Hey, guys! I know I've been gone a while, but I've been doing a lot of stuff, and I've been a bit busy. To address a reader, adedicatedfanficprofile, I'm glad you like the story, and I don't mind if you use the name at all! That goes for anyone else, for that matter. If you read something in the story that gives you inspiration, or if you wanna borrow some of it, as long as you credit me in some way, I don't mind a bit! Now then, on with the story!
NOTE
Italic font is Marceline's subconcious/ Bubblegum's thoughts
Bold Italic font is Marceline's response
!
Marceline was nervous.
As she sat on the couch, fiddling idly with a piece of string from her jacket, she couldn't stop thinking about their date.
What if she doesn't like it? What if she hates it? What if she hates me?
She could feel the palms of her hands growing cold and clammy, and she wiped them on the couch. Marceline leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees and clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking.
The minutes seemed like hours, and it seemed to the pale teen like an eternity.
She ran through the itenerary for the date in her mind, making sure she had everything.
Car keys? Check.
Wallet? Check.
Extremely important item that would give away what the whole date would be?
Che-
Marceline's eyes widened as she frantically patted her pockets.
I had it here like, five seconds ago! What the Hell?
Mmmmhmmm, sure. Did you leave it at home?
No!
...Maybe...
Sigh. Maybe we should go home and che-
"Marceline!"
The nervous teen was broken out of her panic attack by one Bonnibel Bubblegum, holding a crumpled envelope in her hand.
"What's this?"
"NOTHING!" Marceline scrambled up off of the couch, reaching for the envelope.
Bubblegum put her hand on Marceline's chest, pushing her backwards and holding the envelope away from her.
"So, what's in it?"
Marceline coughed awkwardly.
"It's uh. It's a letter from Ash. That creep." She told the pink haired girl.
Bubblegum turned red, then handed her the envelope.
"Ahem. I apologize for that, then. Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready. Would you care to come up?"
Marceline blinked once, then took the envelope and wordlessly followed the girl up the stairs.
!
"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Bubblegum asked Marceline, looking at her reflection in the vanity mirror.
Marceline was sitting on the bed, trying (and failing miserably) to act nonchalant.
"Um. Well. I was gonna take you out to dinner and then..." Marceline trailed off.
A small pause blanketed the room.
"Then I'll drive you home." She said finally, smiling at the mirror.
"Hmm. Sounds fun." Bubblegum replied.
In truth, it didn't; it sounded like every other date a guy had ever taken her out on, and she was geniunely disappointed that Marceline hadn't thought of something more... punk.
She put on a bright smile, however, determined not to let it ruin the date.
Marceline, on the other hand, was oblivious to Bubblegum's disappointment, and waited patiently for the pink haired girl to finish up.
The room was silent, but comfortable, and soon, Bubblegum was ready.
"Shall we head out?" She asked, grabbing her purse. She was wearing a simple pink dress, one that stopped a little higher than the knee, and hugged her curves in a way that showed them off, but didn't come off as slutty.
"Yeah. Let's go." Marceline said, getting off of the bed. The two girls got to the door before Marceline stopped Bubblegum, gently grabbing her arm.
"Bonni?"
Bubblegum stopped, and turned to the darker haired teen.
"What is it, Marcy?"
Marceline paused, then pulled the girl in for a hug, wrapping her arms gently around the shorter girl's waist.
Bubblegum paused, shocked for a moment, but reciprocated after a few seconds, snaking her arms around Marceline's neck, playing with her hair idly.
Marceline pulled back just a bit, and leaned down to Bubblegum's ear.
"You look beautiful."
!
The two pulled up at Amy's, a 24-hour diner just outside of town, and Marceline got out, moving to Bubblegum's door and opening it for her.
"This. Was not what I was expecting." Bubblegum said truthfully, taking Marceline's arm and walking towards the diner.
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Marceline asked, her nerves creeping into her voice.
Bubblegum smiled at her, squeezing her arm comfortingly.
"Honestly? It's a really good thing. I swear, the guys that would ask me out took me to the same fancy resturaunt in town so many times, the owners knew me on a first name basis. It got old, and I'm glad you branched out a bit."
Marceline let out a deep breath, relaxing as she opened the resturaunt's door for her date.
The whole place was set up like, well, like a diner, and the two chose a booth in the corner of the place, a bit private and out of the way.
They made small talk until the waiter came by, the spitting image of tall, dark and handsome, and he, to Marceline at least, seemed to leer at Bubblegum.
"Hi! My name's Jared, and I'll be your server this evening. What can I get you to drink?" he asked, looking at Bubblegum and grinning big while giving them the menues.
If Bubblegum noticed, she didn't say anything.
"Strawberry lemonade for me." She said simply, picking up a menu and looking it over.
"And you?" He turned to Marceline, who was trying to keep her composure.
"Just a coke." She said, glaring slightly.
He left, and the two debated with one another as to what sounded good and what didn't.
Jared soon came back with the drinks, giving Bubblegum another smile as he gave her the drink, and giving Marceline hers with a look of indifference.
"Have you decided what to order, or do you need a few minutes?" He asked, only seeming to talk to Bubblegum. He pulled out a notepad and pen.
"You know, I think I'll have the pancakes, with some bacon and eggs on the side. Thanks." Bubblegum said, giving him the menu.
"Excellent choice! Pancakes are awesome, especially at night, and especially for a hot babe like yourself." He gave a 'sexy', writing it down.
"And you?" He asked Marceline, switching to a 'strictly business' face.
"Can I just get a burger, no tomatoes, and fries?" She asked, handing him the menu.
"Yeah. Your orders will be out in a few." He said, taking the menu, winking at Bubblegum, and walking off.
Marceline, of course, saw the wink, and brooded silently, staring blankly at a bottle of ketchup.
Bubblegum noticed this, and asked about it.
"What's wrong, Marceline?"
The girl in question looked away from the condiment and into Bubblegum's eyes.
"Oh. Uh. Nothing. It's fine. I'm good." Marceline put on a brave face, suddenly ashamed for letting the waiter get to her.
"No you aren't, Marcy. I can tell by your eyes." Bubblegum put her hand on Marceline's and leaned forward a bit.
"They're this beautiful shade of grey, like the clouds in the sky when it's pouring rain, and when you're happy, it's like the clouds leave, and they turn this light shade of blue." She smiled, and squeezed the girl's hand, before continuing.
"But when you're upset, they turn the oddest color. It's like they're just. Black. Like the sky just gave up hope. So, I say that to tell you this, Marcy. You can lie to me, and tell me that you're fine when you aren't. But your eyes can't." She finished.
Marceline blushed a deep shade of red, and smiled like an idiot.
"So, do you wanna tell me what it is that upset you?"
The rocker sighed.
"It's just. The waiter, it seems like he's coming onto you, and I wanna say something, but I don't want to embarass you, and anyways, I feel like I don't really have a right to say anything, I mean, you aren't even my girlfriend, and was that too much to say? 'Cause I have this really bad thing with rambling and..."
While Marceline kept talking, Bubblegum just smirked, giggling on the inside at how cute Marcy was when she rambled.
You know, she thought to herself, I was gonna save this for at least the third date, but I think it's safe to say that I'll be with Marcy for a long time.
Bubblegum moved her hand from Marceline's to the girl's jacket, playing with one of the buttons.
"You know, Marcy,"
She grabbed the jacket in her hand, and pulled the girl so that she was leaning halfway over the table.
Bubblegum leaned the other half, and whispered against her lips.
"You're cute when you ramble."
!
The food came out, and the girls chatted more, stealing glances at one another from across the table, and flirting just a bit. Jared would come by every once in a while to 'check' on the two girls.
Bubblegum had explained to Marceline that she had in fact, known that Jared was coming onto her, and appreciated that Marcy hadn't jumped down his throat and caused a scene. Furthermore, if it got out of hand, Bubblegum would deal with it, as she was not a child.
Marceline had agreed, thankful that she wasn't just seeing things, and found the man's advances kind of funny, if she was being honest.
At the end of the meal, Jared brought the check to Bubblegum, with his number on it.
"Call me sometime, sweetheart."
Bubblegum's eyebrow twitched, and she stood up, swelling to her full hieght (which stopped at the man's shoulders) and poked her finger at his chest getting in his ace and talking lowly.
"Look, sweetheart, I just wanted to have a nice date with my girlfriend here. Now, thankfully, she's hot, funny, and easy to talk to, so you didn't ruin my date. So, I really think you should get me a new check, one that does NOT have your number, and let me pay so that we can leave."
Jared, flustered, went back to reprint the check, and Bubblegum sat down.
"Girlfriend?" Marceline asked, smirking from across the booth.
Bubblegum blushed.
"I. I was going to ask you after the date."
Marceline looked over to see Jared coming back with a new check, and walked around to Bubblegum's seat in the booth.
She put her arm around Bubblegum's shoulders, pulling her close.
"I was going to ask you, too." She winked at the girl, and grabbed the check from Jared, quickly paying and leaving him a tip.
Hey, he might've been a dick, but everyone knows how hard it is to make a living as a waiter without a tip.
The two girls got into Marceline's car, and headed home.
!
"Marceline, we passed my house." Bubblegum said, looking out the window and watching her house go by.
"Bubblegum, do you trust me?" Marceline asked, her eyes still on the road.
"Well, yeah, I guess. Why?"
"Do you remember that envelope you found?"
"The one from Ash. Yeah, I remember. Why?"
Marceline pulled said envelope out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Bubblegum.
"Open it."
Bubblegum looked at the girl, then took the envelope and opened it, finding two slips of paper inside.
"Tickets to Sugar Rush? How'd you know I liked them?"
Marceline smirked. "I have my ways."
"You asked Jake, didn't you?"
"...Maybe...Anyways. The tickets are for tonight. You feel like goin?"
Bubblegum thought for a moment.
"I'm hardly dressed for a concert, don't you think, Marcy?"
"Oh, you doubt my skills at preparing? Check the back seat."
Bubblegum looked behind her, and found a duffel bag. Inside the duffel bag, a pair of chucks, a Sugar Rush shirt, and some black ripped skinny jeans.
"I gotcha covered, sweetie. Everything's new, 'cept for the shirt. It's a little old, but I think it'll fit you."
Bubblegum was speechless, and held the shirt in her hands.
"So. Bonni. Whaddya say, princess?"
!
When Marceline pulled up to the building the concert was housed in, the two went and found a bathroom for Bubblegum to change into her rocker attire. Afterwards, the two enjoyed one another's company, dancing to the music, singing along with the songs, and even stage dived. The two had a lot of fun, and were sad to see the night end.
Before they knew it, they were standing at Bubblegum's door.
The girl had changed back into her dress, and given the clothes back. Except for the shirt, which Marceline had insisted she keep, which was in her purse.
Marceline grabbed Bubblegum's hands.
"I had a really kickass time with you, Bonni, and I hope you did, too." Marceline said, looking at their joined hands.
Bubblegum took one of her hands and brought it to Marceline's chin, forcing her to look into the shorter girl's eyes before moving it to her cheek.
"This was honestly the best date I've ever been on. You went outside of the box, and didn't take me on some cliche first date. I appreciate that, Marcy."
Marceline caressed Bubblegum's hand with her own.
"I'm glad you liked it, princess. I wanted the date to show that I had put a lot of thought into this date. I care about you a lot, Bonni, and I don't care about many people. I want to make this work." She said to the girl.
"I do, too, Marceline. I know it's a bit unconventional to ask, but then again, our whole relationship's a bit unconventional. So, Marceline Rose Abadeer, will you be my girlfriend? I know I sort of asked at the diner, but I want it to be official."
Marceline smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. She wrapped her arms around the pink girl's waist, and pulled her closer.
"Bonnibel Anastasia Bubblegum, I would be honored to call you my own."
And with that, she captured her lips in a kiss.
!
Alright, guys. That's the chapter. It was gonna be a bit longer, but my freaking laptop restarted just as I had finished the chapter. So I had to basically start over. But I did it.
The concert wasn't going to be longer, however. I kept drawing blanks for that scene.
This chapter's FFT question is:
Would you sacrifice your own happiness for someone you loved?
Just give it a bit of thought, and feel free to drop a review!
-Z