I do not own anything! Please enjoy-

Nothing had changed in the kingdom in all of the years past. The same tainted pink hues brightened in the sun's rays, little melodies and voices' floating past whatever festivity was currently going on. None of the people had changed, none of the shrubbery, and none of the memories he had fled his mind of the kingdom. The years had seemed like multiple centuries to his worn body and as all the imagery flooded his senses his crippled control withered away.

His arm came to rest above his shoulder and he could feel the candied bark rubbing into his sleeve, jutting into little weapons. Following his arm, his head fell to a rest against his forearm. The smell of the kingdom was enough to bring him to his knees, his emotions boiling. The tantalizing sweet aroma reminded him of so many positive memories he once held of the ruler, whose own smell threaded into the kingdoms. The emotions that he felt were related to the same ruler that had brought him out of his personal shadows and into the other's bright light.

"Marshall, is that really you?" His breath caught in his throat at the sound of that voice he hadn't heard since before he fled, fists clenching. He had not hear anyone close on him. "What are you doing out here? Come inside, man, I cannot believe it has been this lo-"

"Fionna, I prefer to not. The only thing to be accomplished within those castle walls is the tearing of what is left of a heart that I have." And you damn well know it will bring me down. He kept his back to the woman, both tensing along with the air around them, until he heard her feet gliding her body closer to his person. Slowly turning, he ignored the overwhelming sensation to snap at her, to cause her some kind of pain. He sighed, turning his scowl towards her. Just when he thought he could not be tempted even further, he was proven wrong.

She had the same strong, independent aura but oh, she'd grown ever more beautiful. In the time he had been gone she had removed her cap, blonde hair flowing loosely around her voluptuous curves. Her lashes swirled upward, no make-up adorning her porcelain complexion. The blue remained attached to her skirts, which came as no surprise to him. However, as she raised her hand towards his face he noticed the gleaming nails; it seemed that she conquered that horrible habit. Before, whenever she would get nervous, those little nubs would fly straight to her mouth. Great, she was even more perfect than before.

"But Marshall, it has been forever and you know that Gumball would love to see you. He was so worried when you ran away that night." And there it was that clenching in his chest cavity. It was such a wonderfully harsh name to be uttered by those thin lips. He felt his head sway to the sound of such an implication of seeing the inside of the castle once more, its inhabitant once more. "We'd be more than happy to have you, old friend."

As her hand landed on his shoulder he felt an itch in the back of his throat accompanied with a sting behind his eyes. This is why he had left, to avoid hearing the only word that could break his defenses, tear his very being. Gumball. He knew if he had stayed there was no running from such a word and knew it would have driven him to insanity.

"I am sorry, Fionna, but I must decline your offer. I just…can't." He refused to connect her gaze to his own; instead, he chose to look towards the candied floor. It was not her fault that he and his prince had grown apart, so he need not treat her as the enemy. "Not yet, I am not ready for the toll it will take on my mind to see his face again. The name alone bares its burden."

They remained in silence, her reading over his facial expression and he avoiding her eyes. Her hand rubbed at his shoulder, a sad smile trailing out along with a sigh.

"Just know that if you decide on a different direction, one towards his companionship once more, you have to come into the kingdom. I'll make sure the gate remains open for you." With one final shoulder pat, she rounded the tree they were behind and headed back towards the kingdom, gathering the long skirts in one hand.

Oh how he had once flourished within those walls, within those pink arms of that boy. Only now could he look back at all of the foolish things that came as a result of his youth. So much could have been different if he had only acted differently, had acted better. All of the things he should have done flew back into his conscience and he felt a thin stream of heat trail down his chin.

"Marshall Lee! How many times do I have to stand here, watching such behavior, obviously looking upon it with as much horror as I can muster, before you stop it?!" He'd always loved how Gumball's voice would heighten when he would yell at him and how his cheeks would flare with heat.

"More than one, your highness." He smirked down from his stoop, high upon Gumball's bed. He had himself laid within the canopy, strumming a tune that had flown into his mind. Because of his weight the canopy dipped low, pulling against its foundation. Gumball stood there, rolling his eyes at the mess that this absurd king had brought into his life. Not only had he trudged in after the rain he was ruining his draperies.

After an impatient minute of waiting for the dark headed man to come down from atop his bed, he turned on his heel. Knowing that it would take more than a question to get the man down he decided it was not worth his time. His fingers pulled open his overlarge armoire and he nearly crawled into it, obviously searching for something.

"Not more than once." Marshall could hardly hear the pink prince grumbling inside his armoire.

"Excuse me?"

Gumball pulled his head from the inside to glance back at him, a smug look gracing his soft features. "Your grammar is leaning more towards the less perfect side of a pendulum." He gave a shrug, not sparing the other boy a glance. That would only annoy him all the more, to not gain the desired response from his pesky guest.

Huffing, the prince turned back to his task. It was just another moment before Gumball had found what he was looking for and had slammed the doors closed. The loud noise interrupted his own thoughts, forcing him to look towards the pink boy in question.

From his spot on top of Gumball's bed he noticed there was something out of place behind Gumball's back. His pink fingers clutched a tight hold around something black. His own eyes lit up at the scene, because he knew what it was. Gumball was holding his old shirt firmly and a faint blush had speckled its way across his cheeks. Their eyes met for a swift second before the prince had retreated into his bathroom that was adjoined with his room. Marshall could not help the chuckle that left his throat, thinking on the complex little pink one.

Every night they would go through the same routine. Gumball would yell, attempt to hide the shirt, but emerge with the black shirt pulled nearly to the hem of his pink briefs. It was the routine that went on inside the bathroom that took a short eternity. Gumball would stay in there, clambering and crashing sounds always present, until he was satisfied with the amount of citizens he had awoken. Moments later, after Gumball had made himself proper for rest, he shuffled from behind the door and pushed it closed with his heel. Tugging at his briefs, he approached Marshall's throne.

"Will you be staying with me tonight?" He peeked from behind his bangs, clearly not wanting to meet the vampire's gaze. Reaching out, his pale pink fingers clutched ahold of the drapes hanging from the canopy, tracing their designs.

"You know that I cannot, little prince." The vampire floated down, levitating in front of the boy. He looked towards the boy's delicate fingers and felt his own twitch, yearning to interlock the ten of them. Instead, he settled with ruffling Gumball's hair. "Tomorrow, maybe."

Pink eyes met his own, challenging because they knew the outcome of such an empty promise. After the silence filled the room, the pink head nodded, "Just don't forget my upcoming ball." His own dark head affirmed he would not before he was gone from the window.

Once he had arrived back to his own room he noticed the bouquet he still had lying on his bed. Pink and black roses wove together with little babies' breath poking through sparkly leaves. He had the same bouquet for the boy for the longest time but could not think of the right time to present it. At the ball, he vowed, was when they would be delivered.

He knew Gumball was most likely curious as to why he never lingered with him any longer than hours, but he could not explain all of that to such a perfect being. No, he could not explain his love. Explain he needed to be from him because he stole his breath. Needed to be away so he could think about him all the more. Away so he could write, write their song until it was complete. He could never tell the boy that he could not touch him longer than in passing because he was worried of not being able to pull himself away.

Yes, there was nothing more than Gumball that he wanted. There was only that thought, that he was not what the boy needed. That holding his hand would burn his reputation, that using up more of his time would affect his rule, and that staying the night would taint his innocence. And the other thought, that even though Gumball cherished all he had to give, without question, the boy could never understand his position. It was the mere flowers and band shirts that meant nothing because the prince deserved so much more that he could not offer.

The boy consumed his thoughts to such an extent he did not know what to do with himself, let alone the one he loved. He threw himself onto his bed, pulling the pillow close to his chest, and imagined it was Gumball that he was holding. The thought alone made his bed seem so large, his body not enough to fill its surface. But if he could only get the pink one under the black sheets with him, it would be full. It would be bearable.

It was not until the ball though, when his song was nearly complete, that he was ready for the unthinkable. Worried what to wear, he mussed his hair into such a mess and threw on the usual clothes. He did not have time for such petty thoughts that would cause him to be even later. Pushing against time, he rushed to grab his guitar and the bouquet. He traveled as fast as the wind allowed, his mind thumping, and he recited his song to himself. Over and over he recited, hoping nothing would go wrong, until he reached Candy Kingdom.

Sighing, he tried to flatten his hair and smooth the wrinkles from his clothes. Once he was ready for entrance and had caught his breath, he approached the door. It was his second thought that he decided with because who would he be if he chose the common door as an entrance. His fingers circled the knob as a smirk crossed his face when he thought of the lecture he would receive for such a stunt. Just as he pulled the knob his eyes fell on a scene that caused his heart to fall onto the chocolaty dirt below.

Gumball was at the middle of the dance floor, arms around Fionna, swaying to the music with his eyes closed, arm securing her close to his chest. The blue of her dress encircled their feet and followed every which way they moved. His fists clenched the words of his song and broke some of the flower stems before he tore his eyes away. No, it would not be tonight he would be made fool of.

Looking back now he could see all that he should have done, in each scenario that would have taken the three of them down different paths. That first night he should have held the boy until he ran out of breath, should have smothered him with flowers, and given him all the time he possessed. The events of the ball he turned away from would haunt him even in his eternal slumber, until his dreams decided that it was here those thoughts would be rectified.

What do you guys think? I may continue with this but it is kind of a rough draft in my mind right now. If you are interested please R&R, follow, and fav. Thanks you for getting this far! - Madz