Miscalculations
Princess Bubblegum was taken by surprise at the realization. She turned to look straight at her taller and paler friend, a look of shock and awe plastered across her face. Marceline could do nothing but grin ear to ear.
"Marceline! You're not taking me to see a concert; you're taking me to your concert! So you do sing!" She glared incredulously at the vampire floating next to her, and the dark lady simply giggled. She giggled. Glob, something in Bubblegum's chest leapt to her throat. What in the world?
"Oh Bonnie, don't be like that. I haven't played at a concert in hundreds of years. There's probably no one alive who's heard me play a concert. You should be honored I brought you." There was quite a bit of pride edged across the statement, but something beneath it too. Having been exposed to many royal occasions and trained to see the true meaning of one's words, the princess felt there was an undertone in her voice. What was it?
Soon though, the lights were getting dim. Marceline gave one last smirk to Bubblegum, and then turned and floated to the stage, disappearing to the back area. Left alone in the middle of the bar, the short pink girl felt very vulnerable. After a moment, a large and harsh man walked up to her. She wasn't wearing her tiara, and Bubblegum never felt so out of control or less imposing.
This man was tall, impossibly tall. He smelled of alcohol and a healthy mix of sweat and dirt. Fear swept over the princess, as she knew full well how easily he could snatch her up. He even seemed to be part wolf, if you could believe it. He moved close, and he was almost a foot away from her when he perked up his nose. He looked at Bubblegum for a moment with fear, and then turned around and walked quickly in the other direction.
Confusion sprang to the princess's mind as the sound check finished up. That man was scared by her? Why? How? Her inquisitive mind started playing the moment back in her mind. He was large and in charge, he was terrifying…and he looked like a wolf. His nose ruffled up, and then—wait. She smelled herself, realizing what it was. Marceline's shirt. It smelled strongly of the dark woman's scent, and for a moment the princess was lost in it.
Then the bass started low in the background. It grew, the sound filling her very head with its deep tones. She turned to the stage to see Marceline standing there, holding a bass low on her hips. The pale woman barred her fangs, and the crowd sent up a sound of excitement. Bubblegum found her own voice among them, never having witnessed anything like this.
The flow of the music carried her through the night. The throbbing notes left her begging for more, and she could hardly wait for the next song. And then something happened that caught the Princess off guard. As the song ended, Marceline stopped playing and stepped up to the microphone. She wasn't going to sing, she wanted to say something.
"Alright, ladies and gentleman! You having fun? Oh yeah, glad to hear it. This next song is special to me, and I hope it can be special for you too." With that, she nodded to the drummer, who started a slow beat. Bubblegum watched in confusion. Marceline had never shown any sort of interest in anything like this. She was hardcore, she was rock and roll, and she was immovable. And then she started to play.
There are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living, in my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning, when I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them, in my life, I'll love you more
Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them, in my life, I'll love you more
The words were so foreign to the princess. This was not the Marceline she was used to you. So different from the norm, this Marceline was full of deep, breakable emotion. Little pink Bubblegum found herself feel vulnerable for her friend. She could feel the vampire's heart hanging on every note as she played it.
When she finished, she bowed awkwardly, let the crowd cheer her on, and then almost fled the stage. She had let something out she had not meant to show. Bubblegum had seen this before, had felt this. She rushed to the side of the stage.
The opposing women stared each other down. The shorter of the two could see straight into her pale friend's soul at this very moment. Not knowing whether this was for the best or the worst, she embraced the taller woman in a hug.
Marceline was stiff for a moment, before returning the hug cautiously. Bubblegum spoke into her ear to be heard over the cheers of the crowd.
"That was great. You sounded great up there." Marceline pulled away slowly and looked at her small companion. A smile crossed her fanged mouth.
"Do you want to get out of here? We can talk more somewhere else." Bubblegum suddenly felt a familiar lump in her throat. She couldn't explain it, but she chose to ignore it. Nodding, the vampire queen took ahold of the candy princess and lifted the small girl into her arms. With that, she flew out the side door, reaching speeds Bubblegum couldn't imagine were possible.
It took what seemed like mere moments to cross the plains and come to the Candy Kingdom. Alighting on the balcony of the princess's room, Marceline placed the younger royal on the hard surface. Bubblegum tried to stop herself from hyperventilating, the speed giving her extreme vertigo. She stumbled, and Marceline caught her charge ably. She floated and deposited the girl on her bed.
The next hours flew by. Talking idly and simply, the two women found new appreciation for each other. To her surprise, the princess found herself unwilling to go to sleep despite her exhaustion. She didn't want to miss this chance to talk to her closest friend. The usually dark and cryptic woman had opened up to her for the first time. Bubblegum didn't want to lose this chance.
And then the moment came. Marceline was going to leave, as Bubblegum could hardly stay awake. As she lay in her bed, wishing she could keep her eyes open, Bubblegum had to ask one last question.
"Marceline…that last song. Who was it for? Who did you love?" Marceline looked surprised at the girl before her. With a small smile she answered in a whisper.
"It's not who I loved, it's who I love." With that, the vampire kissed the princess on the cheek and Princess Bubblegum fell asleep.