Chapter 24: Sunbathing

It was quite a drab day when Princess Bubblegum decided to visit Finn and Jake. The sky was a depressing grey, threatening to release its depression and burst with rain at any moment. Yet, the princess was willing to risk ruining a dress in the poor weather to see the two. Honestly I don't even know why…it isn't like I need to. I could do sciencey things and experiment on the nature of dark matter. Still, the candy princess grabbed most determinedly at her parasol (umbrellas are not for ladies such as she) and strode with a curious drive from her room.

Marceline and their together-not-togetherness had been more than tiring. Though, coax as she might, Bubblegum couldn't get a word of (meaningful) emotion from the immortal. And more so lately, she had even been uncharacteristically wishy-washy when it came to their little midnight trysts. The Candy Princess was starved for affection when it came to her chosen partner, and it had most decidedly drained her. So when she stepped out of her candy palace to begin the not-too-brief journey to Finn's (Marceline's old) tree house, the optimism and emotional strength that accompanies her is entirely unfamiliar.

The rain began to fall, and as Bubblegum made her way in a sunny, leisurely stroll, a small smile formed of its own volition upon her lips. Today is going to be a good day. I can feel it right down in my heart guts. And as she went on, passing this shop and that, a huddled hard candy here, a soaked ice cream man there, her mind (as per usual) drifted to Marceline. (It used to be that her mind drifted to science.) I wonder where she has been these past days…surely not the Night-O-Sphere, she'd have told me. A dreamy sigh escaped her. Marceline…grod what have you done to me…I used to be so logical, so practical; yet here I am picking up scraps of your oh-so-wonderful affections like a beggar. I'm a princess, Marci! I shouldn't have to…you shouldn't be… Do you still think of me as yours?

She passed a man selling strawberries and couldn't help but buy them. I'm hungry, that's all. It isn't because they reminded me of Marceline, or anything like that… Even in her own mind, Bubblegum was a terrible liar. She reached the edge of the town and began walking across wet grassy hills towards the lone tree in the distance. Marceline's tree, no matter who lived there. The bottom seam of her dress began to muddy, and Bubblegum smirked to herself. What would Marci say…oh something lumping hot and such like 'oh Bonni, your dress is ruined! Best get you out of it then, huh?' And then she'd do that smirk and that 'I'm going to sexually devour you' look and it would be amazing and her tongue would slick it's way over me and– The princess realized she had (again) been thinking inappropriate thoughts about her vampire, something that was becoming a nasty habit. Nasty indeed…oh glob it!

She forced herself from her reverie and noticed that off in the distance, on a grassy hill a ways away from the tree (which she was beginning to wonder if it was her destination at all) there was a splotch. She stared at it a moment through the heavy rain. Perhaps this is why I felt compelled to go out today. It could be a new mineral or animal or something! Heck, if the universe was telling her to go to the bleary splotch in the rain, who was she to deny it? It made no logical sense, but spontaneity and (good-glob…) faith, were valuable as well. Marceline had taught her about going with feeling every now-and-again, and it had most definitely payed off.

As she neared the splotch, it was clear that she recognized it. Mind drawing a blank (for once) she walked right up to it and stared down. There she was, Marceline the Vampire Queen, clad in naught but a black bikini and sunglasses, lying on the muddy grass in the middle of a downpour, a look of satisfaction adorning her face. Her hands were placed under her head in a lounge position, and one leg was propped up while the other laid flat on the ground. Bubblegum stared as the harsh thumping of rain against her parasol permeated the air, a sound different from the softness of rain upon the grass or (seductively) rain upon Marceline.

Bubblegum furrowed her brow in confusion at her thought of the word 'seductively' to describe the torrent of rain upon her lover, yet somehow it was. Beading and collecting and dripping over taut muscles and smooth skin, there was something definitely inviting about rain upon the vampire. Bubblegum traced her over with her eyes, watching the water trail here and there over flawless skin, and found herself imagining licking it all off.

Just as her mouth started to water with the thought of what she would do to such a scantily-clad Marceline, the vampire said, "What are you doing out here, Princess? You'll catch your death."

Bubblegum resumed her ogling of Marceline in the rain. "I caught you, didn't I?" she murmured, hoping the vampire wouldn't hear as she roamed freely over the contours of her lover.

Marceline had heard, and smirked. Caught death, indeed. A moment passed before the vampire spoke again. "Bonni, didn't they teach you in manner school or whatever that it's impolite to stare?"

The candy princess shook her head from the day dream and pulled her focus away from the grey body and to Marceline's face. It held a concealed smirk, though it didn't appear the vampire had moved at all. "It's actually called 'finishing school,' and I didn't go to one. I had private tutors."

Marceline laughed; stretching her arms out from under her and arching her back in a look of sheer delight that made the candy princess blush. Marceline caught this and smirked, pulling the sunglasses onto her forehead and looking straight at Bonni saying, "Oh…so then you didn't finish?" She smiled toothily and ran her tongue over sharp teeth, the words holding an entirely different meaning.

Bubblegum gulped, her grip on the parasol tightening to white-knuckled intensity. "What? F-F-Finish? I-I-I mean–th-that is I–f-finishing school–a-a-and private tutors– I-I-I…um…I got finished!" she managed, trying to ignore the seduction oozing out of Marceline and steaming the rain as it hit her skin.

"Oh really, Bonnibel?" Marceline purred, propping herself up onto her elbows, "And who exactly…finished you?"And she quirked an eyebrow.

Bubblegum squirmed. "What? Finished me? W-well…u-uh…that is to say, it–like you're saying is–manners were, um–but it wasn't like that! I-I had great finishing teachers!" she tried, not realizing how terrible everything she was saying sounded. But then, the vampire did have a way of taking the normally eloquent princess down a few (a million) pegs, leaving her nothing but a stammering, stuttering lump of hormones and desire.

"I'm sure you did have good finishing teachers…" Marceline continued, relishing in the wound-up haze that surrounded the princess, "What did they teach you?"

Bubblegum was breathing heavily through her mouth, and her dress suddenly felt all-too tight. Marceline lay back down and began running her hands all over her body, leaving the princess all the more speechless to say the least. "Uh-um…u-u-uh…etiquette and-and…proper…d-d-d-decorum and royal…royal…bodies and…uh-um…rain and…wet…passion for…delegates…" She trailed of blankly as Marceline sighed at her own hand, squirming on the ground beneath the candy princess.

Her dress was incredibly too tight, and she was having trouble swallowing.

Marceline stopped her motions and looked up at the girl with faux-curiosity. "Something the matter, Bonnibel?"

Engage word vomit. Projectile word vomit.

"I love you." Bubblegum spouted, thoughts escaping from her mind rapid fire without a seconds hesitation. "I love you and I know it's a weird time to say it when you're on the ground writhing and trying and succeeding in seducing me but I love you. You are rain and clouds. Moonlight and shadows and o-o-old books that you can feel and taste the time on. The kind of books that store memories in their pages. You're body is electricity and candlelight all in one go." She knelt down next to the vampire, who donned a confused and shocked look. "You are everything in this world that I love. Clever and witty and…sexy and seductive and oh– so beautiful it's other worldly! You're the sound of pencil on paper and the chill of the night air and just everything, Marceline, everything!" Tears began to mix with rain as the girl got more and more exasperated, her free hand flailing about and pounding the ground in indignation and emphasis.

"You are what I desire. The only thing I desire. How could anyone ask for anything more in a friend or a lover? How? And you just–you just…I know I messed up. I messed up so lumping bad and it hurts me because I had you and threw it away. I hate me. And I pick up you're bits of affection like they are the most valuable thing in the universe because they are! I know you don't want to talk about feelings but this in-between place is killing me because I am not in-between at all! I love you. With every fiber of every atom in my being and I know you won't talk to me about feelings but I'm going to talk to you about mine because grod I am just so tired of not telling you because you are like dark chocolate and strawberries and fairy tales and–"

It took a moment to register wet lips upon hers. It took another moment to register that Marceline's lips were salty from tears. It took a third moment before she was kissing tearily back, rain soaking her dress and skin through to her very soul, parasol all but forgotten as her hands freely framed Marceline's face without thought, pulling the two closer into each other and into the kiss.. It was passion and age and knowledge and, if hope would be her master, love.

Marceline pulled away, and placed her forehead against Bubblegum's shoulder as the candy princess mirrored her.

Rain fell.

Marceline lifted her head slightly and began to speak.

"I sing the body electric;
The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them;
They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them,
And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the soul."

Bubblegum pulled away to look at Marceline, who continued to recite.

"Was it doubted that those who corrupt their own bodies conceal themselves;
And if those who defile the living are as bad as they who defile the dead?
And if the body does not do as much as the soul?
And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?"

Marceline's eyes bored deep into Bubblegum's, a quiet fire burning underneath as the two kneeled in front of each other as equals. It was all too clear to the candy princess that Marceline had expressed her feelings, her regret, and, most importantly, her love. Bubblegum hiccoughed a smile. "That was beautiful Marceline." She whispered through the rain.

The vampire lay back down and resumed her original position of lounging. "It was like, whatever, you know?" she said, resuming her usual demeanor, though with a happier tone and attitude. Bubblegum picked up her parasol and remained kneeling, the thing doing no good now as she was soaked through, though warmer than she had felt in decades. Marceline glanced over. "That lumping thing would do you like, no good in a storm and no good now. Why don't you get a real umbrella?" She joked, the air seeming full light.

Bubblegum couldn't stop the love-sick, dreamy smile on her face. "Ladies use parasols." She sighed. "You will tell me what that was, won't you Marci?"

"Yeah well, people who want to stay dry use umbrellas. And…it was from one of the first books I had read. I salvaged it from the Mushroom Wars. It…felt appropriate…" The vampire mumbled, trying her best to play it off.

Bubblegum smiled a knowing smile at the girl. "Appropriate to say the least. It was wonderful. …And…Marci?"

"Yeah, Bonni?"

"Are…are we like…together now?" Bubblegum asked timidly, all-too afraid of the answer. It sure feels like we're together. But what if we're not? What if I understood wrong? Oh and that poem…could anyone recite poetry better? I must have her read to me sometime and–

"Yeah Bonni. I think we are."

Bubblegum threw the parasol into the slight wind and it floated off as she attacked Marceline with a fierce hug. The vampire returned it eagerly, laughing at her girlfriend's antics. "Marci I'm so happy! So, so, so happy! I love you and nothing is ever going to change that again! Glob, nothing changed it in the first place! Thank you, Marceline. Thank you. I…I love you…so much." Bubblegum proclaimed.

Marceline, timid about feelings as ever, simply said, "I'm happy too Bonni. And I'm sorry."

Bubblegum planted her hands on either side of the vampire's face and pushed herself up, hair falling and dripping around the grey face, a huge, unbeatable smile adorning her own face. "I have one more question…what were you doing out here in a bikini and sunglasses in the rain?"

Marceline wrapped her arms around Bubblegum's waist in a comfortable show of affection, scraps long since forgotten and full meals being served. "Isn't it obvious, Bonni? I'm sunbathing."

Bubblegum laughed in confusion. "Sunbathing? But…there isn't a ray of sunshine in the sky!"

Marceline smirked. "Exactly." And kissed Bubblegum again like her life depended on it.

A/N

I don't know...don't ask. Haha. Sorry for the long wait, inspiration is a finicky thing, but I think (hopefully, inspiration-willing, crossed fingers) I'll be getting back in the swing of things! This comes from a few people, and I have a few questions to answer! Specialagentoso and Amelia Sprightly wanted "Shut up and kiss me" and "butterfly inducing" fluffyness and I know somewhere someone wanted to know how they got back together (sorry, I lost you're name!) so viola! And yes. Sunbathing in the rain. Don't ask where that came from...no clue, but I like it!

PLEASE REVIEW AND SUGGEST!

Okay, question answering time! Yes, they will have the baby talk. Yes, I will deal with the aging. Yes, I will go into why why Bubblegum was 13 again she was all over Finn. Yes, I was making a subtle reference to 'Tower, Tower'. They have genitalia because they are humanoid mutations, for gender distinction, and (the best part) for sheer pleasure. Marcie's body is 18(ish) because that's what it is in cannon. To my 31 (!) Tumblr follower, you guys rule!
ALSO! 100 Reviews guys! AAAHHH! Amelia Sprightly you get bonus points and if you suggest for this chapter, I WILL write your suggestion for being my 100th review and have it up the next day. Thank you for all the WONDERFUL, AMAZING, THOUGHTFUL reviews you guys. For. Real. Rip my heart guts out why don't ya? Make me cry...(not really, but still) Long author's note is long...but I'm out for now! Thanks again and sorry again!

-JD

p.s.

The poem is the first two verses of "I Sing the Body Electric" by Walt Whitman. Love the poem, thought it felt right.