gathered crowd. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s stop our families from killing each other over petty grudges. Globgor, lift all the equipment. Nachos can help too, she should be coming back from her afternoon stroll right about now. Mr. Diaz, set it all up. Eclipsa, Mrs. Diaz, plan the rules of the competition. Marco, let’s go try to distract my family. Team Family on three!” Regardless of whether it would work, Eclipsa felt quite enthusiastic about this as well. She couldn’t say whether it would work, or how it might impact her own standing within the group, but the simple fact that there even seemed to be a chance to set things in the right direction for Star’s family at all was far more than she’d ever had the chance to do in her past.

“Alright, on three,” Eclipsa said, leading the charge. “One, two, three, family!”

***

Marco followed Star across the yard, needing to jog to keep up as she pulled him forward by the hand into the center of the ruckus. Moon and River had their backs to each other as they tried to keep the seething rage from either side at bay, but a few people had already crossed the battle lines and an all-out brawl was beginning to erupt.

“Don’t worry Mom and Dad, we got this,” Star confidently shouted over the din. Admittedly, Marco was a bit less certain than she was that this would work. He was the odd one out in terms of his upbringing, and Star’s families honestly spooked him a little bit with their intensity. The Diazes were quirky, sure, but like most other things on Mewni, this whole situation just seemed amped up to 11 all the time. Still, he wanted to see it through for Star’s sake, if nothing else. So much of what they’d gone through was due in some way or another to family disputes, it was very clearly a personal affront to her. “Alright, everyone, settle down!” Didn’t work. “Butterflies! Johansens! Could you please just stop-” Even at the top of her lungs, nothing changed.

River pushed her back a step. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ve got this.” He inhaled enough air that his bare chest visibly expanded. “QUIETTTTTTTTTTT!” Dead silence hung in the wake as every member of the families turned their full attention towards Star, Marco, and her parents. One Johnasen even paused mid-headlock of Heartrude. “Listen to my daughter speak!”

“Thanks dad. Hello, everyone!”

“Hello, Star,” the crowd mumbled hesitantly.

“Butterflies, Johansens, I know you both have your differences. I know that nothing I’m going to say will make you just get along forever. But I have a question for you. Uncle Heartrude, you hate the Johansens for how they eat, but haven’t you ever been annoyed whenever Uncle Jimothy uses salad forks for meat?”

“Well, yes, but I don’t see how-”

Star pointed directly at one of her larger cousins, and even just a sideways look at the fire in her sapphire eyes inspired him as well. “And Boulder, didn’t you once say Rock was a snooty little pebble for waxing his shoulder-horns twice a day?”

“Aye, I did.” His thick brow furrowed and his voice came out a bit muffled from behind his enormous brown beard.

“But you still love each other like brothers, so why are you still trying to break Heartrude’s leg right now?”

“Oi, I guess I am,” he said, letting go of Heartrude’s leg. “Sorry about that.”

Star squeezed Marco’s hand in hers hard enough that he could feel her pulse beating rapidly in exhilaration.

“So sure, we all get mad sometimes. But instead of trying to kill each other over it, let’s just settle it like we would any regular family feud. With friendly, non-lethal competitive fun!”

River tapped her on the shoulder. “Um, sometimes the Johansens do actually settle them by-”

“Not now, Dad,” she forced out through gritted teeth.

“Right-o, dear.” He quickly hustled back to Moon, who was watching with a proud but cautious smile.

Etheria shoved her way through the crowd and confronted Star face to face. “That may all be well and true, but the Johansens spoiled our royal bloodline-”

“That was my own choice, thank you very much, Aunt Etheria,” Moon huffed, hugging River closer to her.

“Besides, I’m proud to be a Butterfly and a Johansen,” Star continued. “And so what if it’s not what you wanted for the ‘royal bloodline’? Earthni to Etheria, we’re not even royals anymore! Who cares about some stupid bloodline when my mom was able to actually be happy?"

“Traditions are important, child. Now, I’ll grant you that we no longer hold claim to a royal throne, but neither do you, so why should we listen to you anymore?” A few murmurs were heard among the Butterflies and Johansens both. How ironic that the first time all day they could agree on something was on their right to hate each other.

“Because… because…” Star floundered for the first time in her speech. Her hand trembled in Marco’s, and the Star he knew and loved wouldn’t have faltered until hope seemed almost completely lost. He had to do something. Think, Marco, think… the Johansens respected might, the Butterflies respected prestige, what did any of them have that could appease both? They were so upset about Flags being cancelled in the first place because both wanted its bragging rights so badly. Wait… that’s it!

Alright Diaz, you got this. Marco stood tall and squeezed Star’s hand back to let her know it was OK. “Because I, Marco Ubaldo Diaz, am the reigning Flags champion, and I say to do what Star says!”

“Marco, what the horse-flipping heck-” Star wheeled on him incredulously, but he quickly turned her back towards the crowds. Their gazes roved over the faces in the crowd. All of the fight had left them. His gambit had worked.

“Huh,” Star uttered matter-of-factly, still in shock. “What would I do without you, Marco?” she whispered to him under her breath, and his heart fluttered as it always did. “Alright, listen up, people! This isn’t about epic conflicts or generational feuds. You’ve got a problem with someone? Challenge them to a short, safe, and fun game to settle that score. Marco’s parents and Eclipsa and Globgor are in charge of the event planning. They’ll help you set everything up. May the best person at resolving all their conflicts win! Welcome to the first annual...”

“Game of Yards!” Star and Marco triumphantly shouted in unison.

“Remember to have fun!” Star shouted before tugging Marco’s hand away once more, but she steered them away from his parents and then further away from the entire party.

“Um, Star, what are you- where are we going?”

“Can we talk about something? I need to get away for, like five seconds.” Marco hadn’t heard her sound that exasperated in a while.

“Yeah, of course, let’s decompress. Anywhere special you wanted to go?”

Her gaze frantically darted around them. She’d taken them back towards the forest, near the edge of the territory their parents had acquired. “I don’t know, I just kinda walked. How about there?” she asked, pointing to a small hill in a clearing, covered by the shade of some Mewnian oak trees (thankfully, the benign sort). Marco nodded, and they both went over found a suitable spot.

“What’s on your mind?”

Star shifted restlessly after sitting on her legs. He tried to convey as much support as he could through the gentle caress of her hand laced with his. Even from hours after they’d met, he’d always been ready to be right beside her when she needed, and that resolve had only strengthened as the years went by. Once she’d gathered her thoughts, she began to speak. “Who am I, Marco?”

Of the many ways he’d thought this conversation could open, this wasn’t exactly one of them. “Huh?” was all he could mutter.

“It’s just… Etheria’s right. I’m not a princess anymore, and when all that went down I just wanted to be a normal teenager, but I’m not gonna be a teenager forever either, you know?”

“I understand.”

“Yeah, but when you turned down Eclipsa’s knighthood, already had a plan for stuff you wanted to do. Didn’t you say you wanted to go to college and all that junk? You can do that now since you finished high school, right?”

“Mhmm.” Marco fell back onto the grass, resting both his arms on his chest and staring up into the clear purple sky. “I- I guess I haven’t thought about it much since then, either. Mom told me that the college she teaches at was still taking students, and it’s still really close to home, and- and I thought about signing up but I wasn’t sure.”

She plopped down beside him, rolling over to face him and taking one of his hands in hers. “You should! Marco, whatever you want to do, you’ll be amazing at it because you’re Marco Diaz, and I’ll be right there every step of the way.”

“Thanks, Star.”

“I never had anything like that. I didn’t think about it too much when I was a kid, and then I was gonna be a queen because, well, that’s what princesses did. And then the first moment that I seriously got to thinking about what I wanted, kablam-o! Solarian warriors attack, magic’s gone, and Earth and Mewni merge. Once the craziness finally stopped, all I could think about was being with you. Don’t get me wrong, the past year just being with you and doing whatever we want has been incredible, but now I just need to figure out what else is out there for Star Butterfly, and honestly...” She squirmed uncomfortably and scooted closer into him, resting her head on his chest. “I’m scared, Marco. I know I need to ‘find my calling’, or whatever Mr. Candle might call it, but I have no idea how, and I don’t want to lose this either.” Her arms buried underneath him and held him closely. There was a bit of dampness that Marco could feel seeping its way into his hoodie, and that caused a few empathetic tears to well up in his own eyes.

He brushed them away with a sleeve and then hugged her tighter to him, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “We won’t, Star. Ever. Even if it takes a year, or ten, or a hundred years, or even if you never find some perfect job you want to do forever and ever, that’s fine! As long as you’re happy and fulfilled, that’s all that matters, and I’ll do whatever I can to help. Promise.” They rested in silence for a few moments, holding each other closely as thoughts of potential futures whirred in Marco’s mind.

Her chin lifted up and dug into his chest as she stared at him. “Any ideas?” Those Earth-sky-blue eyes that had filled him with a sense of purpose for so long now implored him to return the favor.

“Well, you’re not a princess anymore, but… maybe the stuff you liked doing as a princess could help? You’re a natural leader, you inspire people to be better than themselves, you worked so hard to make Mewni a better place.”

“Marcoooooo,” she crooned, and he lovingly pecked the blushes rising on both of her cheeks.

“For real, Star, you’re the coolest person ever, you could do whatever you put your mind to. Not long after we first met, you were terrified of all the princess duties, and you ended up figuring out how to do them the Star Butterfly way. Just remove the ‘princess’ part of it, and figure out whatever else you’re gonna do the Star Butterfly way.”

A teasing smirk rose on her face. “Weeeeell, I can think of at least one thing, mister…” she booped his nose with hers, and it was his turn for a fiery blush to arise. “You’re so cute to tease. Have you ever thought about what would happen if none of it happened? Like, if I never stopped being a princess and then I had to be queen someday.”

“A little? That whole year on Mewni was kinda a bit weird and all, with the squiring, and…” His voice dropped to a mumble. “Figuring out how I felt about you.”

“Right back atcha, there. But what if we’d still done all that, just without completely changing the world?”

“Being a knight would have been really cool, I guess, but the whole Lifelong Post thing… kinda weird. Maybe I could’ve been one without it, or something? Or maybe I’d have just picked you, officially,” he said, poking her nose. “A knight and princess being together is a story that’s, like, 1000 years old, after all.”

“That’s really sweet, Marco, but… nah,” Star dismissed him, turning over to stare at the same sky he was, folding his hands inside hers.

“Nah?”

“Nah. You wouldn’t have been a knight for long.”

“Oh yeah? How come?”

“If I was still a princess, then you’d be my prince.”

He jerked upward out of instinct, only stopping because of the weight on his chest. “Uh, Star? I, um, I don’t think that’s how noble ranks, um-” Stream of consciousness took over while he scrambled to collect his shattered thoughts.

“Princesses can do what they want, silly. I’d declare you Marco Diaz, Prince of Echo Creek, and your mom and dad could get little crowns, and there’d be all sorts of ridiculous contracts to sign. You’d be free to whatever you wanted on Earth, too! But we could still be together.” Her head tilted up and her eyes met his once more. “Forever.” The determination in those pools reflected love at him, and even with the impact from the gravitas of her statement, it still just felt natural, it felt right, like everything with Star always seemed to. She leaned upwards to kiss him, slow and soft and sweet as her hands ran over his face and through his hair as his reciprocated. When they finally broke apart, Star sat up, and the Sun framed her hair in the most beautiful way; Marco found himself needing a few more moments than usual to catch his breath. “I’ll always love you, Marco.”

“No matter what, Star, I’ll always love you too. Now come on,” he said, pushing off the ground to a standing position. “Let’s go win some Yards, my princess.”

“We just had a moment, Diaz. You get a pass, this one time… my prince.” She puffed up her cheeks indignantly, but a radiant smile cracked the facade almost immediately, clearly as lighthearted and giddy as he’d ever known her to be, and he felt much the same.

Their fingers intertwined as they dashed away towards their home once more, looking forward to finding their place in the world and - more importantly, perhaps - tag-teaming to kick some butt.

#starco #svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #globclipsa #tgg svtfoe #fanfic

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