"Doctor Icecream I demand you let me in this instance!"
Bubblegum was pounding her fists on surgery doors, sure it wasn't very princess-like. But this was not the time for royal behavior. Or perhaps it was. The princess's mind was too frazzled to decide.
"Doctor Icecream!" She all but yelled. Again there was no answer.
Smothering a curse, the princess pushed herself away from the doors. She had to know what was going on in there. She just didn't understand. And that was the problem, she needed to understand. Everything around her had a solution, a cause, a reason. And she had spent many countless hours figuring them all out. And this, this was easy to figure out. Some doctor here just needed to tell her what was happening.
She threw herself into a chair occupying the empty waiting room, threw her head in her hands and tried to figure this one out herself.
It was a normal day. Marceline had been visiting more often, and the Banana guards had stopped trying to apprehend her. Especially after the last attempt when the guards lost their peels by vampire hands. And the time before that when a giant hole ended up in the west castle wall.
The two of them were in the library, much to Marceline's dismay. Bubblegum was pouring over old books, even by Marceline's reckoning, and the vampire was swirling above her. Inky hair floated down to the princess, sometimes flicking her face, sometimes covering the book she was trying to read.
Eventually Bubblegum got tired of the games and yanked at the black tendrils, dragging Marceline's face parallel to her own.
"Stop trying to distract me." Bubblegum said, her lips only inches from the vampire's nose. It was then that thing's started to get strange.
Marceline's face dropped, from what Bubblegum could tell, Marceline was still upside down. Then a look of utter shock flashed across her pale features.
"I have to go." The world tumbled out of her mouth as if they couldn't come out quick enough. The next thing Bubblegum knew, black hair was slipping out of her grasp and Marceline was flying for the large double doors of the library.
Of course she abandoned her book and ran after the vampire, alas her mortal speed was no match. Though she did see a flash of grey turn towards the treatment and emergency rooms. That was when it got even stranger. There was yelling and shuffling and slamming of doors. When the princess arrived there was only one other person there. But Doctor Icecream grabbed something from behind a tall desk and disappeared into another room.
That's when she started knocking on the door, or trying to knock the door down.
Marceline must have been in there. Where else would she be? The emergency rooms were the only thing past the library. What on earth would an eternal being need with doctors? Unless there was something wrong. Incredibly wrong.
It would be wrong to say that was when the panic had settled in Bubblegum's gut. It had been there from the second she saw the fear on Marceline's face.
"Grod dammit, Marceline. What's wrong?" The princess asked the air around her. She looked up from her dress clad thighs to stare at the white doors ahead.
How long she stared at those doors, she didn't know. There was a lot she didn't know today. A long time passed, although, it didn't feel that way for Princess Bubblegum. Time felt like it had stopped, frozen. All she knew was that room, and that feeling of dread she simply couldn't shake off.
"So there's no explanation?" Bubblegum heard. That was Marceline's voice. She jumped to her feet and saw said girl, seemingly unharmed emerge from the separate room following the doctor.
"Your majesty," Doctor Icecream sighed. "I have explained multiple times."
"Yeah but," Marceline faltered, scowling. "I don't believe that bullsh- Uh, bullspit."
"I'm afraid it's the only explanation, your Majesty. Wether it seems logical or not." The doctor smiled knowingly. Bubblegum wondered what it was he actually knew. He didn't seem like he was going to let her know, after sending a half-bow towards the princess he left.
"Marceline?" They were alone again now, but it was almost as if Marceline didn't even notice her presence. Jumping, actually jumping, Marceline spun towards Bubblegum.
"Whoa, hell Bonnie, lemme know when you're there next time. Glob."
"Let me know what the stuff just went on in that room and I will!" She didn't mean to yell. But as the relief washed through and out of her, a bubbling anger replaced it. She was scared, and apparently scared for no good reason. Marceline was fine at glance.
"Nothing. Nothing happened in there everything's fine I have to go." The vampire wouldn't even look at the princess. She tried to swoop up, probably to find a window to escape out of, but Bubblegum had other ideas.
Repeating her earlier actions, she took a fistful of black hair and pulled, ever so lightly. Well, as light as she could with all that fury making her skin boil.
She ignored Marceline's cries of "Ouch" and "Let go" and continued to pull until the vampire was standing in front of her. Actually standing instead of her constant hovering.
Without a word the princess crossed her arms, the vampire knew what Bubblegum wanted anyway. Anyone would want an explanation after that show.
Marceline mirrored her, crossing her own arms, though her face didn't scowl like the pink princess. Marceline was gnawing on her lips instead. They stood for a while, not a word or a single movement passing between them.
Apparently it was all too much for Marceline, or all too boring, for she threw her hands above her head. "Fine, whatever. I thought I felt it, okay?"
The princess dropped her arms, mainly in confusion but also because they were growing tired, not that she would tell that to the vampire. "Felt what?"
"Ugh." Marceline huffed, jamming her hands into her jean pockets. "I'm out of here."
Marceline's face may have grew darker, Bubblegum couldn't tell because she was taking off again, this time heading for the door. Spinning, she shouted after her. "Felt what?" She repeated.
When there was no response, Bubblegum chased after her down the long hallway.
"I wont ask again, Marceline."
"My heart, okay?" She bellowed. Bubblegum stopped, and so did Marceline.
"Your..." The princess whispered. How...?
"My heart. I thought I felt it." Marceline wasn't floating anymore, she was standing stock still on the ground. Bubblegum was staring at the girls back. How could she have felt it? She'd been dead a thousand years. "And before you start spouting some science shit, I know I'm dead and it doesn't make sense. I already told that icecream dude the same. So I really don't get it either."
"So..." Bubblegum tried again. "So did it actually-"
"No." Deadpan. Apparently Marceline had a problem with Bubblegum finishing her sentences that day. "How could it? That's why I was freaked. Can we drop this now?" She started walking away, hearing the vampire's footsteps was such a rare occasion that it knocked the princess back for a couple of seconds.
"But Marceline, this is important. We need to find out why you felt it." She said, starting after the girl again.
"I know why." The vampire turned, facing the princess. Bubblegum stopped walking when there was a meter between them. Marceline's face was almost emotionless, no blue blush, no anger, nothing. Her eyes told a different story. No matter how the princess longed to understand the story they told, she simply couldn't decipher them. Though it seemed she didn't have to.
"It was because of you." All embarrassment abandoned, Marceline came right out with it. "You, all close to my face like that in the library. It reminded me of before, you know, before we fell out. How we used to be."
Bubblegum would have gasped, but all the air was knocked out of her lungs.Her heart skipped a beat. Or made up for a beat it couldn't skip. Before she could say anything, Marceline had left the ground and was soaring away. This time, Bubblegum didn't follow.
"I made her heart skip a beat." She whispered to herself.
She then threw her arms around herself, much like a love struck school girl, and couldn't fight the giggle that fell from her lips.
"I did that. Me." She couldn't fight the second giggle either.
There was no anger anymore. No confusion, no worry. Only pride. Pride and the pink blush dusting her face, though she felt no need to hide it.
There was hope for them yet.
So, this was dumb. I had this idea last night and needed to get it down before I forgot. Also it's really late and I haven't really checked this over properly yet. I'll probably come back to this and correct some stuff.
But thank you for reading! If you liked/disliked it let me know. Thanks!