Chapter Text
Thomas Draconius Lucitor, the one and only prince of the Underworld, was a hopeless romantic.
He had always hoped to find a love that endured and flourished even when the odds skewed against it. His parents had achieved it, and for a time, he thought he had too.
Now, his relationship with one Star Butterfly was barely hanging on by a thread.
They had started off so well—meeting at the Silver Bell Ball and going on so many fun dates. Tom could not have been happier to have such an awesome someone to call his.
That was, until the fights started.
It turned out that a demon prince and a mewman princess had a lot of things they couldn't agree on. And it always ended with him flying into a rage.
He was a demon, for Fire's sake!
But he had tried, he had tried so hard for months. He got into anger management, did his best to learn about his girlfriend's kingdom, tried desperately to set less things ablaze.
None of it stood a chance against Star's free spirit.
They were teetering on the edge, and they both knew it. She had already been gearing for the jump.
This Blood Moon Ball was his last chance. He had toned down many of the demonfolk customs, risking his public opinion, just to convince her to come.
His chances were slim, but maybe! Maybe there was the slightest possibility that they would be bound together by the Blood Moon. That was all he needed, proof that they would eventually find each other again after this rocky patch.
He bit his lip as Star wandered away, knowing that forcing her to stay by his side would only earn him her annoyance.
Tom sighed, sulking by the refreshments and watching his date mingle with a few of the diplomatic guests that happened to be her friends. The night was already not off to a good start.
"... this is one miserable party..."
It had barely been a whisper, but Tom felt that telltale prick of shame and the sparks of anger that followed at the words. He whirled around to face the speaker with a growl in his throat.
"What did you say?!" The demon seethed, barely reining in his volume.
Standing behind the table was a boy in a strange large hat, a strange black suit, and a skull mask strapped to his face, arms raised in surrender. Tom didn't remember ever seeing him before.
"I-It's just, uh, a lot of... people?... don't look like they're enjoying it..."
Tom squeezed his three eyes shut and sighed heavily.
"No, they're probably bored," he grumbled. "I took away most of the fun."
The strange boy snorted. "I know what that's like."
Tom raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Making parties boring?"
"Yeah, it's the trade off for safety. Can't get too crazy, y'know? What if someone gets hurt?" The boy said with a shrug.
The demon prince hummed, lips quirking into a half-smirk as he picked up a drink from the table beside him.
"It sounds like you're just boring."
The boy in the mask squawked in indignation. "Hey!"
Tom chuckled to himself, feeling a little lighter now. He took a sip of his sweet, boring drink. "What are you doing lurking near the walls anyway? Stalking someone?"
"Uh no," the boy shook his head. "I don't really know where I am?"
In another party, Tom might have found this strange, but the big Moon Events always had a tendency to let random people stumble in through the cracks. It always made it a headache to cross-reference the guest lists later.
So no, this strange boy's presence was not really so strange.
"An Uninvited Guest, huh."
"I didn't come here on purpose or anything, I swear I didn't break in or—"
"Chill dude," Tom said. He picked up another drink from the table and offered it to the rambling boy. "You wouldn't be the first to get in on accident."
"What does that mean??" Mask Guy eyed the fizzy liquid in the glass. "And don't you know you're not supposed to take drinks from strangers at a party?"
The demon rolled his eyes, mildly irritated, and set the glass back down. "Oh, you are definitely a boring one. Suit yourself."
"... what's in it?"
"Plain clawberry juice. It's so weak even one of those puny Earth humans could drink it."
Mask Guy pursed his lips together and stared at the glass on the table. After a moment, he reached over and took a swig, eyes brightening at the taste.
"This is actually good."
"Oh yeah? Boring drink for a boring guy I suppose."
"Are you always this obnoxious?" The boy said wryly. "You don't even know me."
Again, that prickle of shame made itself known in Tom's chest. He huffed and quickly put out the flame that had flickered in his free hand.
"Whatever, you don't know me either."
He set his empty glass down with a thump and walked towards the middle of the ballroom, looking for his Star. The demon needed to stay close, just to make sure he would have her first dance when the waltzes began.
Tom found her chatting with a smaller demon girl facing away from him, and he stopped in his tracks when he heard them.
"Wouldn't it be romantic to dance under the Moon with your boyfriend?" The girl said, brushing blue hair behind the swirl of her horn. "You're a prince and a princess. It's like fairytale!"
Star's laugh sounded rather forced. "It would be I guess. But... I don't know. He's just... so hard to get along with."
The demon prince's heart instantly deflated, and he trudged his way back to the table where he had met the strange uninvited guest.
He was still there, the glass in his hand now empty, eyeing Tom as the demon slumped against the wall beside him.
"That was quick," Mask Guy exclaimed. "I thought you were gonna go dance with your date or something."
Tom grumbled. "I don't know if she wants to dance with me right now."
"Huh, sucks to be you."
The demon growled, eyes glowing red for a moment as he snapped at the other boy. "Shut up! You have no idea how hard I've been trying to fix this!"
The masked boy flinched, backing away a step, but staying where he was. "What have you been trying to fix exactly?"
Tom rubbed his face with a hand, taking a deep breath as he took in the question.
"Myself," he said bitterly. "My anger issues, the fighting—everything."
The strange boy came a little closer, slowly and awkwardly giving the demon a few pats on his shoulder as if trying to calm a wounded animal. "I'm sorry man... I'd give you advice, but my love story's not going anywhere either."
Strangely, that seemed to calm the fire in Tom's chest, and he found himself laughing mirthlessly at their shared anguish.
"So what is this? A two-person pity party?" the demon said, looking up at the domed ceiling and all the torches that lined it.
The masked boy shrugged. "Well, it doesn't have to be. You could... tell me what this party is for or what fun stuff you took away. I guarantee I know absolutely nothing."
Tom glanced up at the peak of the ceiling where a single skylight remained open, the spot where the Blood Moon's light would shine down. It was still dark through the glass.
"This is the Blood Moon Ball," he recited, the words having been seared into his memory by years of royal lessons. "It happens only once every six hundred and sixty-seven years. A night where fate and magic bind two souls together for all of eternity."
"That... sounds like a really important event," Mask Guy muttered.
Tom grimaced. "It is, and here I am making it forgettable for everyone else."
"You suck man," Mask Guy said playfully at first, before his tone shifted into something more serious. "That's like being in charge of someone else's wedding or something. I mean, binding two souls for eternity? And you bored everyone else out of their mind?"
The demon clenched his fists and his jaw, tamping down the anger threatening to bubble up. It wasn't like the other boy was wrong, even he himself had been wondering if he'd gone too far.
"... I did it for her," he admitted quietly. "I thought that maybe if it were less demonic, she'd appreciate it more."
Mask Guy huffed beside him. "Well, now it sounds like you're not the only problem in this relationship."
Tom eyed him curiously.
"Anger issues? Sure, work on it. But going as far as completely watering down your... culture..? Wait, is this a cultural thing or—"
The demon prince cut him off with a blank expression. "It is. There's... a lot of things she doesn't like down here."
"Maybe you two just aren't a good match," the boy said. "No offense."
"No... I see what you mean," Tom took a closer look at the details painted on the boy's mask, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. "For someone who didn't want to give advice, you do talk some sense."
The prince saw the boy's eyes roll from behind the painted skull. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"The closest you're getting."
Tom spent the next few hours talking about everything and nothing with his mysterious uninvited guest, not expecting how much their almost-friendly banter melted the tension in his shoulders. He smirked when the masked boy squirmed at the thought of a blood bath, and he began to lose track of time once he was asked about old Underworld rituals that were now utterly pointless.
He only realized how much time had passed when the lights began to dim and the announcer began to talk about the nearing blood moon. Tom all but jumped away from the wall, shooting a hasty 'see ya later' at the masked boy as he went looking for Star.
This time, she was alone at a snack table on the other side of the room, chewing freely on a strawberry bun and watching the torches be put out overhead.
"Star!" Tom called. "There you are!"
"Me?" The princess said as she swallowed down her treat. "There you are! You invited me here, and I haven't seen you all night!"
The demon grimaced and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. He had been thoroughly distracted by just one Uninvited Guest. "I'm sorry, I didn't... think you'd want to be stuck with me all night."
Star stared at him, squinting. "We really need to talk, Lucitor."
Tom sighed. "I... I know. And we will."
The music changed into the haunting waltz he had especially arranged for the night. The demon prince cleared his throat, offering his arm out to his date.
"But... just for now... may I have this dance?"
The girl glanced at his hand for a moment before slipping into a familiar grin and taking it. "Let's show them what we've got!"
Prince and Princess glided along the dance floor, weaving effortlessly between the other dancing demons as the now-dim ballroom slowly began to turn red with the moon's approach.
They were smiling, the music was just right, and the energy of the Moon swept away the lethargy that the event had been soaking in all night. Other than his sulking from earlier, it was as perfect as Tom could have hoped.
"You outdid yourself this time, Tom," Star told him quietly while they spun. "I really liked those strawberry buns too."
The demon prince could feel his smile get wider. "I'm glad you're having fun."
"Yeah... fun..."
Tom twirled his girlfriend and then pulled her back in, his toothy grin never faltering. Maybe Mask Guy was wrong about their incompatibility. He settled his hand back on Star's waist. Maybe things would be alright after all.
He was so focused on the thought of everything going right that Star's thoughtful stare went right over his head at first.
"Tom, listen..." she said, gently squeezing where her hand rested on his shoulder. "I know you've been... trying. And I appreciate that."
The demon prince hummed, a cool dread suddenly creeping down his spine as he took in her furrowed eyebrows.
Star sighed. "I'm sorry. I just... I don't think I can do this with you anymore."
His grip on her hand tightened, and he barely managed to grit his words out. "Why not? Isn't everything going well? Aren't you having fun?"
She stared into his face.
"Tom, this isn't just about... tonight. You know we've been fighting more than we're not."
"And?" He squeezed out, leading her somewhere closer to the edge of the dance floor. They had to step out and really talk after this song. "Couples fight, that doesn't mean we just..."
"Tom, I'm being sent to Earth in a few months."
"We can talk on the mirror! We can make us work, Star, why—"
"I don't want this anymore, Tom."
It was almost as if she had punched the air right out of him, and he almost tripped on a turn, barely catching both of them.
Star let out a harsh breath, looking at him pleadingly. Why? He was the one who was supposed to look like that.
"You're the prince of the Underworld. You get so so angry, and you do so many things that I never asked for... I just... I don't know if I want to be tied down with you."
The demon felt a sting in all three of his eyes. "That wasn't a problem before. Why now?"
"I guess I just realized... we want different things," Star said as they finally slowed to a stop. "I liked being friends with you, and I still do! But I can't stay your girlfriend."
Tom couldn't even cry, stuck in the middle of a ball that he had been in-charge of. He had already dampened the event so much, he couldn't afford to also break down during it. He bowed hopelessly in front of his now-ex girlfriend, the end of their first and last dance of the night.
"I'll... leave you alone for a bit," Star said, gathering her skirts and retreating back in the direction of the snack table, throwing sad glances at the listless demon prince.
The room was still tinged with red. That waltz had only lasted a few minutes, and here he was, falling apart all on his own.
He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, and there behind him was none other than the boy in the mask.
Oh Luna, did he see everything?
"Hey, uh," the mysterious boy fidgeted in place. "Wanna grab a drink?"
All Tom could give was a small, lifeless nod and let himself be led back to the tables. He accepted the clawberry juice offered to him, and sank down to the floor behind the table, hiding himself from the red haze of the ballroom and all his dancing demon subjects.
"That bad, huh?" said the boy in the mask.
"She broke up with me," the demon prince said, voice cracking at the words.
The other boy's eyes widened. "Right there? While you were dancing?!"
Tom nodded. His laugh came out wet and wobbly. "She's always been like that. Once she's made up her mind on something, she'll make it happen. I guess she's been meaning to do it for a while."
The masked boy clicked his tongue, giving the demon a gentle pat on the back. "She could've at least waited until later so you didn't have to be stuck behind the drink table. What are you gonna do once the dancing ends and they start swarming here?"
"Die of shame, I guess."
"Dude, you literally live in hell or something. One breakup won't kill you."
"Sure feels like it though."
Mask Guy sighed heavily into his hand, muttering under his breath. "And they say I'm dramatic..."
Tom glanced over at his companion. "You really don't have to stay here with me, you know."
The boy in the mask stared at him, and the demon wondered if one of his eyebrows was raised under that painted skull.
"Do you want me to leave?"
"... No," Tom found himself saying.
"Then I won't," the boy said, letting the words sit for a minute. "...We should probably stop hiding behind a table though."
The demon prince let the mystery guest pull him up and lead him along the edge of the dance floor, heading toward the double doors. Tom stared at where the hand met his arm, then moved his gaze to the masked boy's back, cast in a large shadow from the wide brim of his hat.
They weren't far from the exit when finally, finally the red light of the Blood Moon came down from the ceiling, sucking all the light of the room into a single ray.
A single ray of light that shone right onto a shocked demon prince... and a similarly frozen boy in a mask.
All the eyes in the room converged upon them, but the only thing Tom could feel was the tightening grip on his arm.
The masked boy suddenly let go and turned to face him, stuttering.
"I-uh.... Do we—do we have to dance? I don't know... how...?"
Tom's mouth felt dry as he nodded, letting muscle memory take over and pulling the boy close. A hesitant hand was placed on his shoulder, and another one shook as it held the demon's.
They danced slowly to the music, the rest of the room falling away.
The demon didn't feel as if he were entirely there, wrapped in a red haze and staring at a boy who was too nervous to tear his eyes away from their feet.
It was strange how nervous this boy was now when he was so comfortable joking around just hours ago.
"Hey," the prince whispered. "Don't worry, just look at me."
He was met with wide brown eyes, shimmering red in the light.
Not Star... but him?
All this time, he had been hoping to be bound to someone... And the Moon basically told him he had been hoping for the wrong person? How was he supposed to feel?
Far too soon, the music started coming to an end, and the red spotlight began to shrink above them.
"Uh," the boy in the mask said, mouth curving into a shaky smile. "I don't know exactly what this means but... I hope everything works out for you after this."
The demon blinked. "It will, I think—"
Then it hit him as the boy let go and the light shrunk faster.
I don't even know your name.
"Wait, what was—"
With a loud click, the ballroom was doused in darkness and the torches began to light up one by one.
Tom stared at the empty spot in front of him, the spot where a boy in a mask had been standing just a second ago.
Whispers filled the air as the demons began to gossip about their prince's mysterious bond. Must have been an Uninvited Guest, a trick of fate, as the Moon tends to favor.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tom saw a glimpse of blonde hair and jolted up to see none other than Star Butterfly, eyes wide and hands over her mouth.
When she set it down, he saw not sadness nor anger, but a smile. As if she were happy for him. Happy that he was meant for someone else.
Thomas Draconius Lucitor, demon prince of the Underworld, was a hopeless romantic.
Now, he had to deal with the consequences.