Author's Note: I finally decided to give this fan-fiction thing another whirl. This particular piece is inspired by the Slumber Party Panic episode and my adoration for Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time.
Warning: Undubbed cursing. Talk of sexual relations. Violence. Don't like, don't read.
Updated last: 11/16/13
"Marshall Lee, What Have You Done To Me?"
Chapter 1 – Chaos
Created by: x-LittleMissAlice-x
xXx
"I desire the things which will destroy me in the end."
Sylvia Plath
xXx
Cotton candy trees burned. Gingerbread houses collapsed into ruin. Candy citizens ran in terror, searching for a savior they would not find…
The Candy Kingdom was in chaos, and the one causing it was Marshall Lee.
He could do nothing but watch as the Vampire King soared through the air in his bat-form, columns of fire escaping his parted lips, orange and red flames engulfing the screams, the destruction, the chaos. He could do nothing but watch as the beast whizzed through the streets with his midnight colored wings, crushing fragile candy homes easily with enlarged hands and feet…
He could do nothing but watch as his kingdom fell before his eyes.
They were suffering; he could hear their desperate pleas from atop the Candy Kingdom balcony. Like ants his people scurried the yellow brick sidewalks below, small limbs flying, short legs running in an uproar of disarray. If they continued to let their fear consume them they would—
It was too late; the fright was too great. Many of the screams echoing in the distance stopped abruptly. Small bodies bulged, limbs twisting and snapping in unnatural directions, confusion and panic buildingandbuildingandbuilding until—
Until they could bear more. Many of his candy citizens' bodies inflated, before exploding into nothing more than a pile of sugar, small particles blowing in the wind like they had never existed in the first place…
His kingdom was suffering, and it was all his fault.
He was helpless. He could not stop this. He could not rescue his citizens. He could not be the prince they relied on.
Not when it was Marshall Lee – why did it have to be him? - who was involved. He was nothing when Marshall was around. He was not a noble prince or a ruler. He was a boy; a small, trembling and paralyzed child.
"Prince Gumball, what shall we do?"
"There is nothing we can do, Spearmint Maid. Nothing at all..."
His shaky violet eyes tore away, unable to helplessly watch the horrendous scene any longer, only to be met with an even more frightful sight: His maid's unwavering gaze.
"You are our Prince, our leader. The safety of your citizens is your first priority. Do not let personal feelings affect your duty." Her words struck him, sharp and stern, like the stab of a knife digging into his gut.
"I understand that, but I..." Gumball's voice trailed. His lips trembled.
Why was he hesitating? Why did the thought of hurting Marshall make the remains of his candy-beating heart feel so painfully stale? Why did he feel like his mind was being chewed on? How could he not immediately choose his citizens over a terrorist – an enemy? Yes, Marshall was an enemy now. He should have been able to make a decision rather easily.
In yet…
He opened his mouth, prepared to say what was expected of him, but the words died on his lips. He couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt Marshall.
"Your Kingdom is waiting for your orders," Spearmint Maid stated, a gentle reminder. Gumball swallowed hard.
"…I can't do it. Marshall Lee is my—"
Gumball stopped himself. What was he about to say? That Marshall Lee was his… what? He would be lying if he said Marshall wasn't – didn't used to be his friend. But he was – had been more than that, hadn't he? Marshall had been like the soothing warmth of a blanket on a chilly night; a reassurance he had always cherished and sought out for, especially during the harsh, overwhelming blizzards of royal obligations rattling against his window. He had been his comfort, his safety, his…
Marshall Lee had been more than his friend; he had been his… everything.
But things were different now. His kingdom was suffering – his people. How could he choose between the two most important things in his life?
He didn't have to make a decision. Spearmint Maid seemed to have made it for him.
"You have disappointed me, my prince." The heavy feeling in his chest constricted further at her murmur. He knew what was about to happen; he could see it in her eyes. His hand gripped her small arm before she could move away from him.
"Please, Spearmint Maid," Gumball's tone sounded hoarse, desperate even. The maid offered him the most sympathetic of smiles.
"I am sorry, my prince," she whispered before shrugging out of his grip and pushing past him, leaving Gumball's hand hovering in the air. She confidently strolled to the edge of his balcony and raised her voice, pointing to the world of chaos and disaster below;
"Banana Guardians, the prince of Candy Kingdom orders you to take that monster down at once!"
At her call his army flooded out of the gates, completely surrounding Marshall Lee in moments, rainbow colored ropes in hand. The Vampire King thrashed wildly as they threw their binds at the beast. The restraints wrapped around his bat form, the tight hold slicing and constricting his wings as he howled in pain. Gumball winced as if he was the one being restrained. He knew the vampire's open wounds were stinging from the ropes' sugar-coated outer layer.
With a loud whoosh of the wind, Fionna and Cake landed on the balcony.
"Hey, are you guys okay? We could see Candy Kingdom burning all the way from- Woah!" Fionna cried as she looked down, her expression twisting into a look of disbelief. "My Glob, Marshall did this...? No way! Why would he want to destroy Candy Kingdom?"
Fionna turned towards him for an answer - they all wanted an answer, but it wasn't one he could give her, nor anyone else. He couldn't admit it aloud. He couldn't say that it was his fault this was happening. That it was his fault-
"GRAHHH!"
-That is was his fault Marshall was in pain. It was all his fault...
"Let. Me. Go!" the Vampire King bellowed. The floor beneath Gumball's feet trembled at the sheer power of his voice.
"He's starting to get free!" a Banana Guard screeched. Fionna and Cake exchanged a meaningful look.
"Cake?"
"Yeah."
The duo fearlessly leapt off the balcony and swiftly fell to the ground (Cake's stretching powers breaking both of their falls, of course). The blonde drew her sword and lunged at Marshall, clinging to his bat fur for dear life.
"Stop it, Marshall! You don't have to do this!"
Marshall swatted at her. "Buzz off Fionna, this has nothing to do with you!"
Cake stretched, wrapping around the vampire's hands and legs, rendering him immobile. Now contained, Fionna released Marshall and landed in front of him, jamming her sword dangerously close to his throat.
"Stop Marshall, right now."
"What, Fionna? Are you going to kill me?" The Vampire King chuckled like it was the funniest joke in the world. "I'd love to see you try."
"You don't think I have it in me, or is it because you're immortal?"
"Neither, Fionna. I want to die. I'd die if I could."
"Marshall... " Her blade faltered. "What happened to you?" Fionna whispered as she gazed at his broken expression. He looked so destroyed. What could have made him look like that?
As if in answer, iris' of crimson turned up towards the balcony, staring straight into Prince Gumball's wide eyes.
"You happy now, PG? I'm bowing down to you, oh-so-wonderful candy prince," Marshall bit out.
Gumball forced his gaze away. A Banana Commander came to his side.
"What shall we do with him?"
"Just... put him the Candy Dungeon. And please, do not hurt him," he added in a little over a whisper.
The Banana Commander nodded. Prince Gumball could feel Spearmint Maid's gaze burning holes in him, her arms crossed in disapproval. "You're going to talk to him, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"You're going to regret it later."
"Perhaps, but I am going to try," he said, sounding much more confident than he really was.
With shaky legs threatening to fall out from under him, he set off to see him – the one who destroyed not only his home, but the emotions stirring inside his beaten chest; the one who consumed his mind and tormented him in his dreams; the one and only Marshall Lee, his friend. . .
xXx
The stone steps of the dungeon stairwell pattered beneath his heavy footsteps, the atmosphere feeling denser with each step towards the cellars, towards the frigid darkness, towards the vampire he did not want to face.
Gumball chewed on his bubblegum lip. His mind whirled.
It will be fine. I will be fine. It is only a little chat. I will be calm and composed, as a Prince should be. I will not react. I will not allow him to unnerve me. I will not-
The rant in his mind ceased the moment he saw him.
Marshall looked so weak in that chair. The sight of his slumped shoulders, tight candy rope tightly wrapped around his lithe vampire frame, made the pit of his stomach churn. The flickering of the pink candle light illuminated the streams of black blood trickling from his wounds.
…Why did this have to happen?
The vampire's head rose, tired dark eyes meeting his own. Marshall's form visibly tensed at his presence, back straightening to look strong, despite his unmistakable grunt of pain. Marshall didn't show his agony, though; his intense gaze focused on him, an expression so guarded Gumball couldn't read it.
He took a courageous step forward. "At least let me see your wounds."
"Don't bother," Marshall's eyes narrowed, his tone dripping with so much venom Gumball flinched back. The vampire's eyes never left his. "It's not like I'm going to die. Like you'd care if I did, anyway. Physical wounds will heal quickly, but I'm not sure about the other ones you gave me."
Another painful jab, making him feel more guilty than the last. Gumball knew what Marshall was pertaining to; he was talking about the emotional wounds he had unconsciously inflicted. This wasn't supposed to happen. They weren't supposed to grow so emotionally attached. Why did he feel so weak around Marshall? Why did the smallest comments drastically change the emotions stirring inside him? It wasn't fair. Marshall was abusing his weakness, and he couldn't allow that.
Swallowing, Gumball strengthened his resolve, chancing another step forward.
"You can take your anger out on me, but there was no need to bring it here. You destroyed my kingdom. You... you killed my people." His voice cracked. When he closed his eyes, he could still vividly see his innocent citizens. Their screams still rang in his bubblegum ears, haunting him, clawing at his artificial insides. Why would Marshall do that? What would bring Marshall to destroy his family?
It was because of him, of course. He knew that. It was his fault this happened. It was his fault he couldn't do anything to save his now fallen kingdom. It was because he had exposed them to danger by bringing a vampire into his life.
Said vampire seemed to think so too.
"It's your fault, you know." Gumball's shoulders tensed. "If you had just agreed to go to the Nightoplane with me, none of this would have happened."
The Nightoplane. Why was Marshall so insistent on that? They had already talked about this...
"You know I cannot agree to such a proposal. I have a kingdom to take care of."
"You mean had a kingdom." A grin spread across Marshall's face, so wide and disturbing Gumball shuttered. The vampire's glinting white fangs didn't have to pierce his skin for his face to pale.
It was painfully obvious now. Marshall would do anything or hurt anyone to get what he wanted, and that was unacceptable.
His hands curled into fists, an edge of anger leaking into his voice, "You did not have to go this far. We could have discussed this elsewhere and-"
"And then what? You would have come with me?" Marshall snapped, his eyes flashing a dangerous red hue. "Fuck that!"
A Banana Commander at the cell entrance (stationed there to protect his prince in case the vampire was to get loose) stepped forward, glowering fiercely with a candied lance in hand. "Do not forget who you are talking to. I will not allow you to use the banned profanities of the old world, especially towards our prin-"
Marshall hissed at the Banana Commander. "Don't forget I am a King, andI will say what ever the fuck I want."
The Banana Commander turned to Prince Gumball, clutching the lance tighter. "My Prince-"
"Silence, Commander."
Reluctantly, the Banana Commander lowered his weapon. Gumball took a deep breath before speaking again, soft and slow.
"I would have considered going with you, yes. But this… this was not the wisest course of action. You should not have done this."
"But this was the only-"
"No, it was not! I never asked for this. I did not want this!"
"Are you talking about your kingdom, or our relationship? Because when we were together, you made it pretty clear you wanted it. Can't you see I did this for you, for us? You said you'd be better off without Candy Kingdom. I did all this because I-"
"Shut up Marshall! Please just… Just stop talking," he ordered shakily, his breathing ragged.
"No, I won't. Look Gumball, just listen. You need to know just how much I-"
"I do not want to hear it."
"But you need to," Marshall replied firmly. Gumball pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Marshall, you do not seem to understand how- how angry I am right now, not just at you but at myself. Do you know how frustrating that is? I want nothing more than to hit you. Hard. So hard I- O-oh my stars, what am I even saying? I can't… I'm not…"
"Do it. " The vampire gazed at him seriously, angling his head to the side to give him better access to his cheek. "Go ahead."
Gumball flinched. "I will not."
"Do it," Marshall repeated, a desperation he had rarely seen before shining in his eyes. "Please. Prove to me you're Gumball – my Gumball, not the prince of Candy Kingdom. Prove to me you're that one I wrote all those songs for, the person I spent countless nights thinking about. Prove to me you're the only person that made me feel alive again for the first time in my one thousand year life. Prove to me that… you're the man I love, the only person I could ever love. Please."
The entirety of Gumball's body trembled under Marshall's gaze. Whether it was from anger or guilt, he did not know, but Gumball couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes.
"…I am sorry."
"Why…! Why am I never good enough for you?" Marshall snapped. Gumball could feel his anger radiating off him in waves. "All you care about is your stupid kingdom! You always thought about your people before you thought about you and me. Do I need to destroy every Banana Guard and gingerbread house before you're free of this place? Do I need to burn your kingdom to the ground for you to leave it behind?"
Gumball fiercely shook his head. "O-of course not!"
Please stop, Marshall. Please…
"Then what is it? Tell me, what is it? Why can't you be happy with me? Did you lie when you told me you loved me, that we have bond that would last for an eternity? Did everything we went through mean nothing to you?"
Don't remind me. I can't take it.
"I mean, we even-"
"Marshall, stop!"
"We even fucked for Glob's sake!"
It was too late. The Banana Commander was staring at him, he knew. Questioning him. He wanted nothing more than to hide from the entire land of Aaa as he buried his face in his hands.
Marshall was laughing hysterically now. "We fucked and it was fucking great! Did that mean nothing to you too? Are you just that heartless of a Gumwad?"
It hurt. Being around Marshall hurt. Why did he do this to him? Did he find some kind of sick enjoyment in watching him in pain? Would he feel satisfaction at seeing the tears of sugar streaming down his face? He couldn't take this. He couldn't face him. He wouldn't.
"...I can't do this right now." He turned his back to him. Marshall flinched.
"Where are you going?"
Gumball paused briefly, releasing a shaky exhale, "I need to get back to them. They need me, Marshall."
The vampire gaped at him. "Even now you're- haha, I can't believe it!" Marshall shook his head, his lips forming a painful smile. "They've never even seen your real face. You've never been happy being the Prince of Candy Kingdom. Why are you going to crawl back to them when you're just going to be miserable again?"
He may have been miserable, but he had to because...
"It's my duty."
He could hear the vampire struggling in his bindings as he walked away. "You're just running away again, Gumball! Please, just look at me." The vampire called behind him desperately.
Gumball couldn't, because if he did his racing heart would give out on him, and he would crumble. So he said the only thing he could;
"...A Banana Guard will bring you food in a couple of hours."
And with that he took his leave from the dungeon, the Banana Commander following close behind him, never once turning his head to look back at the imprisoned Vampire King.
Thanks for reading. Please review. c:
To be continued. . .