At the request of Adventure time girl 123, I give you: PRINCE GUMBALLXMARCELINE!

Gumball lay on his couch, one arm thrown over his face. He pondered his current situation. Well, something had to be done, and somebody was going to hate him for it either way he went, either decision he made.

How did he get himself into messes like this?

5:43pm

Fionna tugged on his sleeve. "C'mon, please, Prince!" She begged. "Marshall turned me down, and all the other guys I know are either mean or creepy or annoying or already have dates to the party! I don't have long left to find someone. Please be my date!"

"Just as buds, right?" He hedged.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you want! Just pleeeaaaase come with me!" She dropped to her knees and held her clasped hands to her chest as she gave him a serious puppy-dog look.

"Alright, alright, just quit it with the Bambi eyes already!" He groaned. "I'll go with you- as friends. Clear, Fionna?" He raised an eyebrow at her as she rose to her feet.

"Crystal!" She bounced up and hugged him before running out the door. "Thanks, Prince Gumball!" She called as she disappeared.

Gumball sat down, sighing. Why did Fionna have to be so globdamned persistent? She was getting older, and she wasn't letting him brush her off anymore. After the whole Flame Prince thing happened, he would've thought that she'd stay further away from him, but she just got more and more determined. He admitted that it was his fault that she'd been hurt, but he didn't think that he should pretend to be in love with her just to make her happy, and it would be happiness that was naught but deceit. Much better to stick with a real friendship than a fake love affair.

He kicked off his shoes, relaxing. He'd been on his feet all day, doing prince stuff, as he so technically classified it, and he figured he may as well unwind a little before returning to his duties.

"Comfy, are we?"

He jumped, sitting up straight in his chair. "Marceline?! I mean, yes, I am, rather." He carefully tapped a lid onto the rush of mutual joy and despair that came with seeing the Vampire Queen.

"So, you going to LSP's party tonight?" She floated in front of him in a sitting position, her hands folded neatly into her lap.

"Yeah, are you?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah." She brightened. "Oh, hey! We could go together!" She winked, slowly and deliberately. "Sound good to you, Gumball?"

"Yeah, sounds good." He grinned back.

"I'll meet you at the entrance of the party at about half past eight, okay? I'll be the one in red and black." She blew a kiss to him as she floated out the door, smiling sweetly at him. "See ya, Bubba."

He stared after her for a full ten or fifteen seconds before it hit him what he had just done.

6:23pm

He could have kicked himself. 'Well, Gumball, what are you gonna do now?' He thought. 'Ditch Fionna or look like a total dork to Marceline?'

He sighed, sitting up and hiding his face in his hands as he calmed his breathing. "I need a shower." He muttered.

He walked into the bathroom and undressed absentmindedly, letting the warm water wash over his body and unknot his muscles as he relaxed, considering his options. Both royally sucked. Behind door number one, he had go to a party with the girl of his dreams/ditch one of his best friends in the world. Option two was save his friendship with Fionna/pass up what may be his only chance to impress Marcy.

He got dressed and ready to go to the party, putting on the new jacket Princess Bubblegum had bought him for his birthday a few weeks ago. He mounted his War Goose and paused. Did he go to the tree fort and pick up Fionna, where she'd be waiting, dressed in some ensemble that Cake had hand-made for her, bouncing in anticipation for the party, or did he go to the party and meet up with Marceline, her wearing some black-and-red, body-hugging dress, waiting for him, of all people.

He sighed, thinking, 'Oh well,' and shot off towards Fionna and Cake's house.

9:15pm

Fionna laughed in delight as they swirled across the dance floor, dipping and swaying in time with the music. "Oh, my glob! This is so much fun, right, Gumball?" She yelled over the roar of the crowd around them.

"Yeah, it's not so bad." He smiled, tousling her hair.

After a few more songs of dancing, though, he began to feel rather tired. "Hey, Fi, would you be horribly offended if I sat down? I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs." He confessed.

She laughed. "P.G., go sit down before you fall over."

He obediently sat on a chair at a nearby table, up against a wall. He watched Fionna laughing as she saw more and more of her friends; Marshall Lee, Cake, Lord Monochromicorn, Lumpy Space Prince, Flame Prince, and lots more.

"Having fun with your girlfriend, Bubba?" A voice asked quietly from next to him

He turned to see Marceline had slid into the seat next to him, and was dragging her finger slowly around the rim of a glass filled to the top with red wine. "It's not like that." He protested weakly.

"I know. I'm just yanking your chain." She leant back.

"Oh, okay." He paused. "Listen, I'm sorry I stood you up like that. It's just, I'd already promised Fionna I'd go with her, as friends, and I'd forgotten when you came in."

"I know."

"Wait, what?"

She sighed and sat up straight, taking a swig of wine. "Gumball, I see what I did as a little... test. I knew you'd promised Fi, and I wanted to see how strong you were. How loyal to your friends you were. So, I set up a little moral dilemma for you to deal with. You chose to stick by your friend, and I like that in a guy." She swirled her drink around in the glass, smiling weakly. "You aren't mad, are you?"

"No..." He said slowly, staring at her face, seeing every detail flawlessly, despite the dim light and pulsing strobe around them.

"Well, since I've made and idiot of myself, I may as well go all the way. Will you go out with me?" She winced a little.

"Call me crazy, but yes." He replied.

She jumped, obviously surprised at his answer. "Really?" She looked like she was about to burst, but was almost afraid to.

"Yes. Why would I be pulling your leg? I'm not mean like that, you know that."

"Good point... but, still, why would you, the much-adored prince of the Candy Kingdom, want to go out with me, the punk rocker-chick 'Vampire Queen'?" She did a quote symbol in the air.

"You're amazing, pretty, sharp-witted and don't take crap from anybody. Who wouldn't love you for just being you?" He was surprised that she felt like that. Sure, P.B. had a bit of a grudge against her, because they'd had a falling out years ago that they'd never made up from, and both Cake and Jake were a little afraid of her, but she was really nice underneath that spiny shell.

"You'd be surprised." She said dryly. "Hey, you wanna dance, Bubba?"

"Yeah." He smiled warmly. He stood up and held out his hand. "Your Majesty?" He joked.

"By all means, Your Highness." She retorted as they joined their friends on the dance floor, enjoying the rest of the party.