Empty Promises
The sun was rising, there wouldn't be much time left. Glancing down at the line of sunshine on the roof below her feet as it drew closer, Marceline took a deep breath and prepared for the burning sensation to begin in her toes. She had been doing this for a few days now, trying to convince herself that she just wanted to be the first vampire to be immune to the sun, but this was most definitely a lie. Holding a hand out towards the light, Marceline flinched as it began to burn at her pale grey fingertips.
"Hey!"
The suddenness of the voice from behind her startled Marceline, causing her to jump and almost lose her balance. Floating above the roof, she turned sharply to glance upon the most beautiful human she had ever seen.
"Aren't you a vampire? You need to get inside, the sun's almost up."
"Tch, really? I couldn't tell." Scoffing in an attempt to mask the heat growing in her cheeks, Marceline crossed her arms and drifted closer to the stunning creature before her. This was a mistake, because now she could see every single attribute of the human's face. The round-edged brown glasses that framed her bright, intelligent green eyes wonderfully. The way her glittering ginger hair floated around her freckled face and down to her shoulders. Every color on and around her merged and yet stood out so distinctly, distracting Marceline enough to notice that she was being dragged through the air and back into the apartment building.
"-eed to be more careful. Are you listening?"
"What? Oh, not a bit. Look, I appreciate what you're doing, I guess, but I guarantee you I had it under control."
The ginger rolled her eyes, putting a hand gently on Marceline's shoulder and causing her to dip slightly and touch to the floor.
"Listen, whatever you're going through, I promise it isn't worth this-"
"Woah, hey," Backing up, Marcy began to rise again while lifting her feet to sit in the air, "that's not what this is. I just- just wanted to feel it okay? Curiosity or whatever."
"Yeah, well this curiosity really could kill you, kitty-cat. And that would be such a shame."
Marceline frowned as the blush returned, her face quickly growing warmer.
"Then how about you and I get dinner next Tuesday? I promise, no more sunlight-shenanigans till then." The human in front of her laughed, and it only took a millisecond for Marceline to reach the conclusion that it wasn't a mocking laughter. It was light and bubbly, and it brought a gentle smile to Marcy's own expression without her even realizing.
"I'll see you there, Kitty."
"Marceline, actually."
"Hmm, I don't know. Kitty suits you." Turning with a smirk, the beautiful human began to walk down the stairs. Presumably to her own apartment.
"Hey, wait! What's your name?"
"I guess you'll have to wait for Tuesday to find out!"
And like that, she was out of sight; but certainly not out of mind.
Tuesday couldn't have arrived fast enough for Marceline, and it had only been a Friday when she had had the 'sun incident' as she was now referring to it. Minutes and hours all blended into one and yet simultaneously stretched out into an eternity. After sitting on the couch for an hour staring into space and daydreaming, Marcy stood and stretched. She walked across her studio apartment to the window, raising the stiff sill with a grunt. Leaning out, she jumped into the cool night air and fell freely for a little bit before coming to rest gently on the ground. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she headed off walking down the street. The reactions of the people around her varied, several were genuinely surprised but most were residents of the area and used to Marceline's adrenaline-fueled shenanigans. Speaking of, she had just rounded a corner into an alley and stopped to wait. She wasn't alone for long, as a taller messy-haired man joined her.
"Yo, Marcy."
"Hey Draven. Got the shit?"
"Of course. But hey, you're behind from last time-"
"I'll get it later, besides you just love me soooo much, right?" Batting her eyelashes for extra effect, Marceline handed her witchy friend some money and received a few red bags in return.
"Yeah, whatever. Take care of it next time, please?"
"Sure, sure." Marceline tucked the bags safely into her jacket pocket, walking out of the alley and back to her apartment. Draven was left behind, grumbling about asshole 'friends' and how people need to pay up or he just won't give them anything. Back at the apartment, Marceline took one of the bags out of her jacket and set it on the couch. The others were placed in the fridge, afterall she wouldn't need to save them for long. She sat on the couch, taking a breath before sinking her teeth into the plastic bag. The cocaine-laced blood hit her system pretty quickly, Marcy hadn't eaten for a few days in order to prepare for this. She grinned as she laid back on the couch, staring at the patterns in the ceiling as the effects of the drugs already began to take hold.
Marceline was in a rush to get ready. The sun had just set, so she had also just woken up, and jesus it's that time already? If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late for her date with mystery girl. Checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, she smoothed the few wrinkles in her shirt and gently patted down any flyaway hairs. This night was going to be perfect, Marceline was going to make sure of it. She left her apartment through the door this time, half forgetting how to do the lock since it had been so long. Excitedly, she bounced down the stairs to the ground floor and began the walk to the restaurant for which the date had been planned. It wasn't anything super fancy, but it was nice enough and Marcy hoped mystery girl would like it. She anxiously waited for the ginger to show up, and thankfully didn't have to wait long.
"Hey, sorry I'm a little late."
"Oh, it's not a problem. I only just got here myself, shall we?"
Marcy opened the door, holding it and gesturing inside with a dramatic sweeping motion. Smiling as the ginger giggled, Marceline followed her inside.
"So, you come here often? I honestly wouldn't have pegged you for a pastel type."
"Yeah, it's a nice place to relax."
The couple sat at a light blue booth by a wall, and everything glittered or shined in some way. Yet, the restaurant managed to pull this look off without appearing overbearing or garish. It was a cute place really, and soon they were greeted by a waiter in a pink-centered outfit.
"What would the two of you like tonight?"
"Can we get an order of spaghetti please? Also a root beer float please, two straws."
The waiter left to let the kitchen know of the upcoming order, and the ginger turned to look at Marceline.
"So you do come here often."
"Ehhhhhhhh so what? On a different note, will you please tell me your name now?"
"Bonnibel."
"Unusual, I like it."
Marceline and Bonnibel thoroughly enjoyed their evening together, talking and laughing and making jokes about vampires and spaghetti. Eventually, the two walked together to the apartment complex they shared.
"Thank you, Marcy. I had a really nice time tonight."
"Me too, we should go out more often."
Bonnie grinned, before leaning slightly upwards to bridge the two-inch gap between her mouth and the mouth of the vampire in front of her. As Marceline rose up to her window, stunned by the quick smooch, Bonnibel smiled and walked inside to go to her own room.
Marceline had been dating Bonnie for a few weeks now, and the two were very happy together. There was never a repeat of the 'sun incident', however shit went down when Bonnie found the drugged blood bags in Marceline's fridge.
"Why would you do this to yourself?"
"I'm already fucking dead, it's not like I can get any worse."
"But it's the principle of it! Dead or undead, you're still worth better than this! You-"
"Bonnie, you don't know how pointless life actually is until you've experienced this much of it. Nothing is worth it, because in the end I just outlive the ones I love. Life moves on around me, and I'm stuck to just sit through it all forever. It's hell, okay? I need something to get me past that, to break some of the monotony."
"But there's still better ways that this-"
"Name one."
"I don't- I don't know but we could try okay? It's worth trying, isn't it? I'm worth trying for?"
"Eventually you're going to grow old and die and then I'll be all- all alone again, I don't want to be alone!"
The mood in the room had risen higher than it could, and now the surface tension broke. Marceline collapsed to the ground, tears falling freely from her eyes.
"i don't want to be alone, not again…"
Bonnibel dropped to her girlfriend's side, and gently wrapped her arms around her.
"I'm so sorry Marcy. But please trust me, it'll be okay. I'll at least stay with you as long as I can alright? You'll be okay."
"but what's the point of living if the one I love isn't with me?"
"You could always just turn me, y'know? I wouldn't mind."
"And have you stuck here too? I wouldn't wish this shit on my worst enemy, let alone you."
"Then at least stay with me. What you decide to do when I'm gone is your decision, and one that I'll let you make. But I want us to both be here, and to both be happy. So no more drugs, okay?"
"... okay."
Marceline never did pay Draven back, but Bonnie and Marcy went on to go and be happy like they wanted. Their happiness was short-lived, however, and came to an end when Bonnie was involved in a pedestrian car accident. … As the pedestrian.
The hospital doors slammed open, as a raging vampire charged in.
"What happened? Where is she?"
"Ma'am, Ms. Beckett in surgery right now, you're going to have to wait-"
"No, I need to know that she's okay!"
Nurses and staff did their best to restrain Marceline, which was certainly difficult given her superhuman strength. Eventually, she calmed some and was led to a windowless room as the sun rose. There she waited for what seemed like an eternity longer than her own lifespan, and a doctor eventually came in. Standing, Marcy wiped a few remaining tear stains from her face and addressed the doctor.
"Well?"
"She's stable right now, but I'm not sure how much longer she'll be able to hold on. You're welcome to come in now and-"
The speed in which Marceline entered her girlfriend's hospital room was astounding, and the papers on the walls fluttered in her wake.
"You- You need to let her rest, until she wakes up on her own."
Marceline gently grasped Bonnie's hand, tears once again beginning to fall.
Bonnie never woke up.
