(2) Warming Up

	Marco Diaz struggled to fit both himself and an unconscious Star Butterfly through the door of his bedroom, stumbling over a pair of discarded shorts and flopping the girl onto his bed with a thump. Star's breathing came slow and weak, a faint wheezing pushing against the crumpled sheets around her. Marco flung open the spellbook that he had grabbed from across the hall and frantically turned page after page until he found Glossaryck, sleeping between illustrations of various constellations. Grabbing the pixie by two fingers, Marco shook him awake violently.

	"Ow ow ow! What's your problem today?" Glossaryck spat out, his bloodshot eyes glaring daggers at the boy. "don't you have any-"

	"Star, freezer, cold, DYING!" Marco shrieked, fully panicking and breaking into sweat. Glossaryck took a moment to wipe the crud from his eyes and saw Star's frail form lumped on the mattress. Letting out a shriek to match Marco's, the pixie shot over to her and let out a light from the jewel in his forehead, running it over her body slowly. Marco followed, holding words of fear in his throat as he watched Glossaryck work.

	After a minute of scanning Star, Glossaryck shut off his crystal and turned to Marco.

	"Alright kid, take it from the top. Exactly what happened here?"

	Marco took a moment to swallow the knot in his throat before speaking. "The cafeteria crew found her locked in one of the freezers about a half hour ago. I took her here since I thought you would know what to do with her, being... you know, not human and whatnot?" he uneasily said, Glossaryck's eyes boring into his.

	"Well, you made a smart move, but we have to act fast," he began. "Star's not warm-blooded; if we don't get her warmed up, she'll die of organ failure soon."

	Marco's heart had almost settled when the last part off Glossaryck's statement sent it shooting back up into his throat. The boy turned and shot out of the room down to the end of the hallway, flinging open the closet door and throwing a number of spare bedsheets aside before finally locating the household first aid case. Lugging the box back into his room, he hastily kicked open the lid and pulled a well-worn medical text from a pocket within. He sat himself down by Star, sweat forming on his brow as he heard her feeble breathing.

	"Glossaryck, anything I should know about Mewnian biology?" Marco said, flipping through the index of the book.

	"Well, Star's more sensitive to heat than a human by far, so we can't just put a heating pad on her or anything, or else we might send her into shock," Glossaryck mused, one hand on his chin in thought. "You'll need a source of moderate heat for what will likely be several hours. You might also.. want to..."

	Marco looked over in disbelief and worry as Glossaryck fell asleep in the air, turing slowly while floating in place. Grabbing the pixie out of the air and violently shaking him awake, Marco growled and looked him in the eye.

	"Are you really falling asleep at a time like this?" Marco shouted, eliciting a weak moan from the pixie.

	"Sorry kid, but you woke me up waaay too soon. A man's... gotta have his beauty..."

	Glossaryck trailed off into slumber again, leaving Marco clutching his hair and screaming in frustration. Turning to the open medical journal, he gulped and began reading over the entries on hypothermia.

	'Hypothermia victims will require gradual and extensive warming of the body to recover. Warm saline solutions are ideal and can be purchased from most pharmacies, but skin-to-skin contact can also be used in an emergency. All clothing should be stripped from the victim to prevent further damage to the body in the case of wet clothing and to increase circulation.'

	Marco put the book down on his nightstand and turned to Star, the unconscious girl weakly panting.

	'Stripped?'

	Blood flooded Marco's cheeks as an explosion of hormones rocketed through his mind, exhaling sharply as he cleared the haze from his mind and turned to Star. Laying her out on the bed, he stood and paused for a moment.

	"I guess I'll start with the shoes," he thought aloud, attempting to reinforce his confidence in the face of what he was about to do. Reaching down, he took her feet in hand, undoing each of the clasps across the tops of her shoes before sliding them off. Her socks came off with a gentle tug, revealing dainty feet with nails painted pink. Marco let his eyes slowly trail up to the zipper on the back of her dress and audibly gulped, a fresh coating of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

	"This is to help a friend, this is to help a friend, this is to help a friend," Marco chanted to himself, as he took the zipper in his hand and gently pulled down.

	He was greeted with the sight and touch of soft black lace against even softer skin.

	Marco reeled away from Star as his mind was flooded with heat and haze from another bloodrush to various parts of his body, breathing heavily into the air. Shaking his head vigorously and stomping on his own foot to quell multiple sensations coursing through his body, the boy turned to Star, now in only her underwear and lying motionless, her faint exhales the only sound in the room.

	Marco steeled himself and approached the bed again, opening his nightstand and taking out a handkerchief. Sighing to himself, the boy wrapped the ends of the handkerchief around the back of his head, blinding himself. He fumbled for a bit, blushing at the feeling of Star's velvet skin against his fingertips, until he found the back of her bra. His fingers slipped around the clasps for the better part of a minute before finding purchase and freeing the piece of fabric from her back. Marco briefly lifted his blindfold and immediately pulled it back down at the sight of Star's bare, smooth back.

	"I'm stopping here," the boy said to himself. "Cold or no, I am not going to completely strip my new girlfriend while she's unconscious." He briefly paused as he realized his own choice of words, but shook the thought form his mind and kicked off his shoes. Crawling into the bed beside Star, he turned her on her side and pulled the covers over both of them, wrapping one arm around her abomen and pulling her flush. He blushed deeply at the feeling of her against him, her cold body sending shivers up his spine.

	'Just calm down, Diaz,' he thought to himself. Minutes slowly ticked by one after another, with Marco inventing little games in his head and contemplating his karate classes in a desperate attempt to distract himself from the girl in his arms. Closing his eyes, he counted to 20 repeatedly several times, letting himself sink into his ritual until he eventually fell asleep, his tensed body finally slumping against the mattress.

---

	Star's head was a blur as she slowly opened her eyes, groaning and reaching up to rub her eyes. The girl felt warmth all around her, deep and inviting, and she smiled contentedly at the sensation. She attempted to sit upright, not knowing where she was, and felt a noticeable weight on her stomach. Looking down, she saw a light brown arm, partially tucked in a white sleeve, affectionately tucked around her waist.

	She turned around, realizing her current state of dress, saw Marco conked out against the pillow, and promptly shrieked at the top of her lungs.

	Marco shot out of bed in a panic, screaming in chorus with Star as the two of them abruptly separated, Marco stumbling over his shoes and knocking his head against the floor. Getting to his feet in a hurry, holding the side of his head, he saw a mostly-naked Star holding herself and blushed deeply.

	"MARCO!" Star shouted, a look of seething anger on her face. "What were you doing in bed with me? And why am I naked?"

	Before Marco could respond, Angela Diaz swung open the door, her purse still in hand and a worried expression on her face, having freshly gotten home and drawn by the screaming.

	Marco looked at the two women, both sporting matching looks of surprise and rage, and sighed to himself.

	"Look, I can explain-"

	"Then do it!" the two women sharply replied in unison.

	Marco's reply was cut short by Glossaryck's obnoxious yawning, as the pixie floated up into the air on a pink cloud, his eyes lazily rolling over the room. "What's with all the noise?" he drawled out. Looking over at Star, he smiled and clasped his hands together. "Oh, good! Seems like Marco boy got you back on your feet!"

	Star's look of confusion would've been adorable to Marco if not for the icy, dagger stare of his mother. "What are you talking about?" the older woman sternly said, her gaze switching to the pixie.

	Glossaryck visibly shuddered at the mother's stare. "Well, your son came home with an unconscious Star who had apparently been locked in a freezer. She was cold to the touch and barely breathing. I'm surprised he got her body temperature back up, especially with what looks like just some cuddling." He smiled at the last part of his statement, giving Marco a knowing smile before turning back to Star. "You're lucky you got paired with the safe kid, girl."

	Star's anger slowly left her face as she remembered what some of the more popular clique kids had done to her that morning. Turning to Marco, her embarrassment took on the form of a blush as she looked down.

	"Sorry Marco. I guess I jumped to conclusions a little too soon, huh?" she muttered out, holding one arm shyly while the other covered her petite chest.

	"It's okay, Star. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to get dressed again," Marco replied, before walking out of his room and closing the door. Walking to the end of the hall, the boy let out a heavy sigh of relief and slumped against the door.

	"Thank God I'm wearing baggy pants today."

---

	After a change of clothes and a quick talk from his mother scolding him for not calling her, but also beamingly proud for taking responsibility in such a crisis, Marco found himself blushing in raw embarrassment at the dinner table as his father heaved over his plate with laughter as Angela and Star retold the events of the day. Star briefly teared up as she recounted her bullies locking her in the cafeteria freezer, but a chorus of sympathy and a hug from the family put her back into a good mood. As Rafael cleaned up the dishes, Marco and Star sat in the living room, under a blanket and snuggling as they watched a sappy comedy flick, while Angela watched the two quizzically.

	"So, you two seem rather comfortable," she began, attempting to hide her concern behind a smile.

	"Yup!" Star quickly said, before burrowing her head further into Marco's arm. Marco laughed and looked at his mother, who pursed her lips tightly.

	"So, um..." Angela began, trying to find proper words. "You're going to the movies on Friday?" Marco immediately knew what his mother was prying at, and gulped. Looking to Star, he found a beaming, contented smile on her face.

	"Yeah. It'll be our first actual date," Star nonchalantly said, her closed eyes revealing nothing to Angela as the reptilian girl planted her head on Marco's chest. The woman spit out her water is surprise, eliciting a brief laugh from Marco before he realized what Star had just said.

	Silence deafened everyone in the room before Angela finally spoke.

	"Just be home on time, okay?"

	Star felt Marco's chest deflate beneath her as he audibly sighed in relief. Both women laughed at him in good jest before Angela left the room. In the kitchen, she went over to her husband, who was finishing putting up the dishes. Rafael looked over to see his wife flashing him two thumbs up with an excited face, and smiled.

---

	As the Diaz family retired for the night, Marco slumped into his bed, setting his phone alarm for the morning and turning out his lamp. He turned on his side, his body expecting Star's weight to greet him and being disappointed. The girl had spent so much time cuddling with him that he had begun to expect her to be there. He sighed and closed his eyes, counting to 20 again.

	His ritual was interrupted by the sound of his door opening. Turning his head up, he saw Star standing in his doorway in a purple nightgown, a blush on her face.

	"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she gently said, her hopeful eyes meeting his.

	Marco felt heat in his face again. "Uh, I guess?"

	Star smiled and wen to the edge of his bed, tucking herself beside him. Turning, she found rest against her side, her tail lolling out from under the covers behind her, her face mere inches away from Marco's. The teens blushed, the feeling of closeness in such a place fully realized for the both of them.

	"Sorry about all the mess today." Marco told her.

	She responded by pressing her lips against his. Marco's eyes became almost impossibly wide, but soon closed as he pressed back, feeling Star's hand find its way to his back. The two separated for a split second before Marco pushed in again, eliciting a quiet moan from Star as the heat in his face intensified. Marco could feel her tongue briefly press out, and he opened his mouth almost on instinct, letting his own come out to play as she met him in the middle. A few seconds of shy contact between the two muscles, and the pair pulled away, chests heaving and hands entwined.

	Star spoke softly. "Thank you for today. I'm so glad I met a boy like you."

	Marco simply smiled as Star put her head against his chest and closed her eyes, following her lead into slumber.