Chapter VIII, No One Quite Like You

Peppermint was quite occupied from the very morning, as he made sure that everything shines and glitters within the palace chambers. He quite enjoyed that time, specially since he was alone and it gave him much time to think. The little candy especially liked cleaning one of the old, huge vases, passed from one gum generation to another. It reminded him how much time he actually lingered in this world. And how much undoubtedly he will in the years to come. And just as he thought that this will be one of those calm and peaceful days, Finn and Jake came out of nowhere. He hardly enjoyed their company, as he never quite understood what's so likable about the two. That, and they were simply too loud, too obnoxious and above all else, too annoying for his likings. He could tolerate their presence only because Bonnibel did that, for reasons unknown to him.

"Hey Pep-but, where's the princess?"

"Yeah dude, we haven't seen her like whole day." Jake waved his stretching arms around. "And we have this rad idea, about that rocket engine that will take us far into the orbit and such, and she would help us. Or shoo us away, either way, it would be fun!"

Peppermint just found a dead fly glued on to the vessel. For some reason, that was far more absorbing for him then the two. But, since his duties needed to be fulfilled when Bubblegum was absent, he sighted and turned around.

"The princess is away, to put it simply for you two. So if that is all, I have a lot to..."

"Aw man. Any ideas when she'll be around?"

"Hard to tell, Finn the Human." He stated, as he nonchalantly flipped the rag right before the boy's eyes. "Princess is old enough to decide when she'll be back you know."

"Where is she anyways?"

"Doing her business, I can only assume. She is a princess after all. She has a job, unlike some." He yawned theatrically. "I did not inquire much information about it."

"Aw, always grabbing all the fun for herself."

"Now, now you two. Her state requires her to be in numerous places on numerous occasions, therefore..."

They quickly stopped listening to him, as they started to circle around the vase. They began to smudge it with their fingers, poke it around and leave dirt on it's clean surface. The things they usually do. Peppermint just boiled inside.

"Look Jake, that's silly. He has a butt on his face." Finn pointed at one of the figures painted on the glass. "Butt-face!"

"Naw dude, it looks more like a mushroom."

"It's clearly a butt."

"Mushroom, telling you dude!"

The mint candy just waited, muttering to himself unspeakable curses. The ones that are better left unheard. When they finally got bored, he let out a loud sight and spoke to himself, bit louder this time around.

"I hate you all..."

"Say what Pep-but?"

He turned to the boy and grinned, even though he had the urge to strangle both of them just where they stood.

"Nice day, pal!"

They nodded happily and finally disappeared from his sight. As he took a deep breath and counted to ten, he once again began to clean the precious artifact. It was somewhat refreshing for his nerves. Just as the thought that the two still owe him their flesh. However as soon as he finally cleaned all the fingerprints, he did noticed that the room got darker all of a sudden. A shady reflection appeared on the vessel.

"Hey minty." The voice said, as the bone hand landed on his shoulder. "Busy as always."

"Death."

"That's my name." He clicked with his teeth. "So. You sent the girl to me and you aren't even curious how she's doing? Now that's cold. Even by your standards."

"It took me a while to realize why she wants to met up with you. I'm surprised you're helping her just like that." He turned around. "Besides. She reached for you on her own. I had nothing to do with it."

"Really now? Shame, I wanted to thank you actually." Death whistled. "My, my, she's quite the sweet-roll."

He began to laugh, as his hoarse voice echoed through the palace halls. This time, he seemed a bit different however. More serious and deeper.

"She left in such a hurry..." The round candy sighted. "Think she'll make it?"

"I do not know if she'll make it, minty sweety." He shrugged. "Up to her really. She won't be able to sleep with everything in her way, that's for sure, shameful as it is."

"Sleep with..." Peppermint pondered. And although the answer was quite obvious, he still needed to ask his question, just to be sure. "What are you talking about?"

"Hunson's offspring, minty."

"That means she finally... oh." His candy face lightened up for a bit. "Those are some great news."

"Great news? Well, if you put it that way. I hardly care beyond sightseeing."

Death simply shrugged and started to walk down the main hall. Peppermint knew better that to leave a guest like that all alone in the palace chambers, so he simply threw away the rag and rushed right after him. The skeleton was quite busy inspecting the paintings that were hanged throughout the wall.

"Claimed him." He pointed at one of the pictures, with a pink candy persona, with a tangled, cotton candy beard. "Her as well." He pointed at another one. This time it was someone that looked almost like Bubblegum. Only years older. "And him. Her. Him, him. Her, her, her, him..." He focused less and less on the individual beings, as he progressed fast through the corridor. "And. Her I did not." He finally stopped, as the last picture that presented Bonnibel herself. "How old is she. She found a way to maintain herself and avoid me for quite some time..."

"Smart one, isn't she?" The mint chuckled. "She is pretty old."

"And you are older, aren't you minty?"

"You, above all else, should know that." The candy smirked. "Or did you forgotten that one certain thing?"

"I do minty, I just like to ask." The skeleton chuckled, but it seemed kind off forced this time. "I know that all to well..."

They just stood there, staring at the picture. While the mint candy considered that with all given odds, the painting itself could be done better, the skeleton pondered about various other things. He rarely did that, as he hardly ever cared.

"She is somewhat your concern." Death eventually stated, as he got even more serious all of a sudden. "Almost as if she's someone close to you."

"Well..." The candy nodded slightly. "You can put it that way I guess."

"And you want her to live." The skeleton tapped on the candy's round head. "You helped her in that on numerous occasions. And now you want me, to help her in that as well."

"Correct."

"You know even I cannot grant that to anyone minty." He shrugged. "I can just keep my sight away." He turned his head around, almost as if he was ashamed of something. "At times."

"So between you and me, could you do that, if the time and the need comes?" He fixed up his bow tie, nervously looking at the dead one. "We both know you did that way too many occasions. More than you should..."

"You have the nerves to remind me about that!?" He seemed furious, but quickly calmed down. "Every time I did that, someone had to pay the price. You're hardly an exception to that. Even if I like you for some reason." Death supported himself over the candy's round head. "And not even you could pay the bill for that, dark one."

"I know..."

"You really would be willing to do that, don't you?" He asked. There was something new in his voice. Curiosity. Fascination. "I'll help as much as I'll can." The skeleton sighted. "But no promises. We all have our bounds. And I'm no different. Even if I'm exceptional in bending it around." Death shook his head. "But tell me, why is she that important? What makes her that different to you?" The skeleton gazed him right in the eyes. "What made you care?"

"I don't know..." The candy shrugged. "...it's just the way it always was. Even way back then..."

###

It was one of those dark, misty evenings in which everything was just meant to go wrong. As Peppermint strolled through the castle, tired of inspecting everything carefully, his intentions were quite simple. Clean up, patrol around once more to see if everything is at it's place and practice some dark arts for the rest of the night. The usual doings. Despite the fact that it tired him immensely, it had some benefits. And at least the princess had some good time around with the band. She needed that from time to time. But as the loud knocking on the doors echoed through the great halls, he sighted to himself.

"Always more trouble, eh?"

He ran quickly, wobbling with his round body back and forth. And the whaling got stronger and stronger. Someone apparently was quite inpatient. When he finally opened the door, he gasped. It was Bubblegum. Tears simply slide down from her cheeks, mixed up with the drops of rain. Her clothes were soaked. She held a bouquet of flowers in her shivering hands. Why, he had no idea.

"Your majesty? I thought you were with the Screams? You said you'll be out for a while."

He asked calmly, but the princess was hardly in a shape to respond as she just ran past him. Peppermint stood there for a while and when his thoughts finally caught up with what happened, he quickly ran after her.

"Your majesty!"

The candy shouted, but she didn't bother to stop. He could hardly catch up to her with his little, candy legs. As he finally reached her room, Bonnibel just lied on the bed with her face down in the pillow. She didn't move an inch. All he could hear, was quiet sobbing.

"Princess, what's wrong?..."

He came a bit closer and tried to poke her on the shoulder. He expected an outburst of anger or something similar. But as she didn't responded at all despite his attempts, he knew that it was serious. In his little candy head, an idea appeared. The one that always worked when she was younger.

"Wait just here..." He shook his head, realizing that she is hardly capable of moving anywhere either way. "Um... Just, don't do anything stupid. Please."

Peppermint rushed towards the kitchen and there, in much hurry, he prepared the dish of his life. It was the only thing he could come up with, as it seemed quite logical at the start. His tiny hands worked as fast as possible only to make everything in time. When he was finally done, he grabbed the plate and ran back.

"I made your favorites! Fresh noodles!" He shouted and tried to sound excited. "Can you smell them? Mmm, that's some fine meal you have here." He tried to wave the scent right at her. "I made it so everything is mixed up precisely like you like it!"

The candy tried to pull it right under her face. Since that failed as well, he sighted and climbed onto the bed, sitting right next to her.

"Princess, please, you cannot just lay and cry like that. What's the matter?..."

He grabbed a nearby comb and began to stroke her hair, patting her on the head while at it. Minutes passed. Hours perhaps. She didn't moved at all. He refused to go anywhere else as well.

"I screwed up big time Peppermint..." She finally respond, raising her head. "And I mean like... colossally."

"What happened?" He narrowed his brews. "Did that bloke from the band did something to you? If that's the case, I'll..."

"No! No... I made a huge mistake and now... now she hates me."

"She..." He thought fast and quickly put two and two together. "Oh, Hunson's daughter? Marceline?"

"I... I think I hurt her and..." She sniffed. "I didn't want to, it's just..."

She finally went up from the pillow and sat near him, looking in his big, round eyes. She used to do that as a kid as well, when something bothered her or when she felt sad for some reason. With the course of years, the reasons changed obviously. Peppermint? No, he never changed.

"What exactly happened?" He asked, like he always did in those times, grabbing her hand tight.

"I did something wrong... despite what I told her..." She almost instantly turned her sight away from him. "And... she saw me and him afterward... after their performance." It was hard for her to speak. "He brought me those..." She pointed at the bouquet on the ground. "And it looked like it was, well, more than it should be... But was it more? I don't... We did more? I don't even know. Maybe? Maybe a kiss. A hug? I don't know, Glob... I just wanted attention? Maybe, maybe just that. Why? I had her attention, wasn't that the most important thing? And... she wasn't mad... she ran... and cried." She shook her head. "It was far worse than if she was just mad. Far worse than if she just smacked me, right where I stood... After that there were more words backstage and... I don't think we can go back from those... I didn't even felt what happened at first. Then as I walked here..."

"Oh..."

He still caressed her hand. And they just sat there in silence once more. Peppermint knew that she hardly ever accepted lectures. Unless she asked for them directly.

"You must think so low of me now..." Bubblegum finally said silently.

"Princess..."

"You must think I'm some kind off... I don't know... That I use people to get what I want, that I..."

The candy did not respond. He just shook his head and smiled. That's what he always did when she was little. That's the only answer she needed.

"Peppermint... why am I so stupid?" She asked.

"You're not..." He said calmly. "You're the smartest person I ever knew and..."

"You're the only one I have right now, you know that?" She interrupted him almost instantly. "Only one that cares." Bubblegum took a deep breath. "Only one that cared and was around despite what I've done. Only one that cared for me..."

"Princess, there's many that still do..."

"Don't be silly. They care, but hardly for what's in my head... Only she cared. And I blew it up." Her grip tightened. "At least I have you." She put her arm over his shoulder.

"Princess..."

"Remember when my parents used to send for you each evening?"

"You were too stubborn to simply go to sleep." He chuckled. "And to lively for anyone to tame you."

"And you sat here, every evening, reading me stories. Sometimes telling them in your own way. That a knight will come one day for little Bonnibel and will take her somewhere far. And she will be happy. A knight..." She looked at the ceiling, as if she looked for answers there. "Your voice always calmed me for some reason."

"I tried to do my best."

"You still do. You still do..." He gave her a handkerchief. She just smiled to him, as she dried her eyes a bit. "When everyone passed away... I still remember you, out of all people." She sighted. "I never knew what to do. I panicked. I considered joining them even. But you said you'll never let me."

"Yes, majesty. And I never will."

"How old were I back then?"

"Not too old." He gazed at her. "But it depends on the person counting."

"Each night when I cried to my pillows, it was you who stood behind the door." Once again, she pat the candy on the head. "And just that alone gave me comfort." She sniffled. "And each time I then called for you, you appeared instantly. You sat there, on this very chair." She pointed to the one standing right by her desk. "And just read until I felt asleep."

Once again, silence occurred. He knew that the princess will talk even more, as she always did in difficult moments. And he was there to listen. It always was that way.

"And here you are again. After all those years." She shook her head. "At some point I thought I'll introduce her to you. Properly. I think I love her, you know? Or loved?" The princess sighted. "Thought you'll be proud of me. That I found someone. That I'm happy. But... you did know all about it, haven't you?"

"It was hard not to your majesty. One does not blush, when talking about just friends." He smiled. "And the way you said her name, I could never mistake that for being just a friend." She just cuddled around him and he embraced her in his tiny, candy arms. Dark one feeling sympathy for someone. If only anyone knew. "Maybe one day you still will?" He said while stroking her hair. "Maybe one day she will come here and..."

"I think... we're beyond that now..."

"Why?"

"Because I'm too stupid to accept that she was all to me..." Bubblegum gulped. "And now when I realize that, it's too late to..."

"It's never too late for some things." He smiled warmly to her. "It's never too late."

He let her go and stood up. The princess remembered the days when she was just as little as him. And even now, she still felt tiny when being around her butler. Peppermint knew that all to well and just wobbled around towards the bookshelf. When he eventually pulled one, certain book, he turned back to her.

"Some things never change." He smiled. "And it's never to late for other things."

"Peppermint..."

"So, which story would little Bonnie like to hear tonight?"