A/N: Inspired by THIS post by rayasymanchas. This story takes place before it.
The evening was cooling quickly and standing out in it was not Bubblegum's favorite idea. Sleep called to her, inviting her home for a good night's rest, but for now she had to endure the fading daylight while waiting for her ride. Her gaze drifted across the college building's parking lot, staring into nowhere.
"Are you ogling me or the bike?"
The question snapped Bubblegum out of her reverie. A blush warmed her cheeks as the pieces of the situation at hand started to fit together. She'd been accidentally staring at, well past, this woman on her motorcycle.
The woman, still seated, tilted her head expectantly and braced her hand on one knee. She raised her eyebrows and hitched a shoulder as if saying, "Well...?"
Bubblegum regained her composure quickly. "The bike," she said, "It's beautiful." She did take a moment now to admire it. It was a gorgeous, deep red with a well-polished shine, all sleek and shimmery, sporty. Bubblegum had always secretly wanted a motorcycle but had far too little time and far too many responsibilities to enjoy one.
The woman seemed surprised by the answer, maybe momentarily disappointed, and then threw her head back in a short laugh. Bubblegum caught a glimpse of her teeth, so white, and noticed that her canines were a tad sharp looking. It was kind of cute. "Throw me a bone," the woman muttered with humor purposely just loud enough for Bubblegum to hear. There was a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.
And so Bubblegum did, silently. The owner of the bike was indeed beautiful, and, if Bubblegum was the type, well worth ogling. Her thick black hair was long, all the way to her waist and Bubblegum wondered, surprising herself, what it might feel like. It dawned on her then, that she recognized this woman from class. If not for the fact that they had shared a brief, mandatory in-class, project, she probably wouldn't ever have realized. She didn't tend to make friends in class and she wasn't very good with names.
Awkwardly, the woman said suddenly, "It's cold," as though she might be trying to start up a conversation.
"So it is," Bubblegum replied too quickly, feeling as though she needed to say something in return.
"No-" the woman paused, shifting the weight of her bike onto the other foot. "I mean... It's too cold to be out here. Do you need a ride?"
Bubblegum couldn't help herself, polite manners aside, she said with light condescension, "On a motorcycle? Wouldn't that be colder than just standing here?"
Instead of being offended, the woman shrugged and flashed her canines at Bubblegum again in a smile. Why did she find that so attractive? "You'd be out of the cold faster, depending on how late your ride is…" she said first, and then added as an afterthought, "I'm Marceline, by the way."
Bubblegum nodded, remembering that too now that she'd heard it again, and offered her own, "Bonnibel." Marceline seemed to smirk as though she already knew. Maybe she was better with names… There was something about each of Marceline's smiles, though, the way she laughed even, that caused Bubblegum's heart to flutter. She pondered at the realization that she didn't mind looking at the woman and her bike. They looked really good together; they probably looked really good apart.
While Marceline wasn't a complete stranger, Bubblegum wouldn't normally accept a ride from a woman whose name she couldn't even remember. Today, however, she was cold, getting colder, and the thrill of being able to ride a motorcycle spontaneously with this beautiful woman was starting to outweigh the general, albeit well-grounded, concerns she had. She checked her watch, her ride was 20 minutes late already… Peppermint would probably be here any minute…
As usual, reason was victorious over irresponsible spontaneity. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline today," she finally answered, sounding a bit disappointed. Marceline seemed to notice.
"Ah, well," she replied, reaching for her helmet, "That's fine. I didn't think you'd accept, anyway, really." Bubblegum caught herself admiring the motorcycle jacket Marceline wore. Or, perhaps it was way Marceline looked in the jacket. She couldn't really say.
As Marceline tugged the full-faced helmet on, pulling it perfectly into place, Bubblegum reached out absently, meaning to stop her. "Hey-" she called as the woman made to turn away.
Marceline looked back over her shoulder and slid the visor up. "Mm?"
Pulling her hand back, clenching her fingers a bit, Bubblegum let a smirk play at her lips. "The answer to your first question," she said coyly, "I lied." She watched Marceline's eyebrows draw together in confusion. "The answer was… is:" she paused, unable to hide her shy grin, and looked away from Marceline. With courage she met the woman's eyes again and said, "Both."
Bubblegum could see the grin in Marceline's eyes, the rest of her expression covered by the helmet, and knew she would take the ride next time it was offered.
A/N: I don't usually do AUs but I do love motorcycles...
Thanks for reading!