Somewhere is the disclaimer telling you that I don't own any Adventure Time characters. Or the song 'Somewhere' from West Side Story. That little song inspired this little fic. Not enough Simon and Marcy fluff out there. Just gotta put out more! So here is my attempt to do so.
A Place For Us
Nearly a thousand years ago, after a great and terrible war there were two survivors, neither of them fully human. And yet ironically in many ways they had more humanity than those who had started the war.
One was a half demon girl with wild short black hair, tiny fangs, pointy elf like ears and grey skin wearing a tattered blue shirt and red dress that had almost faded into pink. She also wore scuffed black shoes and only one sock. The other was a man who looked far older than he really was. And felt even older than he looked. A white bearded man with shaggy white hair in a tattered brown suit with brown shoes. What was even more astonishing was that he had blue skin, sharp teeth, claw like hands and a long pointed nose.
Simon looked around through his cracked glasses. Even though it was getting so he didn't really need them anymore he still wore them. His white eyes could see almost rather well but they had the annoying habit of seeing more than the world around them.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the rubble of the destroyed city around them. "Marcy…Is there a purple thing with seven legs running around over there by that pink mailbox?" He asked with a sigh. "Or is that just my crazy mind making stuff up again?"
"No, that's real but there's no mailbox there," Marcy told him.
"Oh," Simon blinked as something mutated from the combination of radiation and chemicals fled into a hole in the wall. "Kind of wish it was the pink mailbox. These eyes aren't the only thing getting crazier every day."
"Wow this place is really trashed," Marcy whistled at the sight of the destroyed city around them.
"Not even that much to scavenge in this city," Simon told her. This city looked exactly like the dozens of others they had seen in their travels. Full of destruction but devoid of human life. "I think this might be a major city because it looks like there's more bombing than usual. Not even the signs remain standing."
It was the only way the two could make a living. Go from city to city to hunt for food, shelter and clothing. Never staying long enough to make a home in one spot. Scavenging was the only option they had. Between all the damage done by the war, the lack of anything to hunt and the violent random mutations springing up all over the world here was no other way to survive.
So Simon and Marcy moved from city to city. Town to town. Always looking for their next meal and a safe place to sleep.
"Simon," Marcy looked at him. "What was the war about anyway?"
"Something stupid," Simon waved. "Usually wars are about people not wanting to share and thinking they're right. In the end the reasons don't really matter. What happens is…after."
He looked around at the ruins. The final bombs had dropped years ago and yet still there were wreckages of buildings smoldering as if it was yesterday. "War is bad Marcy. But things can get better."
Simon looked upwards at the continuously gray sky covered in clouds. He couldn't remember the last time he saw blue in the sky. "It has to get better than this."
He saw something in the rubble. He took Marcy by the hand and pointed. In a crack in the pavement there was a small lone dandelion in bloom. "See that Marcy?" Simon pointed. "That flower is a good sign. It means things are growing back already."
He looked at the wreckage around them. "And one day all this rubble will be gone and all the terrible times will be over."
"Really?" Marcy looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"I promise," Simon nodded.
"What kind of flower is that?" Marcy poked at it.
"It's called a dandelion," Simon explained. "Funny thing though, the dandelion is considered a weed."
"A weed?" Marcy blinked.
"It's a kind of plant most people don't want in their garden because they think it's a nuisance," Simon explained. "But weeds can grow anywhere. And they can be strong. Stronger than many other flowers actually."
"It's pretty," Marcy decided. "I like weeds."
"It is pretty isn't it?" Simon looked at it. "I never really understood why people hated them so much. Then again I'm not much of a gardener. Never had a green thumb. I've got a pair of blue thumbs but…"
"So a weed can grow pretty much anywhere no matter how bad things are," Marcy thought aloud. "And some people don't like them because they're not like other flowers?"
"That's pretty much it," Simon admitted.
"That kind of makes us weeds doesn't it?" Marcy asked. "Cause we're different from other people but we're still alive."
Simon was taken aback by that statement. "It's…accurate," Simon admitted. Marcy never talked much about her life before Simon and he never pressed her. But he guessed that at some point in her very young life she had figured out that she was different than other humans.
Simon of course being much older and forced to adapt to a body that was constantly changing had more jarring and in some cases violent experiences. Experiences he wanted to forget. And thanks to the crown it was slowly happening.
"So it's good that we're weeds," Marcy grinned. "Weeds can live anywhere and have hope even though they're different."
"You're a pretty smart kid, you know that Marcy?" Simon grinned. He took Marcy by the hand and they walked down the deserted street.
"Simon are we ever going to find a home?" Marcy asked. "We've been walking a really long time."
"Of course we will Marcy," Simon told her. "There has to be somewhere we can call home. And as soon as we find it we'll move right in."
"And live happily ever after?" Marcy asked.
"And live happily ever after," Simon smiled. Deep down his heart broke, knowing this was a promise he couldn't deliver on. Thanks to the crown he kept by his side on his belt that slowly shredded his sanity day by day. But he didn't let Marcy see it.
"I wanna live in a pink house!" Marcy called out. "And I think it should be in a cave!"
"A pink house in a cave?" Simon raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. See if it's in a cave if more bombs come it will be protected," Marcy nodded.
"Well that is pretty sensible," Simon sighed, hating the fact that such a small child would worry about bombs and war at her young age.
"A pink house in a cave," Marcy agreed. "And you and I can live in there forever and ever!"
"Just you wait Marcy. We'll find a place all our own. A place where we don't have to travel all over so we can get food and shelter. We can live in a real house with real beds," Simon smiled. "A roof over our heads and warm food in our bellies…"
"Oh and a lot of grass!" Marcy danced around. "Grass where I can run around and play all day!"
"Yes a big field with green grass. And a blue sky overhead with white puffy clouds. And a basketball court," Simon said.
"What's a basketball court?" Marcy asked.
"It's where you play a game called basketball," Simon explained. "I'll show you how to play it sometime."
"What else is going to be in our house Simon?" Marcy asked, her spirits rising.
"Well we need a kitchen obviously," Simon decided to turn it into a game. "And a bathroom with a real shower. So we can be fed and clean!"
"Maybe Hambo can have a room?" Marcy pointed to her favorite doll currently riding in Simon's backpack.
"Oh I think Hambo would be lonely if he had to sleep by himself," Simon said.
"Hmmm, you're right," Marcy agreed. "Oh our house has to have a white picket fence. Everybody knows that a good house has a white picket fence! And some flowers too! And we'll let the dandelions grow all they want in our yard."
"We also need neighbors! Nice neighbors so we won't get lonely," Simon said.
"First we gotta find people," Marcy said.
"Oh I'm sure they're out there somewhere," Simon waved. "And I'm sure they'll be nice! Sweet like candy! I bet they could even be made of candy!"
"People made of candy? Simon that's weird," Marcy giggled.
"Hey stranger things have happened," Simon smiled. "Hey I know who would be good neighbors! Penguins! Do you want to live with the penguins?"
"Penguins? Noooooooo!" Marcy laughed.
"Why? Why don't you want to live with penguins?" Simon asked, pretending to be perplexed. "They're cute and they are always well dressed and they waddle!"
He pretended to waddle like a penguin. "Wenk! Wenk! Wak!" He imitated a penguin.
"Simon you're silly!" Marcy laughed out loud.
"Wenk, wenk! Wak! Come on Marcy be a penguin with me!" Simon told her.
"Wak! Wenk!" Marcy imitated being a penguin. Both of them broke out in laughter for a full minute.
"You know what would be really great in our new house?" Simon asked. "A music room! We could have a room where we could make music all day and sing songs!"
"That would be great! I love it when you sing!" Marcy smiled.
Simon was reminded of an old song from a musical from a long time ago. "There's a place for us…" He sang. "Somewhere there's a place for us…Peace and quiet and open air wait for us somewhere."
"Really Simon?" Marcy asked,
"Really Marcy," Simon smiled. "You'll get your pink house. I promise."
He picked Marcy up and twirled her around. He sang the song as much as he could. trying to remember all the lyrics but missing a few. Marcy didn't mind. She smiled and laughed as he sang.
Simon finished by humming the melody and pulled Marcy close. "Somewhere…I promise," He whispered to her among the ruins.
Almost a thousand years later in a pink house with a white picket fence inside a cave Marceline floated over her friend the Ice King. Ice King was sound asleep on Marceline's couch. Since he usually slept on a bed of ice, the hardness didn't really affect him at all. He peacefully snored away.
He had come on a silly excuse, trying to get her to help him make another song to woo a princess with. Marcy didn't have the heart to turn him away again. So they made up songs in a jam session until the Ice King got tired. She let him fall asleep on the sofa secretly glad for an excuse to keep her dear friend longer with her.
"Even if you don't remember me Simon I'll always remember you and your promise," Marceline got a blanket from a closet and floated over to him. "We found a house Simon. We made it."
"There's a place for us," Marceline sang softly as she pulled a blanket over her dear friend. "Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Somehow, someday, somewhere…"
And amid the fog of his dreams, the Ice King smiled.