It had been an ordinary day for our favorite magic Princess and her nacho loving companion; a test in biology, Principal Skeeves' announcement that the school would be installing new hand dryers in the east wing lavatories, and a run in with some inter-dimensional gremloblins. Just regular, run of the mill stuff, and now they were enjoying the walk homeward for an evening of sweet snacks and studying together, until Star more often than not most possibly fell asleep on Marco's shoulder.

It was just like any other golden gloaming walk, with happy little talk of everything and nothing floating round in the atmosphere, till suddenly, silence.

The two had stopped abruptly on the sidewalk when they had come in contact with another being to note, and both reacted to this newly discovered acquaintance in different, uncharacteristic manners. For there, looking pitifully disheveled on the sidewalk, sat a cat.

"Bit beat up aren't you little buddy?"

asked Marco patting the raggedy thing, he did not notice Star's sudden change in bubbly personality as she started to slowly back away her eyes widening in honest to god horror.

"Hey Star, why don't we take this little guy home and fix him up? I know mom and dad won't mind and I think he needs some help, looks like he's been rather bullied wouldn't you say?"

Marco had already scooped up the distraught beast and had turned to Star then, only to note that she had backed a considerably distance away.

"Um… I'm not so sure that's a good idea Marco, I mean, look at that thing, it could be dangerous, and aren't you, y'know, the safe kid? Shouldn't we maybe be careful?"

"Star,"

Marco grinned softly at her the way he had a habit of doing when realizing how his personality had somewhat rubbed off on her in the last few months.

"It's just a cat. I'd thought you'd be all over helping this little guy, I mean what with that lizard we nursed back to health last month and those rabbits…"

Star had had quite a track record with taking in any assortment of animals, both of earth and other dimensions, in need. Marco was confused as to why she was so against a cat.

"But Marco, that was different, this is different, cats are different."

"Star, are you, could you possibly be, are you afraid of cats?"

"WHAT? NOOOOO, pshhhh…."

Star nervously did not meet Marco's eyes, if there was anything worse than cats, it was lying to Marco.

"I'm just being extra careful is all."

Marco could tell she was lying and it was making him a tad bit upset,

'does she not trust me enough not to tease her for being afraid of cats?'

so his response came out a little harsher than anticipated

"Well fine! I don't know about you but I'M going to take care of him!"

And with that Marco took the scooped up cat and started to stomp/trudge home in a determined manner. Star trudged after him begrudgingly, muttering, knowing her evening was probably ruined, whether it be by her own fault or as she chose to blame it, on the cat. She glared ahead at it's beat up and crooked tail waving hypnotically and mockingly out of the crook of Marco's arm

'I know your plan cat, I know what you are up to'

All that evening one could tell our two heroes were at odds with one another, when Marco had brought in the cat, Mr. And Mrs. Diaz had welcomed it with open arms, which only sent Star into a more irate mood. Dinner was considerably less fastidious than usual, as the main duo who would usually keep the table filled with peppy discussion of their day were noticeably short with one another. Star sat glumly picking at her food, trying hard not to give Marco the time of day, but occasionally stealing glances at him with a pitiful longing look in her eyes, but her stubborn pride held and she said not a word to him, clearly showing how much she disapproved of him taking in the furry creature. Meanwhile Marco too could keep up a show of stubbornness just as well, so he pointedly showed the cat affection all through dinnertime, but could not help glancing back at Star when he thought she wasn't looking,

'why does she hate this cat so much? Why can't she just go along with it?'.

The awkward silence that settled over the dinner table was deafening, and Mr. And Mrs. Diaz not quite knowing what to do about it just decided to finish as quickly as possible and leave the two teens to work it out amongst themselves. So here they were, left alone in the dining room, each too stubborn to break the silence first, stealing glances. Until they both stole one at the exact same time, and the bit of realization as they caught the other staring. Looking away quickly, a blush forming at rapid speed on both countenances. That was when Marco couldn't take much more,

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST THIS CAT?"

"Well for one thing, it has you completely hypnotized Marco! The moment we ran into it on the sidewalk you couldn't tear your attentions from it! For another who knows where it's been, what it's been doing? How did it get so beat up? What if it has rabies?"

"That's a lot of 'what if's' Star! And what do you mean hypnotized? Are you just upset that I'm paying more attention to it than you? Are you jealous?"

"Why should I be jealous of a cat? Why should I be upset you pay more attention to it than me? You pay more attention to Jackie Lynn Thomas than me, and it's not like I'm jealous of her!"

'A lie'

Star's subconscious piped up, but she was not entirely just jealous of the cat.

"What does Jackie have to do with any of this?"

Marco asked confusedly

"Nothing!"

Star said quickly with a small blush

"Why can't you just admit Star, that you have a fear of cats?"

"But I don't!"

"You can admit it to me Star! Why don't you trust me enough, not to tease you on it?"

"I do trust you Marco! It's just…"

"No Star, you don't… And I wonder if you ever did."

Marco got up then and stomped out the back door slamming it behind him.
Star sat dejectedly in her chair trying to process what just happened. Tears filling her eyes. The cat came over then and rubbed against her leg,

"go away you evil thing."

She said harshly, but the cat would have none of it, he jumped up in her lap and rubbed his little head up against her. Star looked at him then, and held her hand out cautiously in front of the feline's nose, letting him grow used to her first. Then she gently stroked his back very very carefully

"wow you are soft for a scruffy little thing aren't you?"

The cat merely flicked it's tail back and forth happily, the way it's crookedness made it flop about brought a bit of a smile on Star's face.

"Maybe you aren't such a little demon?"

She looked at his scratched up ears and eyes thoughtfully

"and maybe you couldn't help getting into a bit of mischief?"

The cat purred happily and snuggled up to her more.

"Maybe not all cats are evil?"

She sighed

"I should've just told Marco the truth in the first place, I just didn't want to admit that I am afraid, ever since Tom and his demon cats… It's such a silly fear, I mean look at you!"

She motioned to the little furball in her lap.

"You're just an animal just like the laser chihuahuas or those lizards, but…"

She looked at the cats tail flicking back and forth, not mockingly, she realized, but happily.

"I just didn't want Marco to think I was afraid of anything. And yet not telling him, I've done something worse than any cat could ever be, I've lost his trust."

Star looked determinedly at the fluffy thing and gently picked him up out of her lap

"you know, you aren't too bad for talking stuff out, maybe you can help me figure out what to do about Jackie later."

After a good twenty minutes of trying to find him, Star finally spotted Marco sitting moodily against a tree in the park down the road. She approached softly and finally sat down on the other side of the tree.

"I'm afraid of cats."

She began in almost a whisper

"I have been ever since my ex-boyfriend Tom released them on Mewni to get back at me right after we broke up."

Marco had stiffened a bit at the sound of her voice behind him, then crossed his arms in contempt, not to be easily swayed.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to think I was afraid of anything, never mind something so silly, it wasn't because I didn't trust you a Marco, I knew you wouldn't tease me, but I still felt silly for it, even though I should've just told you. But,"

her voice grew a bit more broken

"I realize that I have an even greater fear than of cats, and that is losing your trust. Which I have, and I am so so sorry Marco."

She closed her eyes then and let the tears fall. But she felt a pair of familiar arms come around her, opening her eyes, there was Marco giving her a warm hug.

"And I'm sorry for doubting you Star, and being so stubborn. And letting some random stupid cat come between our friendship."

"Yeah, friendship"

whispered Star with a quiet gentle sigh

'oh well'

then she looked at him as they began their walk home

"but don't you dare call that sweetheart of a cat, stupid!"

Marco raised an eyebrow and looked at her offhandedly

"you've changed your tune?"

"Well he's not so bad once you get to know him, and if he had rabies I'm sure we would know by now, and maybe he got his scars from doing some nobel deed, perhaps battling for the hand of a fair lady cat. Either way he is a pretty okay cat. He just needs a name."

"A name?"

"What about… Bovril?"

"Bovril? Why Bovril?"

"Because he looks like a Bovril."

"Bovril?"

"Bovril. Bovrilcat."