Tom goes shopping

>"Hello sir! Welcome to-" The strange warthog-looking fellow outside the "Cold Tangent" store started, before Tom interrupted him
>"I've been here before so I don't need your help, thanks" -Tom said rudely as he elbowed past the greeter, making his way into the store's lobby
>"Never understood the point of having greeters when the name of the store is the first thing you see anyway..."-Tom grumbled, checking the store's map to see where they had moved the men's section since the last time he'd been here
>As Tom made his way further into the store, he thought he heard a familiar voice stand out among the store's other customers
>"Is that...? Couldn't be, she'd stopped doing the bad girl look last year..."-Tom mumbled, then curiosity got the best of him
>He wadded into the women's section of the store, looking for the source of the voice
>After a few minutes listening and looking, he finally spotted her: Star Butterfly, walking alongside that annoying earth kid who'd chopped his hand off when he'd asked Star to the Blood Moon Ball a few months back
>Trying to not be noticed, Tom followed the duo at a leisurely pace, staying just far enough back to not be apt to be noticed, while still catching most of their conversation
>Tom grabbed a nearby hat that would help hide his horns and third eye and got a little closer
>"-was pretty fun, I wish we could have stayed longer...too bad about your shoes melting, I'm sure he didn't mean it." -Star was saying to Marco, who was wearing a pair of sandals he'd borrowed from his Dad, as his only other pair had been melted the day before in a misunderstanding with a belcor who thought Marco had made a joke about it's mother
>"It's not a huge deal Star, they were getting old and worn out anyway, I'd probably have needed to buy a new pair in a few months, might as well get it done now." -Marco said, glad that Star was willing to help him pick out a pair

>Especially as it had been her that had made the joke about the belcor's mother, not him
>He'd never even heard of a belcor before yesterday
>Also she had a coupon that was still good for one purchase anyway, so she didn't mind too much
>No one with any real taste shops at Cold Tangent anymore
>Too edgy, even for most demons
>The sight of his ex helping this guy buy shoes struck a nerve with Tom
>It wasn't that long ago that the two of them were wasting away a few hours trying on different outfits and laughing at how outrageous they looked
>It didn't help they seemed so at ease with each other, having fun, enjoying themselves
>Back when he and Star had dated, they'd have moments of being cute together
>But more often than not, his anger issues and her stubbornness would clash, ruining their dates and making them both standoffish around each other 'till they cooled off and apologies were exchanged
>But this new guy didn't seem to have any similar issues
>The whole time Tom followed them, he didn't hear a single angry word or any bickering at all
>Which annoyed him
>No, it pissed him off is what it did
>While the two exchanged pleasantries with the check-out clerk and traded the coupon for Marco's new, bright red and totally extreme shoes (with little skulls imprinted on it, for that little bit of extra pizzazz), Tom tried getting his temper under control, but not to much avail
>As the two were leaving the store, it got to be too much and Tom rushed them
>"STAR BUTTERFLY; HOW PLEASANT TO SEE YOU, HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR TIME WITH YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND?" -Tom yelled at Star just as she was opening a portal to return to the Diaz's house
>"Ugh, come on Tom, you really want to make a scene, here of all places?" -Star said, annoyed at Tom's outburst
>They'd actually seen him following them after his "disguise" had been disintegrated during one of his angry internal monologues and he hadn't noticed
>The speaker system going off also hadn't helped his cover either

>"Woah Tom, chill out, what's got you so steamed?" -Marco asked, hoping there would be a way to peacefully settle this without Star having to resort to her wand
>"YOU TWO IS WHAT'S GOT ME SO FIRED UP, YOUR SO DAMN CUTE I'M PRETTY SURE I'VE CONTRACTED DIABETES JUST WATCHING YOU." -Tom thundered at the two, who sort of just looked at each other and blushed
>"Tom, we're not dating or anything, we're just friends..."-Star tried to explain, looking at Marco for backup
>"Yeah, we're friends, and even if we were dating, which we aren't, what's it to you? Star's not dating you anymore, so what's the big deal?" -Marco offered, which just pissed off Tom even more
>"DON'T PLAY THAT GAME WITH ME; THERE'S NO WAY YOU TWO AREN'T DATING. NORMAL FRIENDS DON'T HOLD HANDS OR NUZZLE EACH OTHER WHILE THEY GO SHOPPING FOR SHOES. THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU BOTH KNOW IT" -Tom yelled, even more pissed that they couldn't even admit to dating each other, when it was obvious to everyone around that they were
>Looking down, they noticed that they were indeed holding hands, and promptly let go, blushing more than they were before
>"Whatever Tom, if you don't settle down this instant, I'm gonna have to freeze you again, and we don't want that, do we?" -Star threatened, raising her wand and leveling at Tom, who was still slowly walking toward them
>"THAT WON'T WORK A SECOND TIME STAR, YOU CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE LAST TIME, BUT NOW I KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND I'M-" -Tom almost finished as Star froze him again, to Marco and all the nearby crowd's relief, as a large group had started to form outside the store after Tom had started shouting
>"Ready to go home Marco? I think these will go really well with your hoodies." -Star said, taking her eyes off Tom and opening another portal

>"You bet, Tom's speech was starting to drag anyway, plus I think Mom's making spaghetti and meatballs tonight. Oh, and thanks for the new shoes and helping me pick them out." -Marco said
>"Mmhhmm...stringy noodles and meaty balls, my favorite! Your Mom is such a great cook Marco...Oh, and your welcome, it was my pleasure to help you get some replacement shoes." -Star said, catching up to Marco as he waited near the open portal
>Before Marco stepped into the portal, Star gave his cheek a quick kiss, causing him to turn around at look at her with raised eyebrows and confused eyes
>"...Whhhhaaatttt-" was about all he could get out before Star bumped him into the portal with her rear, smiling ear to ear
>Then she fell into the portal as well, which promptly closed behind the two
>After a few minutes the nearby crowd dispersed, leaving a lone ice block in the middle of the street