Story Note: AU. Bubblegum x Marceline. Oneshot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time in any way, shape, or form.
Bonniebel gently pushed the glass door inwards, hesitantly stepping inside the small building. The immediate scent of coffee assaulted her nostrils as she entered, engulfing her senses with the distinct smell. A soft melody hummed in the background and light fixtures hung from the ceiling, casting a dim light across a variety of tables and seating. She could only describe the coffee shop as reclusive and out-of-the-way, perhaps trying a little too hard to be hipster-esque. Bonnie tried to avoid coming to places like this.
It was relatively unoccupied too. There was a man at one of the tables, clicking away at the keyboard of his computer, eyes trained intensely to the screen. At the far end of the shop was what appeared to be a couple sitting in one of the booths, talking and laughing quietly amongst themselves. Save for them and the girl behind the counter, the shop was empty. Bonnie was already confused as to why her friends wanted to meet in a dingy little coffee shop to study, but she didn't ponder on it too much. Usually they holed up in one of their dorm rooms or the library to write essays and discuss their classes or whatever.
She had always been the most on-time and prompt one of their group, so she wasn't really surprised that none of them were there yet. With a sigh at her friends' inability to make it anywhere at a scheduled time, Bonnie shuffled up to the counter, deciding that she might as well order something to drink while she waited. The barista was leaning—actually, lazily slumping was more accurate—against the adjacent counter, her eyes trained downwards at a smartphone in her hands. How professional, Bonnie thought to herself as she cleared her throat in an attempt to get the woman to acknowledge her.
When that failed to catch the ebony-haired barista's attention, Bonnie glanced down and noticed a small silver bell on the counter. Suddenly, she slammed her hand down on it and a crisp ring chimed sharply through the air. The girl visibly jumped, gaze startled from the device, and shot a hot glare at the culprit of the sudden noise. As quickly as it came, however, the expression melted into that of an apologetic one before she mumbled, "Oh, uh, sorry. What can I get for you?"
She couldn't help herself. Bonnie rolled her eyes. The action was almost involuntary but did not escape the scrutinization of the barista, who's eyes narrowed slightly at the gesture. "Just a small hot chocolate, please. No foam or whip cream."
Then the barista's eyebrows shot up into a scruffy mess of side-swept bangs. "What?" she exclaimed. "But that's the best part!" Something about the girl's face and overall appearance now—the widened and impossibly crimson eyes, long mane of black hair, pale skin—made her previous irritation kind of float out the window. The dark green barista apron tied around her waist was admittedly a little cute too.
The slightest hint of a smile flickered across Bonnie's lips. "I've just never cared for it, I guess."
"That'll be $2.36," she said, shaking her head. Bonnie swiped her debit card in the little device before looking back up. A grin broke out across the barista's face then, and she chuckled as she started to mess with the machinery to make the drink. "Miss, I think you should probably get checked out by a shrink though."
"Is that so?" Bonnie questioned, this time she being the one with the raised eyebrows.
The barista nodded. "Yep, because anyone who passes up whip cream is clearly in need of medical help."
This time Bonnie couldn't stop the little smirk forming on her lips. "Do you always call your customers crazy, or is that just one of your secrets of the trade?"
"Definitely the latter," she said with a smirk of her own before sliding a paper cup of steaming liquid across the counter towards Bonnie.
"Mhm, I figured as much. Thanks," she said, taking the cup in her hands and turning away. The barista nodded with a small smile before pulling her phone back out.
Bonnie sat down at one of the tables in the middle of the shop, setting her computer bag on the table next to her cup of hot chocolate. Maybe it was a completely unconscious choice on her behalf, maybe it wasn't, but she was at a seat where she had a clear view of the barista fiddling on her device behind the counter. She pulled out her iPhone and checked the time.
3:48 PM. Her friends were later than usual. Bonnie opened up her messages and sent a quick text to Rain.
Where are you guys?
Her best friend replied almost immediately.
Uh, taking a little while to get ready than we thought, be there in a few. Sorry.
Bonnie sighed and took a sip of her hot chocolate. It was steaming but not quite warm enough to burn her tongue. For such a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, the quality was surprisingly good and she hummed in approval of the beverage.
She sat there for another five minutes before she heard the door chime open. Looking up eagerly, fully expecting Rain and Jake and Finn, she was more than a little frustrated when it was just some guy. What was weird, however, was that when his gaze met hers, his expression lit up and he began a beeline for her table. She could only blink as he took a seat across from her. "Uhh," she started, unsure of what exactly was going on.
"You must be Bonnibel!" he chirped, a sly smirk spreading across his mouth in a way that was suggestive and nothing but repulsive.
"Um, yes," she said, voice a little bit colder than usual. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
He quirked a brow. "Who? It's me! Liam? We set a date up, remember? Surely you couldn't have forgotten. Plus, you just look even better in person than your profile picture." He ran a hand through his tousled blond hair in what she figured was an attempt to appear attractive. Unfortunately for him, she was reeling with confusion and more than a little bit fed up with the entire ordeal.
"Okay, listen. I don't know who you are, how you found me, and most of all, we most definitely do not have a date. So you can just like, I don't know, leave or something," Bonnie said, shooting daggers at him and willing the stranger to leave her alone. She was beginning to develop a sinking suspicion that her friends were behind this and she was a little miffed.
"Is it my appearance? Because I promise my picture on the site is really me," he said, almost pleadingly.
It took everything in her to withhold a scoff. "No, listen, I'm sorry you've had to come here and all, but I think my friends are trying to mess with me or something and I'm honestly not looking for a relationship at the moment."
"Oh," the guy said, looking down. "It's okay, I guess. Uh, then I'll just head out then. You sure you don't w—"
"Positive."
"Okay," he said, standing up. Bonnie grit her teeth as she furiously dialed Rain's phone number.
"Hello?" the innocently sweet voice answered.
"Are you guys for real?" Bonnie hissed. "Seriously?"
"I take it your date didn't go well?" Rain asked, clearly trying to suppress giggles. She could hear the laughter of other people in the background as well.
"I would expect something like this from Finn and Jake, but you too Rain? I'm disappointed."
"It was their idea, Bon," she replied, this time unable to hold back her own laughter. Bonnie, on the other hand, scowled. "You have to admit it was a good one. Besides, you were going to study yourself to death if you didn't get some fresh air. We were just trying to help out. Honestly."
"Uh-huh. How come I get the feeling you're lying?"
A cacophony of laughter erupted and she could tell the three of them there there, all giggling to their hearts content. "Okay, whatever, screw you guys," Bonnie growled before hanging up. She turned be device to vibrate and shoved it into her bag, completely intent on not answering when her friends try to call back as she knew they would. Her head fell into her hands and she couldn't help but sigh exasperatedly. That was precisely what she didn't need. It was precious study and work time wasted. "Damn," she groaned.
"Would it make you feel better if I said you're the most interesting customer I've had since I started working here?"
Bonnie looked up to see the barista seating herself where the strange man had been just a few minutes ago. "I guess so," she grumbled, taking another long drink of her cocoa.
"Well then, you're the most interesting customer I've had since I started working here. Better? I'm Marceline, by the way." The barista offered her a slight smile and Bonnie couldn't help but feel a little less annoyed at her friends' prank.
"Bonnibel. Nice to meet you, Marceline," she said, extending a hand across the table top.
"Likewise, Bonnibel," Marceline said, grasping her hand and giving it a firm shake.
When their hands broke contact, Bonnie asked, "Shouldn't you be standing behind the counter or something?"
"It's my ten-minute break," she said, shrugging.
"Are you allowed to do that when you're the only worker here?"
"It's not like there are any customers," she replied, laughing a little.
"True," Bonnie said, she too giggling a bit.
"So, sounds like your friends pulled your leg, huh?" Marceline asked, grinning. Bonnie was starting to realize that this girl liked to smile a lot. It was attractive in a cute way, and she found herself blinking at that thought. "Hello?"
"Oh, sorry, uh yeah. They do things like this sometimes. Everyone thinks that I need to get out more but I think they're insane. Setting me up on a date was just a mean twist on their part because they know I don't really do that kind of stuff."
"So what you told him was true? You aren't interested in anyone right now?" Call Bonnie the looney one, but she swore Marceline's expression faltered just the tiniest bit. Something about the way the smile drooped off her face all of the sudden. It made her stomach clench for reasons she can't explain. So, she tried to recover for something she wasn't even sure are about.
"Ah, no," she said slowly, looking away. "That was really just to get him to leave because I was so startled about his appearance in the first place. I mean, it's true that I'm really caught up in school and making good grades, but I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of a relationship."
"Oh, that's cool," the barista said, the smirk returning. "I mean, that's not chill of your friends to do something like that. But it's good that you're available." With that, Marceline shot a wink at her and Bonnie felt all the blood in her body rise to her cheeks. She's flirting with me, isn't she?
She chuckled nervously and managed to choke out a few words at least. "Y-yes. Completely available. Why?" Bonnie felt some of her normal confidence surge through her, returning once again to her, powering her words. "You interested?"
Marceline's smirk morphed into a grin in less than a second flat. "Hmm, I don't know, maybe I am," she said sleekly.
A light fluttery feel had settled in Bonnie's stomach at this point, sending her into a bout of giddiness she struggled to contain inside herself. She didn't get hit on very often, much less in tiny little coffee shops. Even less so after being pranked by her friends. But it was happening nonetheless. She was about to say something, continue the conversation, when the door chimed and a small group of people (who were definitely not her friends) walked in.
Marceline turned around and sighed in annoyance at the sight of customers. "Hey, do you mind if I get these guys real quick? It'll just take a few minutes."
"Oh, actually," Bonnie began, somewhat sadly. "I really need to get back to my dorm and work on this paper. I'd love to stay, honestly, but—"
"No, no, I totally understand. Just, uh, here!" She grabbed a brown napkin out of the dispenser on the table before whipping out a Sharpie from one of her pockets. Hastily, she scribbled something down on it and pushed it towards Bonnie before standing up abruptly and hurrying towards the counter. "Will I see you around?" she barely had time to ask before she turned around.
Bonnie just nodded, taking the flimsy piece of paper. As Marceline began tending to the people at the counter, she looked down at it and saw seven digits written out and a smile broke out across her face. Below the numbers was the stereotypical and cliché phrase, "Call me?"
As Bonnie gathered her things, neatly folding the napkin up and depositing it into her pocket, she grinned to herself as she exited the coffee shop. Thoughts tumbled around her head, a single one being the answer to the question on the note.
Definitely.
A/N: Okay. It's really late and I wrote this oneshot in one go. Inspiration came to me when the random image of Marcy as a barista popped into my head. Then I couldn't stop thinking about how cute she would be and then this happened. Brain poop. But I enjoyed writing it anyways, even if I have school tomorrow and it's like, 5 o'clock in the morning. Totes worth it.
Haven't really done any editing. I'll probably do that tomorrow or something, but for now I just want to get this up and posted. So yeah, sorry for typos.
Anyways. Thanks a bunch for reading!