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"Star!"

Marco dodged another volley of snakes flying at him, launched from the arms of one of Ludo's more creative monstrosities.

"Little help here!"

He ducked dropped a minion to the ground with a sweep kick, launching out of his crouch to avoid an axe crashing down at him.

Star pretended not to hear.

"Star, please! Whatever it is you're mad about, I'm sorry!"

Another volley of snakes. Star just continued blasting away at her side of the battlefield with more reckless ferocity than he'd ever remembered seeing in her. She snarled as she blew Ludo straight up into the heavens,and crashed him back to Earth with the force of one massive rainbow. The lackeys seemed to lose their will to fight at the sight of their master clearly having been defeated, yet again. That should have ended it.

Instead, Star continued fighting, as though letting out a rage on her pillows. The minions put up just as little a fight.

"Star, no!"

Marco raced to her, vaulting himself off the heads of several monsters before finally reaching her. He hugged her tight as she struggled to free her arms and continue her assault, but her enemies managed to slink away into the portal, an unconscious Ludo in tow. Star turned in his arms and shoved him away.

"YOU!" she cried. "I don't need your help anymore, Marco Diaz!"

"Star? What...what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!"

She turned away, voice warbling against the tears.

"It's been months...and right after...right after you told me you loved me..."

She peaked backwards to see his astonished expression start to melt into understanding, then horror.

"Star...do you mean-the letters?"

"I know when I'm being played, Marco! I won't let it happen again."

She pulled out a stack of them, seemingly and almost assuredly like magic.

"You kept them, it looks like."

"So I could have proof!"

She shoved the stack in his face. Marco took hold and rifled through, his face becoming even more distraught.

"But Star-"

"Shorter every time-and then nothing! How long were you going to keep me as bragging rights, 'Wild Man'?"

That nickname again? He knew he was in more trouble than ever before in their relationship. He lowered the stack to his waist.

"What are you saying, Star? You think...what do you think? That I dumped you without saying or something?"

"I'm saying I could tell! I'm saying I could see...see you giving up on us...just looking at the letters..."

A tear steamed down her cheek as she let the tension go.

"I know it's been hard, living in two different dimensions...I know it's tough, because we don't know how long I'll have to stay in Mewni or how long you have to stay here and when we're going to be able to see each other outside a battle to save your planet or something..."

Marco was frozen in place, unsure how o proceed other than to let her speak, and listen.

"...but did you have to do it like this? Why couldn't you just tell me that-that you didn't want to deal with me anymore...that it was to much..."

Marco had seen too much of his girlfriend in pain for one day. He held her shoulders and lifted her chin to look straight at him. His voice nearly failed him at the sight of her eyes this full of conflicted emotion.

"Star, please listen and trust me when I say this," he warbled, "but I am never leaving you. And definitely not by freezing you out with shortened dimensional love letters."

He pulled her in for a hug and continued to speak straight to her ear.

"I've been busy...too busy. I shouldn't let that keep me from being a better boyfriend to you. It's just been hard, you know? With school, and with trying to fight bad guys on my own as much as I can so you don't have to leave Mewni to help so much."

He rocked her gently. She finally started to hug him back.

"But no matter how short they might get...or how long between letters I go...please remember that I love you, and I always will. I haven't given up, and I won't ever. That's a promise."

He planted a warm buss on her cheek through her long hair.

"But I will try to send more, so that you don't feel lonely."

"...okay, 'Wild Man'."

Ah, that sounded much better. Maybe this would work out after all...

"Do you...do you trust me?"

He melted at the feel of her lips on his.

"Yes. And...I still love you too, Marco Diaz."