A/N Thanks everyone for waiting so long! Here is another update. I feel like I have more of an idea of where the story is going now, so hopefully I will get to updating more often again. For now, here's Chapter 9!
Ch 9- Marcy's POV
The day before Thanksgiving, Bonnie's parents came to pick her up from school. Marcy was glad she was going to get the chance to home, but of course she would be missing Bonnie. The girls had bid each other goodbye that morning.
"Are you sure you don't want to come home for break, Marceline? My parent's really wouldn't mind."
"Yeah Bonbon," Marcy smiled, holding Bonnie close. "I'll be fine, don't worry, I promise I'll eat."
"Alright," Bonnie said, giving Marcy another long hug and a lingering kiss on the lips. "Take care of yourself. I'll see you in a few days."
"Ok," Marcy smiled. She knew her girlfriend just wanted to make sure she would be fine. Bonnie's concern for her was cute, and something she still wasn't used to.
The rest of break saw Marcy spending Thanksgiving with her band. They rehearsed some new material, had late night video game tournaments, and even cooked Thanksgiving dinner together. It was a miracle they didn't burn Marcy's apartment down, considering Guy was the only one who knew what he was doing in the kitchen.
The background music to Thanksgiving dinner was the local football game, thanks to Guy and Bongo. While the boys were engrossed in the game and shoveling stuffing into their mouths, Keila caught Marceline's eye.
"So, how goes it with Bonnie?" Keila said it nonchalantly, but her voice carried a hint of suggestion that Marceline knew well.
"Good." Marceline shrugged. Keila raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Keila didn't say anything. Marceline pressed on. "What, Keila? I know that face. You're not telling me something."
"Just good? Come on, Marceline," Guy interrupted, eyes still fixed on the TV. Bongo was totally engrossed in the football game.
"What?"
"You two are crazy for each other. Admit it," Guy said.
"Well, I mean, yeah, I like her a lot." Marcy admitted.
"You haven't been this into someone since he-who-shall-not-be-named," Guy replied.
Marceline winced at the thought of her ex. She tried to suppress all the bad memories of him that were clawing their way to the surface of her brain. True, she had fallen for him pretty hard—but that was before he had completely screwed her over.
"Yeah, well this is a lot different. Bonnie's actually a nice person."
Keila took another bite of mashed potatoes. Marcy could tell she still had that mischievous glint in her eye. There was something she wasn't saying.
"Come on, Keila, I've known you long enough to know that look. What aren't you telling me? Fess up."
Without even looking up, Keila asked, "Have you deflowered the princess yet?"
Guy laughed out loud. If Marcy had been drinking something, that is the moment she would have spit her drink all over the table.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Keila shrugged as if she had simply asked Marceline what her favorite color was.
Marceline laughed again awkwardly. She did her best to hide the color that was rising to her cheeks. She cleared her throat.
"For your information, no." Keila raised her eyebrows. "Oh come on, Keila, give me some credit. I'm not just looking to get into girls' pants anymore. I'm past that."
Keila shrugged. "Have you converted her to the gay side?"
Marceline rolled her eyes. "I mean, she's into me, and that's what counts. I don't really care what her sexuality is. She's still figuring it all out. She's kind of… a late bloomer."
"Rule number one: don't fall in love with a straight girl." Keila recited their self-proclaimed mantra.
"I know, I know. She's not straight though."
"Have you at least seen her naked?"
"KEILA!"
The girls were interrupted by Guy and Bongo screaming over a touchdown.
"Oh Marcy, you're so fun to tease. But in all seriousness, I just want to make sure she treats you right. We all know your last breakup really tore you up, and none of us want to see that happen again."
"I know. Thanks, Keila." Keila smiled and they both turned to the football game.
The next few days were filled with tons of leftover Thanksgiving food, Netflix marathons, and practicing the bass. It was a nice break from school, and Marceline was glad to not have to worry about classes. Soon, however, it was time for break to end and for Bonnie and all the other students to return to campus. Although Monday meant the start of classes, Marcy was more than happy to go through Monday if it meant she got to see Bonnie. Having to be physically separated from her for 5 days made her realize how much she missed having her around.
As soon as Bonnie texted Marceline that her parents had dropped her off at her dorm, Marcy rushed over to see her. They greeted each other with a long hug.
"Hey babe," Marceline said, leaning down to give her a long kiss. Bonnie smiled.
"Hi, Marceline. How was your break?"
"It was good. Lots of food and relaxation. You?"
Bonnie chuckled. Her laugh made Marcy's heart warm. "Mine was similar. I think my parents were trying to fatten me up for the winter. They insisted I come back with leftovers."
Marcy laughed. "We have plenty of leftovers if you want any."
"I don't think I could eat another piece of turkey. I'll be sick."
Marceline chuckled. She drew Bonnie into her arms and held her close. She inhaled deeply and took in Bonnie's candy-like scent from her bubblegum body wash. "It's good to have you back, Bonnie. I missed you."
"Marceline, I was only gone for 5 days," Bonnie said gently.
"I know, but all the same, I missed you, you big nerd." Marceline squeezes her and Bonnie hugged back. Bonnie stood up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Marceline's cheek.
"Come on. Let's go get food." They held hands as they walked to the dining hall. They were so absorbed in each other that they were blissfully unaware of the first tiny snowflakes of the season falling around them.
The next two weeks were filled with a flurry of work as the girls prepared for finals. Marceline had lots of reading to do, and Bonnie stayed up late several nights in a row working on complex calculations. It was so busy, especially on Bonnie's end, that they hardly had any time to spend with each other. And Christmas break was rapidly approaching. Marceline dreaded having to go home for Christmas and spend time with her father. She may have been able to get out of Thanksgiving, but she knew her father wouldn't let her get away with missing two holidays in a row.
Poor Bonnie was so frazzled preparing for finals that Marcy decided she should do something nice for her. The Sunday before finals began, Marcy persuaded Guy to show her how to cook something nice for Bonnie. That night, she surprised her girlfriend by arriving at her dorm with a delicious homemade dinner of roasted chicken and baked potatoes.
"Marceline, you made this? This is great! I thought you didn't know how to cook?" Bonnie said as she stuffed her face with food.
"Well, Guy helped," Marceline admitted sheepishly.
"It's delicious. Thank you." Bonnie smiled and Marceline melted a little bit inside.
"Oh! I almost forgot. I brought sparkling cider. I would have brought wine, but I figured you need to study later tonight." Marceline produced a bottle of cider and 2 glasses from the bag that had carried the food.
"You're so thoughtful," Bonnie smiled. Marceline was glad to see her enjoying herself and having a break from her nonstop studying.
"Good luck on your finals, ok? Don't forget to call me at some point. When you have time," Marceline reminded her as she was leaving later that night.
"Of course. Thank you again for the lovely meal." Marceline bent down and gave her a long kiss. She wished that the moment could go on forever, but Bonnie broke away.
"Alright. I have a long night ahead of me. Goodnight, Marceline."
"Goodnight, Bonnibel."
Six days later, Marceline had barely escaped her brush with finals week. She had waited until the last minute to study for one of her exams, and it had cost her an all-nighter. But as she emerged from the classroom of her last final exam, she was incredibly glad to be done for the semester.
As they texted that night, Bonnie said she only had one more test left, tomorrow morning, before she headed home for break.
From: Bonnibel
When are you leaving for break? I've been so busy studying for finals it completely slipped my mind.
To: Bonnibel
I was hoping to spend break here, but who knows.
From: Bonnibel
You won't go home? Marceline, you can't do that. It's Christmas! What will your family say?
To: Bonnibel
My dad probably wouldn't notice if I was there or not.
Bonnie was a relatively quick texter, but this time it took her a long time to respond.
From: Bonnibel
Well then, I insist you come home with me.
To: Bonnibel
I wouldn't want to intrude on your family Christmas.
From: Bonnibel
Don't be silly. You are my girlfriend, after all. My parents would be more than happy to have you.
Marceline sat contemplating it for a while. She really didn't want to mess up Bonnie's family Christmas. She wasn't very good at interacting with adults. The ones in her life had always been her father's work friends, who only cared about work, and were dull. Since her father didn't pay her a whole lot of attention as a kid, and she lived alone, she was used to being by herself. It didn't bother her much. Marcy felt her phone buzz again.
From: Bonnibel
Please, Marceline, do it for me.
Marceline sighed. Like she could say no to that. She knew, too, that Christmas was the one time of the year her dad actually expected her to spend time with him, and if she didn't, he would be upset. She had been avoiding him for the rest of the year, and now was the time she had to pacify him by at least spending a few hours at his house over break. Maybe she could go to Bonnie's first and then see her dad. You can do it, it's only a few days, she silently repeated to herself, although she wasn't quite sure of her own affirmation.
She wondered where her father's newfound interest in her life had sprung from, anyway. When she was little, he didn't really pay her much mind because he worked all the time. When her mother died, instead of helping her through the grieving process, he worked even longer days. It was his own way of dealing with the grief, she supposed. But suddenly, in the past two years, he had suddenly tried to start being a dad again. 10 years too late.
Marcy sighed. She would just have to stick it out.
To: Bonnibel
Alright, alright. I'll spend part of break with you. I have to hang with my loser dad too, though.
Bonnie finished her finals on the last day of finals week, two days after Marceline. Marcy had cleaned her house in preparation to leave for break with Bonnie, and packed up enough things for a weeklong stay. She had let her dad know that she would only be coming for the last three days of break. He seemed disappointed, but was glad to hear she was going home with a friend. Marcy had conveniently left out the word "girlfriend." Her dad had already been prying too much into her life recently, and she wasn't ready to have him be nosy about her love life.
Bonnie finished her finals on Friday, and her parents were coming to pick the two girls up on Saturday morning. After her final, Bonnie packed up her things and Marcy picked her up to spend the night. That evening, they snuggled up together under the blankets in Marcy's bed, shielded from the cold night. As Marcy lay awake, she saw Bonnie's chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm. Her worries about break faded away as she took in the form of her beautiful girlfriend. As she drifted to sleep, she wondered how she got so lucky to be dating someone so wonderful.