Chapter 8: We're gonna be friends

Author's note: these next few chapters are memories that Marceline has about Bonnibel. These chapters should be a little shorter than usual, but should also come out faster. Title song by The White Stripes. Also, for anyone wondering, this is not a pairing fic. So there. Deal with it.

Marceline remembered the day Bonnibel told her about her past. That was the day things slowly started to change between them. They lay on the roof of Marcie's record store, staring at the stars (Bonnibel wanted to bring her telescope). It had been at least a century since Romulus had let Marcie go there without him, but he had been giving her a lot more freedom since she made friends with Bonni. This was more likely due to the fact that Marceline hassled him less about drinking when she could have girl time instead of to a genuine change of heart.

Marceline was just relieved they had somewhere to hang out besides Bonni's candy cottage. She felt out of place there ever since she first floated in the door. Everything was adorable, candy coated, and neon colored (including her hostess), and she just hovered there being all undead, scary, and grey.

"Oh, you wouldn't be interested in my past, Marcie!" Bonni said, starting to blush an even brighter shade of pink than usual.

"Why? You hiding some deep, dark secrets, kid?" Marceline asked playfully as she drained the color from an apple.

Bonni giggled, "No, it's just boring! I grew up in a library and you've been on adventures for hundreds of years!"

"Well, if it's that boring then it shouldn't take that long to tell me."

Bonni sighed, knowing Marcie would not drop it. "Well, I was raised by a group of old lady librarians. That's why I know so much about science. Books were my playscape."

"What about your parents?"

"I don't have any."

Marceline stared at her blankly, "Bonni, I would think that knowing as much about science as you do, you would have come across the birds and the bees talk."

"Well, I guess I must have come from somewhere, but no one knows where. Library princess just said I was left on a bookshelf as a baby with a note that said 'Raise our little princess well.' Do you think that could have been from my parents?"

"I don't see who else it would be from. Even I had human parents, Bonni."

"Really? What were they like?" she asked perkily.

Marcie gave her a sly glance, "You're trying to change the subject. Do you think you came from the candy mutants? Most of them that I meet can hardly form a sentence. That would be like Einstein having chimps for parents."

Bonnibel stared at Marcie, her pouty lips twisted in confusion.

"Sorry." said Marcie after a pause, "Pre-apocalypse reference. Anyways, how did you come to meet your peppermint friend?"

"I made him." said Bonni simply.

Marceline almost choked on the color she'd been sucking out of some punch, "You what? Is he a robot?"

"No. He's a candy man. You're not very observant, are you?" Bonni had an indifferent, although still perplexed tone of voice.

"So you can create life?" asked Marceline as she put her hands up.

"Yes. Modern science has led me to-"

"Shut up about science, Bonni! How in glob's name did you learn to do that when you're only 15?"

"Well, it did take me 10 years to master the technique." said Bonni, still with a disconcertedly calm countenance.

"So, you started this research when you were 5?" said Marceline skeptically.

"No, I started it when I was 13." she said innocently, not understanding Marceline's confusion.

There was a weird silence as they both stared at each other. Finally, Marceline flung her hands in the air and gave an exasperated sigh. "I may not be one for math, Bonni, but something is not adding up here."

"Well, I've been 15 for a while." replied Bonni with a shrug.

"How long ago were you born, Bonni?" asked Marceline testily, thinking this pink girl was crazy.

"Oh, I dunno…" Bonni thought for a second and moved her lips as she silently counted, "Maybe a century, give or take."

Marceline's jaw dropped, "So why the hell have you always told me you're 15?"

Bonni backed up, trying to piece together Marceline's reaction, until understanding dawned on her face. She began giggling, "Oh, you silly vamp! I didn't think you meant me to tell you my chronological age!"

Marceline growled. She hated being confused and hated being laughed at more, "What. Else. Would. I. MEAN?"

"Well, it doesn't matter as much because right now I am emotionally and physically 15!" Bonni stood to demonstrate her point. She spun around happily, almost completely flat chested, in blue overalls, big glasses, and a child-like grin on her face.

"Well, how do you age?" asked Marceline, now more curious instead of angry.

An excited smile spread across Bonni's face and Marceline recognized it as the 'I'm going to give you a sciency lecture.' look.

"Alright, so with other candy people, once the candy ages, so does their mind. However, with the malleable, stretchy, sticky qualities of bubblegum, I can have my peppermint friend help me replace my old gum. So, if I take gum away, I get younger. If I add more gum, I grow up again. If I go a long while without replacing the gum, my skin starts to fade, I get wrinkles, and I smell like that flavorless, too-long-chewed gum."

"So what's the oldest you've been?"

"Oh, probably around 50. I hadn't perfected the gum maintenance yet. I think 18 would be the perfect age to stay, so that's probably what I do when it's time for me to swap out my gum again."

"Wait, so, does that mean you're immortal?" Marceline suddenly sat up hopefully, imagining being friends with Bonni for centuries instead of for the span of a short, brutal, mortal life.

"Well, no. I'm part human, so that part of me will age. I've discovered that eventually the gum will lose it's elasticity effect on my age and I'll have to replace it more and more often to stay young until I just won't be able to keep up with it any more. According to my calculations, though, that won't happen for at least 500 years." Bonni's brow furrowed in thoughtfulness as she stared up into the night sky. She was still standing and Marceline watched her stare into the distance, her gummy hair dancing gently in the moonlight breeze.

"Doesn't that scare you? To know that you'll die?" asked Marceline thoughtfully.

Bonnibel turned to look her friend straight in the eye and said "Doesn't it scare you to know you never will?"

Marceline debated what to respond with, when she finally just went with the truth.

"Yes. All the time."

Bonni sat back down with a concerned frown. She looked taken aback, like she had expected Marcie to respond with a snarky come back (which she almost did). Then she did something quite unexpected; she scooted a little closer to Marceline, laid her head down on her shoulder, and hugged her gently around her waist. Marceline just laid there for a second, afraid to breath or move, before she relaxed and placed her hands on Bonni's shoulders.

"So, why do you want to be 18?" Marceline finally said, with a gentle, uncharacteristically nurturing tone.

"Oh, it just seems like the great age because I'll still be young, spry, and pretty, but just adult enough to rule a kingdom."

Marceline blinked a few times. She is just full of surprises tonight, Marceline thought. Then she laughed, "You must have a small kingdom to all fit in that little cottage of yours."

Bonni scoffed, "No, I haven't made them yet!"

"So you want to make an entire kingdom of…peppermint friends?"

"Pshh! Not just peppermints! That would be redundant!" Bonni gave Marcie a mildly condescending look and Marceline shrugged, "I mean an entire Candy Kingdom! I've already started the plans. I'll build strong chocolate-dipped-banana-men to construct the Kingdom and the castle from my blueprints, then Gumdrop ladies to assist in the decorating, and I'll be making citizens!"

Marceline stared at Bonni, amazed at her quirky creative genius, "Well, if that's your thing then go for it!"

"Oh, that's not the best part! I will make my Kingdom one where there are festivals and parties all the time so that everyone is always happy and I will get to be their Princess so they can always be safe! I think being a princess and a leader is what I'm meant to do, and that's why that note said I was a princess."

Marceline smiled at Bonni and said, "Well, if anybody can do something like that you can. Just don't let the fame go to your head, Princess."

"Nie." muttered the girl sleepily in what Marceline could only assume was German. Still full of surprises, Marceline thought.