"This is where you live?" Princess Bubblegum asked as Marceline held open the door to her small house in a true gentle-lady fashion. The Vampire didn't know what to make of that comment, she rather liked her house. Sure, it was no kingdom with hundreds of subjects, but it was perfect for Marceline. It was big enough to be spacious, but not so big that she couldn't manage it herself. And it had a sort of retro feeling to it, one that reminded her of her life before the Mushroom War. "Where's the rest of your kingdom?"
"I don't have one." She shrugged and let the door fall shut. She floated casually over to her fridge, opening it to find something to eat. Finally, she decided on a large bowl of strawberries. She knew a guy from the Berry Kingdom, and he supplied her with the juiciest, reddest strawberries in all Ooo.
"But you were at the Princess meeting." Bubblegum questioned, plucking one of the fruits from the bowl and taking a seat on the red, soft couch. Marceline never used it. It was more of an aesthetic thing. But it was nice to see the old thing get some use after all these years.
"Well, yeah." She nodded and hovered above the cushions. "I am Marceline the Vampire Queen after all. And then my dad's King of the Nightosphere, so I'll inherit that if he ever croaks. But honestly? I'm not all that into the kingdom thing. Too much tying me down, you know? I'd rather just travel and make music whenever I feel the whim. I was never a huge fan of staying in one place."
"I'm quite the opposite." Bonnibel shrugged and ate another strawberry. Even as she did that, she still managed to have such a gentle aspect to her. "My kingdom is just starting out, and I cherish each and everyone of my citizens. The kingdom is still being built, and everyone is lending a hand to help. I find it fascinating, the way that citizens will band together to achieve a common goal if put under the correct amount of pressure."
"You certainly are something else, Bonnibel." Marceline snickered before draining the red from her strawberry. "Bonnibel . . . I still think that's too long. Are we close enough for nicknames, or do you need to know my tragic backstory, too?"
"I think that a good personal story could never hurt a growing relationship." Bonnibel pointed out. Relationship? Marceline thought. Did she say relationship? Did she mean it in the way I hope she meant it or am I reading way too much into this?
"Well, you asked for it." Marceline sighed. It had been the longest time she'd talked to anyone about this, and the last time she did it wasn't even with someone who could respond. She'd discussed it in-depth with one of the flying fish she'd met on her travels. "Before I left, which was a long time ago, a lot of bad stuff happened. My friend, my protector, kind of skipped town on me. He lives all alone-"
"He's not the only one." Bonnibel laughed lightly before silencing again to let Marceline continue.
"And doesn't even remember who I am. Who he is. And I was hurting because of that. I ran with the wrong people. I made some bad decisions. My boyfriend," Was it just her imagination, or did Marceline see Princess Bubblegum's face fall a little at that word? "Ash, was a huge jerk. And, I mean a huge one. He was one of those awful pigs that never treat anyone right and make me never want to date again." It wasn't her imagination. Bonnibel's facial expression definitely changed after she said that.
"You don't seem like the type of person who would let that sort of thing affect you." The princess pointed out. She had a point. Marceline wasn't that type of person. Not any more, at least. She'd decided that she finally needed to shut down that part of her heart, the part that made her sad about other people being stupid. It wasn't her job to take care of others. That was what they were supposed to do for themselves. That was what she was supposed to do for herself.
"I like to think that I'm not that type of person."
There was a moment of tense silence between the two of them, one eating strawberries and the other draining the life out of them.
"I think that I should get going." Bonnibel said after their moment of quiet. She got up and made her way to the door, pausing for a moment to glance back at Marceline. "I would like to come over again, though. I thought that this was rather fun. Something that I wouldn't mind continuing." And, with that, she walked out the door . . .
Only to stick her head back in one second later and add, "Oh, and feel free to call me Bonnie any time you want."