Adventure Time© belongs to Pendleton Ward. All rights are his.
Author's note: Hello. This is my first slash and I'm kind of nervous but I love this pairing and had this story line in mind. Please tell me what you think and whether I should continue!
I really would like some feedback so please write anything! But no flames about the pairing because they stink. They will just be used to cook my smores.
Just in case: I will be mostly referring to Prince Gumball as Bubba throughout this story. Of course, Marshall is still Marshall and there will be involvement from all characters and not just these two and there won't be any confusion with the names there, just that of course I can't refer to Gumball as Prince G if he isn't a prince in this scenario.
Marshall Lee was a bully.
Everybody knew it and he had a reputation for being the worst of all school bullies. He wasn't big and stocky or small and rat-like, how a bully was expected to look. He was pale, medium height and lean and wiry with wild dark hair and quite a handsome face when it wasn't twisted into a sneer or a smirk (which was, unfortunately, most of the time) and he was quick and strong and cruelly intelligent.
He stood out amongst a huge group of rowdy and conforming teenagers because of the violent music he listened to and the gothic way he dressed and he made himself look threatening so people wouldn't dare challenge him. He had a mean streak a mile wide and picked on just about everyone. His pranks were horrible and demeaning and his sarcasm was biting like his throat was full of razor blades that he wanted to spit at people to make them hurt. He cared little for classwork and had some of the worst grades on record.
He was a demon pretending to be a boy and no one knew this better than Bubba Gumball.
They were polar opposites. Bubba shared Marshall's homeroom class and was the rep. He was the smartest boy in school with the highest grades and a clean bill of attendance. He never stepped out of line and did his best to help people. He was also head of the science club. The only thing he really faltered with was sports. It was shared knowledge that Bubba was a mathematical prodigy and many teachers believed he would go on to do great things. A little shy Bubba had few friends but each were loyal and caring and the best kind he could have. There didn't seem to be a mean bone in his body, unlike the other boy.
If they were animals their roles would be obvious. Marshall: the prowling wolf always looking for prey. Bubba: the skittering rabbit trying to escape. It seemed that out of all the people Marshall terrorized, he hated Bubba the most.
He played so many pranks on Bubba that the teen came to expect them and was always watching over his shoulder. One such prank had an everlasting effect, the mixing of chemicals in the science lab turning Bubba's hair pink, something only remediable by complete hair removal and regrowth. Since Bubba didn't fancy being bald for months he'd just sighed and bared it, though Marshall always howled with twisted humor about its color.
Marshall pushed him in lockers and trapped him there, put ink bombs in his school bag, stole his lunch money, knocked him around, called him names, chased him home, gave him wedgies in the boys locker rooms when they were changing for physical education, used whichever sport it was they were playing as an excuse to hit Bubba, be it a football tackle or a soccer ball to the face, made fun of Bubba's friends simply for being his friends, threw food and spit balls at him in the cafeteria, and was a general nuisance to Bubba as much as he could be.
He'd become a living nightmare for Bubba. A haunting evil with a solid form that lived to make him miserable. He made Bubba's school life hell as much as he could and he enjoyed it. He was a seventeen year old shell of spite and hate and he was wearing Bubba down the more days passed.
Bubba was timid and gentle and didn't like confrontation or fighting. He put up with Marshall Lee because he didn't know what else to do. He didn't believe in hating people but he truly disliked his tormentor, and his patience was thin and struggling with breaking point. He thought if he ignored Marshall as much as he could and pretended the boy didn't exist and that his torture didn't affect him, the demon would get bored and move on.
But he'd tried it for months and no such thing happened. He told teachers who gave Marshall warnings and detentions he didn't heed, suspensions he didn't care about and lectures he didn't listen to. Bubba had no idea why the trouble maker simply hadn't been expelled from school because his dismal grades and bad behavior were enough to warrant it. He was even on probation from an arrest where he was caught vandalizing and spraying graffiti.
But such as it was, Marshall still attended Cheshire High and haunted its other attendees and it was slowly driving Bubba to breaking point. It was an ink bomb that pushed him over the edge, ironic that a small explosion set off the big one that had been bubbling in his chest for months on end.
Bubba woke up late that morning due to a faulty alarm clock. He panicked because he didn't want a tardy stain on his record. He was planning on getting into the most prestigious of universities and a single late would mar his record. He was also more irritable than usual because he'd not got enough sleep, staying up late to complete a class assignment. He skipped breakfast to the concern of his foster parents and ended up running to school, passing the spot where he usually met up with his friends Fionna and her younger brother Finn without looking back to see if they were waiting for him.
Running until the stitch in his side became an aching burn, he made it in the school building before the morning bell rang with just enough time to put his stuff in his locker. Bag on his back and chest heaving, he fished the key from the chain around his neck as students milled around him. The calming sound of the lock clicking as he turned the key soothed errant nerves and Bubba opened the door…
BANG!
The bomb went off and took the unsuspecting Bubba by surprise. A mixture of ink colors drenched him and an uneasy silence settled over the students in the hall, many stopping to look on in shock. When the first trickle of laughter began to thread through the crowd white hot anger seeped into Bubba's system. His clothes were ruined. The ink was everywhere, in his hair and on his face and body. He could even taste it in his mouth and his eyes stung.
Bubba already knew the culprit. All he had to do was show himself.
"Man! That was hardcore!" A nasty laugh blurted louder than anyone else and Marshall Lee made his presence known, sneaking up right behind his victim. "Dude, you look like the Biro factory puked on you!"
The pot boiled over and Bubba's jaw snapped shut. His fists clenched and rage overtook him.
"You imbecilic asshole!" He roared, pivoting on the ball of his foot and throwing all his weight into the fist he crashed into Marshall Lee's face. Bubba never partook in any fights and didn't really know how to throw a punch, but with all the rage inside him and the force he used to attack, he smashed Marshall so hard he sprawled to the ground after a loud crack and the satisfying connection of Bubba's fist to the soft flesh of the bully's face.
Whether or not the cracking was Bubba's knuckles or Marshall's nose was yet to be discovered, but the aforementioned began to stream blood as Marshall managed to sit up, eyes watering as he held his nose with one hand and stared up at Bubba, whose chest was heaving as he struggled to reign in his emotions. Red seeped through Marshall's fingers and Bubba felt strangely satisfied.
"Whoa…" Someone whispered in the crowd which had become deathly silent again as if they couldn't believe what just happened.
"Way to go, guy!" Somebody else yelled suddenly, one of the many who'd been a victim of Marshall's pranks. It kicked off the trend and then suddenly people were yelling and laughing – at Marshall. Bubba felt like he was being hailed a hero.
"You're gonna pay for this," Marshall tried to promise menacingly from the ground, but the effect was not so pronounced because of his fingers attempting to staunch the blood flow from his nose. It made the uproar of laughter in the crowd even louder and as he glared and hissed, much like an aggravated cat, Marshall got to his feet and sprinted away, shoving through students like a charging rhino.
The brief snap of adrenaline was wearing off and Bubba started to feel shaky. Suddenly Finn was pushing through the crowd and hauled an arm around Bubba's shoulders. He didn't seem to care he was getting covered in ink. "Killer right hook, bro! I didn't know you could hit like that. I think you broke his nose or something!"
Or my knuckles, Bubba thought in despair as his hand began to throb. But he couldn't deny that he felt good. He'd finally stood up to Marshall Lee, king of the bullies.
"What's going on here?"
The principle's voice cut through the noise and students scattered. She was a stern looking woman whose appearance belied her true nature, but that was not to say she couldn't be harsh with students who'd done wrong. Her name was Mrs Peppermint and she was a vastly respected teacher.
She also liked Bubba a lot because he helped out around the school and was one of her best students, so the moment she saw him covered in ink and holding his throbbing hand, she beckoned him with a grimace. It was pretty obvious what went on. "Oh dear," she said sadly, "come with me to the nurses' office, Bubba. We have some spare clothes you can put on then we'll talk about what happened."
Finn waved Bubba off as he slinked away. "See you later bro! I'll tell Fionna what happened and that you said hi!"
The morning really wasn't going the way he planned. Bubba found himself seated in front of the principle's desk in someone else's clothes with a brace on his hand. There was a dull ache between his knuckles but the nurse assured him that nothing was broken, just bruised. Bubba kicked his feet and held his head down. He got most of the ink from his hair but there were still odd little colour patches.
He'd felt proud of finally giving Marshall what for at first but when the nurse was patching him up he began to feel guilty in the way of a child who'd been caught sneaking cookies. Technically there was no proof that Marshall had done anything wrong and Bubba made the first move. He knew of course that it was Marshall who put the ink bomb in his locker but there was no evidence and he'd struck a student unprovoked.
"Now Bubba," Peppermint began. She'd received the full story while Bubba got patched up and she was always the one who the boy went to when complaining about Marshall. "You're a very smart boy so I guess you're already feeling guilty about what you did as you think it over."
"Yes, ma'am," Bubba replied dutifully, because she spoke the truth.
"And I know you, Bubba, so I know that you wouldn't attack a student unprovoked. I also know that Mr Lee has been bothering you for quite some time, and I'm not unfamiliar with the feeling of repressed anger myself." Peppermint shuffled some papers and fixed a stern eye on the boy in the chair opposite her, but the gaze was softer than usual. "Nevertheless, that doesn't excuse the fact that what you did was wrong and you deserve punishment for it."
Bubba winced and didn't take his eyes off the ground. "…yes, ma'am." He'd attempted to avoid a tardy notice on his record but was leaving with a much more severe punishment. Now Bubba felt miserable. Stupid Marshall Lee.
Peppermint sighed in sympathy. "Mr Lee will be questioned accordingly regarding the ink bomb in your locker, so don't think he'll get away scott free if he is indeed the perpetrator, but the issue of your punishment will be dealt with right now." Dread coiled like a snake in Bubba's belly. This would ruin him, surely… "After school today you will deliver a letter to Mr Lee's parents after school and apologize to him for hitting him."
Bubba's head jerked up in surprise. "That's all?"
Peppermint smiled. "You have to mean your apology, Bubba. But yes, that's all. I won't put this on record because I know you're a good boy who acted out against bullying. And I don't need to warn you not to do it again, do I?"
"No, of course not, Mrs Peppermint." Bubba's eyes shined with happiness. Peppermint opened a drawer in her desk and retrieved a sealed brown envelope. On the front Marshall's home address was printed. When Peppermint handed it to him Bubba briefly wondered why he was being made to deliver this rather than it being sent via post, but in reality he was just happy this was his only punishment.
The apology to Marshall was very distasteful however. Bubba wasn't sorry he hit the boy. He'd had it coming for a long time.
"Make sure Mr Lee's parents get that, won't you?" Peppermint said, waiting for Bubba to confirm he heard and would do his best. She smiled when he nodded obediently. "Good. Your soiled clothes will be washed and returned to you before the day is out. We'll try our best to get rid of the ink. Starchy is very good with stains."
"Thank you, ma'am," Bubba replied, much lighter in spirit than he felt when entering the office.
"You're welcome. Have a good day, Bubba."
Whisper of what Bubba did to Marshall was spreading through the school the whole day. People kept sending him looks and talking amongst themselves, some laughing and others wary. Bubba ignored them. The brace on his hand made it hard to write so he was excused from it in most classes, his sponge-like brain making up for the lack of notes. He was glad when lunch rolled around so he could see his friends, and they swarmed him when he sat at their usual table.
"Is it true you socked Marshall, dude?" Fionna said first, sitting next to him with a tray full of food. "Everyone's talking about it. Like, Finn told me first but I didn't believe him 'cause he talks butt a lot of the time."
"Hey! I so do not!" Finn snapped, joining them next. His friend Jake was with him, a scrappy boy with yellow-blond hair. He was chewing on a slice of pizza.
"Ev'ryone's goin' crazy about it man," he said, spraying crumbs everywhere. Finn laughed and Fionna yelled "sick, dude!"
Bubba blushed under the attention. "I…yes. It's true."
"Whoa!" Fionna said in awe. "Why'd you hit him?"
"He put an ink bomb in PG's locker," Finn said, thumb wrestling Jake for the last slice of pizza on Fionna's tray. "It was bad, dudes. PG looked like rainbow puke."
PG was Bubba's nickname, gifted by his friends. He still didn't know what it stood for.
"Gnarly…" Fionna said quietly. "He got what he deserved though. I mean, what…he's been bugging you like, forever."
"Did you get in trouble?" Finn asked curiously, and there was a collective "Ooh" when Bubba revealed his punishment.
"That's weird man," Jake said, frowning. "Why d'you have to deliver a letter to his parents?"
"Maybe it's 'cause he's in trouble and Peppermint wants to make sure they get the letter or something," Fionna offered with a shrug. She began to dig into a cup of green jello.
"It sucks you have to apologize," Finn sighed. "Marshall's a total jerk."
"I'd prefer this to a mark of assault on my record," Bubba confessed. He picked a little listlessly at his own lunch. Suddenly the table jumped with a new arrival.
"'Sup, y'all," said Catherine, a friend of Fionna's who became a friend of them all, who also demanded everyone call her Cake. She had dark skin and curly voluminous hair and was fiercely protective of her friends, especially Fionna. "So I heard on the grapevine that our Gummy gave that nasty boy Marshall a smack."
"He totally did!" Fionna gushed, proceeding to fill Cake in. Bubba felt a little bit like a piece of gossip and wanted to sink into the ground.
"Well I say you did the right thing," Cake said, patting Bubba reassuringly on the back. "And you don't need to apologize, no one's gonna know if you don't. Heck knows that boy don't deserve it."
"It's alright, Cake," Bubba said with a weak smile. "Apologies are worthless if the speaker doesn't mean it."
"So true," Jake chimed in, grinning at Finn. "So when I apologized for using your toothbrush to get dog poop off my shoes, I didn't mean it."
"What the hay!"
After school Bubba found himself in unfamiliar territory. Marshall Lee lived in what was considered the bad area of town. The houses were run down and there was a lot of crime on the streets and strange people hung about and known gangs claimed to own the territory.
Bubba felt terribly exposed and in danger as he walked further into the lion's den. His shoulders hunched and he tried to bury himself as much as possible in the navy blue hooded sweatshirt he was wearing, not minding so much now that it belonged to someone else. His clothes were cleaned and in his bag but he hadn't bothered changing. He just wanted this to be over and done with.
Many houses had broken windows and some looked un-lived in and uncared for. Gardens were overrun with long grass and weeds and the area looked as though order and upkeep had abandoned it. Bubba was immensely glad he didn't live here.
Marshall's house had a messy front yard like most of the others. There was a broken TV strewn across the grass and the rusty frame of a bike similar to the one Marshall rode to school rotting in the weeds. The house looked run down but no windows were broken. Bubba felt out of place and nervous as he weaved his way down the path to the door. He was just going to give them the letter then go. The apology could wait.
He poised a fist to knock on the door, wondering if it was maybe better to just put the letter through the mailbox. But that option was dashed when he saw it was crudely nailed shut. He chewed on his lip for a moment. Then he heard glass smashing from inside the house and raised voices. He only caught some words, most hard to make out and muffled. What he did catch was shocking.
"Bastard…I work…good for nothing…leech…useless child…waste of space…ungrateful…!"
There was a dull thud and the sound of a man crying in pain. Bubba's curiosity got the better of him and he sidestepped to the window to peek in. An angry woman who looked like Marshall was screaming at a man on his knees. He seemed to be trying to fight back, but then she brought a bottle over his head and he dropped to the ground. Gasping as his heart pounded, Bubba jerked away from the window and clumsily spun around with the intent of leaving as quickly as possible.
Marshall Lee was standing across the yard, fixing him with a furious stare. Bubba froze.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He growled. His nose was swollen and there was dried blood on his face, hands and shirt. Bubba swallowed, the letter in his hands burning like coal. Marshall's dark eyes dragged down to it and back up and the tight anger in him seemed to ready itself. A mad scream inside the house made Bubba flinch. Marshall growled again. "What did you see?"
When Marshall took a single step forward Bubba did what his instincts were screaming at him to do. Dropping the letter to the ground, he fled as fast as his legs could carry him. To his horror, Marshall began to follow. This wasn't like the times the bully would chase him home. That was for fun. This time Marshall loped after him like a wild animal intent on tearing its prey to pieces.
Bubba ran with no direction. He didn't really know where he was or his way around the place. Fear was tight in his belly and his heart thundered like drums. Marshall was faster than he was. He caught up with Bubba in an old kids' park that had long since been abandoned and everything turned to rust. He used his weight and momentum to crash into Bubba and bring him down.
Bubba's head smacked against the tarmac and his world spun. His bag crushed beneath his back and text books dug into his spine. A heavy weight that was breathing like a pissed off bear prevented him from moving. The musky smell of cologne and sweat filled Bubba's nostrils. Then there were hot, vice like hands wrapping around his throat and he was being shaken like a doll.
"What did you see?" Marshall roared at him. Bubba felt his brain rattle and he wasn't quit registering what was going on. "What the hell did you see?"
When he realized that Marshall was trying to kill him, Bubba went wild with fear. He began to kick and flail, scratching at Marshall's arms to try and get him off. He couldn't breathe, Marshall's hands were so tight, but he bucked madly like a spirited bull determined not to let anyone ride it smoothly. He saw a glint of madness in Marshall's dark eyes, along with that hot anger and something unidentifiable. And he saw himself as the life was choked out of him, the fight draining from his body as he became weaker. His eyes filled with tears. He didn't want to die…
Suddenly Marshall let go and recoiled, gasping as though he was the one who'd nearly been choked to death. Bubba worked on filling his lungs with air, black spots appearing in his vision.
"I…I'm so…I…so sorry," Marshall mumbled. Bubba strained to prop himself up on his elbows. Marshall looked stricken, horrified, and…vulnerable. His lively eyes darted everywhere, at Bubba and then away, skittish like wild rabbits. It didn't look right on Marshall, the boy who was always smirking. He looked…lost. "I…I didn't…oh god sorry…"
For the second time that day, Marshall Lee ran away. Bubba fell back onto the ground as his body trembled, tears streaming down his cheeks. He'd almost died. Marshall Lee nearly killed him. But then he'd stopped. Why did he stop? He seemed murderous enough. And he hated Bubba's guts. Who were the people in Marshall's house that made the boy so mad because Bubba saw them?
He almost died.
Bubba tried to get up. It would be a bad idea to fall unconscious in the open at a place like this. He couldn't quite stand, so he managed to drag himself under a slide and hide himself from view. With shaky hands he fished his phone out of his bag. The screen was cracked and the device was unusable. He wouldn't be able to call anyone and he was about to pass out.
He almost died.
Bubba's head thudded back onto tarmac and he stared at little spider webs under the slide, most of which held the dead husks of their creators. He could have ended up like that at Marshall's hands. A tremor shook through him.
Before Bubba's eyes closed he thought about the look on his almost-killer's face. Vulnerable. He'd never seen that on Marshall Lee before. Why was it there?
I almost died.