Why hello thar! How are you doing? Good? Great!
We last left off with Marshall Lee realizing his love for Fionna but she, of course, is oblivious. But does she feel the same way? Let's find out!
This song was written by Chemical-Rayne. Thank you so much for your contribution. So for all of those out there who have a song they want to write and submit, send me a PM.
Disclaimer: I don't own Adventure Time. It belongs to Pendleton Ward and Natasha Allegri.
"Are you sure you're alright, Fionna?" Cake asked as they got ready for bed.
"I'm fine," Fionna repeated for the umpteenth time. "Will ya stop asking me?"
"Sorry... it's just hard to imagine what would have happened if Marshall wasn't with you," Cake replied.
"But he was," Fionna said, rolling her eyes.
Fionna climbed into bed, her eye glancing out the window, watching Marshall Lee fly off towards Tree Stumps' house. Cake followed Fionna's gaze and then smiled wickedly. They witnessed him vanish into the trees and the human turned to look at Cake, who was still smiling knowingly, a grin unlike any other splayed across her face.
"What now?" Fionna demanded.
"You like Marshall!" Cake said, doing a wave dance with her arms.
Fionna blushed. "I do not!"
"Oh come on, Fi! You've been seeing him for no apparent reason, you're staring after him every time he leaves you, and I see your face turn red when he looks at you," Cake said, smirking and crossing her arms smugly. "Don't deny it. It's true."
Fionna stopped listening and hid her red face beneath her pillow as Cake teased her and laughed, patting her back before hopping into bed. She had never actually thought about how she felt about Marshall. But she's always admired the vampire from afar in secret. His hair, his fangs, his sense of humor, and his smile. He was the perfect guy but she was out of his league. It suddenly upset her, a lurch in her stomach that she had only felt twice in her life. Once when she found out that Gumball didn't share mutual feelings towards her and when Flame Prince broke up with her. An empty feeling that could only be filled by a certain person. Fionna peeked over at Cake and saw that her companion was asleep. She slipped out of her bed and put her clothes back on, leaving her pack behind. A walk alone usually cleared her head and she knew that, if Cake went with her, she would never hear the end about how much Fionna really liked Marshall.
She jumped out of the window and landed gracefully on her feet, her shoes making a soft thumping noise on the grass. She made sure that her old grappling hook was still hidden behind a bush by the trunk of her home and then proceeded to stroll along the Grass Lands. She wanted to talk to someone and get their opinion on the matter and she had to do it fast. Her little flying session with Marshall Lee lasted half the night so the sun would be coming up in a matter of four hours. Fionna smiled as a light appeared before her, flickering and smoking in the distance. Flame Prince was adding a little more fire to the house, keeping it alight so it wouldn't burn away. Fionna called his name and he turned, surprised to see her approaching him.
"Oh, hello!" he said, smiling too.
They went in to hug, laughed nervously and then tried to shake hands but ended up just waving at one another.
"What's up?" he said.
"I wanted to talk to you about what you said when we... broke up," Fionna explained. "Who exactly did you have in mind?"
Flame Prince paused. He knew that Marshall had feelings for Fionna and had a hunch that Fionna felt the same. He didn't wanna lie to her but he wanted her to figure it out for herself. And that's what he told her. Fionna tried for a good ten minutes to get him to tell her who she's in love with. Then-
"Fionna, don't you think it's better to fall in love by yourself? Not being forced into it just because someone tells you they see that you care for someone?" Flame Prince. He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "If that makes any sense."
"None," Fionna said with a grin.
But she understood the gist of what Flame Prince was talking about. So, she bid him goodbye and walked back home, taking a small detour in the forest. She strolled around the forest, having a more tender moment with nature. Fionna didn't show it but she really appreciated the world she lived in and its fantastical creatures that inhabit it. It was the only thing she knew to call home. After all, there weren't any other humans around Aaa so hanging out with a talking, stretchy cat, a prince made of gum, and a red eating vampire was like second nature to her.
Speaking of that vampire, he was walking home from Tree Stumps', tossing his grey apple to the side. He heard footsteps and turned, attack mode engaged. He then noticed that it was Fionna, who had one hand pressed against a tree, her blue eyes combing its bark over. Marshall wondered what she was doing and moved a little closer. Was it a secret bunker to a hide out that she owned? Did it hold a sword that could defeat the Lich? Or was it a place she hid all of her gems and gold that she didn't want Cake to see? He became more and more confused as he watched her stand there with that simple smile blessing her features. It then dawned on him that it was just an ordinary tree. Nothing special. Of course, in her eyes, it was more than just a tree. She secretly had a little soft spot for it.
He approached her gently, his feet walking along the grass for once and making muffled pounding noises as he went. Fionna didn't turn to see who it was. She had a feeling that it was her fanged companion so she just started to speak.
"I've always liked this tree," she said softly, patting its bark.
"Why?" he demanded, his hands digging inside his pockets. "It's just a tree. There are thousands more like it around here." He pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved it around the forest to prove his point.
"I know but... this is my favorite," she insisted.
"It's just like all the others," Marshall said, putting his hand back in his pocket, his thumbs sticking out and putting them inside his belt loops.
"No. It's not," she said.
"And why is that?" he said skeptically.
She put her foot on a knot of the tree and made her way up to a branch and sat down. Fionna looked at Marshall Lee who gazed up at her. She grinned at him, kicking her feet in the air, her hands grasping the rough bark she sat upon. He floated up to face her and glanced around the leaves that made a canopy over their heads.
"It's because," Fionna began to answer his question, "this tree is the only one in the clearing. It's also the only one of its kind. It's an old birch tree. I read about it in a book PG gave to me." She patted the trunk she leaned against. "It's like me. The only one left."
Marshall suddenly realized what Fionna was getting at. Her loneliness of being the last human was echoed by this tree. He sat beside her and they stay put in silence. The human girl leaned on Marshall instead, closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of the forest around them. The Vampire King soon heard light snores and smiled, lifting her off the branch and flying her home. Thanking Glob that Cake was still asleep, he tucked Fionna silently into bed and courageously kissed her on the forehead before flying away back to his lair.
When Fionna woke up the next morning, she found herself in her bed, the smell of breakfast wafting through the tree and into her nose. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling a tingle on her forehead. She vaguely remember waking up during the night as someone placed a tender kiss on her head. The last person she was with was Marshall so... by obvious deduction, it had to have been him.
She felt her face heat up as Cake called her down for breakfast. When the human climbed down, Cake was waiting for her, arms crossed and slowly tapping her foot expectantly.
"What?" Fionna said, rubbing her eyes.
"I woke up this morning and saw that you were in your clothes," Cake said, shooing her sister towards the table for their meal.
"Yeah. I usually wear clothes," Fionna grinned.
Cake rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Where did you go?"
"I went to visit Marshall," Fionna said. That wasn't a total lie but Cake was skeptical so she strode over to the phone and called the vampire's house.
"Hello?" Marshall spoke groggily. "Who dares call me at this hour?"
"It's me," Cake said forcefully.
"Oh. Hey, Cake. How may I help you this fine morning?" Marshall said, chuckling darkly.
"Did Fionna visit you last night?" Cake said, eyeing the human who was shoveling food into her mouth out of nerves.
"Yeah," he replied bluntly.
Cake's eyebrows shot up. "O-oh."
"Mm-hm," he said. "Bye."
"Yeeaaah... see you."
They hung up and Cake smiled sheepishly. "Whoops," she said, earning an unimpressed look from Fionna. The cat slowly walked over and they ate their meals in silence.
As usual, the rest of the day was spent in adventure. Lumpy Space Prince seemed to have a problem with Turtle Prince and they were arguing, which was unusual for the two of them. Fionna and Cake had to skillfully solve the problem and the two boys resolved their fight and went off to hang out. Gumball informed them that Slime Prince and Wild-berry Prince had been captured by Ice Queen. The girls burst in just in time to interrupt the forced wedding. Cursing manically at them, Ice Queen began an all out battle which she lost miserably.
They transported the two princes home before spending a little time at their treehouse playing BMO and having lunch. Fionna then wanted to check out this creepy cave that resided in the Ice Kingdom. Hesitantly, they journeyed inside and discovered a very sad turnip inside. All he wanted was to become a singer so the girls jammed with him for a while until he was satisfied. This inspired Fionna and Cake to go and get their friends and set up a jam session for that night.
So Gumball, Marshall Lee, BMO, Fionna, and Cake all gathered in Fionna's treehouse and began to play some of their old songs. The two boys ended up staying for dinner that night and there was a food fight that Marshall Lee started. It ended up wrecking half of the house. Feeling bad, Gumball and Marshall stayed a little after to clean it up with the girls. They all went up to the roof to look at the stars for a while and talk while they ate some ice cream that Gumball had brought over.
"Ooh! Look at that one!" Fionna said, pointing upwards.
"And that one!" Cake added, her arm stretching until it looked like she was holding the star in her paw.
Gumball studied several with his telescope and made little notes in the book he carried with him at all times. "Hmm. I think that one is called Sirius."
"But we're having fun," Fionna said.
"No... never mind," Gumball said, smiling at Fionna slightly, who had turned her attention to Marshall.
"What do you think?" she asked him, patting him on the head and rumpling his hair.
"I've seen 'em dozens of times," he said nonchalantly, shrugging.
"Poo on you. You're no fun," Fionna teased, pretending to look offended.
He grinned and flashed his fangs at her. She blushed at his smile and looked away, not wanting him to see her flushed face. Her heart beat a little more rapidly as he laughed her name, teasing her that he'll drink the red out of her cheeks. She told him to knock it off but he simply kept laughing. When the boys left, Marshall had to meet some friends in the graveyard and Gumball wanted to go to bed, they bid them goodbye. Cake made her way down the ladder, asking whether or not Fionna was coming down yet.
"No... I'll be down in a second," Fionna said. "I gotta clear my head."
"Alright. Well, I'm gonna practice my dulcimer so you can listen to that," Cake informed her before going inside.
She waited a little for Cake to vanish into the treehouse. Fionna then let out a breath, holding her arms close to her chest as she thought about Marshall Lee. That smile shook her up more than it used to. His mere presence made her face glow like a flame...
Then it clicked.
Flame Prince had seen her run after Marshall that one night. All she talked about was him. All she thought about was him. Marshall was the one that FP was referring to.
"Oh Glob... I'm in love with Marshall Lee," Fionna said.
No words that had escaped her lips ever felt so right to say out loud. It was the most powerful realization in the universe. But the more she thought about it, the more her frown deepened. She had thought earlier that she could never be with Marshall because he was simply too cool for her. Not only that, but he'd probably laugh in her face once she confessed to him... if she ever had the courage to. It was strange, she thought as she glanced around Aaa, how she can fight off monsters, defeat dungeons, and wield swords with ease but had the worst luck with dudes. How was that fair?
The tinkling of Cake's dulcimer floated up to Fionna's ears and the human let out another sigh, brining her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. She began to sing softly, in tune to the sound of her friend's music.
All of these feelings confuse me,
So how can I think clearly?
What if he just tries to use me,
If I were to care for him dearly?
For the first time in a long time, Fionna felt tears crawl to the front of her eyes and began to spill out of her lids and slide down her cheeks.
I don't know how he feels inside,
So I must bottle up and hide
The truth.
And every time he looks at me,
I wonder if he really sees
The proof.
She opened her eyes and whispered against the wind, "And yet..."
I worry he'll laugh and degrade me
If I open up and let him in.
What if he hates what this could be,
And likens my feelings to sin?
A shiver of fright went down her back as she sang this, a horrifying thought crossing her mind. She bared her teeth and went on:
But the worst way that this could end
Is if I lost him as my friend
For good.
A pain that I could never bear,
A sacrifice that isn't fair
This could..
Fionna's fingernails dug into her bare skin and she let out a shuddering sigh, trying to keep in her tears. She barely said the last part and it was lost into the wind but the emotion was still audible and it was carried all around the world and back to her.
... be it.
Every word she said, every thought she had were her deepest fears. Marshall Lee was someone she couldn't stand losing from her life. He was a rowdy, loud, punk, and dangerous vampire but he was her dearest friend after Cake... how could she stand to lose him? It was almost as if her song reflected the truth that she feared.
But on that night, Fionna could have never been more wrong in her life.
-0-
Marceline looked up at the stunned faces of her friends. Finn's mouth was hanging open like a moron, he and Jake were exchanging looks of astonishment, Bubblegum was slowly trying to regain herself, BMO was crying digital tears that had to be put on mute, and Lady had wrapped herself beside Jake with a small smile at the story. Even Ice King was leaning against the bars, struck dumb by this last ballad by the courageous human girl.
"So... what do you think so far?" Marceline said, trying not to crack up at their facial expressions.
All they could do was point at the book, egging the vampire to go on.
Yay! This chapter is done! I dunno though... I feel like I rushed it. Let me know though. I don't wanna disappoint you guys in the slightest.
And thanks again Chemical-Rayne for you're amazing song. I actually had the same reaction the main characters had in the end, to be honest. It was pretty lumping incredible. I hope I did your song justice (I know I say that about all of the songs).
Thank you all for reading, don't forget to review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
And remember: Keep calm and Adventure on.
