Star and Marco vs Evil Book 1

I

Marco was good friends with Tom as well as Star, so he worried about Star's and Tom's relationship for their sakes. Tom's investment in Star often seemed as shallow as Star's in Tom. Despite Tom's protestations to the contrary, Marco knew darn well that Tom had forgotten Star's fifteenth birthday. Whenever Star delved into politics or went on an adventure that was more than just fun times, Tom was seldom to be found. The time that he asked to go in Marco's place, investigating the disappearance of Buff Frog, it seemed to be motivated by jealousy of Marco as much as a desire to be with Star.

The reason Marco was alone with Star in the photo booth was Tom's lack of interest in what Star wanted to do. Technically, Marco didn't want to "do" the photo booth with Star either, although for different reasons. But Star so wanted to have fun with her bestie she wouldn't take no for an answer, physically preventing Marco from leaving, and even going so far as to rob him to pay for the photos. Star wasn't being mean or overbearing, she just didn't realize where they were in their friendship ... as usual.

Marco also knew that Tom had not helped Star in dealing with the fact she was not a "true" Butterfly. Star was feeling very guilty about the fact that she was descended not from "granny" Eclipsa, but from a random peasant girl the Magic High Commission swapped for Eclipsa's half-Monster daughter, Meteora, 300 years ago. Star had wanted never to be queen, and now, on top of that, she felt that becoming queen would steal what rightfully belonged to Eclipsa and Meteora.

Marco stroked the hair of his bestie. Star wasn't beautiful by Earth standards, but she was considered attractive, even cute. She was built like a ten-year-old boy, and her fashion sense was more like a fourth grader's than a teenager's. Her femininity was balanced by her physical strength and fighting spirit, both inherited from her father's side of the family. But Marco didn't really care about any of that. She was a surprising mix of dainty princess, weirdness, tomboy, leader, wildness, fighter, and empathy. That all made her the coolest girl he knew; the entire package was beautiful to him. She might not want to be queen, might not believe she deserved to be queen, or that she even had the right to be queen, but Marco believed with all his heart that she would be the greatest queen of Mewni ever.

Marco's contemplation was interrupted by Queen Moon kicking open the door to the room. To forsake propriety and enter without knocking, not to mention entering the room as Star would, was a sure sign something serious was afoot.

"Star, I ..." Moon began as she turned on the lights, stopping when she spied Star and Marco in their close, if not intimate, embrace. She eyed the two for a moment. She knew what was going on among Star, Marco and Tom, better, clearly, than they themselves. While she was proud of how far the demon Tom had come in facing his, well, demons, she knew the person who had been the most influential in the growth Star had recently experienced was Marco. Star certainly valued Marco's presence and counsel more than Tom's, although Moon was uncertain whether Star was conscious of that.

Moon also knew that it was not a one-way street. From talking to Marco's parents after Marco was abducted a year ago, listening to Star's stories about their adventures, and her own observations, she knew that Star's influence had changed Marco.

Moon was also under the impression that Tom's growth had been in large part due to the influence of Marco, either directly or through Star.

A union between the Lucitor and Butterfly kingdoms was desirable on a political level, but Moon believed Marco was a better fit for Star. However, given the interference of her family, especially her Aunt Etheria, in her own love life as a young princess and queen, Moon knew she had to allow Star to find her own way romantically. She just hoped Star came to her senses before it was too little, too late.