Marco kicked back, enjoying some time off. Star was on a trip with the other Mewni rulers- River, Moon, Eclipsa, and Globgor. Ever since all the dimensions melded every president and monarch has been working their asses off to settle peace and land disputes and distribution. Mewni had, at least for now, dominated Iowa. It was due to all of that corn production.
Now, everyone had some desperately-needed ‘down’ time. Marco hadn’t even gone with Star, that’s how bad they all needed to friggen’ relax.
“Marco! Your friend is here!” Angie Diaz called upstairs. Marco groaned as he stood up.
“Coming!”
He opened the door and almost smacked right into Tom.
“Marco!” He grinned.
“Tom!” he tugged him into a hug. “What’s up, Lucitor?”
“Not much, Diaz. Aside from, you know, the whole, the-underworld-isn’t-under-the-world-anymore,” he sighed.
“Yeah, I feel you. Today’s the first day I’ve gotten to breathe ever since that portal deal,” Marco responded. “I’ve been helping Star nonstop.”
“Speaking of Star… is she here?” Tom poked his head around Marco.
“No, sorry, man. She left yesterday for a relaxation trip with her family,” He responded, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.
“Oh. I was gonna ask her if she wanted to binge movies with Love Sentence actors in them,” he said. “But, since you’re here, and she’s not, wanna binge with me? Plus some Mackie Hand movies, in honor of your presence,” Tom said. Marco thought for a split second, then grinned.
“Oh, hell yeah!” He whooped.
“Dude. Hell yeah? Hell? Seriously?” Tom went deadpan.
“Heh, sorry, man. Of course I wanna binge,” Marco rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
They headed downstairs. “Mom, dad, I’m heading to the Lucitor’s!” Marco called. Rafael looked over.
“Oh, the devil royals? What nice people! Have fun!” He beamed, waving. Tom waved back.
Right outside was Tom’s carriage. His TARDIS-logic, bigger-on-the-inside carriage.
Marco found himself a spot, plopping down while the horses started. Tom dropped down right beside him, offering him a box of cocoa puff cereal, which Marco gladly accepted.
3 a.m. Lights off. Romantic drama starring Love Sentence’s lead singer.
Tom’s mascara was running and Marco had totally ruined his foundation.
“No! Turn around! Cheryl is blackmailing Gareth!” Marco wailed, throwing his hands up. Tom chucked a pillow at the screen.
Marco’s phone went off, signaling an intermission. He had looked up the best times in the movie for snack breaks. Tom slammed the pause button and flopped against the couch as Marco stood up. He flicked the lights on before going back to the couch. Tom poured the both of them some water.
“Drink up, crying dehydrates you,” He croaked, raising a glass. Marco laughed a bit before downing his cup.
“Dude,” he laughed. “You’re a mess, here,” he took his sleeve in his hand and covered his fingers, dampening the cloth a bit before leaning in to thumb at Tom’s destroyed mascara.
“Me? Your concealer is like, everywhere,” Tom said, snorting. Marco pulled away and tugged his hoodie off, using it to wipe off his face.
“I can survive,” he shrugged.
“Cool, but I can’t, I’m gonna re-apply my ‘liner,” Tom said, standing. Marco followed suit.
“Yeah, a hoodie isn’t the best makeup wipe,” he laughed, tailing Tom’s tail.
Standing side-by-side, the boys fixed their faces.
“You can use my face wash,”
“Thanks, man… Woah- Okay, you gotta share your supplier,” Marco said, marveling at the quality of Tom’s facecare products.
“My mom actually handmakes them at home, but I can so totally send you back with a batch,”
“If you walk me home, I’ll trade you some of my mom’s handmade salsa,” Marco offered.
“Yo. Sweet deal.”
The next evening, Tom was at his door again. “Wanna go clubbing?” He asked. Marco thought about it for a long moment.
“Can I go princess mode?” He narrowed his eyes.
“Hell yeah!” Tom beamed.
“Come in,” he said, standing aside. He rifled through his closet before finally finding his old gown dress. He held it at arm’s length to marvel at it and the memories.
“That’s no clubbing dress,” Tom complained. “Can I zap it? I wanna zap it.” Marco gasped, affronted, clutching his dress close. “... You can zap this one,” he said, grabbing a non-sentimental dress. Instant zap! It’s now a bubble dress.
Marco changed into it. “... It smells like burning, but it’s fine.”
The rest of the night went off without a hitch- or, well, nearly. It was all fine until some creep wouldn’t back off of Princess Marco. It started off fine, he bought Marco a milkshake. One of the new flavours- sea salt caramel.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing without a man?” The lizardman croond, towering well over Marco. Marco made various attempts at a retort, but every thought was like running through thick fog and face-first into a plaster wall. He felt like his brain had melted into molasses, and when he opened his mouth, he could’ve sworn he was speaking clearly, but the lizardman’s ever-growing devious smile almost suggested otherwise.
Marco felt his eyelids droop, and he kept flinching away from nothing to stay awake. He grasped at the edge of the table, breathing heavily. He made eye contact with the lizardman. He was waiting, smiling. Marco tried to fix him with a dizzy glare, meeting his eyes over Marco’s salted caramel milkshake.
His… salted… caramel….
Oh.
Oh no.
He looked at the menu.
It wasn’t fucking salted.
Marco woke up and instantly threw up. Oh god, he had been asleep? He passed out- oh no, oh god- where was he!? He looked around, trying to force his bleary eyes to adjust and take in information.
“Woah, woah, easy there,” Tom’s voice said. Marco groaned, trying to move. Tom placed his hand on his arm, calming him down. “You’ve had a rough night, take it easy,” he said gently. Marco reluctantly closed his eyes, but stayed awake.
“What happened?” He mumbled.
“Some creep tried to drug you, I think. You yelled something and when I made my way over, you, uh… You had passed out.”
“Ergh… Yeah, no, okay… It wasn’t a salted caramel milkshake…” Marco mumbled.
“I uh… I got pretty worried for you there, dude,” Tom said, helping Marco sit up to give him some water. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a truck, but I’ll be fine.”
“Come on, you should get a change of clothes…”