#there was supposed to be another panel but I forgot it LMFAO

[corxoran]

[ghostgetter]

*from the garbage can where I live* gimme that good First Starco Kiss *hisses*

so this is a month late lmfao

There is a quiet melody humming in the back of Star’s throatas she watches the moons slowly rise over the forests and streams of herhomeland. It’s a view she’s reserved for herself, but as of late, she’s draggedMarco up to the castle rooftops to bask in its beauty with her. A lullaby fortwo, and she takes seconds between the changing skyline to look up at theperson she thought would disappear like the sun does every day.

“It’s just something Iwanna share with my best friend,” she had said the first night, forcing himto sit on a makeshift blanket laid out across the purple panels. She took thespot on the opposite side of the blanket and dipped her hand into the bowl ofnachos that took way too long for her to prepare. “Think of it as a…re-declaration to be my squire again. So now you have to enjoy it.”

It was half true. Honestly, she just hadn’t been able to separateherself from his side ever since she retrieved him from Eclipsa’s grasp, andthat was weeks ago. Marco didn’t seem to mind much – never commenting on thecompany and keeping a subtly happy aura about him when she was around. Evennow, with war hanging over their heads and an evil queen lurking in theshadows, with frightening intentions for the both of them, he seemed relaxed. Peaceful,even.

She missed this. She missed him.

Things were so dysfunctional before – confessions and heartbreakand forcing feelings and a massive fight that almost blew the foundation oftheir friendship. And then he was ripped from her side in the snap of twoviolet-colored fingers, fighting her with dark spells from her own wand.

But now, they’re starting over. They’re at the beginningagain, and it’s nice, she supposes. Star knows how he feels about her and heknows how she feels about him, and it’s a safe medium in which they leave thosefeelings unanswered.

It’s nice.

Well, okay, not nice –she’s hoped for different scenarios, but circumstances and prophecies and herown stupid heart have pretty much led them down this road. They’ve gottenthrough mutual jealousy, a nearly severed friendship, and separation at thehands of evil forces – twice. What’s asafe plateau, anyway? At least she has him, and that’s enough for her.

“This view kinda reminds me of the Fiesta De La Noche series finale,” Marco mutters, leaning back. Hehasn’t said much that night, allowing Star to take the reins of conversation.

Star gasps excitedly turning to face him, “When Dustinproposed to Selena after winning the World Class Dance Tournament!”

“And Luana finally found her parents –” he continues,smirking.

“And the car crash!”They exclaim together. A pause, because ofcourse they’d do that weird talk-at-the-same-time thing, and the quietmoment is filled with rambunctious laughter. They collapse against one another,closer than before until their laughter turns to content sighs.

It’s comfortable like this.

She rests her head on his shoulder, leaning her weightagainst him. “I miss Friendship Thursdays.”

“We’ll have them again,” he promises. “Telenovelas and pizzaswith a hundred mushrooms.”

“Ninety-nine,” Star corrects. “’Hundred’s way too many.”

Marco chuckles, lying his head to rest on her own. “Right, Iforgot. The Amelio’s disaster.”

She giggles at the recollection; it felt like forever ago thatPony Head crashed one of their routine not-date nights. Things were easier backthen. Glossaryck ate pudding in her closet, Eclipsa was never a thought to behad, and Marco was simply a constant thought that made her heart beat just abit faster. Now, she sits and watches the stars with her soulmate, her lifeline, waiting for news from hermother regarding Eclipsa’s whereabouts. She exhales, burying herself into Marco’shoodie.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

“I just want things to be peaceful again,” she mumbles. “Iwant to feel safe, and I want myfriends and family to be safe. And I want you –”

There’s a lot of things she wants. She’s nearly overwhelmedby his scent – fresh, this time around, and vaguely spicy, and she wants to besurrounded by it. She wants to think of the good times; times where they’retogether and he’s the simple Karate Boy from Earth. She wants those memories toflush out the ones that flutter in her nightmares – where his cheeks glow an eerie violet, his eyes masked over with an emptiness she never thought he couldmuster, and her own wand pointed at her.

“I—I just…I want you to stay by my side,” Star stammers. “Ican’t allow you to be ripped away from me again.”

“I know.”

“I won’t let you.”

His hands move from his lap to her knee, which lies againsthis in a comfortable heap. They come together on top of her hand, practically waitingfor his warmth, and their fingers lace, folding together like matching puzzlepieces. It such a natural movement that she barely thinks about how well herhand fits in his.

“I know,” he repeats.

Star turns her head to meet his eyes instead of reply,because she’s feeling anxious again, the need to see his warm brown instead ofpale and lifeless eyes overwhelm her senses. It overwhelms her conscience, theone that sounds like him when he told her he liked her. When he looks down ather, and then at her lips, the voice that tells her starting over is the bestplan right now fades like a failing cassette tape.

Everything fades when her eyes close and he meets her halfway.

Marco’s a gentle kisser, and his lips make her feel safe,but the sensation of kissing him is like being hit with hundreds of tiny,exploding hearts. Even behind closed eyelids, she sees the glow of her cheeks,which only warm her more, unbothered by the gentle breeze that blows across therooftop. After one kiss, she meets him again, and again –

The voice reappears – we’re not supposed to do this���

“Sorry,” she exhales, pulling back and shaking her head. “Sorry.Sweet Corn, I’m so stupid – we agreed to start over and just be friends but Iwent ahead and moved things too fast,” Star forces herself off the blanket andaway from his warmth, feeling him nearly collapse into the space she leaves. “Youenjoy the view, I’m gonna –”

“Too fast?” Marco laughs, pushing himself up to stand withher. “Star, I’ve known you for almost two years, and I can’t even count thedays I’ve been in love with you during them.”

She freezes, staring up at him. Marco reaches for her handsand clasps them together. They’d gone back to chapter one but still ended upturning to a new page anyway.

“So, I know I said we’d take it slow, but since we’resoulmates or whatever, shouldn’t we just…go for it?”

His palms feel sweaty, or maybe they’re her own, squeezingagainst his for some sign that she’s actually not awake. But she sees Marco look back at her and she basks in the very real way his eyes carefully search her own.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,” he replies. “Haven’t we wasted enough time?”

She nods. “You’re more than just my soulmate, you know that?”

She watches him swallow back, leaning down to kiss her again–

“You’re my best friend, Marco Diaz, the Safe Kid from Earth,”she interrupts teasingly, turning her head away to face the moons that sit highin the sky and enjoying the sound of his amusement, “and the only person inthis dimension that knows how to make decent nachos.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, alright –”

“Oh, and you’re obsessed with Macki Hand and you’re great at TangSoo Do and you’re the cutest idiot alive–”

He turns her head and kisses her, and her emblems glowagain. His hands find purchase around her waist as hers cradle his cheeks,thumbs tracing where the crescent moons hide.

She fingers trail down to grasp at his shoulders, covered inher favorite soft red cotton and she grips it tightly, pulling him closer. His kisses make her ears ring so loud, that the very loud sound echoing from themain entrance of the kingdom doesn’t reach her until he swiftly pulls away from her lips, facing the gates by the trench. She follows his gaze, watching below.

The castle alarms continue to blare, warnicorns stampedingover the bridge and into safe passage.

“Get the Queen to Medical!”