; Epic fakeout. The story's not done yet. Otherwise, lt would say, 'completed'. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. It could still end badly.
Bonnibel mainly stayed to herself in her room for the next few days, sobbing & hurting. She didn't want company, but company wanted her. [Knock, knock'].
"Madam Bubblegum, may I come in?".
She really wasn't feeling up to another conversation with her parents, but she was relieved that lt was only Peppermint Butler, one man she could always trust. He had served as the family butler & her best friend all through her life & in that time, he often had her back & helped console her when she was down. His company was always welcome with her.
"Okay".
He came in & loomed behind her, unsure of how long he would stay.
"I'm truly sorry for all of this. It's my fault. I hope you can forgive me. I honestly thought they would be more accepting.".
"Don't even worry about lt. They were bound to find out eventually.".
She wasn't even trying to be reassuring. Truth be told, they would find out & Peppermint never intended any harm.
"Yes, I suppose so...". And then he said, "Would you like for me to stay & comfort you; or do you wish for privacy?".
"Comfort me.", she said, almost begging, turning around to look him in the eye.
He had hoped she would say that. Ever since Marceline came into her life, they never talked or hung out as much. He figured that she didn't trust him with her secret. Still, lt was nice to be able to spend time together again. He never had any friends or family of his own, so the Bubblegum's were his family. They took him in & let him live there, giving him his own room. Bonnibel was the adolescence friend he never had, since he was considerred weird in school & even into adulthood. He was a butler first & foremost, but when there were no chores left to do, he would often lend the young princess his ear. On occasion, they would even play 64 & PlayStation together. He was more of a 2600 gamer himself, so she'd usually beat him at every game, but they had lots of fun nonetheless.
He took a seat on the chair next to Bonni's.
"I'm sorry I never told you about Marceline. I guess I.."
"didn't trust me with your secret?" he added knowingly.
She looked sheepish.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure lf I could trust anyone, not even you. And because of that, lt's been awkward. I know we haven't talked or hung out in a long time now. You didn't desserve that.".
"Well, I can't say as I blame you for wanting to make new friends. You shouldn't be cooped up in the house hanging out with an old butler all the time. Even though he is really cool." he said with a smile.
"Oh, I love Marceline, but you'll always be my best friend, no matter how many new people I meet.".
She hugged him tightly.
"So, uh, do you think lt's bad that I was, you know, daaating Marceline?" she squeaked out awkwardly.
"Not at all. We all do some weird things. But what's important is that lt comes from a place of love.".
"It does.". "Wait, what weird thing do you do?", she said, as what he said dawned upon her.
"Oh, he-he, um...".
She had never seen Peppermint caught off-guard before. Now she really wanted to know. But lt really wasn't fair that she hadn't trusted him.
"I know, I didn't tell you about Marceline, so I shouldn't ask, but what lf I tell you more about her?".
"Well, I suppose so... It's only fair...", he said, finding lt hard to disagree.
"Okay! Well, I snuck out one night &..".
"You didn't tell me about that either." he jumped in. "You know, I could have helped make sure you didn't get caught.".
"I know. I really wasn't thinking straight that night. [Sigh] I've been a jerk. I won't do that anymore though, I promise. From now on, I will tell you all of my secrets.". "But back to the story: I walked around & I found this park, well, playground. And that's where I met Marceline. We talked a little. She was nice enough to walk me home. Then we met again the next night. We hung out for hours playing all sorts of wacky games. And this time she drove me home on her motorcycle. That was pretty scary. But also fun. And we just kept meeting up until one night. We were in the middle of a game she came up with & she stopped. Out of nowhere. She looked like a deer in headlights. She told me she wanted to talk to me. So I went over to her ofcourse. And then she said... she likes me.".
She looked back dreamily upon the memory.
"I didn't know what she was talking about, but she kept trying to tell me. Then she told me I had something in my eye & she was gonna get lt out. So we got real close. I never felt so nervous in all my life. Part of me wanted to back up & go back to our game. But the other part wanted to get closer. They both won. Then, next thing I know, we're face to face. And then I... I kissed her.".
"You kissed her? I thought she said she liked you.".
"Welll, yeaaah...".
She felt very shy trying to explain her kiss with Marceline. She had never told anyone else the deatails of that night, not even Finn.
"So why did you kiss her?" he asked, still trying to understand how two girls could like, nay, love, each other.
"I don't know. She's so... nice. And fun. And beautiful. All I knew in that moment was that I needed to get closer.".
"Um, do you like boys? Or do you only like girls?".
"No, I don't like girls at all.".
Peppermint was confused.
"I don't know how to explain this, but I don't like Marceline for her gender. It doesn't matter to me lf she's a boy or a girl, ugly or pretty, fat or skinny. I love her for her. She's my soulmate. Yeah, lt's strange that she's a girl & lt takes some getting used to, but you only get one soulmate, right? So I don't love her because she's a girl, I love her even though she's a girl.".
He was trying to follow along, but lt was still very confusing. He wasn't perturbed in the slightest though. He saw lt kind-of like eating Oodles & Noodles raw: odd, but harmless.
"What happened next?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Then I fell in love.".
She smiled at him & he smiled back.
"We were extremely confused about the situation & unsure of what to do next, but we knew we both meant that kiss. So, Marceline.. um...".
She put her hand through her hair, knowing that she would have to say the words.
"Marceline asked me out. I said yes. And then we started dating.".
"So.. do you do the same things that other couples do?", asked Peppermint, still trying to make sense of their unorthodox relationship.
"Pretty much. We go to the movie theatre, we hang out at the park, we go out to eat sometimes. Only, we're both girls. So, lt's hard sometimes. And the hardest thing we ever had to do is tell our friends. But we did & luckily for us, they were very supportive. Surprisingly, even Finn was happy for us. He likes me & used to ask me out a lot. But I don't see him that way.".
"What about now, since you're no longer with Marceline? Or don't you like boys?".
"I don't know, I don't really like anyone. Marceline is the only one I see in that way. Finn is nice, but he's only my friend. We don't share that same spark. Besides, he & Fira are so cute together. She really likes him & he isn't exactly miserable with her either. I think they have something. I hope he gets over me & finds happiness with her. And she's pretty cool about him liking me, so she's probably a keeper.".
As her story came to an end, Peppermint knew his turn was coming up. He worried that she would misunderstand. But he knew he should trust her as she now trusted him.
"That's my story. What's your secret?", she asked him conspiratorially.
'"From now on, I will tell you all of my secrets."' he rememberred her say.
"I can't say that I like other men or have some unusual romantic interest. I never had a chance with anyone in school, so I never put much stock in romance. My secret is a little different from yours & I haven't told anyone else this. You're the only one I trust with this information, so I do hope you will at least try to keep an open mind & not jump to conclusions.".
"Sounds dramatic. Tell me. I won't do any jumping, except for jumping in my seat because the suspense is killing meee.".
"Put simply, I deal in the occult, black magic.".
He paused to gauge her reaction. She was still listening.
"It's something I got into as a kid. That's why I was so weird. I have a long, complicated past, so I'm not going to talk about everything, but the point is that I try to use dark magic for good.".
"Why not use light magic for good?".
She got him there.
"Let's just say that I never exactly chose to get into this occult stuff. It was forced on me. So I try to do whatever good with lt that I can. But, at the end of the day, lt is still dark magic. I can't always get lt to do what I want lt to. I've never even told anyone this much. I hope that will suffice for now. I'm really not ready to talk about my past, yet.".
"Wow, look at you, a butler with a dark secret, straight out of Clue. I could never have guessed that. Um, should I be worried about that at all?", she asked, concerned with how unconcerned she was.
"No, you're quite safe. I don't practice magic anywhere near here. I'm the one who should be worried. But I've gotten used to lt over the decades. Anyway, I'm going to leave now. I've brought up some bad memories from when I was young. I need to go for a walk or something to clear my head. So then, do you think I'm evil? Are you scared of me now?".
"Not really. I know you're a really good person. It sounds to me like someone else is using you.".
"You're not wrong." he said vaguely.
"I hope you tell me the whole story one day. But I won't pester you.".
"Thank you. Well, did I manage to cheer you up at all about Marceline?".
"Nope." she said bluntly, but in a nice way. "We're still not together. There's nothing to be happy about there. But I enjoy talking with you. It definitely made a difference.".
"I'm happy to help. I never had anyone there for me when I was your age. I don't think anyone should have to live like that.".
He started toward the door.
"Peppermint?".
He turned back toward her.
"Did I make the right choice, breaking up with her?" she asked fragilely.
"That's not for me to say. All I will say is: If you truly love each other & belong together, lf you're truly soulmates as you say, then you could never be kept apart. You will end up together again in the end. But, lf you stay apart & never get back together, then that is not real love. Whatever ends up happening, that will tell you whether you truly belong together.".
"I sure love talking to you. You're so wise. Well, enjoy your walk. I'm going to think about what you said.".
He left the room & she was back to her thoughts of despair. That's how things were now & Marceline wasn't faring any better. Without Bonnibel, she was completely alone. No mom, usually no dad & no butler either. Just she, herself & her. Finn & company were alright & she knew they meant well, but when push came to shove, they just didn't make good confidants. Additionally, they typically didn't hang out often, outside of school. They were brothers with girlfriends & she was just the fifth wheel. So she was back to square one, alone with her thoughts.
For Marceline, the sorrow was on the inside. She always tried to look strong & undeterred. However, she was anything but strong in this moment. Both girls had cut themselves off from the outside world. Neither one wanted to see the other & face the reality that what they had was now lost. It would be unbearably painful. Marcy mainly sat against the wall & stared in the dark. Her purpose had diminished & there was no longer a point to anything. And then there was some fumbling at the door. Her gaze broke. She may not have a purpose anymore, but she still wanted to live.
More fumbling. The lock turned & the door burst wide open. There was no time to even grab a weapon. A man waverred uncomfortably long in the doorway.
"Oh, lt's just you.", she said disappointedly. "A burglar would be nice for a change.".
Hunson Abadeer drunkenly stumbled inside, bouncing aloofly off the walls to remain afoot. He looked like a marionette being manipulated by the world's worst puppeteer. He paid Marceline no mind & went straight for the kitchen cupboard, located close to the front door, to pour himself yet another glass of straight-up rum. Or two. Or five. A typical visit from him.
"Don't you think you had enough?", Marceline asked, already knowing his answer.
"I'm still standing.", he managed, without slurring.
"So?".
"So, I haven't had NEARLY enough.", he absently responded, with a severely unnecessary emphasis on, 'NEARLY'.
"Whatever suits you. Hey, would lt kill you to ask how my week was or just my day or even say, 'Hi'?".
"Ugh".
It sounded more like he had a stomache ache than him not wanting to talk to her.
"Hi. How's lt going?", he said, slurring & stretching the words carelessly, before returning to rummaging for alcohol.
She wanted to have his full attention. Any kind of reaction would be something to cherish.
"I met a girl. She kissed me & we fell in love. Then we broke up. And the whole school is bullying us now because of lt.".
He started leaving as she was speaking, a six-pack of beer in each hand. He ignored her, as per usual. It infuriated her to no end that she opened up to him & spilled some large beans, yet nothing she said or did could ever grab his attention. He simply did not care. Out the door he went, not even botherring to lock or so much as close the door halfway. Someone could easily come in & kill her, which certainly wasn't improbable in that neighborhood. And he wouldn't have a clue. She went out into the hallway & spied him musterring all his concentration to walk down the stairs.
"Hey, don't hurt yourself. You should really take lt easy on the liquor." she said half-heartedly, knowing he wasn't listening. "Okay. Good talk, dad. I can't wait for the next one we have, AT YOUR FUNERAL!" she screamed at the ignorant rag-doll of a man who apparently could not comprehend the complexity of the invention that is the staircase.
She closed & locked the ajar door herself, before collapsing haphazardly on the nearby living room couch & drifting off to some place nicer.