I know I'm supposed to be working on the next chapter for Staying in Her Sight, but I had a sudden inspiration for some Fiolee. cx Btw I went with they theory where Betty was the one who put on the crown instead of Simon and became the Ice Queen.
Disclaimer: I do not own Marshall Lee or any of the other Adventure Time characters. I don't own the song form Bad Little Boy either, I just rewrote the lyrics.
"Fi? I'm back!" Marshall Lee floated further in the mouth of his cave to meet with his little bunny. She had come to live with him ages ago after giving the tree house to Cake's kitties. Cake had gotten too old for adventuring so Fiona decided to bunk with her vampire friend to drag him along on wild quests throughout Aaa. They had never taken their relationship any farther than being best buds so the arrangement wasn't as awkward as it might have sounded.
"I went to hang with Gum-wads today. He's still super lame. All he wants to do is talk about science and pastries." He heard a familiar giggle echo throughout the cave and smiled. He leaned back and rested the back of his head on his hands.
"Yeah, he kept trying to get me to help him bake so I 'accidentally' made a big bag of flour explode all over him. His Majesty didn't exactly want me around after that." He sighed and closed his eyes.
"I know you want me to be a little more civil with him, but it's just difficult. I want things to be the same as they were back then." After a moment of silence he groaned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, knowing she was disappointed that he wouldn't even try. "Sorry, I know that's a lame excuse. I just.." Marshall sighed again and decided to move on from that conversation.
"Anyways, I've also been visiting Betty more. She's starting to remember things more clearly now that Simon figured out a way to keep them both alive without the tiara. I still can't believe they finally got married after all those years of waiting. It's pretty mathematical, I'm happy for them." If only Simon had found it before…
Marshall quickly shook the thought from his mind. It was better this way. She didn't want immortality. At least that's what she had always told him.
"Say, do you remember when we went to that party in the woods and we sang that song together? Well, I've been thinking about it and I rewrote the words. Hang out here I'll get my bass so I can show you!" The Vampire King flew off to retrieve his precious instrument while the ocean eyed blonde waited in her usual spot by the lake running through his cave.
When he returned, he sat crisscross in the air above her and tuned his axe bass carefully before playing the nostalgic tune.
"Good little girl..
Your laughter makes my heart leap
I'm waiting right here,
Come spend one more night with me.
Why did you become my whole world?
You're my good little girl.
I'm a bad little boy.
That's what I acted like,
You never did buy
That I'm that kind of guy.
You looked through my soul
That's why I always hung out with you…"
He found that by the end of his song, he had tears stinging the corners of his eyes once again. He cursed at himself for doing this to himself everyday. It seemed that all he had done for years now was cry and he hated himself for it, but he couldn't bring himself to move on completely. He chuckled sadly and hid his face in his hands.
"I know, I know. That was super corny, but.. I should've told you a long time ago. I admit it Fionna, I'm in love with you." It was the first time he had ever voiced that thought and the deafening silence that he received in return was crushing. She would never answer. He was such a fool. Fionna was gone forever. Why? Why wouldn't I let myself change you before it was too late?
He knew it was a selfish thought and that he made the right choice in letting her live her life, but he couldn't help regretting it. Her absence left a gaping hole in his undead heart that would never be filled. No one would ever mean more to him than Fiona.
He still couldn't believe it had been a hundred years since her death, the pain was still very fresh to him. Her life was all to short compared to his endless eternity, but she had left a lasting impact. He still heard her laughter in the wind and he could almost smell her vanilla scent when he thought of her. It was torture, the vampire wanted to just end his existence but every time the thought entered his mind he would hear her voice screaming at him to never think that way again.
Was he losing his marbles? This human, whose life passed in the blink of an eye, was continuing to make him feel bonkers.
He ran his fingers over her name on the headstone gently, thinking of fond memories he shared with her.
"Marshall.. Don't you ever feel lonely?" An eighteen year old Fionna was sitting next to him on his porch while he played his omnichord. He stopped playing and looked at her, arching his brow. That had come out of nowhere.
"What are you talking about, Bunny? Your always squatting here so why would I be lonely?" The bit her lip nervously and he took the hint that she wasn't in the mood for his humor right now. He sighed, placing his instrument on the ground and scooping her into his lap. She squealed and tried to squirm away at first but he gave her a look that said 'just tell me what's wrong' so she relaxed and looked away, biting her lip again.
"I'm almost nineteen Marsh. I'm going to be older than you." She looked into his eyes and he saw the fear flash in her blue orbs, but it wasn't fear for herself. It was for him.
"Fi, you don't have to worry about me. I'm the Vampire King and the son of a demon, remember? I don't feel." She punched his arm lightly and let out an annoyed whine.
"Marshall, we both know that's not true. I've known you long enough to understand that there's more behind those scary fangs and demon eyes than you're letting on." He paused. What could he say to that? This girl was too smart for her own good. That or he was just letting her get to close, either way could be dangerous. "Every year from now on I'm just going to get older and older and you'll stay the same and watch me die. Isn't that painful?" Yes. Very painful. He would never tell her that though.
"What do you mean from now on, haven't you always been aging? That's sort of how being alive works, but if it bothers you that much I could always change you." He winked at her, bringing out his usual flirty nature and barring his fangs teasingly. She punch him again, this time much harder and he laughed.
"No way dude. I'm not letting you end the human race that easily." With that the blonde hopped off his lap and raced to the entrance of the cave. "C'mon lazy bones, lets go find a strawberry field and pig out." He chuckled at his energetic friend and floated after her into the night.
That conversation had affected him more than she ever knew. As they laid amongst the strawberries and looked at the stars, he thought about how true her statement was about her aging. It scared him. More than he thought it should. Before Fionna his world was that of supernatural fantasy and play. She hit him hard with reality and made him realize that he lived in that world so he couldn't form a bond with people that wouldn't be around very long.
He leaned his forehead on the top of her tombstone as the day he learned of her death played in his mind once again.
Marshall kicked his door open and floated in to flop onto his rock hard couch with an exhausted sigh.
"Woof. My mom really knows how to wear me out. It's a good thing I didn't take you this time Fi, she was feeling extra bitchy." When no reply came he looked up with confusion. There was no one here. Usually when he came home from visiting his mom they would go through the same routine. He would kick in the door, flop on the couch, and complain then the adventuress would sit on the floor in front of him, put a plate of red velvet cookies next to his face, and tell him all about her adventures while he ate to take his mind off of it.
It had been this way since she moved in so her absence made him worry. He knew she was a grown woman now, nearly thirty years old, but she still managed to get herself into trouble like the reckless twelve year old she was when they met. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach and he decided to check and see if she was with Gumball. The sun would be out in a little over an hour but he knew he could make it there and back if he left now. He just needed to know where she was.
When he arrived at the Candy Kingdom the dark, foreboding feeling he had increased and he did not like that. Something was definitely wrong. He knocked on the castle door and Peppermint Maid answered without her usual cheery smile. He asked to see Gumball and she lead him to the Candy Prince's infirmary. Had something happened to Gumball? That would explain why Fi was gone.
When they entered he saw his old friend sitting in a chair next to one of the beds in a hunched over position. Okay, so he was alright but who was he sitting next to? The little maid went back into the hallway and closed the door after he had fully entered the room to give them privacy.
"Bubba? Hey.. What's going on? Have you seen Fionna around?" Gumball turned in surprise upon hearing his voice and Marshall was stunned to see that his eyes were bloodshot and his face stained with tears that had been shed long ago.
"Marshall… Oh glob." There was fear and sorrow in his broken voice. Marshall floated closer, but Gumball stood quickly trying to hide his patient form view.
"Bubba… dude are you alright? Who is that?" Again he floated closer, but the pink boy continued to try and hide whoever was behind him and shouted.
"No! Stay back! Get out of here Marshall!" The vampire was stunned. Never had he heard his friend raise his voice like that, it was making him nervous.
"Where's Fionna?" It was no louder than a whisper, but he knew Gumball had heard him. The young prince sobbed loudly a fell to his hands and knees.
"I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry… I-I couldn't save her." Marshall felt a waive of nausea hit him and he slowly looked to the bed. He knew who was there, but he still hoped to God, or whatever the hell was up there, that he was wrong. Unfortunately, he was very right.
Her once beautiful face was marred with ugly scrapes and bruises that looked like they had been hastily cleaned. As he floated closer he noticed that the bruising continued down her neck and all over the exposed part of her chest and arms. Her hair golden hair was matted with clumps of dirt and blood. What happened to her? This can't be real. This isn't his Fionna. Fionna was strong and beautiful, not battered and lifeless like the woman before him.
He was just about to yell at Gumball for trying to play some sick joke on him when a bloodstained half shredded piece of fabric caught his eye. He stared at it as if it would lunge at his throat then after a few moments he reached out to it hesitantly. Surely it couldn't be her hat, it wasn't even white. Marshall brought it close and inhaled, under the scent of dirt and delicious blood was the smell of sweet vanilla with just a hint of strawberries. His grip on the little rabbit hat tightened and he felt his soul freeze over with despair.
"M-Marshall…?" At some point Gumball had gotten a hold of himself and stood next to his friend. The vampire boy had become eerily silent, he wasn't even breathing. With his hair covering his eyes it was difficult to decipher how his friend was feeling. Gumball gently placed a hand on Marshall's shoulder and opened his mouth to ask him if he was alright, but the contact had forced Marshall back into reality. A deafening wail caused The pink boy to fall onto the floor again and cover his ears. The widows shattered around them and every creature in Aaa awoke with a start from the pained scream coming from the Candy Kingdom.
After the ringing in his ears subsided, Bubba looked up to see the Vampire King ripping the room apart in a frantic rage. It was the first time he felt so afraid both for and of his old friend.
"Marshall! Stop!" The vampire turned to him, eyes blood red and fangs barred dangerously. For a moment he thought Marshall would attack him, but then he changed into his giant bat form and made a new hole in the wall to exit from. The sun was coming out and once it hit the boy's skin he hissed in pain shrinking back into his usual form.
Even though the harsh rays were burning him alive, he was still determined to continue his rampage and destroy everyone and everything in Aaa. They should all die. They should die for destroying Fionna and extinguishing her light. However, before he could make it outside he was tackled to the ground and out of the sun light.
"Marshall, Please! You'll die!" The candy prince was having an easier time keeping the vampire pinned down now that he was weakened, that didn't mean Marshall wouldn't put up a fight.
"I don't care! Let me go! I'll kill them all! Every last one!" He was obviously incapable of rational thought.
"Stop! Fionna wouldn't want this Marshall! Wiping out the people of Aaa won't change anything and you'll just get fried by the sun the second you walk outside!"
"Don't you get it?! I'm nothing without her! Just let me die!" A heavy silence came over them as Marshall finally became limp on the floor. He felt so hollow. Gumball slowly let go of his friend and sat beside him with out a word.
The silence continued for what felt like hours until finally, Marshall let out a pained sob of his own and cried into Fiona's hat that he had been holding the entire time. Gumball let out a few silent tears and together they mourned the loss of a friend, a hero, and for Marshall, the love of his life.
Marshall opened his eyes, coming out of his memories and lifted his head off the cold piece of stone that would mark Fionna's final resting place for all eternity.
Everything after that point was a blur to him. He had pieces of memories of a funeral and her lifeless body being lowered into the ground, but not much more. When he returned home for the first time after he death, it had felt so painfully empty. Her possessions were there and her scent still lingered but she would never be there to welcome him back again.
Marshall had disappeared after that and he didn't return for several years. Immediately after returning to his cave he packed away all her things and stashed them in the attic. He felt it was time to try and move on, that was why he has returned in the first place.
It had been a shaky start falling back into his usual patterns, but after a while he was able to find motivation to write songs and scare the dickens out of some candy people again. Usually Gumball would have scolded him of disturbing the citizens, but he didn't want to ruin his friend's progress by ticking him off.
Soon after the boys' broken friendship was slowly pieced back together and Marshall began visiting Betty to try and help restore her sanity. Everyone was finally moving forward. However it would still be quite some time before Marshall could fully get over her death, it was like his regrets and sorrows were always lingering around every corner.
Marshal sighed and read her tombstone before wishing her a good night and heading back to his house to sleep.
Here lies Fionna the Last Human
Loving friend, adventuress, and hero
May she rest in peace