Oh my gods, I am so sorry I haven't been updating! I'm starting work at a camp and my afternoons will be taken up so I'm having trouble writing chapters. This summer is going to be busier than I thought. (bows head) I apologize.
So this is mostly a filler. I'm so sorry, guys! :( I really am. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'm also sorry it's a little shorter than the first two. Again, SO sorry.
But on the plus side, you guys like my cover art? I drew it myself! It's Fionna, Gumball, Marshall, and Flame Prince! It took a little while and I would love to hear feedback from you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The following morning, Fionna found herself on the floor of her bedroom, her alarm going off. Cake was standing over her, eyebrows raised and hands on hips.
"Get up, lazy bones," Cake said.
Fionna sat up and rubbed her back. "I thought you weren't gonna wake me up any more?"
"I decided to have mercy on you today," she replied, grinning. "My class starts in an hour so I'm heading out. See you at lunch, Fi!" Cake waved Fionna goodbye and walked out of the room.
The blond stood up and threw her covers back onto her bed, cursing herself for being such a restless sleeper. This wasn't the first time she had fallen out of bed during sleep. Fionna turned off the alarm and trudged inside the bathroom to start her morning routine. She was glad that she only had two classes today. Mathematics and Drama. The two classes she knew she felt that were best two days a week. She would have much preferred Drama would be in place of Music but there weren't any open spaces on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So, Fionna stuck to Tuesday and Thursday.
After finishing up getting dressed (a baseball tee that complimented her curves and skinny jeans that went great with the shirt), she pinned her bangs back with her bunny clips and wore her hair back in a high ponytail. Today was to be a little chilly so she grabbed her old high school gymnastics team's sweatshirts and tugged that on. It was a little big on her but it didn't really bother her. She ate a nice breakfast of cereal and milk before grabbing her bag and heading off to the main campus.
Another gorgeous day, she thought, looking up at the cloudless sky. It was hard to believe it was really autumn time. You would think summer was still in the air. Her walk was pleasant and was enjoying the smell of chimney smoke when someone appeared at her side.
It's probably Marshall, Fionna thought bitterly. She glanced over and found that her company wasn't who she expected.
It was a boy, no taller than she was but perhaps a little taller, with flaming red-orange hair up in a mohawk style. He wore a black vest with a collar covering his neck and a long sleeved orange shirt. His pants were black too and his shoes were old, worn out converse that were a dark red color. On the vest was a little flame that almost appeared to be dancing, as if it were alight and around the boy's neck was a necklace with a red diamond. Fionna looked up into his face and found herself blushing a little. This boy was... cute.
"Uh, hello," he said. His voice was a little raspy and he smelled just like the chimneys around them. "You're Fionna Mertens, right?"
She nodded shyly. "Um, yes. That's right."
He stuck out his hand. "I'm Blaise Ashbel," he introduced.
Fionna shook his hand politely and was surprised to feel how warm it was on a crisp day like this.
"It's nice to meet you," Fionna said, smiling at him. "You're in Simone's class aren't you?"
"Yes I am. I saw you leave yesterday and I wanted to introduce myself to you," he said, turning red a little and avoided her eyes. "I just... uh... you seemed like a nice person."
"Oh thank you. Do you live in a fraternity or in a dorm?"
"In a dorm. With LSP..." He grimaced as they reached the main campus. Fionna giggled.
"Your roommate is Leonard? Lucky you," she said, poking him in the arm.
"Completely lucky," he mumbled, hitching his bag a little tighter onto his shoulder. He mimicked LSP's voice. "'Pass me the lumping chips, loser!'" He sighed and halted his roommate's impression. "I swear, I sometimes wish I had someone else living in my dorm."
"Sorry, dude," Fionna said. "It must suck to have someone as... interesting as LSP."
He smiled at her. "It has its ups and downs but I hope it'll get better as the year progresses. Where are you heading this morning?"
"I'm going to my Mathematics class. You?"
"Me too!"
Fionna felt happy to have a new friend to hang out with. Blaise was smiling so warmly that she felt the heat radiating off of him like a warm blanket on a cold day. It just made Fionna feel so welcomed to college even though he was a freshman just like she was. He kindly offered to walk her to class and even asked if she wanted him to hold her bag for her. She politely declined the bag holding but told him she would love it if he accompanied her to class. He grinned widely and they continued to walk to class.
They entered the classroom about ten minutes later and took their seats in the second row. Fionna was positively ecstatic to meet someone as kind as Blaise. The teacher hadn't come in yet so they had some time to talk.
"What kind of major are you looking at, Blaise?" she asked him.
"Fire Science," he replied. "I've always believed that fire was misunderstood and people just assume it can do nothing but burn. But it's life. There's more to it."
"But isn't Fire Science about putting out fires?" Fionna said.
"It's a little of both in my eyes," he said.
What an interesting guy, Fionna thought, watching him take out his binder that had many graphic designs on it that looked like flames. He turned a few folders full of papers that needed to be looked at for the next day's classes. They were required to bring in laptops next week so people were relieved they didn't have to lug the computers around yet. Blaise asked Fionna a few questions about herself and she happily answered. He was really nice guy, she found, and knew she would enjoy getting to know him. Their professor walked in, apologizing half-heartedly about his tardiness, and jumped into class at once, halting Fionna and Blaise's conversation, much to their disappointment. They exchanged shy smiles and turned to the front of the class.
Their professor dismissed them early since he had arrived late and told them to prepare themselves for the real start of class on Thursday. Fionna and Blaise walked out of the room and started up their conversation again, talking about their minors and interests. Fionna really liked talking to him and was about to invite him to join her and Cake out for lunch after next period but someone bumped into her. She glared to her side and found, lo and behold, Marshall Lee grinning at her.
"Morning, Mertens," he said pleasantly.
"Hi, Abadeer," Fionna said. "Uh, have you met Blaise Ashbel?"
"I don't think so," Marshall said with a shrug.
"Well..." Fionna gestured to her right. "This is Blaise. Blaise, Marshall Lee."
"Hi," Blaise said shortly.
" 'Sup," Marshall said. "Pleasure to meet you, kid."
Apparently, Blaise didn't find Marshall's appearance as pleasant so he mumbled goodbye to Fionna. He turned a corner in the hallway but she followed him.
"Wait!" she called. "Blaise, hold up!"
He turned and seemed a little disgruntled about having to share Fionna's attention because Marshall was following right behind Fionna like he didn't notice the discomfort.
"What? I need to get to art class," Blaise said.
Fionna was taken aback by his cold attitude. It was such a change from his warm smile he wore before. She swallowed a little and stuck her elbow out behind her, getting Marshall in the gut. He groaned and backed off, glaring down at her.
"I'm sorry but I wanted to ask if you wanted to join me and my friends for lunch today?" she asked him.
Blaise glanced up at Marshall Lee and then shook his head. "Thanks for the offer but I have a club to attend. Maybe tomorrow."
"Promise?"
Blaise was surprised to hear how eager Fionna was to spend time with him. His smile came back, making the little freckles pop on his pale face and a small dimple appear into the side of his face.
"Promise," he said. "Thanks for asking, though." He raised his hand in farewell. "I'll see you around, Fionna."
"Bye!" she said with a wave, grinning at him. Blaise turned on his heel and walked off. Fionna turned towards Marshall, who was still rubbing his stomach.
"What the hell was that for?" he snapped.
"I was enjoying a nice conversation with him and you had to go and ruin it," Fionna hissed, walking by him, making her way out to the quad. She had a few minutes before her Drama class started so she was taking her time to get to class.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry that you have a problem with me wanting to talk to you," Marshall said, meeting her pace. "I didn't know he was gonna react like that."
"Just leave me alone, will you?" she said as they exited the building.
"What's your problem with me?" he demanded. "What did I do to you to make you hate me?"
"I don't hate you," she said. They were in the quad now and people were coming and going, passing by them as they walked towards building six.
"Then what do you think of me?"
She stopped to face him. "Why do you care about what I think? I barely know you."
Marshall blinked and realized that he didn't even have an answer to that. Why did he care what Fionna thought of him? She's right; she doesn't know him and he doesn't know her so what difference does it make? She turned on her heel and strode away to her class. Marshall didn't follow her. Instead, he backed away and started to walk to building five for his Chemistry class. He didn't know why but he felt so interested in Fionna. She was the only girl who ever genuinely caught his interest, talked back to him with the same defiance he had, and was just... different. He smirked a little, laughing at himself for even acknowledging Fionna in the first place. She just surprised him. Gumball was at the water fountain in the building as Marshall entered and he poked the pink-haired boy in the back.
"Hey, Gumbutt," Marshall said. "I thought you had Chem yesterday?"
"I did," Gumball said, glowering at Marshall's pet name for him. "But I'm taking two courses."
"Can you do that?"
"Here you can."
"Huh... well, whatever," Marshall said, walking down the hall with his roommate. "So what was the deal yesterday? I had to take Ashley out to dinner. I wasted about a hundred bucks on her."
"I'm not your cook, Marshall," Gumball mumbled. "You can make your own dinner. And it's not my fault you took her out."
"But your dinner tastes good," Marshall said with a sarcastic puppy dog face. "I guess those cooking classes pay off."
Gumball rolled his eyes as they entered class. The two boys sat together at the top row and Gumball fiddled with his bag, looking for something. Marshall leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up onto the table. The other boy eyed Marshall's dirty sneakers but didn't say anything about it.
"So what do you think about Fionna Mertens?" Marshall asked suddenly.
"I think she's a nice girl," Gumball said. "Why?"
Marshall shrugged. "I dunno."
"What do you think of her?"
"She's cool, I guess. Not like me but maybe a few levels below. Like one or two."
"That's pretty cool in your standards," Gumball said with disinterest. "I heard she's really athletic and had brilliant grades in English in high school."
"So what?"
"So... she has AAA material. Obviously if she got in. I wonder if she'll bring the school any awards this year."
"Maybe. Why d'you think she's a virgin?"
"That's none of our business so can you just drop it?"
"No! What's her deal? What guy didn't want to totally ride that-."
"Stop right there," Gumball warned. "That's incredibly disrespectful."
"She ain't here," Marshall snapped, waving his hand around the class to indicate his point. "What does it matter."
"She's our friend and it's not polite to talk behind her back like that."
"I'm not ridiculing her."
Gumball pursed his lips and said no more, turning his attention to the front as class began. Meanwhile, Fionna entered her Drama class. It was a rather small classroom with a few desks and a stage in the back. The teacher was clacking away at his computer in the snug corner as the students wandered around, talking to one another and getting to know each other. A few people were around that Fionna recognized. There was BMO, that video game player, who was talking with Mocro. Brutus Booker, that slow talking boy, and LSP. Andrew and Samson, who paused to wave at Fionna and she waved back.
"Fi!" a familiar voice shrieked and the blonde was immediately pulled into a hug by Cake. "I knew you would take this class! That goodness I'm not alone."
"You have your boyfriend," Fionna pointed out breathlessly for Cake had her arm around Fionna's neck.
"I meant girl friend standards," Cake said. "C'mon, I wanna introduce you to someone I met yesterday." She dragged Fionna over to BMO and gestured flamboyantly to her. "I think you remember BMO, right?"
"You were the one playing with the Gameboy," Fionna confirmed. BMO giggled with a nod.
"That's right," she said. "My parents are big video game promoters so I get a lotta freebies. You should come over sometime and play a few games."
"That'd be rad!" Fionna said excitedly. "You'd really let me?"
"Of course," BMO said sweetly. "As long as you're willing to be beaten by me!"
"You're on!" Fionna said with a grin.
The teacher called their attention and asked them to sit. They obliged and Fionna sat with Cake, BMO, Mocro, Andrew, and Samson on the right side of the room. They turned their attention to the front of the room as the teacher, Mr. Matthews, smiled at them. He started to explain how the class was going to go over the course of the year and passed out a little welcoming paper. Fionna overlooked the curriculum and found her smile growing as she got more and more excited about this semester's class. She was going to like this class a lot.
They started to warm up with a few improv games and, by the time they were dismissed, Fionna was laughing her butt off with Cake and BMO. They grabbed their things and made their way outside the class, Mocro following behind them as he went through a few papers in his bag. The three girls were giggling like crazy as they made their way out of the building and into the quad.
Cake invited BMO out to lunch and she happily agreed, saying how she wanted to get to know the two girls more. They started to make their way down to the cafe again when Gumball and Marshall were seen walking up to them.
"Oh Lord," Fionna mumbled.
"What?" Cake said.
"Marshall Lee," Fionna said with a roll of her eyes.
The two boys stopped in front of them and smiled at the four of them. "Good afternoon," Gumball said politely.
"Hey," Marshall said with a wave of his hand. "Going out to lunch?"
"Yeah," Cake said. "Wanna come?"
"Sure," Gumball said.
"Only if Fionna says it's okay," Marshall said suddenly, getting right in Fionna's face. "How 'bout it, Mertens? Gonna let that mean ol' jerk Marshall Lee come with you? I know you want me to."
Fionna glared at him but didn't say anything. They had a full stare-off and the others watched them for a few awkward minutes. Fionna didn't let her guard down but Marshall was refusing to give in. Suddenly, she raised her hand and flicked him in the eyeball, making him retreat, stepping back in surprise and rubbing his eye with a scowl on his face. Fionna grinned at him and slugged him in the arm.
"You can come, loser," Fionna teased.
Marshall rolled his eyes but smirked a little, feeling a little successful since he was tagging along. The group entered the cafe and were taken to a back table and given menus. Fionna was squeezed between Marshall and Cake, Cake next to Mocro, who was next to Gumball, who was next to BMO. Marshall and BMO on the ends of the booth. They ordered their drinks and started to talk about their second day. Fionna and BMO were talking across the table about their favorite video games. Cake was sending little love taps on the side of Mocro's head, giggling. He would smile and return the Morse code and the two of them would grin. Gumball was writing something down in a notebook and Marshall Lee was flirting with the waitress as she worked at the station near their table.
They received their drinks a few minutes later and ordered their meals before diving into a game of twenty questioned that Cake requested. They were all laughing as Fionna guessed Marshall's answer that was absolutely ridiculous as the door opened and someone yelled Marshall Lee's name. They all turned their heads to see Ashley and a group of girls behind her. Ashley was practically seething as she stormed over to the table and yanked Marshall Lee out of his seat.
"What are you doing?" Ashley demanded.
Marshall pushed her hand off of his shirt. "What the hell do you care?"
"You're supposed to take me and my friends out to lunch!" Ashley snapped. "Let's go. Now!"
"No!" Marshall said defiantly. "Get out of here. I'm with my friends and I don't want to buy an expensive lunch for you and them!" He jabbed a finger in her friends' direction. "Go away!"
"Marshall Lee..." Ashley began, about to get Marshall to give in but someone tugged Marshall into his seat. But Fionna was absent from the booth, showing she swapped places with him. So she was glaring into the taller girl's face. It was quite the scene and a tad comical since Fionna was shorter and Ashley looked like she could bear Fionna to a pulp but the entire cafe was silent as Fionna stood her ground.
"He said back off," Fionna said. "Why don't you stop being a controlling bitch and use your own money, that you've probably gained by stripping, to buy your own lunch. Sound good?"
Ashley gaped furiously at Fionna and the others in the booth stared at the blonde girl in total shock. Marshall Lee had no idea what to do. Since when did Fionna stand up for him? Why was she standing up for him?
"Why you little-," Ashley started but Fionna raised her hand and stopped her speech.
"Save it," Fionna said with a smirk. "I'm sure you need your breath for other means tonight. Go on... leave. My friends and I want to enjoy a pleasant lunch and your presence is ruining it."
Fionna pointed calmly to the door. Ashley let out an annoyed huff, gathered all the dignity she had left and turned abruptly, filing out of the cafe with her friends. Fionna smiled simply and turned to the booth. She dragged Marshall Lee out of his seat, sat back down beside Cake, and pulled Marshall back down. The food arrived shortly and the cafe kicked back into life again. Everyone in the booth was staring at Fionna in surprise as she calmly ate her sandwich. She noticed their stares and she looked up.
"What?" she said.
BMO and Cake burst out laughing and Gumball's open mouth spread into a smile. Mocro smiled too and started to eat his food. Marshall was still staring at Fionna with a stunned expression on his face. Fionna glanced over at him and laughed.
"I've decided something," she said.
"What's that?" he said, blinking.
"I like you," she said with a grin. "I may not like your attitude but you're a cool dude. So I think we can be friends."
She returned to her sandwich and Marshall started to laugh. "I'll take it. Glad to meet your approval."
The first week of college went by quickly and Fionna found herself wanting to collapse by the end of the week. After gymnastics on Friday, Fionna was rubbing her back and aching in places she didn't think was possible. She was trudging home and mumbling angrily to herself, wanting nothing more but to crash on the couch and order out. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around slightly to see Blaise smiling at her.
"Hello," he said gently.
Fionna straightened at once and blushed a little, ignoring the aches and pains in her body. "Hi! I missed... um... how are you?"
"I'm well," he said. "I hope that you don't mind if I walk you home?"
"Uh, sure," she said with a smile.
They started to walk down the street and began to talk a little. Fionna and Blaise had gone out for lunch on the third day, like he promised, and it had just been the two of them. They really clicked and started to become good friends. Fionna found herself very enamored by Blaise and his ideas and Blaise found himself very interested in Fionna's mannerisms. They made it to Fionna's block and grinned at one another as they stood awkwardly in front of Fionna's dorm.
"Uh... it was nice talking to you," Fionna said shyly. "Do you wanna hang out with my friends and I on Sunday? We're going to play some basketball and I think it'll be nice if you hang out with us. I think they'd like you."
Blaise nodded and agreed to go. Fionna smiled a little brighter and she told him to meet her at her home at noon. She waved him goodbye and entered her house as he walked down the pathway. Fionna closed the door behind her and slumped over, her aches screaming at her to stop moving. She stumbled into the living room and was about to fall on the couch but found it was occupied. BMO was lying on the couch with a gamer magazine. Fionna was a little surprised to see her since she didn't see Cake anywhere.
"Hey, BMO," Fionna said.
The teal-haired girl looked up and smiled. "Hi, Fionna!"
"What are you doing here?"
"My sorority got boring," BMO said. "So I'm hanging here for a bit."
"Where is Cake?"
"In here!" Cake's voice called from the kitchen. "Sorry, sweetie! I didn't hear you come in."
Fionna walked into the kitchen, rubbing the back of her neck, and found Cake going through the take-out drawer. Cake asked her what she wanted for dinner and Fionna said she didn't care. BMO suggested pizza and the two other girls agreed with smiles. They ordered a half pepperoni and half cheese and played a few video games that turned a little violent as BMO leaned into Fionna's body, blocking her view and trying to stop her from beating her in the game. Fionna and BMO ended up tussling a little and Cake ultimately ended up winning. The two fighting girls noticed Cake celebrating and started to laugh. They exchanged evil grins and pounced on Cake and started to tickle her, Cake shrieking with laughter, trying to push them off.
Soon BMO had to get home so she bid the two girls goodbye and left the house. Fionna suddenly remembered her aching body and, like a mallet, it crashed onto her and the pain came back all over again.
"I'm going upstairs," Fionna said with a yawn. "I'm going to bed before I die."
Cake chuckled. "Alright, baby cakes. See you in the morning."
Fionna trudged upstairs and entered her room, falling on her bed with a groan. She opened her eyes again before sitting up. She rubbed her eyes as she stumbled around the room, changing into her pajamas. After a while, she found her eyes get heavy and she landed in bed again, letting sleep wash over her.
Well, that's it for this chapter. I beg and plead that you guys hold on for a little longer. I'm also working on another fan fiction as I "speak" (also Adventure Time) that might please those who read Fionna: The Last Human standing. I'll be back when I can! Love you guys and thanks so much for reading and reviewing. It mean a lot!
See you next time!
