Bubblegum smoothed out the creases on her cherished rock shirt and carefully put it away in her closet, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Her gladness was tainted though...made less joyous by her embarrassment in the knowledge that Marceline now knew she had kept it and habitually worn it to bed.
That part was painfully awkward. And quite inappropriate for the wayward vampire queen to know what Bubblegum's sleeping attire consisted of.
Bubblegum sighed again. Oh well.
She wandered back into her bedroom and found her neck instinctively turning towards the window.
She jerked it back again impatiently and not without surprise.
She thought she'd broken that habit, of glancing out her bedroom window to see if a particular someone was coming to visit her that night.
Bubblegum chastised herself as she moved restlessly around the room, busying herself with small, meaningless tasks. That had all been so long ago, she had no reason to glance out that window anymore for...
"Hey."
Bubblegum let out a small scream and spun around.
Marceline had floated in the window and was now perched on the ledge, sitting there in the exact same way that she used to before...
"Marceline!" Bubblegum halted that thought by reprimanding the vampire. "You scared the glob out of me! Just what do you think you're doing?"
Anger wavered over Marceline's face and Bubblegum readied herself for an argument. But, to her surprise, Marceline just shook her head indifferently, almost a physical representation of "whatever."
"Nothing! I just - " her tone was defensive.
A silence ensued and she seemed to search for words before sighing irritably.
When she spoke again, her voice was detached and monotone.
"Nothing," she repeated flatly. "Forget it Bonnibel."
With that, the vampire went to glide back out the window.
Bubblegum felt a deep disappointment clash with panic somewhere in her chest. The next word she shouted out was one of pure impulse.
"Wait!"
Marceline paused and turned around, her long black hair floating all around her like some sort of morbid halo.
She looked at Bubblegum with a tinge of...was that optimism? The princess wasn't sure.
It was then that Bubblegum realized how long this silence had gone on (and that it was still continuing). Marceline cocked an eyebrow expectantly.
Bubblegum cleared her throat and decided that the best course of action was to lock into regal mode.
"I wanted to say thank you for helping us today," she said politely. "With the Doorlord. I realize he didn't actually take anything from you so it was very kind of you to help Finn, Jake, BMO and myself."
Marceline blinked, looking slightly disappointed, and then nodded with a small, dignified swallow.
"Yeah, sure," she said, still hovering awkwardly outside the window. "It was no big deal."
"Mmm, well thank you."
"It's fine."
Another tense silence followed. Bubblegum used it to try and figure out what Marceline was feeling by studying her face but the vampire's features were carefully emotionless. She wasn't even making eye contact with the princess, she suddenly seemed very interested in staring vacantly to her left.
"So...why did you come here?" Bubblegum ventured after almost a minute.
"Hmm?" Marceline looked at the princess. "Oh, I don't know. To make sure you got home safe?"
It seemed more like a fabricated, half-baked question than an answer but it was enough (embarrassingly) to make Bubblegum blush. She couldn't help it, it reminded her of the old days when Marceline used to take care of her and look out for her in the sweetest ways imaginable...
She swiftly turned around and pretended to be adjusting something on her dressing room table to avoid the vampire seeing her awkward reaction.
"That's very considerate of you Marceline, thank you," she said, busying herself with a pretend chore. "But I got back here quite safely as you can see."
"Yeah," Marceline said, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I guess you did."
Bubblegum checked in the mirror that the red blush was gone and then turned back to face the queen. Still partly expecting a quarrel to erupt at any minute, Bubblegum was shocked when Marceline offered the princess a small smile.
Only a tiny one but still enough to make Bubblegum's heart skip a beat in a way that it only ever did for a certain vampire.
It was at that moment that she knew she had to make her stay. For what reason or to what end, she didn't know. She hadn't thought that part through. She just desperately needed to dwell in the vampire's company for a while.
"Are you tired after what we've been through today?" Bubblegum asked, returning the smile.
Marceline shrugged.
"Not really," she replied. "I'll probably stay up late tonight just to wear myself out."
Bubblegum felt victorious. Perfect.
"Yeah, I'm exactly the same," she said. "I'm actually going to go for a walk now just to clear my head so I can sleep."
Marceline's head suddenly snapped up and she frowned.
"Ooo can be a dangerous place at night Bonni," she said seriously. "There are some real nasty creatures out there. Trust me, I'm one of them. You shouldn't go alone."
Bubblegum smiled, that was the reaction she'd been hoping for.
"Well...do you want to escort me?" she asked, keeping her tone casual.
Surprise flickered in Marceline's eyes before a look of contemplation took over. She seemed to consider it for a moment and then sighed.
"Escort you? No. I'm not one of your candy cronies. Walk with you? Sure. I'll meet you at the front entrance to the castle in five. Put on a jacket, it's cold out here."
And with that, she floated down towards the ground and out of sight.
Bubblegum sighed. Dealing with the vampire queen was never easy.
But she couldn't help grinning to herself over that thoughtful jacket comment.
Five minutes later, Bubblegum walked past the saluting banana guards and out the front entrance of the castle to find Marceline standing outside, slouched over with her hands in her pockets.
She looked up as the princess approached.
"Ready?" she asked.
Bubblegum nodded, zipping up her pink hooded jacket.
The two girls set off, side by side, across the large expanse of darkness that was the land just outside the Candy Kingdom.
They strolled in silence for a few minutes, to the point where the atmosphere between them was getting incredibly awkward. Bubblegum desperately glanced around for a conversation starter and decided to focus on the night sky.
"All the constellations are out tonight," she reported, gazing up into the starry stretch above them.
Marceline looked up and suddenly stopped walking. Bubblegum stopped beside her.
"Oh yeah!" the vampire said, sounding genuinely interested. "There sure are a lot of stars up there tonight."
"There sure are," Bubblegum reiterated. "I love the night sky when it's like this."
"Me too," Marceline agreed. "It's really communal, y'know? When you look up there, you know there are dozens of other people looking up at it too. It's a reminder that we're never on our own, we're surrounded by tonnes of dudes like us. And we're all a source of light, whether you realize it about yourself or not. I never feel alone when I look at the stars."
Bubblegum looked at the vampire, feeling taken aback. She hadn't forgotten how deep and profound Marceline could get (she's had a aide memoire only a few hours earlier with "I'm Just Your Problem") but it was still always pleasant to be reminded of the vampire's insightful mind.
"That's really perceptive Marceline," she commented admiringly.
Marceline looked at the princess suddenly and then turned away, seeming embarrassed.
"Yeah, well...I just like the stars. That's all I was trying to say."
"I know but I like what you said about us all being sources of light," Bubblegum went on. "That's a really beautiful thought."
Marceline looked back up at the sky and shrugged.
"We are," she concluded simply.
Bubblegum watched the sky herself for a few more moments before sighing tiredly and sitting down on the ground, crossing her legs daintily underneath her. Marceline realized she had done this and sat down next to her, stretching out her long, denim-clad legs and crossing them casually.
They both looked up at the sky for a while.
Bubblegum thought hard, her brain furiously working to find a way to bring up things with Marceline. She couldn't just jump straight into an emotional conversation, it could easily lead to an argument between the two of them and that was the last thing she wanted. Her mind flicked through various ideas but in the end, she didn't need to experiment with a single one of them. Marceline was the one who initiated the dialogue.
"You kept the shirt."
It wasn't a query or an enquiry, just a clear-cut, four-word statement taking its place in the world.
Bubblegum swallowed and chose her next words carefully.
"Of course I did," she said, keeping her tone of voice colloquial. "Like I said, it means a lot to me."
She snuck a peek at Marceline who looked very meditative.
"Yeah," the vampire replied at last. "You mentioned that. Good. I guess."
Bubblegum bit her lip, hoping that the conversation wouldn't fade out there and then.
"I'm sorry I said that your song was distasteful," she said, looking straight at Marceline now. "I didn't mean it. I was just surprised. I forgot how honest your songs can be."
Now Marceline blushed and, to Bubblegum's dismay, climbed quickly to her feet.
"It's fine," she said coldly. "It was just a song. Anyway, I better go, it's getting late."
"Oh, OK," Bubblegum could feel her heart sinking. "See you later then."
"Yeah, see you Bonni," and Marceline turned to float away.
Bubblegum watched Marceline glide in the direction of home and found that she couldn't quite bear the hurt of it.
"Marceline, wait!"
Marceline stopped and turned around in time to see Bubblegum clamber to her feet and stare at her boldly.
"You came to the Candy Kingdom tonight to say something to me," she said in a voice of makeshift confidence. "Don't deny it because we both know it's true. I want to say something to you too. And I just don't know how. But I think one of us should say and say it quick before the moment's gone. And I have a feeling that it's going to be you."
Marceline suddenly looked angry but Bubblegum wasn't going to let that stop her.
"Here I am Marcy," she said. "Ready to hear whatever you want to say. So please...say it!"
Marceline now looked even more enraged and Bubblegum prepared herself for a dispute as the vampire's feet hit the ground and they were standing a short distance away from each other, both illuminated in the moonlight.
Unexpectedly, Marceline let out a small chuckle.
"It's all in the song Bonnibel," she said, in playful tones, but her next words came out stinging with bitterness, "I'm just your problem, remember?"
Bubblegum took a few steps forward, looking straight into Marceline's eyes.
"You're not my problem," she said, her voice resonating kindness and sincerity. "You never were. Sure, stuff came between us. Circumstances and responsibility and timing turned out to be problems. But you were never the problem!"
Marceline looked stunned. But only for a second. She shook it off and responded in icy tones.
"Yeah, well, that's all in the past," she said, breaking eye contact. "It really doesn't matter anymore."
It was with a silent scream that Princess Bubblegum felt her heart break right there and then, in that moment under the stars. It didn't "matter anymore?" Really?
"Oh. I see."
She had never felt so inconsolable or let down in all her life but was determined to hide it carefully.
"Maybe you're right then," Bubblegum continued. "It is getting late."
Marceline still didn't look at her, she only nodded.
"Yeah, it is," she said in an impassive voice.
Bubblegum offered the girl a despairing smile.
"Goodnight Marceline," she said and turned around back towards the Candy Kingdom, determined not to cry until she got back to her bedroom.
She began striding purposefully in the direction of the castle, not looking back once. Tears welled behind her eyes but she blinked them back, admonishing herself for acting so foolishly.
Bubblegum had been walking for about two minutes when a gust of wind ran past her legs and Marceline glided up beside her, shooting up a few feet into the air and then landing in front of the princess.
"I'm still yours and I think about you all the time," she said plainly.
Bubblegum's heart was mended instantly.
Another silence took place, narrated only by the gentle breeze driving softly through the area.
Bubblegum stared intently at Marceline until the vampire's serious look faded and she was rolling her eyes teasingly.
"Glob Bonnibel, you're the one with all the verbal feelings!" she joked. "Say something!"
"I miss you."
The seriousness returned to Marceline's face. That was something alright!
"I miss you so much," Bubblegum elaborated, and before she could change her mind, "And I'm still yours and I think about you all the time too."
Another short silence followed those words. In that time, Bubblegum shivered.
"You're cold," Marceline remarked and reached forward.
Bubblegum wasn't sure what was happening for a moment, until she found herself being gently pulled into a hug.
Marceline slipped her arms firmly around the princess' waist, tugging her in close.
"I mean, I know I'm cold too but maybe...I don't know," the vampire faltered.
Words failed her but Bubblegum didn't mind. She simply stepped securely into the circle of the vampire's embrace, placing her arms gently around Marceline's neck, and rested her head against the other girl's shoulder.
The two said nothing for a short while, simply enjoying the weight and feel of each other's bodies.
Bubblegum was aware that her heartbeat had quickened considerably and hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable. But, alas...
"Is that for me?" Marceline asked slyly.
Bubblegum felt herself blush again and was glad her face was out of Marceline's view.
"Maybe," she admitted stiffly.
Instead of teasing her, the vampire queen just laughed.
"Yeah, well, if my heart was still beating, it would be doing the same," she said. "So don't worry about it."
Bubblegum smiled to herself.
She had broken through some sort of barrier with Marceline, to a place where they could both speak openly with one another.
She was about to ask the vampire something along the lines of "so what happens now?" or "where do we go from here?" when Marceline suddenly took matters into her own hands by leaning back, looking straight into the princess' face, and then leaning in again to kiss her on the mouth.
Bubblegum's reaction hesitated at first, out of sheer surprise.
But then she began to move her lips in rhythm with Marceline's, relishing in the warm, amorous feeling that was both excitingly fresh and beautifully familiar.
When tongue was cunningly added to the action, Bubblegum couldn't help but to smile.
She had forgotten how wonderfully strange it was to kiss a person with fangs.
When they eventually broke apart, Bubblegum looked up into Marceline's eyes and smiled at her, leaning in again to give her a peck on the cheek, before nuzzling into her neck.
"I really did miss you Marceline," she said. "All this time, I've missed you."
"I wouldn't have guessed," the vampire replied, her voice tinged with a slight sadness. "You tend to avoid me a lot."
Bubblegum sighed against the other girl's neck, feeling guilty.
"It was easier than admitting that I still had feelings for you."
"Yeah, same here...You were always my source of light though."
Feeling touched, Bubblegum moved back slightly and kissed the bite mark on Marceline's neck, before leaning entirely rearward to look the queen in the eyes.
"I feel like I could sleep now," she announced, and then added with a smile, "Do you want to join me?"
Marceline didn't answer with words, she simply picked the princess up and glided back towards the castle.
Once in, they retired to bed...and about an hour after that, they slept soundly in each other's arms.