Any Day but Today
Darkness had fallen. Only a sliver of the moon was visible in the night sky, pale light failing to reach the cracks and crevices of the world. Deep into the night, most of the world slept. Those who knew what was best slept soundly, the shadows stretching long in the night.
But there was a dark spirit among the shadows. A being that cared not for the day or the night. There was no place that was forbidden to the specter. Pale in the half-light, she strode the streets with confidence.
Children shook in their beds at the mention of her name. Any thinking man or woman knew that she was the harbinger of doom. There was no denying her darkness. She was all that the civilized world feared. And yet.
And yet there was something she could not bear to utter, some secret she held in her very soul. To no one would she admit this. The world who did not know her feared her, and she seemed to have a casual aversion for the average person she came across. Not a soul was worthy of her might, no person would stand before her gaze and be unaffected.
Marceline was a tower of strength. A pillar of uncaring power. But she was more than this. How much more, no one could tell. But some had guessed, and some were right. Most cared not for what else the vampire could be. She was to be feared.
But what about someone who knew no fear?
Marceline had been torturing various souls with her trickery throughout the early hours of the evening. They had been a collection of poor saps, not knowing their heads from their feet. Though her time had been fun, there was something empty about her actions. Something not genuine. She was going through the motions.
Arriving back at the small dwelling she called her own, Marceline stepped in and let the door swing closed. She made to remove her short red boots, but after expelling much effort, she deemed the need to remove the second shoe more trouble than it was worth. The stockings she wore had ripped slightly, but she was tired. The vampire queen wasn't about to go to all the trouble of removing those too.
In fact, every part of her ensemble had started to bother her, but Marceline didn't feel inclined to change. Her shorts were too short, riding up in awkward places and being all kinds of uncomfortable. Her sports bra was too tight, clinging badly and digging into her skin. Even the loose shirt she wore was starting to chafe her neck, the fabric unsettled on her thin frame.
She didn't care. It was annoying, but today was a lazy day. Today, she didn't want anything to do with anything. Her regular routine needed something, but she didn't know what. Floating to the couch, the pale woman just let herself drop stomach first onto it. Lounging across it, she sighed loudly.
Her door was promptly broken down.
In a hail of wood and paint chips, the door basically exploded into the house. Too surprised to even move, Marceline tilted her head to the door. An eyebrow lazily jumped to her forward, but otherwise she didn't even care. Being a vampire meant losing that age-old fear of death. What was there to fear in the world when one couldn't die?
As it happens, she had no reason to be fearful in the first place. It was only Finn. The young boy bounded in the house, a huge grin spread across his face. Nothing, not even the passage of time had an effect on that indomitable spirit. Marceline threw a statement his way, not really wanting an answer.
"Finn, what the hell? Seriously, you could just knock once in a while." The boy had gained an overabundance of muscle late in his teens, which only became exaggerated as he started his way into his twenties. Somehow though, he had yet to appreciate the measure of his strength, and occurrences like this were commonplace. The young man kept the vampire on her toes. That was for sure.
"Sorry Marceline! I'm really sorry! I'll help you fix it. I totally promise." He was a ball of energy, and even his apology was full of exuberance. She waved an arm at him lazily.
"If it was any day but today, I'd be mad and stuff about this. I'd totes suck you dry right here and now." Even the words came out slowly. Something about the hollowness of today had simply drained her of all of her drive. Finn smirked at her, and Marceline had a bad feeling about the coming comment.
"Oh really? So are you saying I can do whatever and you won't get mad at me?" With that, he slowly took the corner of one of her paintings and made it askew on the wall. Marceline had regretted saying it, but had no way to take it back. She sighed resignedly.
"Yeah, fine whatever. Don't mess with me dude. I could totally whoop your ass right now." The words had no substance. Finn wasn't dumb, he saw through them in a heartbeat. He walked over to her, and with a smile he deposited his caboose right on her back. With a hiss, Marceline barred her teeth at the boy.
"What, you don't like that? How about this?" With one hand he latched his fingers around her neck, scrunching it up like a mother cat to her kitten. It was meant as a friendly little joke, but he inadvertently traced his thumb over her bite marks, and she made a very embarrassing sound halfway between a moan and a gasp. With an incredulous tone, he made a remark about it.
"What was that?" But she hardly listened. Regardless of how annoyed she was, and regardless of how tired she had been a moment before, Marceline had turned under the boy and had somehow freed herself from his weight. She was suddenly next to him, her face all too close for comfort. With a gulp, Finn was about to speak, but the vampire cut him off.
"That…is a secret that will stay between the two of us. Understand?" She was serious, but something else was present beneath the malice. Something throaty, something primal. Not knowing what he had awoken, Finn nodded in agreement.
However, Finn was curious now. Before she realized what he was doing, he had lifted his had to her scars again, and with two fingers he pressed against them again. The sound escaped her lips again, this time muted as there was less surprise in it. Something stirred in her eyes, and Finn felt he was getting himself into something he was not prepared to handle.
"Boy, if you're going to keep doing that, the next time had better be with your lips."