Be My Lumpin' Valentine!
By Luna Mrow:
Author's Note:
This had to be re-uploaded because FF was malfunctioning on me. Sorry about that :/ I already wrote a Marceline/Finn story for the holiday, now here's Marshall Lee and Fionna! Whoo-hoo! *opens confetti*
P.S. I'm using my OC Sugar Queen Marie from my story 'Wedding Bell Fever'.
~X~X~X~
It was to be expected that Fionna wanted Prince Gumball to be her valentine. It also made a lot of sense; he was the ideal valentine. He was kind, soft-spoken, thoughtful, caring... not to mention he was PINK. That was the signature valentine color as well! He wasn't just pink, he was sweet (literally and figuratively) and he ruled the Candy Kingdom of Aaa. Of course one would assume Fionna wanted PG to be her valentine sweetheart. He was perfect!
But that was the problem.
He was too perfect.
Because every girl in Aaa wanted him to be theirs. So, every year on the 14th of February, Prince Gumball would receive hundreds upon hundreds of cards from single females who begged him to be their valentine. Every February was stressful for the prince. He would spend two weeks going through these cards, because he was too nice and kind of a prince to simply disregard them.
Usually, the ones to help the prince to sort his mountains of mail were Fionna and Cake. It had sort of become a thing, from the 1st of the month to the 14th Fionna and Cake would spend their days in the kingdom, assuming there was no danger happening elsewhere. Two weeks Fionna had to spend her days with the pink prince. Each time, he would choose a queen from the Sugar Domain named Marie to be his valentine.
Fionna did want to be his valentine, but she had no courage to ask him whatsoever. Not only was she a coward to ask, but she knew if she did she'd just be another number. She didn't want to become another girl of Aaa who wanted Prince Gumball's heart. Because unlike most girls, Fionna was not a dress-wearing-fair-lady-damsel-in-distress. She was an adventurer! She loved to be in the face of danger! She loved to run around wielding her golden sword! She loved to fight and get down and dirty! She loved to feed ducks stale bread! Well, okay, regular girls like to feed ducks stale bread too, but that's not the point!
The point was, after four years of saving Prince Gumball, helping him with sticky situations, and being his loyal friend, he still only thought of her as his little friend. When he looked at her, he still saw the same twelve year old girl. Well, she was sixteen now, much older and stronger than she had been at twelve. Fionna knew that if she wanted to be Gumball's valentine, he'd reject her. She'd be just like the other females of Aaa.
But this year would be different. This year he would be her valentine. This year, Fionna determined to herself, is my year.
"Cake! Are you ready to go? We're late, it's almost 11:00!" Fionna called from the living room of her tree house.
The magical cat came from down the stairs. "You know Fi, I'm going to let you go by yourself this time," Cake assured her younger sister. "I need to catch up on my cat-naps anyway."
Fionna scoffed. "Cake, taking cat-naps are all you do. Come on, you know you're flippin' lying. Why don't you want to come?"
"Because I think it's a good idea if you have alone time with Gumball." Cake winked.
The adventuress turned a little pink from blush. "Huh? Why... wait... no, you need to come."
"Oh come on. Don't tell me you're suddenly embarrassed by alone time with the prince?"
"No, I'm not embarrassed. I just don't like what you're implying."
"What am I implying?"
"That I want Gumball as my valentine."
"Don't you?"
Fionna turned her head away from Cake. "No," she said quickly. "I don't care who ends up his sweetheart, it doesn't matter to me."
"Right," Cake said, her voice sarcastic. "Fionna, you've wanted him to be your valentine for years! This is the year to take advantage of that! You will have two weeks of alone time with the prince. This is the year to make your move!"
She was several shades pinker. "He doesn't like me like that," Fionna muttered.
"That's because you've been too chicken to tell him how you feel. Fionna, you've got to understand, when it comes to men, they always want women to make the first move. You know how Lord Monochromicorn became my boyfriend? I marched right over to his house, knocked on his door, and said, 'Lord M, I want ya to be my bf!'."
Fionna's eyebrows quirked at Cake's story. "But you said you became his girlfriend because you killed a spider that was trying to kill him, and when Lord M asked you how he could repay you, you told him to take you on a date."
"... well, yeah... that did happen," Cake muttered.
"Then I don't understand how you made the first move if it was Lord M who took you to dinner."
Cake fell silent for a few moments. "I was the one who made the dinner reservations," she then said.
"But—"
"Enough about me! Fionna, you need to be strong and take charge! You need to go to the Candy Kingdom, barge in the doors, and say to Gumball, 'hey man! You should be my b-f and I should be your g-f'!" Cake exclaimed.
Fionna blinked in confusion. "Why would I barge through the doors when Peppermint Butler can just escort me?" she asked.
Her older sister sighed in frustration. "Okay, fine, Peppermint Butler can escort you. But the point is, you have to take charge and make the first move."
"But... what if Prince Gumball says no? How will I deal with his rejection?"
"He won't reject you."
"But what if he does? How do I deal with it? Have you ever dealt with rejection?"
A quick memory flashed through Cake's mind: first grade in kitty school... a cool cat named Estevez... little kitten Cake asking Estevez to be her valentine... Estevez laughing at her and dating her rival kitty Molly... Molly and Estevez being the coolest couple in first grade... Cake crying into her paws from her broken heart Estevez caused her... the pain... the sheer pain of it all.
"No, I have no idea what rejection is like," Cake said. "Now go on, Fionna." She stretched her paws and pushed Fionna out the door. "Don't come back until you have a valentine."
"But—"
"NO!" Cake shut the front door on Fionna's face. The cat the looked left, looked right, and sank down to her knees, putting her head in her paws. "WHY ESTEVEZ? WHY DID YOU SAY YES TO MOLLY BUT NO TO ME?"
What should've taken twenty minutes to walk to the Candy Kingdom took forty. Fionna was not only nervous, she was extremely unsure about this. Was she really going to go through with this? Prince Gumball was so... so... charming. Would he really agree to be her valentine?
"Uh! This is so stupid!" Fionna hissed to herself. "It's just a stupid and meaningless holiday. Just because it's Valentine's Day doesn't mean I have to have a sweetheart, does it? I don't even like the whole mushy-gushy couple stuff! Do I? No! Do I? Uh!"
As hard as she tried to picture it, Fionna couldn't see herself getting all cuddly-wuddly with the prince. She once saw how romantic he got with Sugar Queen Marie. He'd hug her tight to him, kiss her cheek, call her every beautiful name under the sun. Did she honestly want Gumball to treat her like that? Did she really want to get smothered with kisses and love, simply for the sake of a holiday?
This was all becoming too much for the sixteen year old girl. But she couldn't get back to the tree house without a valentine. Fionna sighed to herself. "I should at least try to ask him. If I don't try, I'll never know."
The worst she was expecting was a no, followed by an awkward silence until the subject was changed. Unfortunately for poor Fionna, that was not the worst the could've happened. As she walked into the royal ballroom of the Candy Kingdom castle, she saw Prince Bubblegum sat down to all his mail— with Sugar Marie beside him. The queen laughed as Gumball chatted about science and held his hands up as he talked. The piles of love letters were around them as they sorted. They were so busy laughing they didn't notice Fionna was behind them, staring at them with wide eyes.
She awkwardly stepped back, leaving the room and closing the doors. "Did you hear something?" Sugar Marie asked.
"No, why?" Prince Gumball asked back.
She shrugged. "I thought I heard a door close."
"Oh. Perhaps we have a draft." Gumball did a small laugh and held up a pink colored card, "This one is from Lumpy Space Prince's ex-girlfriend."
"LSP's ex girlfriend wants to be your valentine?"
"Apparently."
Sugar Marie laughed. "Well, I guess I should be honored I'm already your sweetheart."
Prince Gumball smiled. "The honor should be mine."
She wasn't sure what stung more— the fact she never got a chance to ask him, or the fact she had been replaced by the Sugar Queen. Helping Prince Gumball sort his love letters was supposed to be her job... not that sugar-covered poser's job!
Fionna sullenly left the Candy Kingdom. She didn't feel like going home (not to mention she was empty-handed), and she didn't feel like going to any of her friends. Only one place came to Fionna's mind and she started walking in the opposite direction of her home. The place she was going was private, only her and one other person knew about it, and she knew she wouldn't be bothered there. There, she could sulk to herself and feel sorry for herself, without worrying about her friends asking her what was wrong and all that junk.
After twenty-minutes of walking, Fionna arrived at her secret destination. It was cave over-looking a waterfall, and the rushing sound of the water was always comforting to the adventuress. She climbed up the rock wall and sat down in the dark cave, bringing her knees to her chest and staring mindlessly at the waterfall. Marshall Lee the Vampire King showed her this spot when she was fourteen. He made her promise to keep his spot secret, and she hadn't told a soul ever since. She didn't even tell Cake, and she told her older kitty sister almost everything.
Speaking of the devil, Marshall Lee was secretly in the secret hiding spot already when Fionna climbed in. He was pressed against the edge where the light couldn't give him away. He woke up from his nap when he heard the adventuress muttering to herself and sat down. He watched her slyly, observing her as she brought her knees to her chest and released a heavy sigh. The Vampire King swiftly and soundlessly stretched himself out, staring at the human girl curiously. What is her problem, he wondered to himself.
Fionna kept muttering to herself, and his acute hearing picked up the words 'stupid' and 'Gumball' and 'valentine'. Ah... so was that her problem? Was she rejected by pinky yet again? He thought to himself. Of course Marshall Lee knew about Fionna's little 'crush' on pinky. He thought the whole thing was stupid— how could someone as kick-butt and cool like Fionna have a crush on someone as lame and pink as... well... pinky. It never made sense to the vampire and he constantly teased her about her little infatuation; although Fionna always denied having a thing for pinky.
He quietly floating between her and the cave roof, easing himself closer and closer to her until his mouth was mere inches from her unsuspecting ear. Very quietly, he whispered, "Boo."
WHAM!
Fionna quickly jumped in surprised and out of instinct and reflex she grabbed Marshall Lee's shoulders and threw the vampire out of the cave!
"Aaaahh!"
"Oh my glob!" Fionna cried. She leaned out the edge of the cave! "Marshall!"
Luckily, he could fly, and he flew back to her side. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to get thrown."
Her eyes widened. "YOU SCARED ME!"
"Well, yeah, that was the point. I just didn't expect to get flung. How are you that strong, anyway?"
"I was caught in a moment of adrenaline! Never do that again!" Fionna yelled.
Marshall Lee laughed and sat down next to Fionna. "Aw, is little Fionna sad that Prince Pinky rejected her again?" he teased. He smirked when he saw her face get several sheets of red.
"I was not rejected, shut up you tard!" she yelled.
"You look like you were rejected," he continued to tease. "Let me guess, Gumball doesn't see you as anything but a friend? You're really special to him, but he doesn't feel the same way? What was his excuse this time?"
She shoved Marshall away from her, and leaned her back against the wall of the cave. "That's none of your business! For your information, I didn't even ask Gumball to be my valentine this year because he was already with Sugar Marie! So shut up!" she yelled angrily.
The king blinked a few times. "Sugar Marie as in Sugar Queen Marie of the Sugar Domain?" Even though the adventuress was angry at him, she still shook her head yes and answered his question. "Gummy is dating Sugar Marie?" Marshall asked in surprise.
Fionna turned her head away from his. "I guess he is," she answered bitterly. "Goodbye now."
She started to climb back down the rock wall. "Hey, wait, where are you going?" Marshall called down from her.
"I'm going home!" she yelled back.
"Why?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE A FLIPPIN' TARD!"
Marshall Lee sighed. He really shouldn't have teased Fionna about Gumball. He knew how raw that subject was for her. He also couldn't let her go home. The king flew down to Fionna and grabbed her waist, flying her up into the skies with him. "Come on Fi, I was just kidding," he said.
"No you weren't!" she grunted. Fionna tried to fight out of Marshall's hold but that wasn't happening. Once Marshall Lee had you in his grip he had you in his grip. He turned the girl around so she was face-to-face with him. Her lively eyes met his pitch black ones. Fionna huffed and puffed in his arms, finally stopping her struggling, but still glaring at him, with his face only a few inches away. Finally Fionna sighed to herself. "You think I'm a hopeless loser, right?" she mumbled.
"No."
"I don't care about stupid Valentine's Day, okay? Just because I don't have a valentine for the holiday doesn't mean anything. I'm still awesome. I'm still an adventurer. I'm still better at sword fighting than you are. I mean, it doesn't really matter if I have a sweetheart or not, does it?"
Marshall gave her a small smile, his fang jutting out of his mouth. "No," he assured. "It doesn't matter at all."
Fionna lowered her head. "Good. Can you put me down now?"
He laughed. "I'd rather take you somewhere, to make up for being a big tard just now."
"Where could you possibly take me?" she asked.
"You'll find out."
He took her to his house inside his cave. The surprise was when he put on old time kung fu movies and made popcorn for them to eat. Marshall and Fionna were sat down on his couch, munching on popcorn and watching awesome kick-butt kung fu movies. Fionna eventually came out of her funk and was back to her normal self. "Hey," she said.
"Hmm?" he replied.
"Thanks."
"For?"
"For... I don't know... cheering me up I guess."
Marshall laughed. "You cheered yourself up. I just got you more upset."
Fionna smiled. "Yeah, but you were right. Sorta. I don't know if I want Gumball as my valentine. I don't think I'd like doing all the mushy stuff."
He raised a curious eyebrow. "Mushy stuff?"
"Last year when I was with Gumball and Marie, he was putting his arms around her, hugging her, kissing her, calling her names like 'shmoopsie-baby-pie-frosting' and stuff like that. I don't know, I don't think I'd like that, you know? If I had a sweetheart I wouldn't want to get all mushy with him."
Marshall smirked. "So you wouldn't want me to call you shmoopsie-baby-pie-frosting?"
Fionna laughed and threw a popcorn piece at him. "No!"
"Well, you know, not all couples do that."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Some couples just—" he put his arm around her shoulder, "—do this." Marshall pulled Fionna flush against him.
She stayed frozen for a few moments, but relaxed into his embrace. "Well this isn't so bad," she murmured.
He smirked. "You know when you asked if I thought you were a hopeless loser?"
"... Um, yeah..."
"Well, I don't think you're the loser. I think Prince Gumball is."
"Why?"
"Because Fionna, you'd be an awesome valentine." Marshall Lee gave her a sideways smile.
She didn't really know what to say, but decided not to think and say the first thing that came to her. "You'd be a pretty awesome valentine too, I guess," she mumbled. "You know, when you're not being a tard."
He chuckled. "Fi, will you be my lumpin' valentine?"
Fionna thought what he just said she imagined. "What?"
"Will you be my lumpin' valentine?" the king asked again.
Was this it? Could this really be the year she had a valentine for Valentine's Day? Was she really going to be Marshall Lee the Vampire King's sweetheart?
"Yes," she answered simply. "I guess I will."
"Cool."
"... So do I get chocolate or a balloon?"
"What?"
"Well, most guys get their valentines a gift."
"I made you popcorn!"
"Popcorn isn't romantic."
"You just said you didn't want to get all mushy-gushy."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't try."
She was obviously teasing him. However, the Vampire King took her joking invitation to his advantage. He leaned over and gave Fionna a kiss on her warm lips. She squeaked in surprise, but he kept his cold lips on hers, and after a few moments he breaks off. "Romantic enough for you?" Fionna doesn't reply. She can't. She's too stunned. Marshall Lee chuckles. "That's what I thought."
Author's Note:
Oh Marshall Lee, why are you so mean? XD Ahahahaha! This was fun to write! Please review and thank you for reading! YAY!
~Luna