Chapter 20: It Feels Alive
Bubblegum had grown used to the most exquisite feeling of waking up next to Marceline in the mornings. It had been a full month after the royal announcement and, save for the days Marceline had business at home, she had spent every night (much to Peppermint's constant disapproval) in the Candy Castle. The Princess turned to face her girlfriend in bed and sighed in ultimate contentment, the look of happy peace on the vampires face filling her with a joy that swelled warmly in her chest. Being in love is putting it mildly, I should think. In all probability, there is not a way to describe how I feel for her.
Marceline grumbled slightly and tugged Bubblegum closer to her by the arm draped over a pink hip. The candy girl giggled at her childish aversion to the waking hours. Considering she doesn't require sleep at all as far as I'm aware, and not being a morning person as she is, why sleep at all? She giggled again as the vampire squirmed her way expertly into the crook of Bubblegum's neck. I wish I could stay here all day with her like this. But still, the girl had a kingdom to run after all, so she tried to pry herself from undead arms, to no avail.
"Noooo…" Came the muffled whine from an all-too-comfortable Vampire Queen, as she tightened her grip formidably around her lover.
Oh she is just too juvenile sometimes…Bubblegum gave a sigh of amusement before attempting once more to free herself from the hold, though she had no desire at all to do so. "Marci, come on…I have a kingdom to run!" She said quietly, trying to coax the other if not out of bed herself, than at least to release her. But all I want to do is fall back into wonderful sleep with her.
The room had been outfitted with extra-thick curtains in order to keep out the sunlight in the mornings before Marceline had time to prepare for its burning properties, so it was the ideal for sleeping in late. Bonni, however, never did. Her body was hardwired on an internal clock that had her getting up early to run her kingdom, no matter how much sleep (or lack-thereof) she had gotten the night prior. Recently, her lack of sleep had been more noted, as a certain late-night visitor almost always found her way into Bubblegum's bed in the evenings. The same late-night visitor who now had a death-grip (so to speak) on Bubblegum's waist, and was in no way letting go.
For her part though, the candy princess was not putting up much of a fight. She laughed into Marceline's skin. "Honestly, why sleep at all if you're going to be this way?" She questioned, teasing playfully.
Suddenly, she found herself face to face with those deep obsidian eyes that captured her breath at every turn. A look of light confusion clouded Marceline's brow for a moment before she said simply, "Because I enjoy waking up to you, of course." It was as though the vampire had never thought there was any other reason in the world at all, and it made Bubblegum blush ferociously.
Now it was she who was burying her head into Marceline's neck, and a raspy chuckle from the girl was her quiet reply. "Honestly, Marceline, must you say things so candidly?" She mumbled, embarrassed, into the vampire's scars. She is so lovey-dovey for a girl who is so terrible with her emotions. How can she be so sweet?
Marceline gave a hearty laugh as though she were in on a joke that the princess was not. "Don't you know?" she whispered softly into Bubblegum's ear, "I learned it from you all those years ago, little one."
The old nickname caused even further embarrassment. It wasn't as though Bubblegum was ashamed of their long-term relationship, but sometimes Marceline made her feel like a child. And when she thought back on how she acted and how she spoke to the older girl back then, she always tended to flush. "I was painfully blunt, wasn't I?" Came the shy question.
"Painfully?" Marceline questioned in mock offence, "Painfully? Never! Wonderfully, adorably, childishly blunt." The words seeped love.
Even if it's hard for her to say it, I can't ever imagining questioning that it was, is, and ever-will-be there. Bubblegum sighed, finally deciding to fully apply herself to getting up and getting to work. "It's odd that we've known each other my whole life, but only a small fraction of yours." She said, sitting up fully on the bed before making her way over to the closet to get dressed. She felt Marceline's eyes on her and smiled to herself. "Still, I am ever so glad I fell in love with you." The princess murmured, as though it was a secret to be kept.
She pulled on her under-clothes and dress, hearing the shuffling of Marceline behind her. When she turned from her closet to go over to her vanity, the fully clothed Vampire Queen was there with a soft but firm look in her eye. She is a wonderful array of contrasts. Slowly and deliberately, Marceline grabbed Bubblegum's right hand and placed it gently but pointedly over her non-beating heart guts. This had become a kind of code for the two of them for when Marceline wanted to say 'I love you' but simply couldn't say it. Bubblegum took a small step closer and placed her forehead against her girlfriend's, "I know, Marceline." She said softly, only to feel the girl shake her head lightly and press her own hand harder into her chest. It was a little confusing to Bubblegum, who didn't know what to make of it. "Marci I know you love me. It's okay that you can't say it. I know it to be true." She said earnestly in response to the motion.
But the vampire only shook her head again, pressing even harder into her chest. "Feel." She said simply, and Bubblegum looked at her as she fought for the right words. Feel? What is she talking about? Honestly it's like we speak different languages or something. Still, she waited patient (as ever) for the girl to express herself. "It…you…it feels like–" But before Marceline could find words at all, a crashing from one of Bubblegum's windows made the lovers jump apart.
"Princess!" invaded the raspy old voice, "I have come to kidnap–oh. I didn't know you were having a sleep over! I love sleepovers! Once, Guther and I had a sleepover and–"
"Is this guy like, for real?" Came the harsh tone of Marceline's voice, cutting the Ice King Off completely, more than perturbed at his interruption of a tender moment between the two. Bubblegum, however, showed a collected annoyance laced with anger.
"I am afraid so, Marceline. He is, however, hard to believe. As none of his attempts have worked thus far…" She said, trailing off and casting a glare at the man who remained floating in a beam of light shone through the broken window. Honestly, why can't the man just give up?
"Hey!" He whined, "Don't cut me off! I was in the middle of something!" He landed softly on the floor of the princess' bedroom before clearing his throat and continuing on. "As I was saying, I have come to kidnap you and take you away to be my bride!" He cackled a little.
Marceline snagged her axe bass of the floor and held it defensively in front of her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second, old man. You think you're going to do what now?" she asked, a clear explosion apparent in her voice. Bubblegum shied away a little, finding herself strangely concerned for the well being of the Ice king (of all people) because Marceline looked like she was going to chop his head off. Oh, he really doesn't know what he's getting himself into…she found herself cringing, and nothing had even happened yet.
"Oh I'm sorry," The Ice King responded, "Did I mumble or something?" he cleared his throat stupidly. "I said, 'I'm going to kidnap her and take her for my bride!'" He yelled slowly at the vampire, before sending an ice beam to freeze Bubblegum's hands together.
"Oh this is just ridiculous…" The candy girl mumbled, rolling her eyes.
Before he could even begin to make his way across the room, a very angry Marceline was standing in front of him, eyes flaming, teeth jutting, and hair whipping around angrily. He squeaked a little in fear, shrinking back away from her. "Okay you obviously have like, no idea who you're messing with here, dude." Marceline said, the demonic layers of her voice chilling even the Ice King. "I am Marceline the Vampire Queen. And there is like, no way that you're taking Bonni anywhere! She's with me, okay? And that means from now on, you're going to be dealing with me if you want trouble. Not Finn and Jake, me." She said pointedly.
He eeped and sent a stray ice beam her way, freezing her whole body still, which she angrily, frighteningly, and impressively (at least to Bubblegum) melted off her body in a flash of fire and heat. "Um…Listen, Ice King? I highly recommend leaving in advance before anything bad happens to you…" Bubblegum suggested quietly, eyeing an ever-raging Marceline.
"But if I stay in the sun, she can't hurt me. She's a vampire, right? Sunlight, vampires…right? So I'll wait it out and kidnap you then!"
Marceline had finally had enough of him. It surprised Bonni she had lasted as long as she had at all. She really is getting better at controlling her temper… The vampire, despite the burns, reached fully into the ray of sunshine and yanked the Ice King out of it, sending him flying across the room and smashing harshly into the wall. She laid a couple punches in on him before lifting him by the scruff of the neck and flying him off the floor of her volition, not his. The man whimpered in her grasp, and she opened her mouth in a demonic howl, showing all her teeth and shape-shifting Night-O-Sphere insides which (almost literally) sent the man shrinking into himself. A bruised and battered Ice King was dropped to the floor limply, and Marceline shouted after him as he ran, "Try that again and I'll rip off you're lumping beard!"
When he was long gone from sight, she turned back to Bubblegum and scratched her neck in embarrassment. "Sorry I lost my temper, Bonni…" She said, before walking over and sitting down on the floor next to the candy monarch. She began to melt the ice with a small flame she held in her palm.
"Quite alright, Marceline. Understandable, even. It was actually…" She trailed off, stopping herself before she said something embarrassing.
Marceline (as always) caught the beginning of her faux-paus and smirked at her. "It was actually what, Bonnibel?" She asked in her usual sly way.
Bubblegum huffed. Must she always catch me and ask with that slick voice and just be so lumping irresistible? "It was-what I mean to say is-when you-all throughout-and you stood up for me and…" She began to stammer out, unnerved by the intense look in Marceline's eyes. "It was very…ahm…a-a-arousing…seeing you defensive and a-a-angry like that…" she managed.
If possible, Marceline's eyes got even darker, and the vampire girl moved her hands, encasing Bubblegum between them. Bonni hadn't even noticed her own hands were free before the vampire slowly, precisely, began to crawl her way over her lover, the candy girl lowering herself to the floor. "Y'know, Bubblegum…" Marceline rasped devilishly, "We could just stay in here all day…you and me…you've just had a traumatic experience…" She began peppering those wickedly teasing feather-light kisses along Bubblegum's neck that made the candy girl moan and her eyelids flutter in spite of herself. "No one would blame you for taking the day off, Your Highness…" the vampire licked a path from Bubblegum's collarbone up to her ear, causing an involuntary shudder to flow through the candy girl. "Well Bonni?" Marceline whispered seductively, knowing already that she had won.
For a second time that morning, a loud noise invaded the room, but Marceline and Bubblegum, too caught up in each other, hardly noticed until Finn yelled out, "Princess! We saw Ice King come in and…um…Princess?" He asked, blushing furiously at the intimate position his two female friends were in, lowering the sword he had come in so wildly brandishing.
Bubblegum's whole face turned scarlet while Marceline smirked, floating her way off of the candy girl and over to the boy. "Don't worry Finn. Just checking to make sure Bonnibel here was all peaches. Isn't that right, Bonni?"
Bubblegum, at the simple call of her name, had snapped out of her reverie and imagining of the other girl still on her and sat up briskly. "What? Oh-oh yes. You see Marceline here was–uhm–well that is to say he did attack and–she melted the ice but–my well-being was in question so she was just, um…in-in-inspecting me for possible injury." She stammered, still heated from her exchange with a certain Vampire Queen.
"See? All good. Just checking' for injuries, dude." Marceline said, trying her best to hide the sarcasm and tease in her voice.
"But…why were you here in the first place, Marceline?" Jake asked.
Bubblegum had finally stood up and made her wait over to the rest of the group, who all stood at her slammed-open doorway. "Well honestly, Jake, I thought it'd be obvious by now…" She said, brushing her skirt of wrinkles.
"Why would that be obvious? Did we miss something? And who took care of the Ice King anyway…?" Finn asked, looking from girl to girl quickly.
The two shared a glance, and Bubblegum sighed. "Marci I think they missed the announcement a month ago…"
Marceline burst out laughing, and continued to laugh as she floated about the room. Well she isn't going to be any help… Bubblegum turned back to the boys. "Right. Finn, Jake, you definitely missed something. Also, Marceline took care of the Ice King, of course. But…about a month ago we made a royal announcement. Were you not there?" She asked, speaking simply for the boy.
"Wait, was that the thing in the Candy Kingdom at like nine in the morning? Yeah we slept through that." Jake asked, scratching his chin.
"Oh yeah! That thing! I totally forgot about that! How'd it go, Princess? What was the announcement?" Finn asked.
Bubblegum sighed, burying her face in her palm for a moment, before saying gently, "Look, Finn. I hate to break it to you again, but Marceline and I are actually, factually together in a committed relationship with one-another. Do you understand?"
The boy looked utterly devastated. Eyes big and shining with unshed tears, he stammered, "But-but that was…and Jake said…it-it w-w-was a p-prank!"
Marceline, who had regained her composure, floated down and next to Bubblegum. In a strange display of empathy, she didn't tease him, but instead said, "Sorry, Finny, it's true. We tried to tell you, dude." She shrugged sadly for him.
Finn shook his head angrily. "No! No I won't believe it until I see some proof!"
"You would have if you went to the announcement…" Marceline mumbled, earning her an elbow in the gut from Bubblegum.
"Really, Finn, how would that make it any better? What would you have us do that would make this easier for you?" The candy princess asked apologetically.
He sniffled, tears threatening severely to spill over. "I-if you were in love, it'd be o-okay…B-better…Y-you both have to say it, though…" He sniffled again, and Bubblegum felt a small flare of anger rise up in her. Of all the things, he asks for the thing Marceline has the hardest time doing! She knew her anger was ungrounded, but she was mad nonetheless. We shouldn't have to prove anything to him!
Still, she was determined to get the young man off her back for good. She turned to Marceline and grabbed her two hands, spinning her around mid-air so they were face to face. "Marci I love you and it's okay if you can't say it. Finn's just being a patoot about it and I know it's hard for you and I know you love me and that's all that matters. If you can't say it I still love you and you still love me and just because Finn won't believe it doesn't mean it's not true. You do whatever makes you comfortable, Marci." She said firmly, and nodded once.
Marceline took the princess' right hand again and pressed it to her lifeless heart guts. "It feels alive with you, Bonni." She said quietly, hardly catching pink eyes in embarrassed intimacy.
The sentence was so simple, so short, yet it spoke volumes. It was everything the candy princess herself had been trying to sum up. When words fell short and there was no description for how she was feeling, those simple words had always been what she was chasing. With each other, it felt alive, everything felt alive. Tears instantly sprung to Bubblegum's eyes and she attacked Marceline with a fierce hug, wrapping her arms around the taller girl's neck before the tears fell. "I love you so much, Marceline." She whispered, and the two stood and hugged.
Finn and Jake, who had watched the whole exchange, felt like outsiders looking in. It was more than obvious that they weren't even there to the two girls who stood before them, who were in their own little world, away from everything else but each other.
"Dude, they're in love." Jake said simply. And Finn had no choice but to agree with a small tinge of sadness, but an ample amount of happiness for his two friends who were so happy with one another.
A/N
Another chapter complete! I feel like there was a long gap between this one and the last one, so sorry if it felt that way to you, too. This is from AdmiralBlakeUnicorn andToolazytosignupforanaccount, who both wanted and Ice King encounter, and Madison the Vampire Queen who wanted Finn walking in on Marci and Bubblegum in some situation. In case you're wondering, I didn't mean to intentionally knock off two suggestions at once (I'm not that lazy, I swear!), I just always figured Finn would bust in playing hero after Marci already took care of the Ice King. Haha!
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I want to thank you all so so so much for the reviews! I'm at over 60 now and it means so so much that you guys are enjoying this fic! Thank you, thank you, thank you and please keep it up. It makes me happy to know that you are happy reading this. *Smiley faces and tears of joy and gratitude*
-JD