Chapter 1: hero
Summary: Marshall Lee somehow gets roped into rescuing Bubblegum.
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Disclaimer: Adventure Time belongs to Pendleton Ward.
Note: A collection of drabbles. Just think that Marshall Lee has replaced Marceline's place in the land of Ooo.
.:.
The first time had been rather awkward.
He swings his guitar-axe down upon the makeshift prison, shards of ice flying wildly. Bubblegum flinches from the impact, eyes closing instinctively as the boy tears off the remaining pillars of ice that had been barricading her with his bare hands. It falls easily, giving way like melted popsicles beneath his powerful claws. A small shard darts past unexpectedly, as sharp as cut glass, and grazes the princess's cheek.
Marshall Lee smacks his lips together, tongue licking his teeth as he watches the blood dribble past her pink skin. Bubblegum immediately wipes it away, erasing it from sight but causing its scent to smear onto her skin, sticking like honey, and the boy fights the instinctive urge to bare his fangs. He does nothing and merely throws away the shattered ice and slings his guitar-axe unto his back, then slithers inside the ice cage like a cat.
He drinks in the startled expression upon her features, viridian eyes wide and lips parted due to shock. He wants to smirk at the way her face flushes as he came closer, though that could've merely been because of the cold, and so he doesn't. But it feels good, he admits, the way her breath hitched into her throat upon seeing him. Maybe this was why that human kid did it, because it feels so damn good and rejuvenating to save someone for a change, to be a hero—
"What are you doing here?" Bubblegum says suddenly. Almost immediately, his face falls flat.
"I'm saving you." The teen deadpans, a little irked upon her reaction.
"Oh." Bubblegum pauses. "Why?"
"Because—" He tries to think of a good enough excuse that doesn't make him appear so earnest and well, good. "Because— shut up. Because I can." He grouses instead.
Bubblegum doesn't say anything. She looks at him in a calculated way, like how she looks at formulas and equations, and he doesn't know why but for some reason, this bothers him intensely because what the fuck, he just saved her life; she should be like, showering him with praises by now.
The boy's cheeks reddens as he scowls furtively at this glorious moment shot to pieces. "Just come on." He sighs in a frustrated way, grabbing her by both arms and hauling her off her toes before floating off the ground.
He briefly considers dropping her as they ascend above the clouds, just to stick it in her face, though he doesn't end up doing it because he'd be compelled to save her again anyway, and from his experience today, it wasn't worth the hassle. Bubblegum comments about the freezing temperature over the sound of the wind whistling behind them. He pretends not to hear her because he doesn't really care, but there's a sudden urge to ask her why the fuck would she wear a slip of a bed-gown anyway if she knew she was going to be kidnapped on like, a daily basis.
When he deposits her back on the balcony of her warm and sugary castle, she mumbles a thank you around her yawn and he just grumbles you owe me, and tries not to get distracted with the way the moonlight bathed the ghost of her silhouette in its milky rays, reminding him of strawberries and cream. He beats himself up over the silly thought and thinks, why couldn't you just say you're welcome just as she retreats back into the comfort of her own room, so he whispers it to her back instead and flies overhead.
He thinks that this was one of those days where they accomplished not hating each other well and muses about the complications about why there can't be more days like that.
He goes back to the darkness of his cave and broods quietly, resisting the urge to wax poetic about strawberries and cream because it was a stupid topic.
.:.
A/N: I definitely think ML is the hopeless romantic and emotional side of the duo. PB can be so distant and rationale for emotions sometimes. This is why I like them together, they're so ironic that it's endearing lul.
More to come~ alert and review please c: