My studio's video game has gone live and now life is great. c': Have a good day all!~
Her hand was cool. It made her shiver, despite her jumper. Marceline pulled her close and swept her up around the knees and shoulders. Bonnie was forced to throw her arms around her friend's neck lest she fall. She pressed her face to Marceline's shoulder as they burst through the doors of her balcony and soared up above the kingdom. Her grip contracted and Marceline chuckled, squeezing her a little tighter.
"Don't worry, Bon," she said in her ear so she could hear over the wind. "I'm not going to drop you."
In truth, Bonnie wasn't so much worried about Marceline letting her fall, she trusted the vampire and was experienced flying like this, they did it regularly. What scared her was the possibility that something would happen and Marceline wouldn't catch her in time. She unhooked one arm and watched the rolling plains pass by beneath them, she even tried to lean out and watch the moonlight wink off the surface of the river as it wound around her lands, but Marceline kept her ear pressed firmly against her chest.
They hadn't really been flying long before Marceline began to descend. Bubblegum checked the position of the moon but it was quite early, probably not much past six. She was looking around, wondering what was so special about this seemingly mundane field when Marceline unceremoniously dumped her on the ground.
Bubblegum bit back a scream as she dropped the last few feet between her and the earth, scrunched her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands. When she didn't crash painfully though she opened her eyes a slit and looked around. The grass was… squishy and about hip high. It had broken her fall and every move she made was springy, as though she was standing on her bed.
"You said you wouldn't drop me," she accused the vampire floating just in front of her. Pointed teeth shining in the soft light as she grinned shamelessly. Then she flopped down beside Bubblegum, bouncing on the strange grass.
"Well I knew the fall wouldn't hurt you," she said, laughter bubbling in her throat. "And I figured you'd want to test the limits of its abilities. That's what your scientific brain wants right? To understand everything?"
Bubblegum opened her mouth but had no response to that. She was right. Instead, she turned her gaze on the grass and peered at it intently, hoping it would reveal its secrets. Other than being a red-purple colour, muted by the moonlight, it looked like any other grass. Tentatively she pressed her finger to the end of one blade and bent it over. When she let go it wobbled back upright and… blobbed… Yes it blobbed, there was no other word for it.
"What is this?" she asked softly, squishing a blade beneath her palm. Amazed, she watched it blob back to its original shape. "This isn't grass."
Marceline laughed now. "Yes it is. It's jelly grass." She stood up on the wobbling ground. "Do you know what the best part about jelly grass is?" she asked, setting her head on the side and shooting Bubblegum a knowing look.
Her mind raced, trying to think of anything practical one could do with jelly grass. Other than garnish, she was coming up blank. Unless Marceline meant it had some scientific application but… Marceline didn't think like that. She shook her head and had to choke back another squeal as Marceline grabbed her around the waist and threw her into the air.
"Marceliiiiine!" she shrieked, waving her arms as she hurtled back at the ground. Marceline only chuckled and watched her fall. She closed her eyes again, sure that this time she'd smash through the jelly.
Instead she squashed the grass and as it straightened beneath her, sent her shooting back up again. She didn't quite make it as high as her initial flight, which meant that eventually she'd come to a stop, but she wasn't looking forward to bouncing that high as many times as it would no doubt take. Thankfully, Marceline snagged her from the air and lowered her gently back to the grass.
Bubblegum fisted her in the chest, the shoulders, the stomach before the vampire could wrap her hands up. She was quivering, in her mind it was with indignation, but it probably had more to do with adrenaline or… fear. It didn't matter how hard she struggled to break free from Marceline's grip, her friend was too strong. In the end she simply sagged, knees shaking, buckling and she sank to the ground.
"That was mean, Marceline," she whispered. Her shoulders shook.
Her friend drifted towards her and sat down. "You know I'd never hurt you right, Bon?" she asked, reaching up to put a hand on Bubblegum's knee. Her stomach twinged. She put it down to not having eaten yet. "Hey." Bonnie looked at her, she could feel her eyes sting and she hoped it wasn't tears. "Not ever."
Bubblegum sighed. "Yeah," she exhaled. "I know that. But geez, you could give a girl some warning."
Marceline cackled suddenly. "Oh but what fun would that be?" She was back to her impish self, the brief moment of tender reassurance gone. Like lightning. Her chest twanged as the other woman smiled at her and she forced a smile back, praying it fooled her. "Do you know what else is good about jelly grass?" she pressed, nonchalantly, picking individual blades from the ground and laying them out on her stomach. Her fingers danced, doing something to the grass, but she was doing her best to keep it from Bubblegum.
Bonnie shook her head. "You can do something more amazing than jump on them?" she asked sarcastically.
The vampire's smile widened, fangs flashing. "Of course you can. Did you think I'd bring you here for no other reason than to jump on the grass?"
Bubblegum raised one eyebrow. "I wouldn't put it past you, actually."
Marceline scooped up the jelly and floated closer, holding up a piece of braided grass. "Dinner time," she whispered. "And this time it's an experiment." She sucked the colour out of the braid and passed it to Bubblegum.
Bonnie frowned, taking the braid gingerly between her thumb and forefinger. She wondered briefly what Marceline wanted her to do with it then it hit her. "You want me to eat it?" she exclaimed.
Her friend chortled. "You've been bugging me for close to five hundred years now, Bon," she said with a shrug. "Figured I might as well let you try it."
She rolled the braid between her fingers, lips pressed into a thin line as she thought. It was only colourless. Marceline didn't suck life from things, just their colours. So… theoretically it shouldn't hurt her. But then… what did she really know about vampires. Marceline always hedged around her questions, there could be something else to it. And her friend was ever one for pranks. Then she remembered what Marceline had said earlier and forced her mind to stop thinking too hard.
Taking one last hard look at the grass, she ate it. It was somewhat chewier than regular jelly, but that was to be expected. For it to thrive out here it must be fairly hardy. What surprised her was the taste. It was grape flavoured. Her eyes widened.
"It didn't lose its flavour," she said, back straightening. "When you suck the colour, the taste is the same. That's incredible." She beamed.
"See? We both just learned something." Marceline flipped upside down, her hair pooling on the grass at the bottom of a midnight waterfall. She drained another braid and passed it to Bubblegum.
"Now we can run an experiment to determine the sustaining properties left over once you've drained the food," Bubblegum said happily, bouncing gently on the grass. "I wonder if I could live off colourless food for a week the same way I can with regular food…" she mused. Marceline laughed and the sound was like bells.
"Only you can turn fields of springy jelly grass into a week-long science thing," Marceline murmured, dropping another braid on Bubblegum's lap. "I should make you leave your brain in that dungeon you call a home. Teach you how to have some proper fun for once."
"Would you do this with me, Marcy?" she asked, looking up from the colourless jelly. "Please?" She ignored the previous statement, deciding that it was better not to start an argument with her.
"What? Eat all the colour in your food?" she asked startled. The look on her face was so surprised that Bubblegum almost laughed as she righted herself in the air. "For a week?"
"Yes."
Marceline's mouth moved like a fish; open, closed, open, closed. "Uh… sure I guess. Why?"
"To see if it's as nourishing as food you haven't sapped of colour."
She shrugged. "Alright then. Seems harmless to me." She tossed another braid over her shoulder, hitting Bubblegum in the forehead. The intolerable woman didn't even apologise, just smiled. "You're trying to fatten me up aren't you?"
Bubblegum frowned. A fat vampire… was that even possible? She opened her mouth to ask but Marceline was grinning at her in a way that made her shiver. "What?" she asked instead.
"I know that look, Bonnie," she said, handing over yet more jelly. "That's your I-just-thought-of-something-that-would-make-an-interesting-experiment look. But I won't be your lab rat for two science things. Not at the same time."
"But they overlap!" Bubblegum burst out. "I might as well test for both at the same time. Unless you want to spend even more time in the palace?"
Impossible though it seemed, Marceline's smile broadened. "Now there's an idea…" she mused. "You realise for me to suck all the colour out of your kitchen I'd have to stay in the palace anyway." She waved a hand holding some jelly between them like leaves blowing on a breeze. "Otherwise you could cheat and I can't have that. Gotta keep you honest, Bon."
Bubblegum blushed. Like she'd ever cheated in her life! "You're insufferable," she grouched.
Her smile turned into laughter again, water in a stream over polished stones. "And you just invited me to stay with you for a week. Oh the injustice forced upon you!" She said it with severity, but her expression betrayed her.
She harrumphed and crossed her arms, refusing to take any more of Marceline's jelly. Her heart thudded painfully. "Where am I even going to keep you?" she asked softly. It was mostly to herself, but Marceline would no doubt hear it anyway. "And how am I going to explain it to the staff?"
"Bon, they're so used to your quirks by now they'd accept any excuse you could dream up," Marceline told her flatly. "But you know… the truth works perfectly fine. I am merely your colour remover for a week." She gave a mock bow mid-air. "What are they going to do? Tell you that the experiment isn't allowed? They don't talk to their princess like that."
Bubblegum nodded. "You are right. Come on, we should get back so I can write up a draft and set down my hypothesis. Best to do that before any more information comes in…"
"Uh-uh," Marceline said, arms behind her back, she pushed her face at Bubblegum. "If we go back to that sky-high cell of yours it's so you can sleep. You hear me?"
Bubblegum sighed, her chest felt all tight and she looked away. "Sure. Sleep."
"Very good." Marceline held out her arms and Bonnie crossed her wrists behind the vampire's neck, allowing herself to be swept up again. "You don't sleep enough, Bonnibel." They backtracked and this time Bubblegum didn't try to sightsee, she focused on the silhouetted profile of her friend instead and wondered what it was like to be so free.
Happily, the room was empty when they arrived and Marceline set her gently down on the balcony. She was always so careful, like she thought Bubblegum would break. Perhaps that was an avenue of investigation she could pursue while the vampire was her guest…
Marceline closed the door behind them and lit the lamp, pulling the curtains to before slouching into Bubblegum's armchair. She closed her eyes as the princess went about getting ready for bed. Her friend might be somewhat unrefined, but she wasn't totally without manners. Once Bubblegum emerged from her bathroom however, red eyes watched her intently.
"What?" Bonnie asked her, shrugging her shoulders to settle the night gown.
"Just making sure you actually do sleep."
Bonnie blinked. "Where will you sleep?"
Marceline chuckled. "I don't need much sleep, Bon," she was reminded. "Plus if I'm going to be spending time here I'll have to get things from home. My bass, day clothes, that kinda thing. Then I imagine I'll just sit up in your rafters." Her ruby eyes glittered in the low light. "Why? Where did you imagine I'd be sleeping?"
"The closet," Bubblegum replied simply.
"No thanks. Go to bed."
True to her word, Marceline watched her until she had the covers up around her chin. Then the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. With the curtains pulled there wasn't even more than a thin ribbon of moonlight slicing across the floor. A rustle told her Marceline had moved, but that was all she heard.
A humming came from above her, the tone familiar, the voice comforting. It washed over her in waves of silk and the whisper of trees on a midsummer's eve. The breeze in the mountains, bells chiming the hour, a late night rain shower. Bubblegum slept, and for the first time in a while, it was a sound, peaceful sleep, untroubled by worries and doubts. She smiled.