(A/N: The first prompt for Starco Week this year was "First Date", so after some thinking, I wrote this and revised it for the Encore Round. As always, don't forget to favorite and review this story. I hope you enjoy the fic!)

Marco walked out of his room in Butterfly Castle and carefully closed the door behind him. After making sure the door closed all the way, he turned and headed towards Star's room, which was on the same floor, but on the other side of the castle. About halfway down the hallway, Marco stopped and turned to the left in order to look at the view outside of a large heart-shaped window in the middle of the wide corridor. At first glance, the teenager noticed his own slight reflection in the glass pane and inspected his attire to ensure he looked as handsome as he could. He made sure that his white shirt was tucked in properly, his crimson red bow tie was straight and level, his black slacks were adjusted properly, his black shoes were free of scuffs, and his black blazer was free from lint.

Marco then focused his eyes on the grand view outside the window. Since he was roughly four stories above the ground, he could see the castle gardens, a village a mile or so out from the castle gates, and several miles along the horizon. The sun had almost set, so out of curiosity Marco decided to check the time. According to the watch he wore on his left wrist, it was 6:55 p.m. It felt a little early for the sunset, but Marco shrugged it off to the time zone change and different calendar Mewni used compared to Earth. The planet's three moons had begun to rise to their usual positions in the evening sky as well. The largest of the three moons, which was eight or so times larger than the Moon, had large chunks of debris circling it and cast a long shadow over the capital village. The second moon was half the size of the first and slightly to the right of it. The smallest moon was a quarter the size of the second and on the opposite side of the sky. All three were much closer to Mewni than the Moon is to the Earth and although they were marked with craters and lunar maria, they still appeared to be more lustrous than the Moon.

As Marco observed the beauty of the Mewnian landscape, he began to visualize the events of the last week or two in his head. It was something he did frequently so he could reflect back on important events, and the events he was thinking about now were no exceptions. About two weeks ago, Star had ended her relationship with Tom after realizing that her relationship was negatively affecting both of them emotionally. Their romance had begun mainly out of an emotional impulse—Star's fear that she had lost Marco in the wake of his return to Earth—and the relationship served to fuel Tom's largest insecurity, that he had to prove himself "worthy enough" to be with her. It was difficult for Star and Tom to end their relationship, but they eventually agreed that it was the best option to take. They also agreed to remain friends in spite of the breakup. Marco had learned of this when a downcast and morose Star came to his room later that evening to talk to him about it. Upon seeing how Star was feeling, Marco immediately offered his assistance, both as her "squire" (by helping her out with her ever increasing duties as Princess of Mewni), and as her best friend (by spending more time with her and helping her regain her happiness). After a week or so, Star was chipper and gregarious once again and her trust in Marco had strengthened even further. To show her appreciation for helping her get back on her feet, Star offered Marco the prospect of eating a private dinner together in the dining hall one night. The teenage boy quickly accepted Star's gracious invitation before embracing her in a heartfelt hug.

As his flashback of the past few weeks ended, Marco's attention drifted back into reality and he finally made his way across the hall until he was outside Star's bedroom. Upon reaching the door, he knocked on it twice softly with his right hand.

"Star?" asked Marco. "Are you ready for dinner?"

"Of course, Marco!" shouted Star enthusiastically. "I'll be there in a second!"

A few seconds later, Star opened the door and stepped out into hallway.

"Hey Marco, I just finished getting ready. How are you?" inquired Star curiously.

Marco scratched his head and smiled. "Um, well... fine! You know, I was just waiting for you and all... how are you?"

"I'm feeling great, Marco! Especially since I'm done getting ready, which took like two hours, or something." said Star. "I hope you like my outfit!"

Star's outfit of choice for the evening was the same dress she wore to the Blood Moon Ball, but she had on snow white flats instead of boots, wasn't wearing gloves, and wore a corsage made with red roses on her right wrist. Star's long blonde hair was done in a long French braid with her trademark red devil horns headband placed just behind her large, silky blonde bangs. Marco couldn't help but take in her spectacular beauty and smile even wider.

"You look... really gorgeous, Star," beamed Marco.

Star's cerulean eyes sparkled in the dimming light of the sunset. "Aww..." she cooed. "You look great too!"

Marco looked down at Star's feet and pointed to the small pink hearts on the toe ends of her white flats.

"So, uh, is there any particular reason you're wearing flats tonight?" queried Marco, changing the subject as he tried to hide the growing redness in his cheeks.

"Marco, have you ever tried wearing boots for hours on end?" asked Star.

"Well, no..." admitted Marco. "I'm a guy."

"Well, now you know why I'm wearing flats!" exclaimed Star. "Also, before we go to dinner, I need to do one thing, first."

Star ran back into her room and disappeared from view. After a couple seconds, she returned outside with a plastic box in her hand. She opened the box slowly and revealed what was inside: a red rose the same color as the one on her corsage.

"Star? What's that?" asked Marco.

"It's a rose." answered Star plainly.

Marco laughed a little and smiled. "I see that, but, like, what is it for?"

"My mom said that I'm supposed to pin it to your suit," replied Star. "It's a thing that people do at these fancy dinners and stuff."

"Oh, gotcha!" realized Marco. "Just be careful when you're pinning me, all right?"

"I'll do my best," affirmed Star as she rose her hands up, with the rose in her left hand and the pins in her right. "But in all honesty, there's a fair chance I might prick you anyway. So I apologize in advance."

"Well that's reassuring," retorted Marco sarcastically.

Star carefully took the rose in her hand and placed it against the right lapel of Marco's suit. She then gingerly inserted a few metal pins through the rose in order to attach it to the lapel. Fortunately for Marco, none of the pins went too far in, but nevertheless the teenage boy occasionally flinched as Star did her work. Once she was finished, Star returned the now empty box to her room before returning to Marco.

"Now that we're ready and all, should we go to dinner?" asked Star.

"Of course, Star," answered Marco affirmatively. "Let's take the stairs, it'll be a bit more scenic."

"Scenic?" giggled Star. "What's so scenic about a couple flights of stairs?"

"I mean, it's longer and more dignified than taking an interdimensional portal," explained Marco.

"Yeah, I suppose," agreed the blonde princess. "Let's head for the stairs, then."

Star and Marco walked towards the entrance to the castle stairwell. In contrast to most of the castle, it was unremarkable in appearance, with small, plain, brown stairs fashioned in a spiral around a brown, cylindrical pillar. There were numerous cuts, scratches, and gouges in the sides of the pillar, indicating it had been a part of the castle's structure for a long time, perhaps even centuries. After looking around for a while, they both stepped into the stairway and began making their way down the stairs at a leisurely pace.

"So... how's dinner going to work tonight?" asked Marco.

"Manfred's going to serve us a multi-course meal of our favorite foods," explained Star.

"That sounds pretty fancy," admitted Marco.

"It kind of is, but there are some more casual things we're gonna eat," she elaborated.

"Does this mean that Chinese food is on the menu?" suggested Marco.

"Maaaaybe..." supposed the teenage girl.

"I take that as a 'yes', then?" inquired Marco.

"You'd be right about that," Star replied.

As Star and Marco descended the next couple of stairs, they noticed a corridor leading outwards from the stairwell. They both turned their heads to look down it, and saw the entrance to the dining hall about fifty feet from the stairwell exit.

"I guess we're here," said Marco flatly.

"We should enter the dining hall, then!" approved Star. "After all, Manfred is probably waiting for us, and..."

As she went to finish her thought, Star felt a surge of surprise and warmth within her. She inexplicably looked down and saw that Marco had taken her right hand into his. Though on the inside she was curious why Marco was holding her hand, she opted not to ask him about it, lest she create an awkward situation.

"And, the food should be tasty!" resounded Marco as he walked with Star out of the stairwell.

"Wow, this is really nice!" praised Marco as he walked with Star inside the dining hall. "I've haven't seen something this fancy in a long time."

"Marco, remember how in history, they were talking about the seven wonders of the ancient world?" asked Star.

"Of course, Star," acknowledged the teenage boy. "Any particular reason why you're asking?"

Star beckoned towards the center of the room. "Well, Marco, this place is one of the seven wonders of Mewni."

The royal dining hall was a massive room with vaulted ceilings two stories high and countless paintings of royals hanging on the walls. Numerous flags, including the Mewnian flag and flags of neighboring kingdoms, hung from a balcony at the very top of the hall. A man vaguely resembling Ruberiot was seated at a grand piano in the back of the room, softly playing pieces written by Chopin. Normally, an immense, rectangular table, capable of seating thirty people at once, would be in the center of the hall, but tonight was different. Instead, a much smaller, square table was positioned in the middle of the room, with two padded, throne-like chairs on either side of it.

"Let's take a seat, Star," suggested Marco. "I'm pretty hungry!"

"Me too," seconded the blonde princess.

Both teenagers walked over to the table and sat down in their chairs. Two sets of service were on the table, consisting of two fine china plates, each with a blue cloth napkin to the left of the plate, a glass of water to the right of it, and a smaller plate next to it. A knife, fork, and spoon were all placed on top of the napkin. A short while after they took a seat, Manfred walked over towards the table, with a dark blue towel draped over the right forearm.

"Good evening, Your Royal Highness, and Marco Diaz. Your dinner à la française should be ready any minute now."

"Dinner à la française? What does that mean?" asked Marco.

"It means all of your savory dishes will be served at one time," elaborated Manfred. "In the meantime, would any of you care for something to drink, other than water? Perhaps ale or some tea?"

"I mean, this is Mewni, after all," began Marco, "But if you guys had Coke or something, that would be great."

"Mr. Diaz, I have never heard of a drink by the name of 'Coke' before," said Manfred, puzzled. "However, I will try by best to get what you seek. Is there anything else you'd like to drink, Princess Butterfly?"

"I should be good with water," said Star.

"Very well," said Manfred. "I will return with your drinks and food momentarily." He then made his way back to the kitchen.

A somewhat mischievous smile appeared on Star's face. "I think tonight's dinner is going to be good, don't you?"

"Um, Star?" questioned Marco.

"Yes, Marco?" inquired Star.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" inquired Marco.

"What do you mean by that, Marco?" asked Star as she tried to stifle a few giggles.

"Well, I mean, you're smiling real wide," reasoned Marco, "and you seem like there's something else to this dinner I don't know about."

Star's smile gave way to a fit of laughter. "Well, there is one thing I didn't tell you. I kind of had to tell the kitchen what your recipe for Super Awesome Nachos was, since I wanted them on the menu! You know, so they could make some!"

"Wait, what?!" sputtered Marco, in a voice two octaves higher than usual. "You revealed my secret recipe?!"

"Well, to be honest, I kinda did, but they promised me they wouldn't leak it to anyone else," said Star insistently.

"Star, these chefs have probably never as much seen nachos before," explained Marco. "How do you know they'll be able to make nachos well?!"

The blonde princess placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Marco, when I said these chefs are really good at what they do, what I meant to say was these chefs are the best chefs in the multiverse. They'll probably be able to put something together for us."

"You have a fair point there," said Marco.

Manfred approached Marco and Star's table once again, this time carrying a tray with Super Awesome Nachos, crab rangoon, orange chicken, and club sandwiches on it. On the top right corner of the tray, there was a small glass filled with ice and Coca-Cola.

"Mr. Diaz, after some searching, I found the drink you asked for among some Earth food we had stored up," declared Manfred as he set the tray down on the table.

Marco reached out and took his Coke from the tray. "Thanks, Manfred."

"I hope you are delighted by your meal," said the royal servant as he walked away from the table, back towards the kitchen.

Star immediately took to the nachos, shoving three or four of the heavenly, triangular crisps in her face before commenting on their flavor.

"Marco, you have to try these nachos!" exclaimed Star. "They're nearly as good as the ones you make!"

"You think so?" queried Marco. "I'll try some, then!"

Marco set down the club sandwich he was eating and took a nacho in his hand. After inspecting the chip for a couple seconds, he placed it in his mouth. Almost instantaneously, the savory flavor of melted cheese surged within him.

"You're right, Star," said the teenage boy after consuming the nacho. "These are great nachos!"

"Yep..." sighed Star blissfully. "I can remember the first time you made them for me. That was a pretty good day."

"Because we went to the Bounce Lounge with Pony Head, or because we had nachos?" asked Marco.

"Both, obviously," said Star. "I mean, Pony Head was taken to St. O's and all later on, after all, but... it was still a really nice day. And I found out you were a great cook."

Marco smiled. "Thanks, Star."

Star then took her fork and began eating some of the orange chicken. As soon as the sweet and spicy flavor of the sauce hit her tongue, more memories sprang forth in her head.

"And remember the last time we ate Chinese, Marco?" asked the blonde princess. "Like, eight months ago or something like that?"

"You mean, when you opened those ominous fortune cookies and then we fought Ludo and Toffee later?" questioned Marco as he ate some of the crab rangoon.

"Yeah...!" yelled Star. "It was really weird how that all lined up. But at least we had an exciting day!"

"It sure was!" agreed Marco. "I kinda miss the days of fighting Ludo all the time. Don't you?"

"In a way, yes," admitted Star as she ate some more nachos. "Even though he was, admittedly, weak and pretty stupid, I enjoyed battling him. It helped me learn how to use my wand better, too, so I didn't set Echo Creek Academy on fire or something like that."

"Just out of curiosity, Star, how do you exactly set entire things on fire at once?" asked Marco.

Star smirked and began laughing a little. "I don't even remember how! Maybe I might have mispronounced some spell my mom told me about, or something, but I'm not sure!"

Over the next hour and a half, Star and Marco continued to recount their past experiences and memories together, eat food, and share plenty of laughs. At around 8:30 that evening, Manfred returned to their table, seeing that their food tray was nearly empty.

"Your Highness and Mr. Diaz, what is your evaluation of the food this evening?" he asked.

"It's really, really, good," described Marco.

"It's just wonderful, Manfred," added Star. "Could we have some dessert?"

"I don't suppose any of you are fans of homemade chocolate pudding at all?" inquired the royal servant. "It's quite flavorful, and many people who we've served it to have scraped the sides for their bowl to make sure they ate it all."

Marco squinted in disgust upon realizing what Manfred was referencing. "No thanks, I'm not really in the mood for pudding right now."

"That's quite all right," said Manfred. "In that case, are there any special requests for dessert, Your Highness?"

Star began tapping her fingers against the table. "Well, I've kinda been in the mood for cake lately, so it would be great if you could bring us some."

"Sounds flavorful," said Manfred as he picked up the main dish platter. "I'll return with your dessert selection shortly."

As soon as Manfred was out of sight, Marco reinitiated his conversation with Star.

"Psst, Star! You know what Manfred said about chocolate pudding?" questioned Marco.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked the blonde princess.

Marco rolled his eyes and deadpanned. "That had to have been a troll."

"Relax, Marco!" insisted Star. "He was just trying to be funny! Besides, the royal servants don't always have the best sense of humor."

"I'll take your word for it," agreed Marco. "I don't think I've ever heard many people around here crack a joke, though."

"Maybe it's because at one time it was punishable by execution to insult the royal family," suggested Star.

"E-Execution?!" sputtered Marco. "Why was it such a terrible offense to talk badly about the royal family?"

"When you're an absolute monarch, you can kinda do whatever you want," said Star. "Luckily, my mom has been one of the most just queens Mewni has ever seen. She also has this fun side to her, even though few get to see it."

Marco scratched his head a little. "So she's been one of the more pleasant queens of the kingdom?"

"Ehh..." muttered Star. "I mean, I think Festivia the Fun probably takes the cake for most fun Queen of Mewni, but I also didn't live in the same time period as her, so..."

Manfred then returned to the table carrying a platter. A cake covered in white, vanilla-flavored frosting rested right in the center.

"Here is your dessert, Your Highness," said Manfred as he set the platter down on the table.

"Wow..." marveled Star. "That is one beautiful-looking cake."

"Shall I slice it?" asked Marco.

"Yeah! Go ahead," exclaimed Star.

Marco cleaned off his knife and held it above the edge of the cake. He then slowly and gingerly pressed the knife through the cake until he reached the bottom of the platter. After sawing back and forth a few times to make sure the cut was clean, Marco gently nudged the piece off of the platter and onto the small plate next to one Star had placed the food she ate during the main course. Then, whether by chance or by purpose, the piece of cake flipped on its side, showing its design: the seven colors of the rainbow side-by-side in a sequence of vertical lines.

"It's rainbow cake," said Marco. "The same kind I made for your surprise quinceañera, Star!"

"Y-Yeah..." stammered Star, her expression shifting to one of regret and her smile fading off her face.

"Um, Star?" asked Marco in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, Marco?" answered Star.

Marco's excitement quickly changed to concern. "Star, are you feeling all right?"

Star folded her arms and sighed. "Marco, I..." she began, before pausing.

"Uh, you were saying?" inquired Marco.

Star folded her arms and sighed. "Seeing that rainbow cake reminded me of how I acted towards you and everyone else back on Stump Day, and... I'm really sorry for that. I didn't realize the lengths you all went to in order to make me have a happy birthday."

"It's okay," said Marco apologetically. "We all have our moments where we're not feeling like ourselves, and I totally understand that. I forgive you, Star."

A partial smile returned to Star's face. "Thanks, Marco. I just wanted to say that because, you know, I should have apologized earlier. It's just that... certain feelings I had were holding me back."

"What kinds of feelings?" asked Marco.

"I'll get to that in a little bit," explained Star. "So after that blow up between you and Tom on Stump Day, I was feeling kinda weird about my relationship with Tom. I didn't really know what it was, but something wasn't right. So after you all went to bed that night... I talked to Eclipsa about it."

"E-Eclipsa?!" shouted Marco. "But she's evil! And she's about to be put on trial! How can you trust her?"

"Eclipsa's not completely evil, Marco," explained the blonde princess. "She's just kind of... different. She's like that peculiar aunt you didn't know about for a long time, except she's directly related to you and is three hundred-something years old. Not sure what to call her, but she's that."

"Your grandma-in-law?" asked Marco.

"Not exactly," noted Star. "But all that aside, she really seems to understand how I'm feeling right now, so sometimes I talk to her about how I'm feeling."

"And what did Eclipsa say?" questioned Marco.

"Well, Eclipsa said that based on things I was doing, it was saying things about how I was feeling," elaborated Star.

"And what were these feelings?" asked Marco.

Star locked her fingers together and continued. "For one, I'm afraid; afraid of my future, having to accept lots of responsibilities, having to take care of the kingdom once I become queen, stuff like that. The second is that I'm concerned with how others view me, and that I'm afraid people look down on me because of my age or how I act. And the third one, the biggest feeling of all, was, well..."

Star's words trailed off as she thought about how she was going to word what she was going to say next.

Marco smiled a bit wider. "Star, don't worry. I'm not gonna judge you or look down on you because of what you're afraid of. I promise."

The blonde princess took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing on.

"My biggest feeling of all is my fear of losing you, Marco..." sighed Star.

"Star, it's all right," consoled Marco. "You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that, ever."

"But Marco..." mumbled Star, "There's a bit more to it then that. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, and... I really hope saying this won't make you feel awkward about me or anything..."

"G-Go on, Star," stammered Marco, his heart rate nearly tripling in speed.

Star sat at the table, struggling to come up with what to say. "Marco, I..."

Marco got out of his seat and walked over to where Star was, and helped her out of the chair. "It's okay, Star."

"Marco, I... I love you," said Star with a sigh. "You're the most handsome and amazing guy I've ever met... you have the cutest eyes and hair, the sweetest voice, and I love those hoodies you wear all the time... you've always been there for me, too, and you care so much about me, and you've put up with all the bad things I've done, all the times I've acted like a jerk towards you, and..."

The teenage boy's eyes widened. "S-Star, I never knew that—"

"I'm so sorry if you don't feel the same way I do..." continued Star. "I just hope that... if you don't feel the same way, our relationship won't become awkward or anything, and that there won't be any hard feelings in between us..."

An awkward silence filled the room for several seconds, before Marco chimed in.

"Star, um... I, uh... I have something to tell you, too."

"W-What's that?" wondered Star.

"Well... over the last month or so, since I broke up with Jackie, I realized after a while I liked her for the wrong reasons. She was pretty and all, but... there was something big missing in our relationship. That missing 'thing' was a deep, emotional bond. You're the best person I've ever met and you've changed my life in so many ways, and there's no one I'd spend so much time with, other than you, Star."

Star's cheeks turned crimson. "R-Really?"

"Now, one thing that my mom once pointed out to me," continued Marco, "is that you'll know you truly care about someone once you can no longer bear to be without them."

"Marco..." said Star. "What does all of this mean?"

Marco smiled. "What I'm trying to say is that I... I love you too, Star."

Star immediately perked up and looked Marco in the eyes. "Marco! You... love me?"

"Y-Yeah," affirmed Marco.

Star blushed and smiled a little. "So, uh, when did you realize you had these feelings?"

"The short answer would be when we went to the Lava Lake Beach," answered Marco. "But, to be honest... I've loved you since the day we met. There was just something about you that made you... different... from all these other girls I've ever met. You don't just like me because I look a certain way or wear certain clothes, but because you like who I am and the things I do. I couldn't ask for anyone better than you."

Star slowly extended her arms out and placed her hands on Marco's cheeks. "Hey, Marco? Do you want to, um..."

"Become smooch buddies?" asked Marco. "On the lips?"

Star's cheeks turned crimson and she let out a few nervous giggles. "Um, to tell you the truth, well... yeah."

"Well, to tell you the truth, Star," said Marco, "I'll gladly be your smooch buddy. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Marco placed his hands on Star's petite hips and the two teenagers slowly inched towards each other. After their faces were only a few inches apart, Marco slightly rotated his head so his nose wouldn't bonk into Star's when they embraced. After pausing for a few seconds, Star and Marco both closed their eyes and gently brought their lips together. As their passion flowed through them, Star's cheek symbols turned bright red and time seemed to slow down to a standstill. After half a minute or so, Star and Marco slowly finished the kiss and looked each other in the eyes. Star then gently took Marco's left hand into hers.

"So, now that dinner's finished, are you up for some stargazing, Marco?" asked Star. "My parents once told me that Mewnian constellations are some of the most beautiful ones in the whole multiverse."

"I'm sure they are," agreed the teenage boy. "After all, you told me your parents named you 'Star' because those were the only things they found that could equal your beauty."

Star laughed and placed her hands on Marco's shoulders. "You're such a dork."

"Well, Star," said Marco, "it takes one to know one."

Both teenagers burst out laughing at Marco's humorous comment for a few seconds before lending their attention to the view outside through the windows at the end of the dining hall.

"It sure does," added Star through a few giggles. "Now, are you ready to go see some amazing constellations?"

"Of course," affirmed Marco with a wide smile before walking with Star out of the dining hall.

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear." -Oscar Wilde