[frank sinatra;]

The moon hung high in the air over the land of Ooo, the stars glittered within the black velvet of the sky. Everything was quiet, save for the way the waves hit the shore of the beach quite a few feet below. "Marceline, do you see it?" Bubblegum exclaimed, eyes bright with undeterred excitement as she clung tighter to the vampire— nearly tipping her into a downward spiral straight into the ocean, but hey that's love, right?

Marceline laughed as she re-adjusted the younger monarch in her arms, making Bubblegum's grip around her neck less of a choke hold. "That depends, Bon-Bon. What am I supposed to be seeing?"

Bubblegum tore her gaze away from the sky to meet Marceline's, and sighed exasperatedly. "The whole reason we're even out here, Marceline. Oh, honestly. If you look over there," she pointed a slender pink finger up and off to the west, "You see the planet Venus, the one that looks like a very bright star. Is it not beautiful?" Bubblegum murmured wistfully.

Marceline couldn't help the tiny burst of love for the girl in her heart. Floating higher, the stars so bright and the moon so full, they looked almost touchable. The corner of her lip quirked in a smile and she tentatively asked, "I've heard of the Old Ones muttering on about the planets and the stars and stuff, so, care to explain to me all about this Venus place?"

Bubblegum's eyes widened, and she got what Marceline liked to call, 'The Thousand Yard Nerd Stare'. The younger girl always got that look when she was about to dive into some long winded, scientifically nerdy explanation; usually involving a lot of hand gestures and big words, that Marceline needed to swallow a dictionary for.

"You have never heard about Venus? It's one of my favorite planets, both scientifically and mythically. It's such a fascinating planet, and I've read that it's a lot like Earth's evil twin. Did you know," she continued, readjusting her arms around Marceline's neck, as the girl glided through a stray cloud. "That the mass of the atmosphere is ninety-three times that of the Earth's atmosphere?"

"No way, babe," Marceline gasped playfully, and chuckled when Bubblegum swatted her back. "I'm sorry, sweetums, please continue." She batted her eyelashes innocently, a fang dimpling the flesh of her lower lip in a wry smile.

Bubblegum's cheeks flared— tinting a deliciously darker shade of pink, Marceline observed— as her gaze flickered to her friend's lips, and away again, wetting her own.

"I, um. Yes, well. As I was saying," and she glanced down at the water, catching the moon's reflection on the surface, before the ripples distorted the image. "If you could stand on the surface of Venus, you would experience ninety-two times the pressure you have on Earth. Oh, and if the pressure doesn't kill you, the heat and toxic chemicals will. There are these thick clouds of sulfur dioxide, that rain down sulfuric acid!" Bubblegum smiled brightly, and Marceline raised an eyebrow, floating down lower as they got closer to the shore.

"Wow, Bonnie. You sure know how to romance a girl with small talk." Marceline nibbled her cheek affectionately, chuckling. "But no, honestly, that's too cool. You should build me one of those legit teleporter thingies, and I can just teleport everyone I don't like to Venus." Marceline carefully touched down on the sand, nodding approvingly at her idea.

The princess laughed as she disengaged herself from around Marceline, her feet sinking slightly into the sand. "I'm not sure it would be wise to build such a device. Should it get into the wrong hands, the outcome could be catastr—"

Marceline sprawled out on the ground, her ink black hair creating a sort of mock halo around her, and she pursed her lips into a slight pout. "Ah tomato skins, you never let me have any fun, Bonnibel."

Rolling her eyes at the statement, she sat down next to Marceline, drawing her knees to her chest.

"Don't be such a baby." Bubblegum pursed her lips, and gently carded her fingers through raven locks. Companionable silence stretched between them, as Marceline's eyelids slipped shut— the sound of Bubblegum's heart and breathing, paired with the sound of the surf, relaxed her.

"Hey, Bonnie?" she mumbled, sifting her fingers through the sand.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me more about this Venus planet you love so much. It's actually kinda interesting."

Blinking in surprise, Bubblegum hummed thoughtfully. "Well, you see, in Roman mythology, Venus is a woman. She's principally associated with love, beauty, and fertility, and is said to have had a, ah, rendezvous with Mars, thus giving birth to Cupid— the god of desire, affection, and erotic love.

"I read in an older text book, dating quite a few years before the Mushroom War, about how in the humans pop culture, Cupid was frequently shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love. Ah! And he was also one of the main icons for what they called, Valentine's Day."

Marceline peeked up at the princess, grinning, and after a moment of silence said, "Ohhh, erotic love, you say?"

Bubblegum frowned slightly. "Really, Marceline? That's the only thing you paid attention to in that whole explanation? You can be so… so… ugh!" She scrambled to her feet, turning on her heel and stalking up the sand dunes, trying her best to look dignified.

Marceline blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"Oh Shi— Bonnibel, come back!" Marceline groaned, and took off after her. She had to admit, the girl was fast. "Bonnibel, stop for a second! Dammit," as soon as she was close enough, Marceline grabbed a fistful of Bubblgum's pink jacket, tugging the girl back. Bubblegum whirled around, a full glare set into place.

"What, Marceline?" she snaps, and Marceline is taken aback.

As a knee-jerk reaction, she bristles, returning the princess' glare, and curls her lip. "What the hell was that back there? I was just playing with you. You know— haha. You didn't need to go all berserk on me."

Bubblegum looked away for a moment, and when she spoke next, her voice was quiet. "That's just it, Marceline. You're ialways/i 'playing' with me. Sometimes…" chewing her lip, Bubblegum met Marceline's eyes.

"Sometimes, I feel as though you do not take me seriously. That to you, I am not your equal."

The vampire's eyes widen, and her throat felt like sandpaper as she floated a little closer towards the girl in front of her. "No, Bonni. I've never ever thought that of you. Come on, you're the only one I ever open up to, I just…" Marceline searched for the words, licking her lips nervously.

"Then say it, Marceline."

But the raven remained silent eyes averted. It wasn't that she felt the girl was below her— quite the contrary, actually. It was her fear of actually letting her feelings out into the open, that made the queen hold her tongue. For as old as Marceline was, she had learned and seen first-hand that you weren't supposed to allow people in.

That's how they took advantage of you. That's how you wound up aching, alone, and dead.

Bubblegum, taking the older girls silence for the opposite of what it was, sighed softly. She flicked her gaze out towards the horizon, only just then noticing its pink and orange hues it had taken. She took a step back, shaking her head slowly.

"I have to head back to the palace before everyone fully awakens. Thank you for a most wonderful night. Good-bye, Marceline." Carefully, Bubblegum made her way up the final hill where sand melted into lush grass. And Marceline hovered there, defeated and angry with herself for just letting her go.

"But…" she mumbled to no one, "you're more than my equal, you're…"

The waves continued to crash against the rocks behind her.