Disclaimer: I don't own Stardust but I really wish I did! So clever!

Desperate Romantic

"If you don't hurry up, we'll never make it to Wall on time!" shouted Yvaine, the fallen star, behind her shoulder to the lagging Tristan Thorn on the winding cobblestone road.

"It's not like I'm used to climbing hills everyday," huffed Tristan, struggling to keep up with the brisk, agile pace of Yvaine. "Shop boys, the most mountains they climb are the towering ladders, which are not quite as tormenting as this."

Yvaine laughed lightly, a tinkling sound so dainty that it could be mistaken for sleigh bells. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're not a shop boy!"

"You're right, I'm just a dedicated romantic who captured a lovely young woman in return for marriage." Tristan jogged to finally catch up to Yvaine. She twinkled timidly even though it was broad daylight. The sun was streaming down in warm rays, making the bay behind them glitter and sparkle. Captain Shakespeare's lighting bolt ship could be seen breaking through the clouds like a dolphin at sea. He had just dropped them off on this path that was a couple miles from Wall. How many, they did not know.

"You're not a dedicated romantic," Yvaine scolded, but smiling with those hearty, full, red lips all the while. Her platinum blond hair whipped across her face in the chilly wind. "You're just… desperate."

Tristan almost stumbled over a stone at the sound of those words had it not been for Yvaine catching him gently and setting him upright again. He seemed to have a problem with footwork; not even Captain Shakespeare could work all of the clumsiness out of him. "Desperate? Desperate for what?"

"Love."

Tristan gaped at Yvaine with an expression of shock on his face. "You… you can't be serious. Me? Desperate for love? Oh no, no, no, not desperate for love at all! If I was desperate, I would have begged to no end for Victoria."

"Isn't that what you did?" Yvaine put on a face flooded with admiration and mocked, "'I'd cross the wall and bring you back that star'? Isn't that quite desperate? I could have been a hunk of celestial rock five times the size of your thick head and you still would have carried me to her!"

Tristan was running out of arguments in his defense. He hadn't been that desperate with Victoria, had he? It was getting harder and harder to recall her pale gray eyes and soft touch everyday. "But… but… who's you to say that? You've probably had a couple of… rendezvous up there in the sky. You might have been a player enough!"

Yvaine broke out into a fit of girlish giggles. Tristan was stumped; what had he done wrong now? "A player, Tristan? Are you serious?"

"You… you know… when you fall for many men, play them." Tristan was feeling awfully stupid right now, even though he was the one from this planet.

"All stars are daughters of the moon, Tristan. We're all sisters, no men!"

"Oh." Tristan turned a deep shade of scarlet, avoiding Yvaine's glances.

"No need to be embarrassed, everyone makes mistakes. I've seen it dozens of times, trust me," Yvaine soothed, rubbing her hand on the soft cotton of the wispy shirt Captain Shakespeare gave him. "You've just got to learn to not take the first girl you have a chance at. There's many in this world, and you can't be selling your heart out to someone who doesn't love you back, or asks for silly demonstrations."

"I suppose you're right. But on the other hand, I wouldn't have met you if I didn't."

"Very true," Yvaine grinned, stepping up onto a steep step. She lifted her dark blue velvet dress up to keep it from catching on her shoes. "I've seen true love come out of the blue, and it's been as beautiful and romantic as other relationships. What I'm just trying to say is just wait for that love."

"Okay," Tristan replied, thinking of Captain Shakespeare's soft, whispered words in his ear just moments before, and looking to Yvaine's deep, wide, inquiring brown eyes staring at him, "but I think I've waited just fine."

A/N: Did anyone get the end line? This was written as pure fluff, just popped into my head and told me what to write. I tried to keep Tristan and Yvaine and their journey as canon as possible TO THE MOVIE, so tell me if I succeeded? I hope you enjoyed reading this! :)

Please read and review!