Goo and Tomatoes
Summary: Marceline, Finn, and Jake traipse through the Candy Kingdom and unintentionally infect some citizens with a foul smelling goo; Marceline is being difficult; Princess Bubblegum is all-around unamused. Bubbline.
Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time or anything associated with it. I am not making a profit off of this story. I am just a poor university attendee who is addicted to the show.
A/N: Popped into my head out of nowhere while in the middle of writing chapter 2 of Toothpaste (which I can now go back to writing) and demanded to be written. Can be considered a prequel to Toothpaste, and is set… oooh… late season 4ish to early season 5ish. Not really sure yet.
0o0o0o0o0
"No. Way." Marceline stated flatly. To drive her point home, she deliberately floated a few paces away from the tub sitting innocuously before her and crossed her arms in defiance.
"Look Marceline-" Princess Bubblegum started to say from within her air-tight white suit, only to be cut off by the irate vampire queen.
"No- you look, Bonnie," Marceline interrupted loudly with a scoff. "You may be a brain lord, but you've finally gone off your rocker if you think that I'm going to go anywhere near that- that vile concoction!"
Bubblegum slapped a hand against her face mask and slowly slid it down, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. She was trying - glob was she ever trying – but Marceline was seriously testing her patience. She had made it a personal vow to try harder with the vampire, however it was becoming abundantly clear that at the time of the vow she had forgotten just how legendary the queen's stubbornness could be.
And all this trouble over taking a lumping bath…
Everything had been fine in her world until Finn, Jake, and Marceline had shown up at her palace a few hours ago, mere minutes after dusk had fallen on the kingdom. Initially glad to see her friends, Bubblegum had first been alerted that something was wrong when a few of her citizens began crying out as the trio walked near them. Confused, the princess attempted to calm the panicking candy people down from afar. It was only when her friends got close enough for her to finally deduce what the problem was, did the sheer power of it stop her in her tracks.
To put it in simple terms, her friends stank.
And this wasn't just an Ice-King-hasn't-washed-in-a-month kind of stink, or even a wrestled-with-a-diseased-bear-in-a-fetid-mud-pit kind of stink. Oh no; this was an eye-watering, toe-curling, gag-inducing, worst-thing-I've-smelt-in-my-life kind of stink – which was saying a lot, considering she dug up half rotted corpses on a semi-regular basis…
… All in the name of science, of course.
The worst part was, however, that the smell seemed to be – of all things - contagious; a number of her citizens who had been near the trio were quickly infected, turning the unfortunate situation into an epidemic waiting to happen. It was only due to Peppermint Butler quickly whisking her away and insisting that she don a full-body suit that she herself was spared the indignity of becoming infected – if it was indeed an infection. She wasn't entirely sure if it was, and that also rankled her thinning patience.
After ushering the trio – as well as the handful of infected candy people – into a quarantined hospital room within the palace, Bubblegum had taken samples of the slimy clear goo coating her friends and cloistered herself in her lab. A few hours of study later and she still was no closer to finding out exactly how the goo spread – it seemed to choose its victims on a whim, and yet that made no sense because it wasn't sentient and so shouldn't be able to discriminate amongst its victims. She had been lucky enough to concoct a cure, though it was admittedly created completely by chance.
She had accidentally knocked over a few vials and beakers onto a petri dish in her haste, only to notice that the goo seemed to recoil from the mixture. A few dozen controlled tests later and she had effectively discovered the cure – a fact that she only took a modicum of pleasure in, seeing as she still didn't understand the 'illness' itself. Intending to send the cure to Peppermint Butler to be distributed amongst the infected and continue her research until she found her answer, she was instead disturbed a few minutes later with the news that one of her patients was being uncooperative.
Already having an inkling on what to expect, Bubblegum had locked the samples up and reluctantly made her way back to the sick room. Half an hour later and here she was, still trying to convince the stubborn vampire before her to suck it up and stop being difficult.
"Marceline," Bubblegum straightened up and placed her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing at the floating vampire. "Get. In. The. Tub."
"No," Marceline growled, fangs just barely poking over her lips as her brows slanted in a glare at the bossy princess.
"Ugh! I don't have time for this!" Bubblegum threw her hands up in annoyance before pointing at the purple curtain dividing the room. "Finn and Jake are bathing in the cure without complaint! My subjects – whom I might add were completely innocent in all of this – are bathing in the cure without complaint!" Here she stomped up to the floating vampire and actually poked her in the chest with each emphasized word in her frustration. "It's only you - the millennia old vampire - who is being difficult!"
"Back off Princess!" Marceline snarled, her eyes flashing at the audacity of the pink monarch as her hand shot up and captured the one that had assaulted her.
"Or what? You'll drain me?" Bubblegum sassed back angrily, impulsively bringing up her free hand and prodding the vampire once more with a pink finger.
Marceline hissed as she glared into fiery orbs, her hair starting to churn into inky black tentacles as she rapidly grew a few inches. Opening her mouth as her grip tightened slightly, her sharp comeback was interrupted by a loud voice coming from behind the curtain.
"Ladies, ladies," Jake called out, his untimely interruption unknowingly saving the two monarchs from regretting whatever volatile words they were undoubtedly about to fling at each other, though at the moment all they did was glare at the curtain for the untimely interruption. "Simmer down, would ya? The candy peeps over here are shaking in their sugar – which, y'know, prolly ain't too healthy for 'em..."
Bubblegum closed her eyes in shame at the slip-up in front of her subjects, mentally cursing the fact that her interactions with the vampire queen often dissolved into loud and angry verbal sparring – an unhealthy addition to any friendly relationship, for sure. Taking deep, even breathes, the pink princess slowly wrestled her emotions under control. When she next looked at the angry vampire before her, it was with the calm yet detached resolve of one bowing to logic over emotions, her expression as blank as the air-tight mask she wore.
Marceline bit back the reflexive angry retort that practically burned the tip of her tongue, her eyes narrowing to near slits as she recognized the expression on the candy monarch's face. Hissing once more in frustration, her form slowly returned to normal as she dropped the pink hand and averted her gaze away from the princess with a scoff.
Silence reigned between the two monarchs, both of them stewing in their own churning thoughts. As the minutes ticked by, the only sounds in the room were the light splashing and low murmurs slowly starting back up from the male side of the curtain.
"Um, gals?" Finn's voice spoke up hesitantly, his tone wary. "You uh- you still alive over there? I mean- alive and undead? Please tell me you didn't kill each other – that would be so un-math that it's not even funny."
Ignoring the youngest person in the room, Marceline sighed loudly through her nose and ran a hand agitatedly through her shaggy dark locks before finally turning her attention back towards the princess. "Look Bubblegum, I'll just get out of your hair and go home; I'll figure out some other way to get rid of this gunk."
"No," Bubblegum responded resolutely.
"Excuse me?" Marceline's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "No?"
"No." Bubblegum reiterated calmly, her voice firm.
"You just- Ugh!" Marceline growled in exasperation. "I can't believe you! Now who's being difficult?"
"Marceline-"
"I refuse to bathe in that," Marceline pointed at the red liquid within the tub in disgust. "So I'm offering to take myself and my stench away from your precious kingdom and all you have to say is no?!"
"That is correct," Bubblegum nodded decisively. "Now if you would immerse yourself in the antidote-"
"Glob Bonnie!" Marceline retorted in frustration. While it was true that there was no power within the kingdom which could effectively keep her from breaking out if she tried, she would have to use force; she was loath to take that course of action, however, since despite their current volatile disagreement the two monarchs were consciously putting forth an effort to patch up their broken relationship. As was evident by their current situation, some days they were more successful in that particular endeavor than others. "Why do you have to be such a- such a butt?!"
"Just by walking within the limits of my kingdom, the three of you infected eight other individuals. We are uncertain as to exactly how the pathogen spreads and infects others." Bubblegum recited the words clinically, her voice a near monotone as she stared down the irritate vampire before her. "I am not letting you out to potentially infect more of my subjects until you yourself have been cured."
Marceline stared at the pink monarch in silence, her angry expression melting into a considerably smaller frown. The princess had always been like a doting mother hen when it came to her precious subjects, a fact that both frustrated the vampire to no end and at the same time made her secretly proud of her long-time friend. Glancing at the sealed window to the moonlit night outside, the vampire spoke in a noticeably quieter tone; she was still annoyed, yet her anger had all but cooled at the realisation. "You don't know that I would."
"Each of you infected nearly three other individuals within minutes. Given the length of time it would take you to fly home - and the amount of time it would take to find the initially infected - the goo could have spread throughout the entire kingdom before we would be able contain it." Bubblegum laid out the facts frankly, not trying to be mean but trying to get the older girl to understand why she was being so insistent.
"But-but tomatoes?" Marceline pointed at the sickening red liquid within the tub, its deceptive innocence mocking her with its very existence.
"Among other things, yes," Bubblegum nodded in affirmative.
"Look dude, just get in the bath," Jake spoke up as he floated on his back in his own tub. "The water's great, and it smells a heck of a lot better than that goo that mutant-skunk-bear-thing sprayed us with."
"Plus, if you think about it," Finn pitched in again. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't stolen that mutant-skunk-bear-thing's berries. Not-uh, not saying that this is your fault. Nope. Not saying that at all."
"Dude!" Jake whisper yelled to his brother. "Shut up, man! Didn't you learn today that poking an angry bear is nuts for your health?"
Bubblegum raised a brow at the admission, causing Marceline to bite the inside of her cheek in annoyance; the vampire admitted – within the sanctity of her own mind, of course – that maybe she shared some of the blame for their current situation.
Maybe.
"I just can't take the chance," Bubblegum spoke slowly, practically willing the other to understand.
Marceline exhaled deeply - the unneeded breath more a calming mechanism than a necessary one – and wavered slightly in indecision before turning to glower at the tub. When she spoke, it was with no small amount of grumbled petulance. "…Fine."
Bubblegum's posture visibly slumped in relief at her hard-won victory, only to stiffen up again moments later as Marceline spoke.
"But!" Marceline slid her eyes back over to the wary pink monarch, a sly smile crossing her lips. If she was going to suffer, it wasn't going to be alone.
"But…?" Bubblegum prompted cautiously.
"I have two-no, three conditions," Marceline spoke with an audible smirk, the mischievous twinkle once again at home in her ruby eyes.
"Marce-"
"Ah-ah-ah-ah, Princess!" Marceline interrupted the protest before it was even fully formed. Flipping onto her back, she crossed one arm behind her head and brought one hand up to waggle a pale finger at the candy princess "Let me finish; I want you to take off that ridiculous marshmallow suit and wait here with me until I'm 'cured'."
"But - the chances of becoming infected myself are-" Bubblegum furrowed her brows and mumbled to herself, only to be interrupted once again.
"Tough luck Bonnie; guess you'll just have to bathe in this disgusting slime with me," Marceline retorted smugly, earning herself a cool glance.
"…I see." Bubblegum acquiesced reluctantly, pushing her rising discomfort down in the face of actually making progress with the stubborn vampire. Slowly removing her mask, her nose wrinkled at suddenly being able to smell the gag-worthy goo. "And your third demand?"
Marceline suddenly floated into Bubblegum's personal space, their noses nearly bumping as the vampire's face turned serious. "…stop with the clinical detachment, Bonnibel."
"What?" Bubblegum jerked her head back slightly at the sudden motion and blinked in surprise at the demand, her logic-driven mask falling in reflex to show her confusion.
"It's… Look- it may be sexy when you're completely spaced and nerding out over your science experiments," Marceline explained as she floated back a few paces and inspected her nails nonchalantly, hiding uncomfortably behind a flippant tone. "But it just feels…. wrong when you act that way towards people – well, me. Mostly me."
"I- alright," Bubblegum nodded slowly, her brow furrowed slightly as she puzzled over what the vampire had revealed for a few moments before pushing the thoughts aside. Quickly weighing the pros and cons – and realizing that she had already removed her mask anyways – Bubblegum reluctantly bowed to the vampire's remaining demands. "I accept your terms."
"Great." Gathering herself, Marceline floated over the tub and quickly lowered herself into the liquid, a disgusted look sliding onto her face as she immersed herself up to her shoulders. "Oh, gross. How long do I have to stay in this gunk for?"
"Until the timer goes off." Glancing at the grossed out vampire as she warily poked the red liquid surrounding her, Bubblegum reluctantly began toying with the clasp of her bodysuit. She was likely already contaminated - now she just had to work up the nerve to finish disrobing and join the vampire in the large tub. "It shouldn't take too long; I made this bath more concentrated than the others. Remember though - the more skin contact with the antidote, the better."
"Whatever." Reaching down, the vampire queen shimmied out of her pants and messily tossed them onto the floor with a loud squelch. Pulling at her t-shirt, she yanked that off as well, getting a bunch of the foul liquid in her face in the process. "Blegh. You so owe me for this Bon." Reaching beneath the dark liquid for the clasp of her bra, a slightly higher pitched than usual voice stopped her in her tracks.
"You can keep those on!" Bubblegum squeaked out before clearing her throat, her fingers moving on to toying distractedly with the zipper on her suit. "There-um, there isn't enough material left to really make a difference in the effectiveness of the treatment - so you can keep your underwear on."
"Oh?" Slowly lowering her hands, Marceline allowed a small smirk to curl her lips as she watched pink cheeks darken into a delicious shade of red in amusement. "If you say so, Princess."
"I do," Bubblegum nodded distractedly, pulling the zipper down slightly. "Say so, that is."
"Of course," Marceline sent the younger girl a fanged half-grin as she watched her hesitate, feeling not even an ounce of pity for all but forcing the princess to suffer through the tomato bath alongside her. It didn't take long, however, for her to lose her patience. "Hurry up Bonnie, I wouldn't put it past this gunk to actually get fouler with time."
"Don't rush me," Bubblegum muttered, her cheeks puffed up as she eyed the tub. Biting her lip, she pointedly ignored Marceline's eye-roll at her hypocrisy as she slowly drew the zipper down her stomach. Feeling Marceline's gaze focused on her, Bubblegum flushed and glared at the seated vampire out of the corner of her eye. "Close your eyes."
Smirking, Marceline followed the younger monarch's orders without complaint as she leaned back against the edge of the tub and threaded her fingers behind her head to form a makeshift pillow. Hearing the sound of a zipper lowering and clothes rustling a few seconds later, however, the vampire couldn't resist cracking an eye open and peeking. Watching as Bubblegum quickly pulled her plum colored sweater and lavender t-shirt over her head in one fell swoop, Marceline was just able to catch a glimpse of a pale back and long legs before the princess started to turn around again. Quickly closing her eye, she waited until she felt and heard the equally undressed pink princess settle into the tub with her.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Marceline asked in a bored tone.
"Sure." Bubblegum shifted uncomfortably under the other's red scrutiny. Averting her gaze to study the liquid gently lapping at her raised knees, the princess attempted to mutter crossly - though it came out more closely resembling a meek mumble. "…You better not have freaking looked."
"Who, me? Nah- 'course not." Marceline's fangs poked out slightly as she grinned innocently, only to falter after a few moments. Attempt wasted as her companion didn't even glance at her once, Marceline allowed her expression to fade into a vaguely concerned one. Taking in the princess's posture – knees folded into her chest with her arms wrapped around them, attention focused solely on looking down – the vampire frowned lightly. Extending her leg, she gently nudged Bubblegum with her foot, making the pink girl start and snap her attention upwards onto the vampire. "Hey."
"…Hey," Bubblegum responded slowly, her voice somewhat wary.
"Relax, Bonnibel," Marceline graced her with a small yet genuine smile in place of one of her regular smirks, surprising the younger monarch. "It's just me here."
"Just you?" Bubblegum mumbled doubtfully; as if Marceline the Vampire Queen could be just anything. How was she supposed to relax when she was sitting half-naked in a tub with the vampire? And that wasn't even taking into consideration the gaggle of boys bathing just on the other side of the makeshift divider.
"Yeah. Just me," Marceline confirmed encouragingly. Watching the pink princess chew on her lip hesitantly and glance quickly at the curtain dividing the room, Marceline blinked abruptly in understanding. Suddenly imagining Finn or Jake or any of the candy people peeking past the curtain and seeing Bubblegum in her current state, the vampire felt a heavy weight settle into her un-beating chest and frowned.
"Hey guys?" Marceline spoke loudly as she stared straight at the princess, her tone seemingly flippant yet with a hint of danger hidden just beneath the surface. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm really hungry, so if anyone is stupid enough to peek over here, I'll take pleasure in draining the red from your insides before turning you inside-out – and not necessarily in that order."
Marceline watched as the princess's expression warred between exasperation and gratefulness at her announcement, even as her sensitive hearing picked up the affirmative – and terrified - squeaks from the boys. Seeing a tiny smile curl the candy princess's lips as she relaxed enough to lower her legs into a crossed position, the vampire figured gratefulness had won.
"You shouldn't threaten people to get your point across," Bubblegum spoke suddenly as she glanced shyly up at the watching vampire through her lashes. "…Thank you, though."
"It wasn't for your benefit, P-Bubs," Marceline waved away the unneeded thanks, though the quick wink she sent the princess's way belied her dismissive words. "Those two Peeping Toms have already seen me in my underwear one time too many – no need for them to get any ideas."
Bubblegum smiled and relaxed even more as she understood the untold message, reluctantly admitting to herself that though this whole situation was Marceline's fault to begin with, the vampire could be sweet if she wanted to be. Settling down into a comfortable silence, the princess absently allowed her gaze and mind to wander only for it to gravitate back to her companion. Covertly watching the vampire with conflicting emotions warring within her, she took note that Marceline pointedly kept her gaze focused anywhere but the liquid she was resting in.
"Hey Marcy?" Bubblegum spoke up, her curiosity winning out as usual.
"Hmm?" Marceline blinked and moved her attention from trying to figure out what the blue stain on the ceiling most resembled – she was undecided between a fish and a giant killer robot – and fixed her gaze questioningly on the pink princess before her. "Yeah, what is it?"
"What's up with your aversion to tomatoes, anyway?" Bubblegum furrowed her brows in confusion; this subject had been bugging her for a while, and she absolutely hated not knowing things. "I would have thought you'd love them for their color alone."
"Oh, that. It's a long story," Marceline stated dismissively, before frowning lightly. "…And it's not like I automatically like something just because it's red, you know. I do have some standards."
Bubblegum tilted her head to the side like a curious puppy, her hands folding patiently in her lap beneath the surface of the liquid as she waited. Resolve breaking after only a few minutes of that lethally adorable look, Marceline sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, so I was like – I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I was just a kid. It was just after the Mushroom War, so the world was pretty messed up and food was kind of hard to come by. After what felt like a week of not eating anything besides the occasional mutated squirrel, my… guardian… Simon, found this stockpile of non-perishable cans, all of them missing their labels." Marceline spoke lowly so as not to be overheard by the others, her voice starting out diffidently only to take on a melancholically nostalgic tone as her story progressed. Laughing slightly and without any real joy, she thought back to what she could remember of those earlier times – which was a surprising amount, due to her demonic heritage.
"Turns out the whole stash was made up of cans of tomatoes – tomato soup, tomato paste, sliced tomatoes, candied tomatoes, dried tomatoes, seasoned and unseasoned tomatoes… Let's just say that our diet lacked any sort of variety for months. After all this time, even the thought of tomatoes is still enough to make my skin itch and crawl, and my taste buds revolt…" Marceline remembered the face she used to make as she choked down the sickening cans, only really eating them because Simon worried about her having enough food to grow big and strong. If only he could see her now – over a millennia old, Queen of the Vampires, respected and as healthy as an undead half-demon could get – and actually remember her; if only he could remember things even half as well as she did…
Princess Bubblegum frowned as Marceline trailed off, her expression bittersweet. Internally regretting her curious nature – though she couldn't deny that at least a part of her was satisfied with finally having the mystery solved – she decided then and there that there actually was an emotion she liked less on Marceline than anger. Feeling a pang in her chest as Marceline lost herself in obviously depressing memories, she helplessly scanned the room for a way to break her out of her morose state. Spotting a bucket lying discarded on its side beside the tub, she was suddenly struck with a –questionably insane - idea.
Marceline's unfocused eyes suddenly snapped closed as she was unceremoniously yanked from her reverie by a cascading torrent of red liquid being dumped on her head. Spluttering, she rubbed the stinging liquid from her eyes and cracked them open in a hot glare, the object of her surprised ire reclining casually with an innocently raised brow. "What the- What gives, Princess?!"
"…There was some gunk in your hair," Bubblegum responded after a slight pause.
"There was some- that's like, the oldest trick in the book!" Marceline fumed. Espying the discarded bucket, she decided that sometimes vengeance really was the answer and began mumbling angrily under her breath. "I'll show you some gunk in your hair…"
0o0o0
Jake followed the rest of the cured people out of the pool-sized tub as the timer went off. Shaking himself like the dog he was, he ignored the spluttering from the sprayed candle people and twisted his body into a tight coil to squeeze out the excess liquid. Bouncing back into shape, he yawned and walked up to the waiting Peppermint Butler, snickering only slightly at the ridiculous marshmallow suit he still wore.
"Yo Peppy, which way are the digs PB set us up with for the night?" Jake all but whined. "I'm bushed man- like, I could seriously sleep through breakfast and not even care." Pausing, the dog started to rub his belly in hungry remembrance. "Unless there's bacon; I always care about bacon."
"If you will follow me, I will escort you two to your quarters," Peppermint Butler replied stiffly, before muttering under his breath. "…And gladly lock you two hooligans in. It is woefully unfortunate that the dungeons are currently occupied."
Preoccupied with cleaning tomato out of his ears, Jake distractedly asked the butler to repeat himself. "What'd you say Peppy- something about pie? I couldn't hear you clearly on account of the tomato in my ears."
"I said that I will show you to your room," Peppermint replied in a sickly sweet voice, his face a mask of innocence.
"Sweet." Starting after the mint in the marshmallow suit, Jake paused and looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Finn. You coming bro?"
"What?" Finn blinked and turned his head from listening closely to the curtain to look at his brother. "Oh- right. Yeah. I'm comin'" Taking a step back from the curtain, Finn shrugged into his robe and took a step towards Jake when a loud gasp followed by raised voices from the girl's side of the room caught his attention.
"Marceline!"
"Hah! Gunk – hair – worry I got it-"
"-butt! I know – fact-"
An uncertain frown sliding onto his face as the girls bickered loudly, their words occasionally overshadowed by a large splash or a shriek, Finn took a hesitant step towards the curtain only to be stopped in his tracks. Looking down at the paw on his shoulder, he followed the stretched limb back to his brother who was still standing by the door.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you nuts, man?" Jake twisted his arm around the human and began to reel him in. "Don't you remember what Marceline said about sucking our blood and turning us inside-out?"
"But Jake-" Finn started only to be cut off abruptly.
"Blood. Inside. Out." Jake stressed the words as he lifted the younger boy up and shook him in emphasis before looking him in the eye. "I may be able to stretch like it's nobody's business, but dude - even I wanna keep my insides on the inside."
"But shouldn't we do something?" Finn burst out, glancing back at the purple curtain. "Like- what if they hurt each other and junk?"
"I have faith that Lady Abadeer won't mess things up too badly – this time." Peppermint Butler glared at the two stragglers, wanting them out of the room posthaste; he was about as enthused with the two males being in the same room as his half-dressed princess as she and the vampire were. "Now. You. Will. Follow. Me."
Jake and Finn exchanged looks as the butler stormed – though it looked more like waddling with the suit on – out the door. Finn muttered to Jake out of the corner of his mouth while the dog slowly set him back on the floor. "What's up with him?"
"Eh," Jake scratched his chin as he studied the peppermint's back before shrugging. "It's prolly past his bedtime or some junk like that. Ooh! Maybe that suit's giving him a major wedgie, and he wants to hurry up so he can pick it in private!"
"Nuts. Poor guy." Finn winced in sympathy. Shooting the curtain one last glance – his ears still picking up angry female voices, though they were considerably quieter than before – he turned to Jake. "You sure it's okay to leave 'em?"
"Finn, Finn, Finn," Jake shook his head as he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder and led him out of the room. "I think it's about time your Big Brother told you a thing or two about women…"
0o0o0
"-and furthermore, the fact that you unfailingly miss each and every royal summit, despite being royalty yourself, is another reason why-"
Marceline rolled her eyes and slouched on her side of the tub, stewing in irritation as the princess went on and on about her many faults and shortcomings. She had absolutely no idea how they had deviated this much from their initial argument of pouring red slime on each other. All the vampire knew at this point was that the princess was as worked up as she was, except she was allowed to speak her mind – every time Marceline tried to get a word in edgewise, she was effectively hushed like a misbehaving child and forced to listen to an even louder rant than before.
"-so the only solution I can see is- Marceline!" Bubblegum cut herself off midsentence as she realized the infuriating vampire wasn't even listening to her. "Pay attention!"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry Princess," Marceline growled back, sarcasm practically dripping from her words. "Please, continue with your oh-so-important criticism of everything I've ever done – or not done. Really, I think you've only covered about a century or so – there are quite a few left to go."
"You-you-ugh!" Bubblegum threw her hands up into the air in frustration. "That's another thing! You always-"
Low growl vibrating in her chest, Marceline's eyebrows twitched as she snarled quietly. Watching the princess passionately continue her rant, her arms flailing left and right in emphasis, the vampire was slightly taken aback as she could have sworn she caught the ghost of a smile fleetingly dance across pink lips. Ruby eyes narrowing, she inspected the younger girl more closely.
A few minutes of intense scrutiny later, and Marceline still wasn't sure if she had imagined the smile or not, though her inspection did lead to another revelation. No longer indescribably incensed, her previous ire was pooling in her chest in the form of incredible heat, the powerful sensation a precursor of intense feelings she thought she had beaten down and locked away ages ago. Clawed fingers curling into tight fists, the vampire shifted uncomfortably before unconsciously leaning forward, her red eyes seemingly glowing with an inner light.
She had always known that the princess was beautiful, and sitting here now, she couldn't help but think of what an understatement that was. Bubblegum - beyond being physically appealing - was also beautiful on the inside, her personality quirks speaking to both the human and demon within the vampire; the princess's unyielding loyalty and devotion to those she considered her own, her quirky goofiness that usually only came out when she was around people she counted as friends, her dedication to science and all things nerdy, her adorable shyness when she was embarrassed or pushed outside of her comfort zone… Hell, even her bossy and confrontational nature towards the vampire only served to work her instincts up into a frenzy - and not exactly in a bad way, either.
Too far gone to pull back and escape the situation like she did the few times these emotions had reared up within her in the past, Marceline gazed at the red-stained pink monarch with lightly hooded eyes; tricking the princess into sharing the tub with her was most likely not one of her smartest ideas, but she was so far past the point of caring that she quickly banished the thought from her mind. Instead, she took in the fire burning in her sparkling eyes - the passion with which she spoke - and something inside her growled with animalistic satisfaction at the fact that it was pointed towards her. It was only a matter of time when, as Bubblegum accidentally smacked the liquid while emphasising her point and causing a wave of red to splash up and slowly drip down her slender neck, Marceline finally snapped.
"-and don't think I don't realize that it's you who keeps moving my beakers around in my-" Bubblegum's eyes widened as her impassioned speech was abruptly cut off by a soft mouth being pressed firmly and urgently against her own. Brain screeching to a halt in shock, the princess's body seemed to switch to autopilot after a few seconds. Melting slightly into the kiss, her eyes fluttered closed of their own accord.
Beginning to respond by lightly pressing into the kiss, it was only a few moments later that Bubblegum's eyes snapped open as she felt the edge of a fang pressing lightly against her lip. Realizing exactly who she was kissing, the dazed princess pulled back abruptly. Shocked, she brought a hand up to lightly hover over her lips as she watched the vampire recoil back to her side of the tub, seeing yet not exactly registering the shocked and confused expression Marceline wore as well.
"You… You kissed me…" Bubblegum stuttered, completely flabbergasted by the unexpected action, her earlier rant all but forgotten.
Marceline blinked rapidly, the overwhelming heat previously suffusing her body dropping to a low simmer as she froze in shock at her own actions. Glancing at the stunned princess, she felt the stirrings of heat start to rise again and jerked her gaze to the side. Furrowing her brow in confusion at her inability to control herself, she brought a hand up and ran it through her hair in reflex, the repetitive action meant to soothe her frazzled nerves.
"You- You kissed me!" Bubblegum blurted out again, this time the words sounding more like an accusation as she dropped her hand and pointed it at the vampire.
"Yeah- well," Marceline stumbled over her words. Taking a chance, she glanced at the princess's face to gauge her expression – which was a flushed mixture of shock and embarrassment – and frowned. Sighing through her nose, she clutched a handful of her hair and tugged lightly, the action surprisingly acting as a catalyst for an epiphany. Straightening up and dropping her hair, she risked facing the princess fully as she vaguely remembered one very important detail from their kiss. "…You kissed me back."
"W-what?" Bubblegum recoiled slightly as if physically stung. Now her turn to fidget, the candy princess absently tugged at the end of a long lock of pink hair.
"You kissed me back!" Marceline crowed in triumph, a smug look sliding onto her face as the princess's blush deepened.
"I did not!" Bubblegum denied defensively, smacking the liquid once more, this time in frustration.
Swallowing thickly as the red splashed onto the princess once more – and at this point not even caring that it was tomato juice – Marceline forcefully tore her eyes away from the enticing sight to lock gazes with Bubblegum. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was slightly deeper than usual. "Did too."
"I most certainly did not!" Bubblegum retorted sharply, her lips pursed and her arms crossed pointedly across her chest. "Why would I even kiss someone like you in the first place? You must be delusional or something – maybe this tomato bath wasn't such a good idea after all."
"Hey!" Marceline growled in irritation. "What the nuts is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means…" Bubblegum floundered slightly, her defenses crumbling for a moment before she slammed them back up with a huff. "It means exactly what it means, that's what!"
"Oh," Marceline drawled sarcastically. "So eloquent, Princess – did you think that up all by yourself?"
"Oh, shut up!" Bubblegum snapped, the jab at her intelligence hitting its mark.
"You shut up!" Marceline hissed, her eyebrows twitching in annoyance at the nerve of the princess, her irritation serving to cover up the confusing pang of hurt she felt at the vehement denial. Seeing that the princess was about to retort once again, Marceline impulsively decided to show the Bubblegum just how kissable she really was.
"You-" And for the second time that day, Bubblegum's words were muffled and interrupted by a set of lips crashing into her own. This time, however, Marceline practically straddled the shorter monarch and pinned her against the side of the tub with her own body, the skin on skin contact causing Bubblegum to gasp.
Taking the opportunity, Marceline's forked tongue made its way into the candy princess's mouth and slid against Bubblegum's, chasing after the elusive muscle in a game of cat and mouse. Sliding her hands up, she buried one hand in pink locks, the other stopping halfway to rub small soothing circles against a pink neck.
Bubblegum wavered for a few long moments, trying to resist the sensations coursing through her by sheer stubbornness of will, only to ultimately fail. Letting out a small involuntary whimper as Marceline's gentle digits hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, Bubblegum gave up her futile resistance and melted once more into the embrace, this time raising her arms and wrapping them around the vampire's neck in an attempt to pull her closer.
Growling slightly at the pleasurable sensation of fingers threading through the soft hair at the nape of her neck, Marceline pressed closer and deepened the kiss, immensely satisfied at the small sounds of pleasure escaping the princess's throat. Point made – and grudgingly aware of Bubblegum's need for breathing – Marceline gentled the kiss until it was soft and sensual, instead of hard and passionate. Receiving a different – yet no less encouraging – reaction to the altered pace, Marceline finally broke away slowly from the kiss, though she stayed pressed up against the princess.
Bubblegum panted for breath, her flushed body limp against the vampire's slightly cooler one. Feeling a hand gently move a lock of hair out of her face, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up into mischievously twinkling orbs, the desire she could just make out causing Bubblegum to swallow reflexively.
"…How was that for a kiss, Princess?" Marceline purred smugly, a single fang poking out from between her lips.
Attempting to glare at the smug vampire, all the flustered princess was able to do was gaze up at her through her lashes and mumble unintelligibly before averting her gaze with a hot blush.
Hearing the second timer go off, Marceline perked up. Still slightly sore at the princess's earlier comment – though in considerably higher spirits – the vampire grinned impishly. Leaning forward the short distance, Marceline spoke directly into a conveniently placed ear. "…Hey Bonnibel, mind if I use your shower?"
Not really comprehending what was said – focusing more on the sensation of lips brushing against her overly sensitive skin – Bubblegum let out a strangled whimper. Feeling a set of fangs scrape lightly along her earlobe before tugging gently, the candy monarch squirmed slightly and gasped.
Feeling now one-hundred times better, Marceline pulled back and winked at the dazed princess. "Thanks, Bonnie; knew I could count on you." Stealing one last quick kiss, the vampire slipped out of the now loose embrace and scooped up a pile of clothes before zooming towards the princess's chambers, a delighted chuckle echoing in her wake.
Bubblegum sat alone in the room in stunned silence for a few long minutes, her hand having risen and her fingers brushing absently against her still tingling lips. Finally coming out of her stupor with a blink, Bubblegum couldn't stop a giddy little smile from settling on her face. Standing up, she reached beside her for one of the extra towels only to freeze as her hand met air. Turning around slowly in a circle, the princess's face paled only to flush red once more, this time for a completely different reason.
Besides the overly large and heavy purple curtain dividing the room, there was not a single scrap of material to be seen anywhere. Shivering lightly as a small breeze wafted in from the open door, Bubblegum's hands curled into fists as she growled and stomped her foot, sloshing even more liquid onto the floor.
"Marceline!"
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