Chapter 4 - Connections

Marshall quickly made his way through the halls of the school, his long legs carrying him fast through the pushing crowds. He slipped through the hordes of tired students as the flood gates of the front doors opened, releasing them all into the parking lot. Many kids walked for buses, the rest moving out into the parking lot. As much as Marshall wanted to just hop on his bike and leave, he heard the distant call of his name. Sighing, he leaned himself against his bike and raised a hand to the confused Fionna, notifying her of his position. With a light smile, Fionna bounded up to the dark teen.

"Playing guitar with you was nice today. I never thought I'd meet someone so good!" She exclaimed, trying to catch Marshall's gaze. He nodded and offered a half smirk of his own, his dark eyes looking off into the distance. Concern crossing her face, Fionna waved her hand a few inches in front of his face. "Earth to Marshall? You there?" Fionna asked, her eyes finally meeting his. Marshall shook his head and looked back at Fionna, as though awakened from some sort of trance.

"Yeah, I'm here Fi. I enjoyed playing with you too," Marshall said with sincerity. He too was amazed by the skill possessed by the young girl in front of him.

"Wait, did you just call me Fi?" Fionna questioned, a playful grimace crossing her face.

"Believe it Fi. What, not a fan?" Marshall leaned off his bike and looked down on the younger girl, a playful smile upon his lips as the blonde blushed lightly.

"Well, if you get to call me Fi, expect to be hearing the name 'Marshy' around here a lot more often!" Fionna crossed her arms as a look of shock and then disgust came upon Marshall's features.

"Ugh, really? That makes me sound like a little kid!" Marshall complained. Fionna simply stuck her tongue out at him and turned away, smirking to herself. Marshall couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since he was able to mess around with a girl without her only chasing him for his looks. The silly banter the two shared was something Marshall could get used to. "Well, Fi, I guess I'll just have to deal with it won't I?" Fionna turned around, surprised he had complied, and grinned happily.

"Deal Marshy," Fionna giggled to herself. Marshall reached a hand out and placed it on top of her head, patting it like she was a small puppy. Fionna slapped his hand away playfully and laughed to herself. Marshall felt a vibration in his pocket and quickly produced his phone. He looked at the message he had received from Marceline. So you and the bunny girl huh? Call me for the marriage ;. Marshall's cheeks flushed a light red as he put the device back in his pocket. "Who was that from Marshy?" Fionna said as she leaned in closer to Marshall.

"Just the Vampire Queen up to her usual antics. So are you taking the bus today or what?" Marshall asked the blonde. A look of remembrance crossed Fionna as she turned to see the last of the buses driving out of the school. Fionna turned back to face Marshall, looking sad. She stared at him with puppy dog eyes, her blue spheres darting back and forth between Marshall and his bike. Marshall could take the hint. He threw one leg over the motorcycle and reached towards the back, producing a spare black riding helmet. He lightly tossed it to Fionna, who caught it and struggled to squeeze it over her bunny hat. Marshall shook his head and chuckled, putting on his own helmet and flipping the machine on. He revved the engine and nodded his head motioning her to get on. She got on carefully as Marshall adjusted himself to take her weight. Before he took off, he reached a hand back and grabbed Fionna's and placed it around his waist, and she instinctively moved the other to match and grip his lean torso tightly. As they began to move, she rested her head on his back, squeezing him to balance herself. Neither one would ever admit it to the other, but both parties were blushing underneath the reflective helmets they were both sporting. When Marshall finally escaped the school grounds, he took off down the road to their neighborhood.

~!~

The trip home was fast for the two teens. Well, technically slow from Marshall's point of view, but breakneck from the other's perspective. As they pulled into Marshall's driveway, Marshall killed the engine and lightly put the bike on its kickstand. Fionna dismounted the vehicle shakily, her knees wobbling slightly as she tried to readjust to normal speeds and footing on solid ground. Marshall laughed lightly as he took off his helmet and pushed a hand through his hair, returning it to its normal (albeit disheveled) state. Fionna handed the spare helmet back to him and he returned it to its spot on the back of his bike. Fionna was the first to speak.

"Well that was certainly an experience. Do you always drive like a complete maniac?" She giggled lightly, but was also still visibly unnerved.

"Only when I'm accompanied by pretty girls or on days that end in 'y'," Marshall said, smirking to himself as Fionna realized the joke. She punched him lightly in the shoulder, only prompting a fit of laughter from the older boy as she continued her assault on his shoulder. "Please! Mercy, O Great One!" Marshall pleaded comically as he sustained her meek attacks. Fionna started laughing with him, a devilish grin creeping onto her face as she stopped for a moment and stared at Marshall. "Wait… What's that look for. Oh God n-" Marshall turned and bolted for his front door, narrow escaping Fionna's terrifying tickle attack. She soon followed suit, playfully chasing Marshall around his coffee table for a few circles before finally watching as he tripped over a table leg and landed back first onto his couch. He raised his hands in defense, but Fionna was soon upon him, her fingers darting past his defenses and onto his stomach, mercilessly tickling the poor teen. "C'mon Fi!" Marshall managed to choke out between gasps and fits of laughter as Fionna continued to attack her victim. Soon she straddled Marshall to get a better angle on him, until he caught her hands in his own. The two wrestled for control for several minutes before finally stopping from combined exhaustion, with both teens laughing happily at the events that transpired. Fionna rested her head on Marshall's chest, listening to his heartbeat slowly dwindle down to normalcy along with her own. Their ragged breath soon came down, and the two lay there enjoying the company of each other for a sweet moment. Fionna suddenly realized the position the two had ended up in, her head darting up and her hands coming to lay on Marshall's chest. The two both looked into each other's eyes, cheeks glowing red, not saying a word. Fionna's heartbeat soon escalated again, feeling nervous as she examined the boy in front of her. Who she originally thought was just a confident, womanizing teen was actually showing a gentle, nervous, and downright cute side of himself. She wondered if anyone had ever seen Marshall like this before, only causing her cheeks to melt to a deeper crimson shade. Many thoughts ran through Marshall's mind, mainly nervousness. Marshall repeatedly asked himself What do I do What do I do over and over again in his head. As the pair locked eyes longer and longer, their faces slowly drifted closer to one another. Marshall could see how cute Fionna was from day one, but seeing her up close like this only solidified such a thought deeper into his mind. Soon, their lips were only inches apart, when the sudden ring of Fionna's phone ruined everything. She quickly jumped off Marshall and sat back on one of the cushions as Marshall sat himself upright and stared at the ground trying to understand what in the HELL just happened. Fionna flipped open her phone and was greeted by the voice of her father.

"Hi daddy. No I missed the bus today. Don't worry, our neighbor Marshall gave me a ride. Yeah. Yes I'm already on my way. Okay. Love you too," Fionna responded quickly and stood up next to Marshall. "Thanks for the ride Marshy. I have to go for now, but I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Fionna offered a big grin to the still-shocked boy. He turned and met her gaze, merely conjuring up a nod and a weak smile in return. He stood slowly and walked the girl to the door. As they stood on the porch, Fionna turned with rosy cheeks and planted a light kiss on Marshall's cheek before turning and strutting off towards her own home. Dumbstruck and feeling feels, Marshall trotted back into his house and closed the door behind him, leaning against it as he tried to wrap his head around all the things that had just transpired. One thing kept running through his mind like a swarm of bees. Fionna. However, Marshall was soon jolted from his thoughts as a knocking came from the door. Marshall quickly turned around and grabbed the handle, throwing on a smile and closing his as he addressed who he thought was the returning Fionna.

"Hey, did you forget something?" Marshall said happily.

"Not exactly," they replied, a seductive female voice that drained the color from Marshall's face as he opened his eyes. On his porch was the last person Marshall wanted to see in the entire world.

Ashley.

AN: That awkward moment when you tell people you'll write and update this story and don't like a douche. I'm sorry :,c I could make excuses but I've seen enough of that from other authors I follow. Not saying they aren't valid, I just mean I don't wanna complain about myself to you lovelies. But here's the new chapter. More of a transitional one, fluff and plot tweests galore! I know its a little shorter compared to previous chapters but I feel it gets what I wanted to get across, well, across. As always, review or pm me. Questions, comments, quips, idgaf. I really do want to make this a solid story and I will always respond in some form! Love you kiddos.

Cheers

~Akai