hey.

this is my first fic! that's cool. i like to write quite a bit, but i'm still a work in progress. this is meant to be a pretty unorganized project just for fun, i hope that's okay. that doesn't mean i don't plan to put forth a good effort, i still want this to be a well-rounded story. i just don't believe it's going to be my best work, if that makes sense. anyway, i would really appreciate any feedback you, as the reader, have for me. marceline and bubblegum are my favorite pairing and i just felt like there was something missing in the fictions i was reading. I wanted to try to make my own iteration. anyway, like i said, i'd really appreciate some feed back. thanks, friends.

1

"C'mon, Bonnie!"

"I don't think it's safe, Marceline."

"You can't be safe all the time."

"Why not?"

"Well, 'Cos it's boring."

Marceline backed her argument with a toothy, crooked smile.

Bonnibel huffed in defeat.

"It's actually just being responsible." Bonnie replied. She dragged her feet against cement defiantly.

Marceline's smile grew smug. "Yeah, yeah. Responsibility, whatever. The place I wanted to show you isn't far, let's go."

Wrapping her fingers around Bonnibel's wrist, Marceline hurried down the aged highway. Grass was peaking through the cracks of the cement. Bonnibel stumbled on the uneven ground. She noticed Marceline smile.

"Marceline, slow down!" Bonnibel was admittedly embarrassed. It didn't help that Marceline floated over the ground with ease.

"Gotta keep up, Princess."

That made Bonnibel's cheeks red. "Just because I'm a Princess doesn't mean I can't keep up!"

Marceline laughed. "Okay, sure thing. Princess."

"Marcy!"

As they bantered together, the city's skyscrapers came into view. Through the tall evergreens they could see the buildings that lay beyond. What was left of them, anyway. Bonnibel dragged her feet even more than before. Her back began to ache with anxiousness, eager to flee. Marceline turned felt the change in pace, turned toward Bonnibel, and smiled.

"Hey. It's okay, I promise. You know me. I'm the Vampire Queen. I know it seems scary, but I promise, there's a lot of cool stuff there. And trust me, I won't let anything bad happen. Not to you, Bonnie."

Bonnibel pulled her eyes from where the buildings stood, and met Marceline's. She could see the sincerity within them. Her anxiety lifted, just slightly. She knew what habited those buildings. She still feared them. Yet, she trusted Marceline more.

"Okay. I want you to be safe, too."

In response, Marceline winked and gave her that smug smile. "Can't be safe all the time, Princess. Remember?"

Despite the circumstances of the statement, Bonnibel smiled.

Together, they walked over the overpasses into the city streets. The buildings were in ruins, nothing new. Overgrowth had reclaimed what was lost, filling the broken walls with vines and leaves. Gray hung over the area, almost a reminder of what had taken place. It was eerie. Quiet, except for distant groans and clattering. The noises echoed throughout the streets, making them louder than reality. Wreckage littered the streets, burnt out cars, looted trash, rubble from the buildings. It was difficult to navigate. Marceline seemed to know exactly where to go. She'd been here before.

Excitedly, Marceline grabbed Bonnibel's arm. "There!"

She had pointed to a corner store. The LED sign read 2nd AVE Records. The outside was all glass, except it was broken now. Bonnibel could see piles and piles of records still remaining. It surprised her at first, but then again, not many would loot a record store at the end of the world.

"You won't believe it, Bonnie. There's loads of records! Nobody wants to risk going into the city, so there's still a lot that haven't been touched. I like to come and pick the ones with really cool covers. I thought you'd like to pick some out too," Marceline chatted with enthusiasm as she guided Bonnibel toward the record store. Though Marceline had made sure to reassure her, Bonnibel had difficulty feeling comfortable in the city's environment. As they passed neighboring buildings, Bonnibel peered inside. She couldn't help but shake the feeling of watchful eyes burning on her back.

Bonnibel felt her nervousness dissipate once inside the shop. It was definitely Marceline's style. Records stacked on the ground, in shelves, hanging from the walls. It was evident that the store wasn't without its damages. Broken vinyls littered the ground paired with the glass from the windows.

"Watch your step, Bon."

She filed through the records on display, many were in their respective places. Marceline's eyes were on her. Glancing from browsing the wall records back to Bonnibel. Waiting for a response.

"This really is incredible."

"Worth the risk?"

Bonnibel didn't look up, but she smiled. "Yes, worth the risk."

"I knew you'd love it!" Marceline drifted back over to where Bonnibel was browsing. "Find anything you wanna keep?"

She hadn't, not yet. Bonnibel shook her head continuing to look over the vinyl covers. None of the names had any meaning to her, she could only judge the records by the cover art. Marceline was watching intently from behind as she flipped through the records.

Then Bonnibel stopped. Marceline seemed to notice, she drifted closer. This cover had a oddly drawn girl in the middle with two heads, one wearing a bunny hat. Bonnibel picked it up.

"The Moldy Peaches?" Marceline laughed. "Nice name."

Bonnibel chuckled too. "Yeah, a bit odd. I like it."

"Really? Doesn't seem like something you'd like."

"Maybe. We'll have to see."

More time had passed than either of them realized. It was a long way back to the Candy Kingdom. At the time Bonnibel didn't mind too much.

"You worried about getting back?" Marceline poked Bonnibel's side.

"No. I think I'm safe."

Their eyes met and they laughed.

Bonnibel watched as the sun began to set. Marceline pulled her sun hat off and shook her hair. The color from the sky drained into blue, then black. This made Bonnibel sigh. It was just so beautiful.