AN: bubbline intensifies. Way more interaction between the two and only more to come. For those wondering about a few things after last chapter and this chapter, we will talk about vamp stuff next chapter and hopefully that will clear some things up. Is it a spoiler if it's part of the show and not my story yet? Who knows? Definitely not me, I'm writing this at 3AM ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) plz get the reference or I will look dumb. Anyways, I know I get frustrated when a story takes its sweet time getting to the juicy parts so I really appreciate everyone's patience and support 3 I'm still really busy but everything should get a little better soon I'm hoping. Keeping this story updated is one of my priorities and it will get finished no matter what. Thanks for reading!
After some alone time, Marceline cooled down a bit. She knew her little stunt would elicit a reaction from Bonnibel, but she didn't expect any of this. As much as she would like to believe that it came from a place of hurt or regret, it was probably her pride getting the best of her. After all, she was always so obsessed with how other people perceived her that she was probably embarrassed that someone was potentially slandering her good name. The final bell rang and within five minutes the area was practically swarming with students just getting out from their classes. She decided she would take this opportunity to slip back into the classroom to grab her things and clear the air with Simon before anyone spots her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she placed her hand on the door knob. Careful not to make any noise, she slowly opened the door and gently shut it behind her. When she turned around, she saw Simon and Bonnibel engaging in a deep conversation, still unaware of her presence. Before she had a moment to process any of it, Simon stood up and made his way over to her. She glanced over at Bubblegum only to have her immediately break their glance with a look of guilt on her face. The professor rested his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay Maci?" he asked in a concerned tone. "Yeah, I'm fine." she responded and paused for a moment. "Sorry for walking out in the middle of class and everything. The last thing I want to do is cause problems for you and I wasn't thinking." Simon smiled but was interrupted by the alarm going off on his watch. He quickly walked over to his desk and retrieved a large stack of papers before facing her once again. "Apology accepted, it's okay to make mistakes now and again. I hate to cut our conversation short, but I really must get this paperwork to the faculty office before anyone goes home for the day or the principal will have my head. I'll see you tomorrow." he explained before frantically rushing out into the hall.
Marceline made her way over to her desk, trying not to look anywhere near the other girls direction. She felt as if each step she took was as loud as glass breaking, the only thing louder was the sound of her heart pounding in her chest. She quickly shoved all her things into her bag and zipped it closed but practically jumped out of her skin when she heard Bonnibel clearing her throat, clearly trying to get her attention. "Marceline" she said firmly, "I think it's time for us to talk about what happened. We're attending school together now and I think it's in everyone's best interest for us to get along." She stated very manner of the fact. "Typical. Just when I think you might be coming around you go and spout about the greater good and how you don't want to do this. You know, it's my fault for holding onto a hope that everything could just go back to the way it was before. Guess that's why I'm the idiot and you're the super smart straight A student. Save it princess." There was hurt in Marceline's voice as she spoke. Even after saying all that, she truly could not let go of the idea that there was even a small chance for them to be friends again. She had hurt her and she wouldn't forget that, but ever since all of this happened, it's almost as if something was missing from her life. As she was about to dramatically storm out of the same room for the second time today, Bonnibel interjected "Wait!" She made a few steps towards Marceline, trying to close the space between them. There was a clear look of desperation in her eyes and Marceline found herself unable to turn away from her. "That's not what I meant, I…" the pink hair girl spoke softly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Look, I'm not exactly proud of how I handled things in the past, but a lot has changed since then. I'm not asking for you to forgive me, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." A hundred things were going through Marceline's mind but she was at a loss for words. Never in a million years could she picture this scenario, let alone imagine that it actually played out. All those sleepless nights thinking of what she would say to her if she only had the chance and here it was, but she couldn't process it. Her brain was fried and she had to practically force the words out, "I know we were young but that doesn't change the fact that you hurt me and abandoned me for all these years Bonnie." The other girl remained silent and looked down at her feet, trying to conceal her guilt-ridden face. "Honestly, I don't know if I can accept your apology right now. I really want to but I just …it's complicated. For now, I'm willing to swallow my pride and give you a chance to gain back my trust, under one condition." Marceline said with a smirk and crossed her arms. "Which is?" Bonnibel asked nervously with a look of confusion. "Relax. Like you said, a lot has changed and even I've grown up a little bit. All you have to do is let me walk you home, you still live close by right?" she replied in her normal calm and collected voice, but the other girl still appeared to be a little on guard. "Hmm what's the catch?" Bubblegum asked suspiciously. Marceline chuckled and approached her. She pushed her index finger into Bonnibel's chest and brought her face slightly closer so their eyes met. "You have to answer all my questions and with absolute honestly, no exceptions. Think of it sort of as a trial run or something." she explained and went back to her desk to quickly collect her things before returning to face the other girl, "So, do we have a deal?" she asked. It was taking a lot out of her to act like everything was completely fine but she wanted Bonnibel to relax a little bit. She couldn't help but still hold a bit of a grudge about the past, but seeing her look this uncomfortable just taking to her pissed her off more than anything. Trying to stay calm, she looked at Bonnibel softly and smiled. The younger girl blushed slightly and quickly turned around. She put her backpack on and carefully secured each strap, "If that's what it's going to take to put all this behind us then I guess we should get going." she suggested. Marceline walked past her and opened the door. She held it open and gestured her to follow her lead, "After you, Princess" she sarcastically remarked with a wink.
They made their way through the neighborhood, maintaining a buffer of a couple of feet between them. Most people were at work and the streets were relatively quiet besides from the occasional car and the clicking sound of Marceline's bike as she pulled it alongside them. "Don't look so stressed" Marceline teased, lightly punching the other girls arm. "I promise there wasn't any kind of secret agenda to put you on the spot and interrogate you, there's just a lot of questions I didn't have answers to all this time. There's stuff I wanna know, ya know?" She spoke in a serious tone and had a look of desperation in her eyes. "There was a lot that was left unspoken, I get it" she replied in a sympathetic tone. Bonnibel had a habit of being overly defensive but she could tell that Marceline really needed this, it was written all over her face. Even if Marceline didn't forgive her, she felt like she owed her this at least.
"Let's start easy, how's my favorite lab assistant doing?" Marceline asked. "Who, Science? She's good, still as curious as ever and never seizes to amaze me with her intelligence. Recently, she's been escaping from her cage in the middle of the night to sneak some food. I don't even know how long it's been going on because she figured out how to close the cage door behind her." Bonnibel explained and the two shared a laugh. A brief silence came over them, but it wasn't awkward or unpleasant. The pair had been separated for so long and it was nice for them to just enjoy the others company for a moment after all they have been through.
"Soo I've been wondering this all day but I can't think of any reason. Why are you going to Ooo high anyways?" Marceline curiously asked. "It was convenient, it just made sense." Bonnibel replied nonchalantly. "No, no. I mean I always pictured you would be in some private school for big brains or like in college already. Why this trashy school with like the worst graduation rate for miles?" she asked, slightly skeptical of her old friend's response. "I mean sure there's still plenty I still have yet to discover about science, but there's even more I don't know about things that I should. Chemistry, math, school, it makes sense to me. Everything happens for a reason and can be explained, but that's not always the case when it comes to things like being a good person or understanding other people's feelings and that's what worries me. I just decided it was time for me to work on myself instead of problems and equations." she explained.
"Is that why you stopped talking to me?" she asked, looking over at the other girl. "No, I… my family came back." she answered, meting Marceline's eyes. "Oh Bonnie, I'm so sorry" she replied, wanting nothing more than to comfort her despite the previous state of their relationship. "Everything is fine now, my uncle and the rest of them are long gone and I don't think I'll be seeing them anytime soon" she paused for a moment, "Back then, everything was so hard for me to process. I was worried about my life changing and I wasn't prepared for it. In all of that, I pushed you away when I needed you most and I realize that now, I have for a while now actually. I know you still need time to think about all of this, but I want you to know I'm so sorry for what I did to you." she confessed as tears started to well in her eyes. Marceline stopped walking and her bike dropped in the middle of the street. She walked over to her and gently put her hands on her shoulders. Bonnibel wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at her. "Don't cry Bon, like you said, things are different now. We're different. It's hard not to dwell in the past, trust me I know, but let's just focus on our new relationship instead of beating ourselves up for things that happened when we were kids." she offered, giving the younger girl a soft smile. Bonnibel removed one of Marceline's hands from her shoulder and gently held it in hers, "I know, thanks Marci. I'm really glad were here now." Marceline's cheeks became tinted a light shade of red and a strange feeling in her stomach consumed her thoughts. "Yeah, me too" she replied, pulling away from the other girl. She quickly propped her bike back up and they continued to walk. She assumed the source of her stomach ache was just nerves, but the weird feeling was becoming increasingly painful and she tightly gripped her handlebars for support. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of Bonnibel's phone. She quickly pulled out her phone from her bag, "Sorry, I have to answer this." Marceline felt a wave of pain come over her and fought back a groan, "No worries, take your time." Bonnibel answered her phone in her usual chipper voice, but her words slowly began to drift away. Marceline was sweating profusely and the sun definitely wasn't helping her situation. Desperately trying to fight it, she just focused on her breathing, occasionally stumbling and using her bike as support. Suddenly, her body felt heavy and her legs were getting weaker with each second. There was a ringing and everything went black. The only thing she could hear was the sound of Bonnibel calling to her from a distance.