Work Text:
September 12, 2040
19 years, 1 month, and 3 days after Star and Marco’s two-year anniversary
Marco Diaz hated just about everything he saw in the mirror.
He hated the beginnings of wrinkles that appeared on his face. He hated the loss of definition of his abs compared to just a few years ago. He hated the gray hairs that had started to appear atop his head and on his face. He especially hated the ones that appeared above his manhood. In fact, he hated his manhood which felt far from manly, despite Star’s constant reassurance otherwise.
But perhaps most of all, he hated the deformed version of his face which protruded from the side of his neck.
Naysaya - well, Naysaya II to be exact - looked much like an older version of the original curse he dealt with back in middle school. The only real difference between the pain in the neck that bothered Marco back then and the pain in the neck bothering him now was that the current version only existed in the mirror. The original needed a combination of Marco’s insecurities and Star’s Mewman magic to exist. This new edition needed just the insecurities, and Marco fed it well.
“We meet again, loser,” said the abomination.
Marco pinched the bridge of his nose. “What do you want this time?”
Naysaya gave his host an exaggerated frown. “Why am I always here? I just wanna chat. You should know that by now. I’ve been here once a month for the past… what, 34? 35?”
Marco let out a heavy sigh. “It’s 36 months and you know it.”
Naysaya gasped. “Thirty-six months? In a row? That’s… that’s three years! You know what that means, don’t ya?”
“What does it mean?” Marco replied flatly.
“It means that this is our three-year anniversary! This calls for a celebration!” The appendage began to sway itself to and fro in what could generously be described as a dance. Its host, however, was not in a celebratory mood.
“Yeah, great,” sighed Marco. “I suck. Party time. Woo hoo. We already know this. Can you just go away now?”
The aberration gasped. “ Go away? Now why would I do that? We're just getting the party started, cabrón ."
Marco pinched the bridge of his nose. "Since when did you start speaking Spanish?"
"There's a lot you don't know about me, ése ." The last word was said with an overly-thick Mexican accent. "But I know everything about you, and I know everything about what you deserve… and what you don’t."
Hearing the words of Naysaya - even in his mind’s ear - cut Marco. He hated feeling inadequate. He hated the thought of being unworthy of Star. But most of all, he hated that he agreed with the magical growth.
“You’re right,” Marco said morosely. He bowed his head in shame. “I’ve done nothing but let Star down. She deserves so much better than I’ve given her. I don’t think I deserve her.”
The oddity’s mouth curled into a sneering smirk.
“…but Star does.”
The smirk on Naysaya’s face disappeared. The imaginary growth turned towards the mirror and saw a different Marco, one with steely determination etched on his features.
“She loves me as much as I love her, and for some strange reason she thinks that I’m the person who’s best for her. And you know what? Even if I think she’s wrong, I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving that she’s right.”
Naysaya rolled its eyes. “You know I’ll be back here next month.”
Marco nodded. “I know. But as long as I’ve got Star by my side... “ He touched the tip of his index finger to the pad of his thumb and brought his hand up to meet Naysaya. “...I don’t care.” He flicked his finger and the imaginary magical annoyance disappeared in a puff of smoke.
With Naysaya gone, Marco turned his attention back towards the mirror. He still saw someone he didn’t always like, but he remembered that it was someone whom Star loved. Someone who would do anything for the woman he loved. And most importantly, someone who never gave up.
Marco stomped towards the bathroom entrance. He threw the door open with a bang, entered his bedroom, and stared down the woman on the bed. "Star Butterfly-Diaz, I'm going to make you pregnant right now! "
Star snapped her head around in shock, both at the sudden sound of the door and at Marco's sudden outburst. She stared at her husband in slack-jawed confusion as she processed what he had just said. But as she saw the determination and fire in his face, Star couldn't help but smile. Without breaking her gaze, she brought the phone in her hand to her mouth.
“Mom… I’m gonna have to call you back.” She tapped a button on the screen, tossed the phone aside, and welcomed her approaching husband into her arms.