Author note: Hey guys, this one is a doozy (almost 13k words, yikes!). This one took a little longer to write, unfortunately, but all in all, I think in came together in a pretty good way. Let me know what you think!

Marco woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily in his otherwise silent room. He glanced around, scanning his dimly lit room for any threats. After discovering none, he sighed out, plopping his head back onto the pillow. It was early morning judging by the sun, and a quick glance at his phone revealed it to be 7:14 AM. Given that Marco had fallen asleep at around midnight, he resolved to try to rest his tired body more. He couldn't, however. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt a sense of… unease and restlessness absorb him. He felt his entire body ache for sleep, but his mind was stuck in a chain of calm, panicking, resolving his unease only to start back up again. After a futile 30 minutes, he gave up and headed for the shower. He quietly smiled as he relished in the fact that he could take his time today. School would normally start in 15 minutes, and Star would be out and about already, but neither was the case today. He smiled as he looked in the mirror, uncharacteristically proud of himself this morning. Maybe it was him giving up his hoodie or his handling of the assembly yesterday, but whatever it was, Marco was in a great mood today. He put on one of his favorite Spanish cassette tapes on the boombox and began humming along as he bounced around the bathroom. Marco sometimes missed the quietness of his life before Star, as there was almost never a silent moment with her around. Not that he missed it too badly. Besides, Star knew that sometimes Marco just needed a few moments of alone time, which he usually got at karate lessons. Marco finished brushing his teeth as he gargled some mouthwash, spitting it all out in the sink. He ran the tap for a second and gargled some water before turning on the shower, extra hot, still humming along to the music.

Whilst he sang, the same unease and restlessness that had woken him up weaved itself through his thoughts, spoiling his otherwise peaceful morning. He scrubbed his body slowly, taking his time to be thorough. He liked not needing to rush through his meticulous routine, even as the once background anxiety now mounted in the foreground of his mind, giving him great concern as to what he was worrying about. He couldn't place a finger on it, much as he tried to think. He'd left Star as best as he could, he was still dealing with breaking up with Jackie, sure, but that wasn't it… His mom didn't seem too upset about when he came home last night, karate lessons were tomorrow, he wasn't worried about Janna… Marco silently pondered through his list of possible worries, finding nothing that particularly struck him as odd, other than the worry itself. Marco resolved to just ignore it for now, and take in the heat of the shower, focusing his energy away from the mental and towards the physical. He loved the way the near-scalding water hit the top of his head, falling over his eyes and down his face, cascading off his cheeks. He turned and felt the stream hit his neck, causing him to sigh with his entire body in relaxation. He rolled his neck slowly, breathing steadily, maximizing the feeling. He ran his hands through his hair, prepping it for shampooing. He grabbed the bottle from the side, noting it was nearly empty. He squeezed a large dollop out, rubbing it in his hands before scrubbing deeply into his head. Ready for the final step, he closed his eyes and turned around to face the stream.

When he did, he was greeted with a vision of some… place. He wasn't exactly sure what, since everything looked like it was in some sort of thermal vision, with what he presumed people were outlined in red, everything else in blue. He could vaguely make out the outlines of buildings, but they were no help in figuring out where exactly the vision was taking place. He remarked at the curiosity of it, as his vision darted around, quickly, almost animalistic. He ran his fingers through his thick hair as he observed the vision with equal parts interest and marvel, watching as his sight glided over hundreds of figures, almost scanning each individual before darting over to the next one. His sense of unease amplified as he observed the vision, not exactly sure what he was looking at or why it bothered him so much. He couldn't hear or smell anything but he could see and feel. And he felt nervous, anxious like lightning was at the tip of his fingers. The longer he looked, the worse the feeling became. Marco resolved to finish up his shower sooner, as opposed to later. As soon as he opened his eyes, the majority of the nervousness and unease faded away. He didn't know what was happening exactly, but he figured it was something to do with Star. Normally he would be much more worried, but after seeing her handle herself so… elegantly last night, he gained a new level of respect for her. She didn't need him, but her trust in him made him trust her that much more. She would certainly be fine for at least a little while longer while he enjoyed the calmness of a duty-free Saturday morning.

And Marco did try to enjoy it, he really did. He filled his time with an episode of one of the TV shows he'd been meaning to catch up on, a gritty dramedy about 'The Little Mermaid', mixed with a bit of Homer's 'The Odyssey'. He made himself an omelet, poured a glass of OJ and covered himself with a comfortable blanket. He tried to push that feeling of unrest out of his head, devoted to enjoying some time with himself like he used to. But he couldn't even properly enjoy the episode, spending it wondering if Star was okay, and how much she would've liked that joke, and how this monster was like a scarier version of Lobster Claws… Marco sighed as the episode finished, his omelet half finished. I used to do this all the time, why am I worrying about Star so much right now? Marco thought, somewhat upset that even when faced with Star's awesome dynamic personality and skills, he couldn't completely trust her and leave her to her own devices. He had vowed to never under-estimate her again, after the few times he did had not only hurt her but nearly hurt him in the process. But he couldn't really ignore this brain-worm which was getting significantly worse now. His anxiety had now grown to a level where he couldn't ignore it anymore. Marco sighed as he trudged back upstairs, finding his scissors and changing out of his house-clothes and put on a clean hoodie, black slacks, and white undershirt. He tried one last time to just leave Star alone, but he couldn't just ignore this feeling anymore. He cut a portal before remembering to tell his mom he was leaving. She was still asleep probably, so he rushed downstairs quickly and scrawled a note on a piece of paper, saying he'd be back before too long. He ran upstairs to his room and hopped through the portal.

As soon as Marco stepped through the portal, he could sense that something was wrong. He had landed at the castle gates, but strangely the gates were wide open, with no guards manning the walls or flanking the gate. Marco was observant and noticed the gate didn't seem like it had been forced open, and no signs of open conflict had occurred. He glanced at the village below, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary from so far away. His vision wasn't that good, so he instead focused his effort towards the castle, opting to find Star and ask her what was going on. As he freely passed through the gates, he noticed the courtyard was empty. Very empty. Not even a single soul stirred about, and even the flowers seem petrified. He took note of this, looking for any signs of what happened. Again, nothing indicated there was any fighting, with as many flowerbeds as he could see still very well upright and beautiful. As he remembered which path took him to the castle proper the quickest, he looked up at the main spire. As beautiful as it was imposing, he tried seeing if anything was going on from down here. It was quiet, with only the wind blowing in his ears. He figured the only way he would find out what was going on was if he went inside.

As he entered the castle's main floor, he listened for any sounds, anything at all. The occasional gust of wind rustled some portraits on the walls, but otherwise, it was silent. Marco vaguely remembered the path to the kitchen, and he vowed to go there first. If the castle had been evacuated, there would likely be some cooked food around. He found himself at a dead end a few times, but eventually, he made it to the dining room next to the kitchen. Here were the first signs of any sort of scuffle. A few tables were overturned, with shattered vases littering the floor, flowers and dirt splayed out like artwork. Marco tried to take in as much as he could. Despite the obvious tossing of furniture, there was no prepared food on the table, telling Marco that breakfast had not been served yet whenever it happened… whatever it was. He ventured into the actual kitchen where he tried to find more evidence of what exactly happened. The kitchen was left relatively unscathed, except for a few aprons and cooking bonnets scattered about. Most of the food was still somewhat organized, flour all in one location, vegetables in another, corn in another, cheese… gone? Marco was baffled as to why only the cheese was gone. There were a few wedges left, but clearly, most of the cheese had been robbed, leaving crumb trails all over.

Was the castle evacuated for a cheese thief? That doesn't make any sense… Marco thought to himself, trying to find a pattern to the crumbs if there was any. After a brief search, he went back into the dining room, seeing if there was anything he missed before he went to Star's room. As he looked over the room once again, he noticed something by the far balcony. A single wedge of some cheddar-looking cheese was on the balcony, covered in some sort of purple fluid. Gross, what is this stuff? Marco thought as he touched the wedge. As he looked out over the balcony, he could see clearer into the village. He saw various catapults and trebuchets set up in the village square, all seemingly manned by soldiers. Marco couldn't tell what exactly they were aiming at, but they were constantly adjusting the massive engines of war. This is confusing… Why would they evacuate the castle if they were being attacked? I should find Star soon, there must be an explanation for this. Marco looked at the room once more, seeing if he could spot anything at all. Having seen the engines of war had made him more on edge now, but things weren't adding up. Why evacuate entirely? Why leave it vulnerable? This is the safest place in all of Mewni, that's the whole point.

Marco recalled the path he and Star had taken yesterday to her room, quickly finding her door. He was surprised to find it very difficult to open. He pulled and yanked and twisted, but the door was determined to seal itself shut. As the door pried open slightly, he caught the unmistakable scent of… strawberries? Something else too… sugar, something fried, and a conglomeration of cheeses. Marco was even more curious and perplexed as to what exactly was happening, even more so at the mention of the bizarre combination of smells coming from Star's room. After more effort on the door, Marco gave in that he couldn't get it open. He banged on the door, calling out to Star. He waited, and tried again. No response at all. Marco knew her room had a balcony, so maybe he could get into it from some other way? Marco continued to the end of the hallway, finding a narrow, tightly winding spiral staircase, electing to follow it up. Through the small slit windows in the walls, he saw one catapult launch a projectile towards the village, but upon impact, nothing happened. No explosion, no building collapse, not even anyone involved seemed particularly shocked. Well at least from way up here, but Marco had no idea. Marco eventually made it to the top, finding a door closed shut. This one, however, was not as stubborn, quickly giving in to Marco's kick.

The door opened to the outside, the wind whipping the door all the way open. As Marco peeked around, he was met with the rounded dome of one of the spires. However, he noticed a few crossbows loaded with some weird ammo. It was two stones wrapped with some rope. Marco assumed the stones were connected, which would make this basically a bola. Marco only found more questions the longer he looked, and couldn't see why there were crossbows with bolas on top of a spire in an abandoned castle. What do they need to ensnare at the top of a castle? A bird? However, he saw an opportunity to now open the door to Star's room. He carefully crawled over to one of the loaded crossbows and dragged it back with him inside. As he closed the door he should swear over the loud wind he heard another catapult launch something, again with no explosion or satisfying boom afterward. Marco trotted down the stairs, loaded crossbow in hand. It was a little lighter than he expected, finding he could easily toss it between his hands.

Marco lined up in front of the door, pointing the crossbow right at the handle. He had no idea how the sights worked, but he took a guess at it. Marco pulled the trigger. The recoil hit him harder than he expected as the bola launched itself at the handle, not entangling it the way he wanted it to. Oh well, guess I'll just do it myself. Marco grabbed the two stones and wrapped them around the door handle, intertwining the ropes, leaving the two stones at the side. Satisfied that it was secure, Marco grabbed the stones and pulled as hard as he could, twisting slightly. He felt the door budge more than when he had just used his hands, but it was still tight. Marco sighed and focused his breathing, calming his frustrated mind and muscles. In. Out. In. Out. In. Hold. Hold. Out. He refocused on the door with determination, using all his muscles and yanking as hard as he could. The door eventually gave way with a very unnerving rip. The opening had sent Marco on his butt on the floor, huffing heavily at the expended effort. Marco dusted himself off and investigated the door. It was covered in an all-too-familiar purple resin made of hearts.

Oh no, not Mewberty again… Marco groaned externally as he observed the room. It was absolutely covered in purple hearts, with one corner of the room singed black. A table in that corner was holding a very crudely made plate of… food? Marco wasn't sure what to call it, but it appeared like Star had tried to make something resembling Marco's nachos. There were attempts at corn chips, but they looked more like very burnt pieces of toast. Melted cheese covered the black overtoasted toast, with strawberries haphazardly thrown across the top. Sugar dominated the entire landscape, more of it spilling off the plate than still on it. There had to be at least 20 pounds of sugar in that corner of the room… Marco shuddered at the loss of innocent cooking ingredients, wondering what else he would find. He noticed there was a strange structure made of hearts in the corner by the balcony. Upon getting closer, Marco realized it was probably him? Star wasn't an artist, but it was definitely supposed to be a Marco. He was sitting down, holding one of the laser puppies… or just an amorphous mass, he couldn't tell. His hoodie was recreated with hearts, much bigger on him than it usually is. The structure was roughly one and a half times bigger than he was. It was charming, but admittedly a little creepy, as Star hadn't really gotten any facial expression on his face. Marco moved outside, noticing the balcony was absolutely covered in purple hearts. Here they were so thick, Marco was getting stuck on them wherever he touched. He moved away from the balcony, seeing if he could find anything to help him find Star.

As he made his way back to the center of the room, he now noticed the furniture fort, or what had become of it. The wooden fort was covered in spires of hearts, looking very much like the castle he was now in. Finding an entrance was difficult, but the low armoire he had used previously had a big enough hole for him to look inside. It was dark inside, but he could see the cocoon where Mewberty Star had likely come out of. And in the middle of it was his hoodie, propped up by a purple heart structure. He resigned himself to the fact that he was probably going to never get his hoodie back again. As he examined the inside of the dome, he heard another launch of a catapult, wood hitting wood and another lack of sound from the resulting projectile impact. Marco now figured they were trying to capture Star, as she was probably running wild again, putting all the boys in cages or something. That would also explain the bolas on the rooftop. Marco stopped examining the weird hoodie shrine and started making his way towards the door to the village, where he'd likely find the Queen and King. Looking at the door, however, the resin had somehow managed to reseal itself. Well great, now how am I gonna get out? I can't just use the same trick, plus I'd probably get stuck on those hearts… Marco sighed, opting instead to explore the balcony, to see if there was any other way down from there that wouldn't end in horrible death.

As he approached the balcony again, he could feel the sense of unease he'd been carrying this whole time mysteriously fade away. It didn't go unnoticed to Marco as he stared at the village from Star's balcony. Instead, he began to feel… excitement? Over what? As Marco began pondering his sudden change in emotion, he heard a faint flapping of wings. He tensed up, freezing in place as his eyes scanned for Star. Where is she… From above, Marco saw a small glint in the sky, a tiny black dot now. He knew it couldn't be anyone but Star, as Mewni didn't have planes. He quickly retreated into Star's room, feeling his internal excitement rise. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, but he did not want to become Star's bug food. Thinking quickly, he stripped himself of his hoodie and threw it at the entryway to the balcony, hiding behind the Marco statue. He felt his internal excitement mount, as his own dread grew higher. He now had adrenaline pumping through his veins, almost thrilled for what was going to happen next.

As Marco hid, he heard the fluttering of wings approach ever closer as they slowed down. He heard Star's breathing as she passed through the threshold into her room. Marco noted that Star looked slightly different than she did from her first Mewberty at the school. She seemed to float above the ground with a fluid grace, her eyes a beautiful swirling mixture of bright white and deep purple, her irises transformed into hearts. Her skin was tinged a light purple, her blue-purple hair done up in the same two drills he'd seen the first time. Her wings were the same 6-piece ensemble he'd seen beforehand, but they now had a beautiful circle-blob pattern in purple across them. He also noted the were slightly large than he remembered. She wore a bright white one piece dress that ended just above the knees. She wore fuzzy socks but no shoes. She had six arms possibly probing the room around her, possibly nervously fidgeting, Marco couldn't tell. As she glided above the ground over to his hoodie, she kneeled and picked it up with one of her hands, soon snuggling it with the remaining 5 and her face. Marco saw his opportunity and jumped out from behind the statue, and sprinted towards Star, tackling her before she could react. Star flailed about, her wings fluttering angrily and her six arms swinging at Marco until he began speaking.

"Star stop hitting me!" Marco shouted. "It's me, Marco!" Star instantly stopped her assault, instead relaxing on the ground beneath him. He sat on her hips to avoid hurting her wings or her arms. For a second the two sat there, as some feeling of sanguine joy overtook Marco. He was not a fan of his emotions wildly shifting without warning.

"Mar…cooooooo…" Mewberty Star said, her voice a little deeper and smoother than normal Star's.

"Yeah, Star," Marco said, now realizing that if Star wanted to, she could easily through him off. "It's me, Marco. I didn't think Mewberty happened more than once, so, uh what's going on?" Marco didn't know why he was asking Mewberty Star; she hadn't really been the talking type last time, but Marco's adrenaline was still surging and he was just trying to get answers.

"Well," Mewberty Star started slowly, "after you made Star feel all hot and bothered with your wing fondling, she just could NOT stop herself from thinking about it every second since then. Seems like you really do have the magic touch, lover boy." Marco was stunned as Mewberty Star spoke, even more, astonished that she was coherent and not Star, but someone else.

"Wait, you can talk!?" Marco responded incredulously, clearly not expecting a lucid reply.

"Yeah, sweet thing," Mewberty Star replied confidently. "Now can we stop this whole, 'you're on top' thing? I much rather like it when you're beneath me, looking up at me with those giant brown pools for eyes you've got." Mewberty Star spoke with a slight accent like she was from some part of the countryside. Marco, still thrown, didn't really know how to respond, still trying to accept that Mewberty Star was speaking to him, clearly.

"Uh, no?" Marco stammered. "Aren't you gonna trap me and like, use me for food or something?" Marco had to admit it sounded a little ridiculous now that he said it out loud.

"Oh, Star is right, you're just adorable," Mewberty Star giggled. "I definitely wasn't asking." Mewberty Star easily bucked Marco off her hips, launching him into the air. As Marco flailed about, he felt 6 lithe arms rush under him, catching him before he hit the ground. Now that he looked at her up close, she smelled intoxicating, like nothing he'd ever smelled before. Even just being near her was making him sigh with pleasure. Her eyes pulsated with purple and white, almost pulling him into a trance. He felt 4 smooth arms beneath him, two arms rubbing over his arms and body.

"Now, let's get something straight," Mewberty said while smiling wide, passing Marco over with her heart-shaped eyes. "I am not going to use you for food. You are simply too gorgeous for that. I also know about your Proclamation Ritual, and I tried to let you know I was coming. That butterfly was me, babe." Marco nodded as he stared into Mewberty Star's eyes, trying to pay attention to what she… it was saying.

"Don't stare into my eyes too long," Star said while still staring at Marco. "I don't know exactly what will happen, but I guarantee you it will be very, very good for me, and ethically questionable for you at best." Mewberty Star twirled around with Marco, letting her feelings build as she drank in everything about the boy beneath her. He had a great face for kissing, she had to agree with Star on that one. He was mostly lean, a fact she repeatedly confirmed with her own hands. Star chose a good one, she thought happily. Marco averted his eyes forcefully, taking her advice.

"So, mind answering my question, uh, Star?" Marco said with some uncertainty. He didn't really know whether to call her Star since she was clearly someone different. He passively brushed away Star's hands before she started to tickle him.

"Well, I'm no Glossaryck…" Mewberty Star started, bringing one of her hands up to her lips, thinking. "…but if I understand right, I'm basically just a different version of Star. I've been there since she was born. I grew up with her, saw her fall in love a few times, and I get to see everything you two do." Mewberty Star grinned slyly at the now uncomfortable boy beneath her, opting to tease him for some fun.

"Ooh, like the Blood Moon Ball? I gotta say, I was on your side on that one Marco," Mewberty Star teased, lightly tussling the back of Marco's hair as he tried to brush her hand away. "Tom was a real jerk. Oh, and the Love Sentence concert? I was really pulling for my girl to just kiss you there, but you just had to drop the friend bomb. Tsk, tsk… But hey, you did jump into the vast unknown of Mewni after her, and that upside-down kick in the cave? Beautiful! And the kiss afterward? Even more beautiful." As Mewberty Star spoke, Marco covered his face with his hands, blushing and regretting his past actions even more. It was embarrassing enough in his own head, but recalling it all in vivid memory was near torture.

"So, you aren't Star? You're like a totally different personality?" Marco inquired, hoping to distract her from her ceaseless teasing.

"Correct, my smart little cinnamon roll," Mewberty Star cooed as she bopped him on the nose with one hand and rubbed the back of his head with the other. She just loved touching him, it was like the time Star first realized she was in love, all over again.

"So, what happened the first time? You were like, feral back then," Marco said, wondering why this time she was coherent.

"Hey, you try spending 14 years locked inside someone else's mind with nothing to do but watch what she does. It was a good TV show, but Star was dealing with a lot of pent-up boy frustration, if you feel me," Mewberty Star spoke genuinely, feeling for herself what it was like to talk things out. Was everything this intoxicating with Marco?

"So, I helped my girl out," Mewberty Star said nonchalantly. "I didn't want to make her do anything she would regret, but I just let her feelings take over, let her take out all that stress, y'know? She works too hard sometimes." Marco laughed softly at that last statement, not taking Star for the hard-worker type.

"Alright then, so why are you back?" Marco naturally responded, still wondering why she was here a second time. He still drank in Mewberty Star's smell, now identifying it as a mixture of strawberries, sugar, roasted marshmallows and some other, deeper primal scent that he couldn't pick up on. He didn't like liking being near her so much, but he couldn't help himself.

"Dunno, really," Mewberty Star said, flying around Star's room slowly, closer to the ceiling now. "If I had to guess, it's probably some more pent-up frustration. I mean, you have just been ravaging this poor girl's emotions, Marco. She's drowning in happiness, then you go and feel her wings up, which by the way, is a really sensitive spot, and yes, in that way Marco. Now she's all amped up and she doesn't just ravish you right there out of respect for you. Proud of her, but I really just wanted her to go for it, y'know?" Marco blushed again, avoiding Mewberty Star's gaze.

"Then you tell her no boyfriend-girlfriend stuff 'til the assembly is done, and you make this unbelievably stunning Proclamation Ritual… magic was in the air Marco. Then you get back to her room and she's all sensitive because of the ritual, and you don't even kiss her. Not even a little peck on the cheek. Then, just when she was gonna be fine, you toss your warm hoodie over the wall and she just about loses it. I swear the poor girl was gonna explode. I knew I was coming back today, Marco." Mewberty Star paused for a moment, just wanting to assault Marco with all the frustration Star felt over the last few days. He wouldn't survive the attempt. "Star really needs some affection, babe. I like the whole 'less is more', 'affection denial' thing you got going on, but you keep on going like this, and she's gonna go crazy Marco. You may think you'd like that, but Star is… aggressive when she wants to be. Besides, if you keep going, I'm gonna have to see you more and get more drastic with my stress relieving techniques. You don't want to see those, trust me," she finished with a wink. Marco was now fully relaxed in Mewberty Star's arms, taking in what she was saying. To be honest, he was really enjoying the time he was spending with her.

"I'll be sure to uh, take care of her more, then," Marco awkwardly said, not sure how he felt about being given relationship advice by his girlfriend's magical alter ego he didn't know existed 15 minutes ago. "So, how do you, y'know, go back? Last time it just kinda happened." Mewberty Star shrugged.

"That eager to get rid of me, huh?" Mewberty Star replied sadly, magically shifting her eyes into frown faces. Marco grabbed her hand as he felt flustered.

"Oh no, this is lovely, you're… great, too, it's just…" Marco stammered, trying to patch things up with her. He wasn't sure if pissing off your girlfriend's alter ego was a good move.

"I'm just teasing you, ya sweetheart!" Mewberty Star cutely assures Marco, snuggling into his face with her face. "Well, last time Star was small-time crushing on that Oskar kid, and when I got him, I could feel her ready to come back. It was just sort of natural really, didn't think too hard," Mewberty Star finished, remembering the strange sensation of being in control and then not.

"Alright, then what does Star want this time? Not like I don't like having you around, but Star probably doesn't want to be backseat anymore," Marco asked, kind of sad that he couldn't spend more time with Mewberty Star. Mewberty Star closed her eyes, looking inside of Star's feelings, searching for the one true answer she could find. After finding it, she blushed a bright orange, averting Marco's curious gaze.

"Um, you sure you wanna hear this'n, cinnamon roll? This is a very frustrated girl you've got on your hands," Mewberty Star asked hesitantly. She didn't like doing these kinds of things right under Star's nose. Mostly because she loved Star, but also because she got unimaginable joy from just holding Marco, so to do so much herself, personally… It was daunting.

"Or you can just show me, uh, pancake?" Marco tested a pet name involving food. Mewberty Star giggled awkwardly, so maybe not pancake. "Speaking of, what should I call you? If I see you again?"

"Hm," Mewberty Star thought briefly. "I don't know. I've always just used Star, but if you've got something better?" Marco thought in his head for a bit, before opting for a clever name.

"How about Astra? It means 'star' in Greek, and plus it's really pretty, like you," Marco laid it on thick, feeling like it was okay to flirt with alternate-Star because she was Star… sort of. The similarity was uncanny. She blushed as she spun around the room, nearly vibrating with joy and excitement.

"Hey lover boy, you're Star's boyfriend! That means you can't just flirt with other girls freely," she scolded lightly. "But if Astra means Star, then I guess it doesn't really count huh?" Marco and Astra shared a laugh as she set Marco down on the ground. Astra liked the sound of her new name, but then again when Marco said anything to her, she practically swooned. His voice just soothed her to hear, and his laugh was like ear candy. She relished in everything about this boy. The best part of it all was that she got to feel everything that Star felt and be a little more honest with Marco.

"So, what is it? I'm, uh, ready, I guess," Marco said, hesitating slightly. Astra fluttered in front of Marco, checking him out even more. She resumed her bright orange blush, catching Marco's eyes, those luscious brown chocolate eyes… Focus, girl. He's cute, but that's Star's boyfriend, so cool it.

"She uh, wants to go on a date," Astra said slyly. She internally groaned as she bold-facedly lied to Marco. Dang it, girl! Just cause he's Marco doesn't mean you can just swipe Star's boyfriend like that!

"Oh, really?" Marco replied, somewhat shocked. "That's it? Anywhere specific, or…?" Astra flexed her wings and tensed her jawline up as Marco looked up at her, looking extra adorable. He was so cute when he was worried.

"Uh, lemme see…" Astra said, thinking on her feet. I should tell him what Star wants, but he is too fun to hang out with, and oh. So. Cute. "Yeah, she wants to go to this lovely little grove and have a picnic! Uh, and, bring your nachos! And wear something nice! And pick something out for me to wear! And uh…" Astra belted out her list of feelings for a dream date with Marco, coming up with new things on the spot.

"Okay, Astra, I got it, let's just start at the beginning," Marco soothed, grabbing one of her hands. She quieted as she looked at their now joined hands. Marco saw her eyes pulse with a purple light as she locked eyes with his, her smile dropping into a neutral frown.

Oh, this is bad. Him holding hands, with me!? Come on girl, pull it together, don't make a fool of yourself… Astra cleared her throat, pushing down Star's repressed desires, even as Marco's hand sent shockwaves of electricity throughout her arms, wings, lips, feet…

"Hm," Astra started, her voice a higher pitch than it had been. "Yeah, so, if I'm getting it right, you pick out something nice for me, uh, Star to wear first. Then we go home and make those lovely nachos, pick up some burritos and sprinkle some sugar on them. Take all that to this lovely grove on the outskirts of the kingdom, in the southern High-Mountains. And then we share a single, solitary kiss and that should about do it." Astra felt guilty about describing her perfect date, not Star's. But she couldn't just jump into what Star was feeling without some proper wining and dining. Yeah, that was it. She wasn't just using that as an excuse to spend more time with Marco.

"I didn't really take Star to be that romantic," Marco uttered genuinely. "I was expecting a little more monster-fighting and partying, with maybe a journey to a planet with only beaches and sunshine." Astra groaned as Marco nailed it on the head, describing what Star wanted almost exactly. There was more kissing in Star's version, but Marco probably knew that too.

"Well, you never know what to expect with Star, huh babe?" Astra chuckled awkwardly, trying to not let her obvious ruse show. "So, shall we get going? I don't exactly know how much of this Star will remember, but it isn't fun being backseat in someone else's mind, I know that much." Marco nodded, smiling wide at the Butterfly-girl.

"Alright, well let us look through some of Star's clothes, huh?" Marco said, releasing Astra's hand.

"Oh, I think she would really like it if you uh… bought something for her," Astra muttered quietly. "Her wardrobe has been feeling a bit stale lately, yeah." Astra tried to reconcile her feelings with Star's, but she simply couldn't get enough of Marco. She wasn't going to stay here forever, but she could enjoy the time she had, right? Marco sighed as he shrugged.

"Well, the world and a half for Star, right?" Marco said nonchalantly. He had meant it as a joke, but Astra still blushed anyways. "Okay, well there's the mall back in Echo Creek. If we're gonna go, you may want to… disguise yourself. And maybe not fly." Astra nodded, alive with the excitement of a date with Star's Marco. She set herself on the ground and closed her eyes, focusing on changing how she looked. After a brief burst of effort, Astra made herself look as much like Star as she could. She now resembled Star in almost every way… except for the purple heart-shaped irises and wings.

"Wow," Marco said, amazed at the casual transformation that had just occurred. "I'm impressed. Guess the wings are there to stay, though." Astra twisted her body to see the wings were still there, slightly embarrassed she couldn't hide them. "Don't worry about it. If anyone says anything, just tell them you're here for the convention. They'll know what it means."

"If you say so, sweetheart," Astra replied, hiding her giddy excitement. "Lemme go put on some… what do you call those, shoes?" Marco nodded, pointing out Star's favorite rhino rainboots over near her closet, helping Astra put them on. Soon enough she was ready, and Marco cut a portal to Earth.

As they exited near the mall, Astra's face lit up, clearly excited to see Earth for herself. She could feel the warm air gently flow over her, causing her to unconsciously flex her wings. She marveled at the stone structures, clad in various words and colors. She bounded around, tempted to fly, but stopped herself before remembering Marco's advice.

"Alright, I think the girl's clothes are this way…" Marco trailed off, realizing he'd never bought girl clothes before. It didn't strike him as odd, but just a fun fact about himself. Astra bounced happily around Marco, pointing out all the things that struck her as fanciful. Nearly every food place Marco had to almost drag Astra away from every food item. She was clearly hungry, but Marco made her wait for his nachos and burritos. He kept telling her it was sweeter that way.

The two of them found a clothing store that sold dresses, which Marco thought would be appropriate, considering her big wings couldn't just be folded away. Marco wandered in, suddenly at a loss. He had no idea what exactly to look for in a dress. Would poofy be better? Frilly? Straight? Tight? Marco's head swam as he realized he had no idea what he was doing.

"So, Star wants me to pick it out, right?" Marco said uneasily, hoping Astra would just pick something. Astra nodded, much to Marco's chagrin. "Okay, then, let's just… go over here, then…" Marco wandered aimlessly towards the dress section of the store. He looked at the multitudes of dresses, boggled by how there could be so many options. He didn't know what would look cute, or if it even mattered. Astra felt all the fine threads in front of her, wondering how they could feel so smooth. She giggled as she observed Marco from behind a coat rack, watching him struggle internally with what to pick. Astra loved that about Marco; he always tried his hardest to do things perfectly, when often there was no such thing as perfect. Astra eventually found a rather curious looking piece of fabric, a very smooth all black piece of linen. The way it was folded, it looked like it had a built-in collar. It was absolutely divine to touch, like the softest kitten that had ever existed.

"What about this one, Marco?" Star held up the piece of cloth in front of her as Marco turned.

"Oh, a turtleneck?" Marco responded, marveling at the blackness of the cloth. "Yeah, but that's gonna really cramp your wings, right? It doesn't have an open back." Astra pouted, but he was right. She didn't want to have to conceal her wings under such a tight piece of fabric. Marco resumed his browsing, wandering over to the 'International Fashion' section of the store. Maybe something from across the world would work.

And boy did he find something. Just looking at it was enough to get him to blush. There was no way he could put Star in this, that wouldn't be cool of him. But oh, boy did he imagine… It was like a turtleneck, but the back was cut away almost entirely, cutting very low into the hips on the back, and the attached 'skirt' portion barely going down a third of the thighs before stopping. It again was black, and the neck was very small, as he checked the size. Small, that's what Star is right? Marco chuckled lightly to himself, as he knew this wasn't going to happen. As he opened his eyes, Astra was beside him, checking out what he was holding.

"Find something good, Marco?" Astra said, causing Marco to jump to the side. Astra giggled, smiling at the surprised Marco.

"Oh, this? Nah, Star wouldn't like it, too risqué," Marco replied, chuckling awkwardly. He wouldn't forgive himself if he tricked his girlfriend into wearing this. But it might be worth it…

"Well, let me see," Astra said, snatching it from Marco's hands. Astra blushed lightly, marveling at how much fabric wasn't there. Astra saw what Marco was talking about. It wasn't something Star would normally wear. Then again, if Star had her way, Marco would always wear the same royal suit and never change out of it. Maybe Astra could teach her a thing or two about being really seductive…

"Wow, I think it might be perfect for me! Star, I mean," Astra confidently said, smirking up at the blushing Marco. She could tell he secretly wanted Star to wear this, based on the growing blush in his cheeks. Oh, corn… this boy has no idea what he does to Star, does he? Astra physically restrained her two hands in front of her, knowing that one misstep and she would just assault him here, in this nice store.

"I mean, it does work, it's got a nice open back, it's comfy, it'll probably look cute too…" Marco rambled, trying to convince himself that he wasn't doing it just because he really wanted to see Star wear it. He wasn't sure anymore if Astra was going to go along with it. Astra giggled, fluttering her wings slightly at the flustered teenage boy before her.

"Well then let's buy it, yeah?" Astra replied, circling Marco hungrily. "This date can't start until I get some nice clothes on. My dress is alright, but nothing quite like this." Marco gulped, weighing the options of whether he should go through with it. Star won't remember probably, so maybe it'd be okay…

"Alright," Marco muttered. "Don't you want to at least see if it fits? Be a big waste if we get all the way there and it doesn't fit, right?" Marco nonchalantly mentioned, trying to not seem desperate for a taste of Astra in that daring… dress? He wasn't sure what to call it. Astra picked up on Marco's desires quite easily, as the nervous boy darted his eyes at everywhere but her. He was simple to read when it came to this stuff.

"Sure, cutie," Astra sweetly said. "You got a room I can change in? Don't want to do anything Star would regret, y'know." Marco blushed as he pointed towards the changing rooms. Astra bounded happily over to them, with Marco following behind at a distance. Marco had to admit, watching her bound away from him made him want to chase her. His heart was beating faster than he had expected, noticing he was anticipating her reveal much more than he thought he would.

Astra slipped on the dress and noticed it was indeed very… risqué. It hugged her lithe frame tightly while leaving room for her wings to flutter. As she examined herself from the side, she popped a slight blush. She was no stranger to Star's desires for Marco, but Star had an absolutely gorgeous body that she took for granted sometimes. Her legs poked out from the bottom of the dress, her white skin creating a beautiful contrast with the black cotton. She ran her two arms up the side of Star's body, where the dress stopped and Star's skin began. Star may not like this kind of clothing, but she certainly looked stunning in it. She enjoyed the feeling of the cotton around her neck, relishing in the softness of the fabric again. She sighed, making sure it wasn't too tight or too loose in all the important places. She could stand the dress to be a bit longer, but she wasn't complaining because Marco was gonna lose his mind when he saw this… Astra giggled, slipping out of the dress and back into her white one.

Marco sat on a nearby bench, waiting impatiently for Astra to come out, his heart still beating somewhat fast and very heavy. He saw her trademark wings out of the corner of his eye and noticed she had her white dress on. He couldn't hide the look of disappointment on his face as Astra offered a small smile in return striding right up to the sitting Marco. She got into his personal space, leading with the dress which was still a little warm. She put her arm around his shoulders, leaning in close.

"Didn't think it was gonna be that easy to get me into that dress, did ya?" Astra teased, ruffling Marco's hair, sniffing it slightly. Teasing Marco was definitely her new favorite pastime. Watching Marco practically melt with shame beneath her was like the sweetest candy. "It fits, so buy it for me, hm?" She played Marco like a fiddle, watching his eyes practically light up as she gave the go ahead to buy it. He stood up, trying not to seem too eager as he practically skipped over to the counter. He shouldn't be this happy, but this was his girlfriend he was talking about. The cashier rang up Marco, glancing curiously at the monitor.

"That's weird, it's saying this dress is $650, but that can't be right," the cashier mumbled, confused. Marco, still in a daze pulled out $650 from his wallet, and shoved it on the counter. The cashier looked at Marco incredulously, wondering why he would pay something so obviously wrong. However, upon noticing the devilishly smiling beautiful girl behind him with gently fluttering butterfly wings, the cashier decided she didn't want to deal with this today. This guy clearly was out of it, but she didn't really want to burst whatever bubble they were in. She took the money and detached the anti-theft device, handing the dress to the stupidly grinning boy in front of her.

"You're such a sweetheart, Marco!" Astra said to Marco as they exited the store. "Now we can really start this date!" Marco was still grinning mostly to himself as Astra pulled him along towards home. He couldn't get the image of Star in this dress out of his mind. Astra noticed her beautiful dork in front of her with his eyes glazed over and she laughed internally. Gah, he is always so adorable.

The two found themselves at Marco's home, easily whipping up a batch of Marco's nachos and hitting the burrito shop quickly. Star flew Marco around town, despite his protests. His slightly terrified, awe-inspired expression was something she wished Star could see. After neatly packing the Mexican cuisine in a cooler, Marco took his scissors out, ready to leave.

"Ah, don't you have one last thing to do Marco?" Astra chided, eager to experience Marco walking down the stairs in a suit for herself.

"Huh?" Marco questioned, going over her list of requirements in his head. "Oh, right. I have to dress up." Marco sighed, putting down the scissors and his share of the picnic basket. Astra giggled as Marco trudged upstairs.

He decided that a full suit would be a little much, and he didn't want to get his Royal made suit dirty with grass, so he instead opted for a pair of black sneakers, black slacks, and a white button-up shirt. He left the top button open and rolled up the sleeves slightly. He wasn't really sure why he had to get dressed up for a picnic, but he didn't really mind doing it for Star. He checked himself out from the side and decided that he would button the top button, finding a red tie that would work well. He thought so anyways.

Astra danced lightly on the balls of her feet with anticipation, staring at the top of the stairs eagerly. Her hard-fought patience was soon rewarded, granting her a stunning view of the Marco Diaz. He was messing with his cuffs, rolling them into his elbows when he caught her gaze and gave a genuine smile. His hair flopped perfectly over his face, his eyes alive with happiness. His cheeks blushed slightly as he met Astra's gaze. Astra's heart nearly stopped, her head drooping to one side as her mouth opened. Star is the lucky one, whoo! Astra couldn't contain herself any longer and flew at top speed to Marco, wrapping him up in a fierce hug, fluttering a few feet off the ground.

"You look stellar, boyfriend," Astra said, lost in the moment. She clasped her hand over her mouth after realizing what she said. He wasn't her boyfriend, sure, but she could pretend for a little, right?

"Well, now I just feel overdressed," Marco responded, seemingly unaffected by the boyfriend comment. Astra nodded, waving a hand at Marco.

"Okay, okay Marco," Astra said, hiding her embarrassment well. "I'll go willingly put on that skimpy outfit you're forcing me to wear…" She finished with a sad smile, giving puppy dog eyes to Marco.

"You picked it out, princess," Marco bluntly said. "But if you're scared… I can totally see how you would want to chicken out, so no worries." Marco gave as good as he got, accustomed to Astra's subversive teasing. She responded with an impressed and surprised glare, astounded at how quickly Marco was learning how to tease back.

"Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart," Astra condescendingly sighed. "It's just the cutest boy in all of two dimensions getting a little cocky cause he thinks he's got this beautiful princess wrapped around his finger. I know how to deal with hotshots like you." Astra set Marco down on the ground, hiding a smile. "All you gotta do is be honest with 'em."

"Huh?" Marco uttered, confused.

"Babe, you have the most beautiful eyes," Astra sighed contently. "You've got a heart of rubies too. Every time we touch, you make me the happiest girl on Mewni. Whenever you smile, my heart beats quickly, whenever you laugh, my heart beats even faster, but whenever you tell me how much you care about me, my heart stops." Astra looked at Marco with loving eyes, letting the words flow out of her mouth. This was mostly Star, but Astra mixed a few of her own feelings in there as well. Marco was taken aback at the burst of feeling, unsure what to make of it. He stared into Star's eyes, detecting not even a shred of dishonesty or embellishment.

"Uh, thanks, you're uh, cute," Marco stammered. He admitted to himself that she had played him perfectly.

"You gotta work on your compliments, Marco," Astra groaned. "Just wait a minute while I go change, alright?" Astra left the star-struck boy on the stairs, fluttering up to Star's old room with the outfit in hand. She quickly swapped dresses, checking herself out one last time. She magicked up the looser parts to fit snugly against her body, a newfound embarrassment rolling over her as she realized she would need to be near Marco while wearing such a provocative dress. As much as it excited her, she had to admit she may have been… ambitious.

Those feelings were washed away as she fluttered down the stairs. She watched Marco's jaw drop as a fierce blush overtook his face as she silently thanked herself. This moment was worth it, no matter how embarrassed she would be during the date. She fluttered her wings as she floated up next to Marco side, watching him struggle with where to put his eyes. She smiled with a renewed vigor, satisfied her gamble had paid off.

"Shall we?" Astra happily said, offering an arm to Marco. Marco absentmindedly took Astra's outstretched arm, pulling out the scissors and cutting a portal to Mewni.

Marco and Astra arrived in an outstretched field somewhere, much to Marco's surprise. The grass here was golden, and approximately waist high He looked around confused as Astra surveyed the horizon.

"I was pretty sure I wanted to go to the castle…" Marco grumbled, scowling at his scissors.

"Oh, that wouldn't have been pretty, babe," Astra responded, still scanning the horizon for any indication as to where they were. She found the High Mountains after looking past the distant trees. "Star's parents were in a real hustle to get me under control, but I was looking around for you. Didn't really have time to be under lockdown, since Star isn't really patient. Plus, I wanted to meet you in person."

"Yeah, that wouldn't really be as fun," Marco remarked. "Spending the afternoon in a prison cell trapped doesn't really sound romantic." Astra laughed at Marco's joke as she felt the find brush over her bare back and wings. She shivered, wrapping herself into an embrace, trying to warm herself up. It was colder here, but where they were going they wouldn't need warm clothes.

"Alright, shall we go to the picnic spot? I think you're gonna love it," Astra said giddily, ready to taste some of Marco's nachos for herself.

"Sure, where is it? Here?" Marco asked, unsure if the tall grass would be a good spot to eat. He didn't know if Mewni had ticks, but he didn't want to find out.

"Nope!" Astra replied, bursting with anticipation. "It's in those mountains!" Astra pointed at the distant mountains on the horizon. Marco groaned as he saw how far they were away.

"We have to walk there? I should've brought hiking boots…" Marco whined, now feeling the picnic basket's weight in its entirety. Astra cuddled up next to him, placing her share of the picnic good in his hands.

"I didn't say that, did I? These wings aren't just to impress you, Marco, they do work," Astra flexed her wings strongly, watching the realization come to Marco. He rolled his eyes in defeat, as he would rather spend a few minutes terrified than an hour walking.

"Ok, so how is this gonna work?" Marco said, now carrying the full load of burritos, nachos, napkins, drinks and plates.

"Like this!" Astra shouted as she shifted to right behind Marco, wrapping him in a fierce hug. She bent down slightly, making sure Marco had a good grip on the food before pre-fluttering her wings. She retightened her grip on Marco before launching, the new weight almost causing her to crash right back into the ground. After a few seconds of unsteadiness, she adjusted, soaring over the Mewnian countryside, taking in the fresher air up here. She could see villages beneath her, complete with fires, brewing and whatever other business southerners find themselves in.

Marco, on the other hand, was terrified, hundreds of feet of nothing but open sky beneath him. He closed his eyes briefly before deciding that that was worse. He gripped the basket tightly out of fear as he felt the wind rushing through his previously well-combed hair. He shook with adrenaline, realizing that the normal motion sickness he had in cars wasn't present here. He did have to admit that it was beautiful up here. The villages beneath him, the slowly setting sun off to his left, the green fields giving way to farmlands of golden corn and even the crisscrossing of blue rivers across the downward sloping farmland. He felt Star's arms grip him tightly, bringing him a sense of ease as he tried not to panic. It wasn't working, but he believed Astra would catch him if he fell.

Astra was soon upon the mountains as she wound her way through the passes, searching for the predetermined location. It looked much different than how she remembered it, but the last time she was here was when Star was a small girl. She had loved the white snow back then, even as she shivered in her tiny overcoat. Astra smiled at the fond memory for Star, seeing it as fitting that she would be back here with Marco. Eventually, she found the small hot spring, only about 40 feet across, with an island in the middle. In that island was a tree, clearly still a young sapling. There was enough room for the two of them though. Astra floated down right onto the island, gently setting the shaky-legged Marco down, helping him to sit. She followed soon after, relaxing as she sat down, exhausted after flying in such cold winds. She took in the scenery for a bit, giving Marco a chance to rest.

"So, do you like it, Marco?" Astra asked, a little apprehensive that he wouldn't like it. Now that he had calmed down a bit, Marco glanced around near him. They were in a hot spring, sitting under a baby tree, the steam rising all around them as snow fell not but a hundred feet away. It was hot, sure, but it was a welcome heat, much more comfortable than the coldness above. The water was very still, almost as if it were painted on the ground. The sun hung low in the distance, gleaming a dull yellow behind the clouds. He saw it through the breaks in the mountains. He sighed with content, again surprised at Star's romantic gesture.

"There isn't a single thing I don't like about being here right now," Marco said frankly. "The scenery is… stunning. I'm about to eat nachos with my girlfriend on a hot-spring island in the mountains of her home dimension, and I get to see her, dressed so lovely just for me. I'm wearing dress-up clothes and all I can think about is how I'm gonna scarf down a burrito with the most beautiful princess I know in a small little paradise in the middle of a raging winter storm. There's nothing I'd change about this moment." Marco finished, gazing into Astra's loving eyes as she internally swooned. He spoke from the heart, and it had clearly influenced Astra as she held her face with her hands and fluttered her wings strongly. Marco smiled at the adorable creature in front of him as she blushed and fidgeted.

"Marco, you know you're supposed to be romantic at the end of the picnic, right?" Astra dreamily said, resisting the urge to shove him on the ground and… She stopped herself before she kept thinking. "Now I'm all giddy like a little girl. How can I eat my nachos in peace, hm?"

"I wouldn't intentionally ruin your nachos for you, but if you aren't going to eat, I can take your share…" Marco slyly uttered, earning him a strict leer from Astra.

"If you think you're getting even one more nacho than half, you are a very mistaken little cookie," Astra said, half-joking and half-serious. "I didn't whisk you away to this lovely mountain grotto just to have you steal my long-awaited nachos, bub. Hands off!" Astra smiled now as Marco chuckled. They both began unpacking the food, eager to start eating.

"Wow, those were… deadly," Astra groaned through a full stomach. "How does Star not make you make them literally all the time?" Marco laid down completely, staring up into the sky.

"Because I like to keep it special," Marco genuinely spoke. "Too much of a good thing is always bad. Nachos are no different." Marco unleashed an unplanned moment of wisdom, perhaps enlightened somewhat by the burrito and nacho combo.

"If you say so, sweetheart," Astra unconvincingly said, taking in the prone Marco's form. He was still the most precious person in all Mewni and Earth to Star and her. She didn't really know how to express that the way he did. He gave so much love to her, so all she could do was try and give as much back. She smiled as the young man before he met her gaze and smiled as wide as a completely full of food could.

"So, there's one last thing we gotta do to get Star back," Marco casually said, trying to not seem too interested. Astra covered her mouth with a hand, giggling slightly.

"Very subtle, Marco," Astra responded, blushing slightly. "Yeah, one last thing. All we gotta do is kiss." Marco sat on his knees now, inching closer to Star. "You've gotta kiss me, though. It won't work if I start first." Marco nodded as he approached. Astra felt her heart begin to beat quicker as she instinctively laid back on both hands. Marco was now crawling on his knees toward her, his tie just barely dragging the ground. "And it's gotta be very romantic, and have a lot of passion and be super… hot…" Astra's breath left her as Marco closed in on her, now only a few feet away. His eyes were that of a hungry man, eager to feel his girlfriend in his lips and hands. Astra's breathing deepened, taken aback by how intensely she was being affected by Marco's seductive crawl. He offered no words but stared her down like a tiger would a meal. He was now inches away from her lips, his eyes still locked with hers. He wasn't touching her yet, but he saw her squirm under their closeness, begging for anything. He wanted to tease her a little more, but he remembered Astra's advice. Besides, he was lying if he said he could withhold affection any longer.

Marco smiled confidently as he sat on Astra's legs, bringing a hand up to her cheeks. Her heart marks began to glow a soft pink as she slowly nuzzled into his hand. He leaned in slowly, building the anticipation one last time. He could feel her tension beneath him as he was but a hair's width away from her lips now. After a brief moment of torture, he pressed into her lips gently but firmly. As their lips touched, Marco felt Astra full-body sigh in content, returning Marco's kiss. Marco started gently and sweetly kissing Star in earnest. He rubbed her cheek lovingly, offering as much of a tender embrace as he could while containing himself. This dance of lips was going to be art, and Marco had to be patient to not rush into the ending. He brought his other hand up to her cheek, causing her blush to intensify. He broke the kiss for a moment, catching Astra's heart-shaped irises with his eyes. She appeared drunk with pleasure as he moved his hands to her hair and neck, working his hand slowly under the turtleneck, keeping her gaze.

Astra felt pleasure coursing through her veins as everywhere that Marco touched gave Astra another layer of excitement. His caress was so gentle that she couldn't help but moan a little. She would be embarrassed, but this was Marco, there was no reason to be embarrassed. As he ran his hands through her hair and on the back of her neck, she nearly lost control of herself. She didn't know how Star handled this normally. He heart was nearly beating right out of her chest, her wings flexing unconsciously. Marco sat up off his legs as he brought his lips to the side of her neck, breathing warm air all along the side, right below her ear. Astra shuddered strongly, fluttering her eyes. It was like her skin was set on the most comfortable fire. She relished in the attention Marco was giving her, sighing with content as she felt his warm hands explore freely. She longed for his lips on her though as she pressed forward, silently begging for more.

Marco responded well, giving the desperate alternate princess what she craved. He pushed her onto the ground holding the back of her head. He kissed her deeply, picking up the pace, opting for a more passionate kiss. If she minded about her wings being folded on the ground, she didn't say anything about it. Astra wasn't really saying much of anything as she hungrily kissed Marco as she let her 4 other arms finally show. She grabbed at his tie and ran her hands all along his arms, drinking in the sensation of his skin under her fingertips. She gripped, feeling his lean muscle under her probing arms. She loved how the smooth cotton and polyester dress shirt clung to his biceps, and the way his shoulders filled out the otherwise decently fitting outfit.

Marco, not one to be outdone, redoubled his assault, returning the affection, sending his arms gently down Astra's shoulders, feeling her slender curves beneath his hands. He passionately kissed her, feeling their tongues intertwine and play with each other. He grabbed two of her hands with his and broke the kiss, needing to breathe. His brain was a veritable stew of dopamine as he drank in the way Astra gazed hungrily from below him, her biting her lip and her hair a wild mess as she smiled wide. He sighed contently, noticing the wings were still present. He still had more work to do it seemed. Before he could continue, however, Astra flung Marco off her hips and grabbed him tightly as she flew up to about 20 feet in the air, breathing heavily, a faint orange glow present on her cheeks.

"You've got the magic touch, cinnamon bun," Astra breathily uttered, still drunk of the affection assault. "That was mostly it, but there's only one last thing that I, uh, Star wants." Astra gulped, still nervous.

"More nachos?" Marco joked. Astra smiled as she shook her head.

"Even better," Astra responded, apprehensive. "I want… Star wants you to, uh, do the wing thing again. The whole, massage, thing. It's been on both of our minds since, and I can't take it anymore. We, she, Star can't… take it anymore." Astra sighed, a little ashamed. Marco would probably still do it, but it felt weird to want it so bad.

"Yeah, no problem, cupcake," Marco said, caught up in the moment. Astra gave him a weird look. "What cupcake is no good either? Fine, I'll think of something else…" Marco instantly began his work, reaching his hands around and rubbing right at the base of where Astra's wings began. She instantly clenched 4 arms up on Marco, squashing the air out of his lungs.

"Easy there, hotshot," Astra breathed. "Do that up here and we're both gonna take a nosedive into the hot spring there. Let's do this standing on solid ground." Astra was nervous, and Marco could tell. As she lowered the two of them, he brushed her hair lightly out of her eyes, rubbing her bare shoulder a bit. He offered a reassuring smile, silently telling her not to worry. She set Marco on the ground but still held him tightly. Marco waited for Astra to release him, but no such release came.

"Hey," Marco said softly. "It's gonna be fine. You know you can trust me. I'm good at this." Astra pulled away sighing deeply, looking at Marco.

"I know, of course, it's just… if something, extra magical happens, just be ready, okay?" Astra worriedly mentioned to Marco. "No idea if anything will, just, don't freak out okay?" Marco nodded as Astra turned around, wings shyly fluttering in front of Marco. The skimpiness of her dress was even more obvious now, as she suddenly felt extra exposed, her wings feeling bare and Marco stared at them.

These are like works of art, really, Marco thought. I cannot believe that they can be this beautiful. Marco marveled at the full wings before him, each petal about as big as his entire upper body. Each separate portion had a unique purple dot pattern on it, no portion the same as the other. He couldn't resist anymore and reached his hands toward the tips of the wings. Astra sighed sweetly in front of him, all 6 arms neatly clasped in front of her, holding tightly. Marco started gently, allowing Astra to get used to his pacing. He began at the tips, rubbing them gently between his fingers. He noted the texture was like the smoothest silk pillow cover he'd ever felt. It was impossibly smooth and held almost no friction. He pressed the tips of the wings between both hands and pulled gently outwards, earning a satisfied low hum from Astra. He moved his attention to the middle petals of her wings, starting at the base and running fingers all the way to the tip. As he did, Astra's knees weakened at Marco's touch, and she reached a purple arm back to grab Marco's shirt for support. He smirked and figured he was doing a good job. He kept up his attack on the middle petal, pulling it gently where he willed it. Eventually, he moved on to the separations between the petals, pulling them apart slowly, causing Astra to reach to more hands out to grab Marco's shirt. Her breath stopped short as Marco carefully worked. He ran his hand in between the petals right from the base to the end of the fold incredibly slowly, prying them apart as he worked outwards.

Astra couldn't hold herself up anymore and brought one hand to cover her mouth as she moaned loudly, falling to her knees and dragging Marco down with her. Marco was taken aback slightly, having never heard Star make that kind of noise before. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but clearly, it was good for her. Now sitting down, Marco could more clearly massage her back. He wasn't quite done with her wings yet as he began kissing her wings gently, all around. Star moaned low as she reached one hand back and grabbed Marco's leg. She could barely handle this level of pleasure, but she was not about to let Marco stop now. Her moan had caught her off guard, but now she was back in control. She thought. Marco worked all the folds gently, giving equal love and care to each petal. He decided it was time to give her the massage as he sat back and cracked his knuckles.

He started near her smooth neck, rubbing Star down first, getting a feel for Star's stressed muscled and tense spots. And even though he had just done this last week, she was still very tense. He didn't mind though as he used his thumbs to run over the skin around the base of her wings gently, moving the wings around as needed. Astra sighed continually at his touch, astounded at how a mostly innocent 15-year-old boy could make her feel like this. Her breath was ragged, and her cheeks were flushed. Four hands were in front of her, holding her up, with one hand clutching her heart, which surely should have just exploded by now. Every part of her skin was on fire now, her wings bathed in warm feeling and good touch. She was having a hard time thinking clearly as Marco continued to massage her firmly, working out all her kinks.

Marco began the final part of his routine, going for Star's tense spots with gentle and firm touch. His thumbs found the toughest spots and began circling the muscles. Star's back straightened as she audibly gasped. A buildup of pressure mounted as Marco began working through the incredibly tough tense spot. Astra's eyes watered as she was overwhelmed with physical feeling, Marco finally dissolving the tension. She audibly moaned again, this time with less shame and not into her hand. Her eyes watered as she struggled to bring more air into her brain. She could feel every tiny move Marco made, from the deep, concentrated breaths he was breathing out onto her wings to his two thumbs working expertly across her back and the base of her wings. She wasn't sure how much more she could take, and Marco just kept on relentlessly going. He tackled another tense spot immediately, not giving Astra any time to rest. As Astra's feelings mounted, she could feel some sort of magical surge coming, but was too distracted to know exactly what.

Marco continued through all of Astra's tough spots, noting the moans. He was warming up to it, he had to be honest. There was nothing left to do, but still, the wings stayed. Marco thought for a second before following what his teenage instincts told him to. He crouched low and blew some cool air on the base of the wings, causing Astra to shudder and cast a glance backward. He didn't know how she would change back, but he decided to keep going. He began planting kisses on Star's back, starting at her neck. She reached a hand back and grabbed at his hair.

"Marcooo…" Astra moaned, still feeling the magic there. She wasn't sure when it was going to happen, but she knew it would soon. She felt Marco's soft lips plant kisses down her spine. Her eyes glazed over as she moaned lowly, through her throat. Once he got to the bottom of her back, he raked his fingers down her wings suddenly. Taken by surprise, Astra was immediately overwhelmed with pleasurable feeling. She turned around and grabbed Marco boy the face and body and rocketed up into in the air with him.

Marco noticed Astra's eyes were solid white now, and she pulled him into a strong kiss as they rocketed up through the clouds. It was fierce, passionate, but most of all connected. Marco could feel every emotion that Star felt, and he was overwhelmed with the same waves of pleasure that rolled over Star's body. The two of them achieved a state of mutual transcendence for a few seconds, each sharing the feelings of being both in their own arms and the other's arms. It was enough to overwhelm the two of them as the kiss released rainbow lights like a supernova across the cloud tops.

Once Astra broke the kiss, she smiled dreamily at Marco as they floated down to the island. Marco kept his eyes from closing, but Astra passed out immediately, her wings receding, her purple skin turning to white, and surely her irises returning to their normal. Astra fell asleep peacefully in Marco's arms and Marco leaned against the tree, also letting his eyes close.

Star awoke to Marco stroking her hair, his face framed against a midnight sky. She felt her head in his lap and her back mysteriously feeling exposed. She didn't really bother worrying about that as she was more excited to see Marco in front of her.

"Marco," Star said sleepily. "What are you doing here? Sneaking into my bed is a big no-no." Marco chuckled, brushing her hair with his hands some more.

"We aren't in your bed Star," Marco lovingly responded. "We're on an island in a hot spring grove in the middle of the High Mountains. Mewberty you took us here." Star blushed, embarrassed that she had went full Mewberty in front of Marco.

"Oh, how long did it take this time?" Star said, not completely following how they got here.

"It's a long story, Star," Marco mumbled, clearly exhausted. "Let's just get you home and we can talk about it in the morning, hm?"

"Or we could stay here for a little bit longer," Star offered. "Your face against a purple night-sky isn't too bad, Marco." Marco smiled in return, kissing Star on the forward.

"Sure," Marco replied, content. "We can both stargaze this way." Marco leaned back on the tree, cradling Star's head in his lap, drinking in this sanguine happiness.