Marceline pulled into a large blue house's driveway. She softly smiled despite her reasoning for being there. This house was filled with nostalgia for her, almost all of her good childhood memories were in this house. She got out of her car with her backpack and bass. She dragged herself to the door, anxiety rising in her chest for the lecture she was about to get. She raised her hand to knock, but the door swung open before she could.
"Marceline! Come in!" A skinny older man with shoulder length greying hair, round spectacles and a waistcoat ushered her inside. He quickly wrapped her in a tight hug and Marceline relaxed into the smell of comfort.
"Hi Uncle Simon." She sighed, hugging him back.
He pulled away gently and held her at arms length. "Marceline, you know I love when you visit, but the nature of your visits recently is making me worried." He gazed over his glasses which were falling down the bridge of his long nose. His once brown hair is becoming streaked with white and he'd been having a hard time getting himself to shave every day. Marceline was quite honestly scared to death about losing him.
"I know, I know." She avoided his eyes.
"He's no good for you. You deserve a boy who'll treat you so much better. Or a woman. Or whatever. Just someone who will treat you like the queen you are!" He lifted her chin so she'd look at him.
She snorted "A queen? I'm no queen."
Simon looked down at her axe-shaped bass, ears filled with piercings and shaggy black hair. "Hmm… well maybe a vampire queen." He smiled playfully and Marceline laughed.
"Vampire Queen huh? I kinda like the sound of that."
Simon chuckled and directed her to the kitchen with an arm around her shoulders. "I've taken up a new hobby Marcy, I think you'll like it!"
"Oh yeah? What have you been up to?"
"Here just have a seat and I'll show you." She sat down, amused b her Uncle's constant child-like wonder. "Ta-Da!" He held out a popsicle tray, to which she laughed.
"Simon I'm not so sure this is a hobby." She grabbed one of the pops from the tray. It was bright red, red flavors were her favorite. Simon hated red flavors so she had no doubt that he had prepared this tray just for the next time she visited.
"Sure it is!" He put the tray back in the freezer and grabbed a blue pop from another tray then sat down with his niece.
"I'm pretty sure it's just an activity."
"Ah, but what is a hobby if not an activity you do often?" He winked and pointed his popsicle at her.
"You know what, you've got a point there." They both laughed and Marceline licked her pop. "Cherry?"
"You know it! And I've got blueberry!"
"BLUEBERRY? Why on earth would you pick blueberry? It's the worst of all the blues?"
"Well, I think you're incredibly wrong Marceline. Blue raspberry can be far too tart for me."
"That's just because you're old."
The two debated best popsicle flavors until it was time to go to bed, In which Marcy took the room Simon had made hers when she was a kid. She cuddled up to her childhood toy Hambo and snuggled into bed.
Marceline woke up to her harsh phone alarm. She looked around and slowly recognized her surroundings. She was still at Simon's house. She picked up her phone to 12 missed calls from Ash and 57 texts. She rolled her eyes and sat up in bed. She didn't have a class until three p.m. today so she was in no rush. She put her phone down and headed to the shower. On the kitchen table Simon had left a note saying he went on a walk. Once she got in the shower she started thinking about her fight with Ash.
'Maybe I was too harsh on him, I really did take a long time at the store. Maybe he had a right to be suspicious.' She decided she'd stop by Ash and her apartment to apologize before her class.
She was aware that he wasn't the best guy, but she also didn't think he was horrible. She didn't like being alone, and he didn't beat her or anything. He was just… complicated, but so was she. That's why she believed they were a good match. She pulled on her clothes and waited for Simon to return before she left to Ash's.