Chapter 1: to insanity
Summary: AU. Bubblee. He no longer sucks the red out. Instead, he licks the blood clean off her palms and closes his eyes, as if to savor it. She becomes perturbed at the flicker of hunger that overtakes his expression.
Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward.
Notes 1: This is a whole mixing pot of different AT elements that I sort of just picked and chose. Think of this as like a future-fic, except everything has gone to shit.
Notes 2: "A la folie" means "to insanity" or "to love madly" in French I think, which I thought was very fitting for this plot. There are a lot of interpretations I found online.
When Bonnie comes to consciousness, she wakes up and immediately clutches her throat, gasping sharply for air as if she hasn't taken a breath for centuries. She forces herself to take a lungful of oxygen, and her chest heaves harshly as she chokes in her greed and coughs raggedly into her hand.
When she draws her hand back, there is blood. But her system feels as if it's gone to shock. Her brain draws blank and she is numb. She cannot find the ability to act upon the crimson liquid splattered on her palm, only staring at it in bewilderment until a cold hand reaches for hers and gently pulls her forward.
For the first time, she comprehends that it is freezing and she becomes aware of the tremors seizing her body, which is stippled with goose-bumps trailing her exposed skin. As she is embraced by a figure twice her size, she regains recollections from a dream: a shadow with horns, bones with decaying skin, and eyes as dark and empty as a black hole, swallowing the life of a once bright and fervid star.
P.. Princess… I'm..—
—Finn..! No, no… Finn.. No…
I…I'm... so…rry—
No, no, no… Finn, please.. please stay, you are irreplaceable Finn, NO—
"NO!" Bonnie shrieks and she immediately recoils away from the arms in front of her. She breathes in ragged pants and tries to calm herself from the sudden memory, though when she looks up, her blood freezes at the sight of a horned silhouette standing before her. She suddenly finds herself dizzy, and her vision starts to blacken until a hand catches her, steadying herself.
Bonnie looks up again. The horned figure is gone. Instead, her eyes lock with scarlet.
She blinks back tears that sting her eyes. "M.. Marshall…"
The Vampire King takes off an amethyst pendant from his neck and buries his face into his hands. "Shit." She hears him hiss. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was still—" He curses again and tries to turn away, but Bonnie stops him. Her chest suddenly swells with the sight of his presence, and she clings to his sleeve as if he'd disappear in front of her if she doesn't hold onto him hard enough.
Her fingers wrap over his, and she peels his hands away from his face, craving to see it, craving some sort of familiarity.
When Marshall looks up, he is thrown off guard when the princess suddenly bursts into tears. He immediately grabs her and brings her head to the crook of his neck, his grip tightening when he feels her chest heave uncontrollably.
"W… where have you been…" She weeps, her tears soaking the collar of his shirt.
"I'm sorry." Marshall whispers, closing his eyes.
"You—you scared me—"
"I'm sorry."
"Finn—he, Finn—" Her sobs grow stronger. Marshall presses her even closer to his body.
"I know."
"—he's gone."
Marshall clenches his jaw and Bonnie lets herself bawl like a child. It had been a long time since she showed her emotions and vulnerabilities so openly. It had been ages and ages, buried under the responsibilities of being a monarch. But now, she could care less. Finn, once like the sun—so bright and full of virtue and purpose, was now ash. He was fifteen when he died; still an infant, compared to their ages.
"He's gone." Bonnie repeats. "Where were you?"
Marshall stays quiet.
"Where were you!?" She screams, pushing him away vehemently.
An amethyst pendant falls from his hand. Bonnie's eyes widen.
"Is that… the Nightosphere amulet..?" She asks, growing quiet.
"… yes." Marshall doesn't meet her eyes.
Fresh tears fall from her lashes. She feels so betrayed. "Why…?"
"Because I'm a coward, that's why." He says in a tight voice, and then suddenly laughs, full of hate.
Bonnie takes a long gaze at the figure in front of her, taking note of all the changes his demeanor had taken. His face stayed that of a statue; cold, gray, and never-changing. Though his eyes, once a piercing scarlet, looked so jaded. They seemed deeply haggard, harboring exhaustion and cynicism.
"You should rest," Marshall says suddenly, breaking eye contact with her. He stands up and takes the pendant, forcefully ignoring the anxious expression she casts him. "I'll get you something to eat after a little while."
Bonnie doesn't say anything and merely falls back unto the bed, suddenly listless. She feels for the top of her head to see if her crown was still there, though she felt nothing. She should have expected it, anyway.
".. Just be careful. Even if you're in my chambers, someone might be watching you." Marshall warns carefully. "And don't trust anyone here."
Here? In the Nightosphere…? How did she even get here? How did he even find her? Bonnie looks above at the sharp stalagmites that adorned the roof of the cave, threatening to fall.
"Even you?" She adds absently, though she couldn't suppress the slight acidity to her tone.
"… even me." Marshall admits, though his voice sounded a little hurt.
He places the pendant over his head and his whole body is momentarily covered by a shadow-like substance, before his figure transforms. Bonnie looks away to avoid seeing his horned silhouette and closes her eyes once again, forcing her mind to forget the resemblance between them.
A shadow with horns, bones with decaying skin, and eyes as dark and empty as a black hole.
A/N: I swear this plot has been swirling around in my head for ages now. I promise that I'll detail more on what kind of context this universe is in next chapter (even though I know that I haven't uploaded anything for awhile lol). Although there are some hints that you can pick up. Oh, and just to be clear, Bonnie's grief for Finn is like how an older sister/mother would grieve.
I listened to "Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone on repeat while writing this and idk if it's just me but it so helps with the mood, but your opinions may vary. If you have time, I suggest re-reading it with this song in the background.
Alert, review, and tell me what you think!
