Chapter 10. You Found Me
Petrified he stood there, as his eyes fell on the pink prince out on his doorstep. The rage in Gumball's eyes was nothing like he had ever seen before. For the first time, the pink-haired royal actually scared him. Out of reflex, he slammed the door shut, right in the seething boy's face. His mind refused to function and he felt how clenched fists angrily pounded on the wood that separated them.
What am I going to do? Why is he here? Fionna, I swear to the heavens when I get my hands on you, you bunny hat-wearing nubnut!
"Marshall Lee, you open this door right now or I'll kick it in!" Already knowing what strength the feeble-looking body contained, he decided it was for the best if his door received the least damage possible – it had been through enough these last couple of days. Hesitantly he reached for the doorknob, carefully opening it again, only to meet the furious gaze of a bubble gum prince, the imprint of a door colouring his forehead magenta.
"Hey Gumball, didn't see you there. What's up?" His nonchalant behaviour obviously did not impress the pink-haired boy. Okay, jokes are not appreciated, noted. The vampire faintly invited the prince in – unnecessary, for the royal strutted in fiercely without answering Marshall's effort at small talk. After quietly shutting the door, he followed his visitor into the living room. There Gumball rapidly turned around, a look that held the middle between consuming rage and atrocious contempt painted on his face. Marshall dared not to breathe, let alone break the heavy silence. He saw how the other boy crossed his arms, his hands clasped into fists. Instinctively the dark-haired vampire kept his distance, floating at the entrance of the room.
An icy voice, sharp as a blade, finally shredded the silence as it began to speak: "Explain."
He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing the exact words to calm Gumball's fury. Alas, the only thing this gesture did was incite it even more. The Candy prince was visibly trembling, balling his fists even more. Heavily the visitor breathed through his nostrils, clearly resisting the urge to smack the vampire king straight in his self-proclaimed 'handsomest of faces'. "What is there to explain?", the vampire eventually sighed.
I've tried to put it into words, countless of times. Get upstairs and see for yourself, dozens of crumpled papers are my witnesses. I can't explain.
At his silence, the prince drew closer, trying to read Marshall's eyes. Almost carefully, but with a resolute grasp, he took one of the bandaged arms. It stung a little where he touched the wrapped skin, but the vampire managed to keep a straight face. The fingers holding his burned limb touched it with the utmost care, but he felt how they shook, afraid he might crumble at even the slightest caress. "Really," the vampire reassured with a small smile, "it looks way worse than it is. See, barely hurts anymore." He waved his free arm a few times, ignoring the stinging pain flaring. Gumball's eye twitched as he saw the arm moving from left to right, his brows furrowed.
"Why would you even think of it? Don't you remember how much Simone sacrificed so you could live? How can you treat this so lightly, Marshall? You were nearly DEAD." A painful grimace replaced the previous anger, and the prince's voice stocked.
Marshall's smile faded at the mention of Simone. "You ask me why? Because this isn't the first time."
This answer silenced Gumball immediately. After a while, he inquired again in a weak voice: "Not the first time?"
Marshall cursed himself for bringing up the subject. "After the Mushroom War, when I was all alone, I more than once thought I would die. Every day I would wake up, realising it could be my last. Even after I was turned, even after Simone lost to the power of the crown, even after meeting you, the thought never really left me. Because I knew, some way or another, that I would end up alone with nothing to live for. And I told you how I think about boring, unfulfilling things, right? But you don't have to worry, Fionna made me promise on my bass to never ever pull a stunt like that again." The words came out harsher than he had intended.
Gumball retorted quickly, more powerful : "You always have something to live for. What about me?"
The retort surprised the dark-haired vampire. The hand still holding unto his arm clenched it tighter. Startled he added: "Well, it was obvious after what I had done to you…" he swallowed before continuing, "… I mean, you wouldn't want to be around me anymore, right? That's why you locked yourself away. You hate me."
Gumball fell to his knees, collapsing. "…Idiot…" His back was shaking. All the anger had left his body, leaving behind a fragile and vulnerable boy. Marshall couldn't help but put his swathed arms around the prince, pulling him into a tight embrace. The pink royal did not resist, hiding his face in the nape of the dark-haired boy's neck. With a quivering voice he whispered in Marshall's ear: "When I heard what you had done, it was like my whole world just crashed down. Why would you leave me? Isn't it you who hates me?" The sighed questions were filled with sadness, and Marshall tightened his grip on the boy, ignoring the stinging pain from the bandaged burns.
A soundless laugh left his throat. "Hate you? I basically forced myself on you, then proclaimed my love in a lame-ass song. I couldn't hate you if I tried. And believe me, I have tried."
The prince shifted in his embrace, hiding his embarrassed face in Marshall's shirt. "… I didn't think it was lame…" a muffled voice sounded from between the creases of the plaid shirt. Tears drenched the black tank top underneath.
"Am I making you cry again?" the vampire asked worriedly, wondering if he had done something. A pale hand, which had received the least damage, gently stroked the peculiar pink hair. It felt much softer than it looked. Like stroking a fluffy cloud of rose candy floss, without the risk of it getting stuck to your fingers.
The bubble gum boy shook his head a few times. "I'm just so relieved", he eventually muttered between sniffs, " to hold you again." The hands clasping his shirt squeezed harder, making sure it was real, and the person wearing it was not an illusion.
A warmth filling him, the black-haired boy looked down on his companion who was desperately trying to hold back his blubbering. "I am so sorry, for everything." The sincerity dripped into every word he uttered. This was what he had been wanting to say, for so long. Touched by the strong emotions hidden in what Marshall said, Gumball lifted his head to meet the vampire's gaze. Both were overflowing with a glowing affection they had never felt before. Yes, there had been a lot of suffering. Yes, there were fresh wounds that needed time to heal and old scars that would never disappear. But in this moment, it did not matter. Everything just felt right.
A gracious palm rested on Marshall's cheek, pulling him closer. Their lips met halfway. Tentatively they sought out each other, several soft kisses raining down. The feel of an electric current ran through Marshall's body every time their lips locked. He shifted, now kissing the closed lids of Gumball's eyes, the tip of his nose and the line of his cheeks before reclaiming his lips again. The pink prince's breath was already becoming ragged as a cerise blush flushed his face. Completely irresistible. Marshall felt how heat took over his body as he sucked on the lower lip of his partner, casually tugging before using his tongue to lick it. Teasingly he inserted the tip of his tongue in between the slight opened pink lips, tracing pearl white teeth. His right hand slid through the boy's hair, taking some locks between his fingers to pull the prince into a more intimate kiss. The vampire's left hand trailed down the prince's spine, as his tongue inserted itself deeper into Gumball's mouth. Exploring the other boy, he was aware of a burning passion consuming him whole. Their tongues intertwined, almost trying to outdo the other with technique. Even Marshall could feel the heated blush on his face – something which was quite extraordinary for a vampire demon.
He broke the deep kiss for a second, having trouble to control his thoughts and breath: "Want to continue this upstairs?", he suggestively sighed. He kissed the bare neck in front of him, causing the other boy to shudder. A glazed look had come over his eyes. The prince slowly nodded, the colour of his features now a deep crimson. Pain long forgotten, the dark-haired boy picked Gumball up and hurriedly they floated upstairs, barely containing their passion.
A/N: I sacrificed some of my sleep to get this chapter done (because who needs a sufficient amount of sleep anyway?)
A/N2: I seriously need to focus on the mountain of essays I put off for way too long . So it may take some time for the next chapter to pop up (it will most likely be the last one too! - but I am thinking of writing a sequel)
PS: I just found out I'm absolutely terrible at writing sex scenes - just my luck.