Author's Note: Thank you for waiting so patiently. I apologize for the late update.

There were many mixed opinions over the last chapter, just as I expected there would be. Hopefully the next few chapters will clear any confusion between Gumball and Marshall's relationship. This chapter and the next have memories of Marshall and Gumball's past. I was not certain which tense to write these flashbacks in so I apologize in advance if these sections come off as strange. Please inform me if the tense is written incorrectly and I will alter it when I have the time.

Additional AN: Originally, this particular chapter was not going to see the light of day and I have spent months contemplating posting it or writing something different, but the Muse wanted it here and so it is. I apologize if this is not up to par with your standards. It was just kind of… thrown together during the ungodly hours of the morning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time.

Warning: Explicit talk of sexual relations. Slight gore and angst. The usual.

"Marshall Lee, What Have You Done To Me?"

Chapter 3 – Memories

Created By: x-LittleMissAlice-x

xXx

"How cruelly sweet are the echoes that start, when memory plays an old tune on the heart!"

Eliza Cook

xXx

"Marshall Lee, you must release me."

The hand clamped down on his wrist gripped him so desperately, so tightly it ached. His bare legs, tangled in the obsidian sheets of silk, were helpless; the covers were coiling around him the more he struggled, keeping him in place despite his protests. Marshall's grip only tightened.

"I don't think I can. I think, just maybe, I think I might be…" A shaky exhale escaped his quivering parted lips as an odd flush dusted the vampire's blue-tinted cheeks. He sucked in a deep breath before daring to utter his next words:

"Gumball, I think I'm in love with you."

Gumball paused for the briefest moment. Evaluating, processing, and ultimately dismissing his confession as absurd.

"A feeling of infatuation or 'love' as you call it is merely a chemical imbalance in the brain, nothing more. With time such an emotion will pass. My leave will help you return to your senses," he had said matter-of-factly, willing the hand seizing him to release. It did not comply.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that," Marshall chuckled half-heartedly; solemnly, dejectedly he remembered but had not noticed at the time. "But it doesn't go away – this feeling to get closer to you, to simply be with you. It doesn't leave, even after you're gone. It just grows stronger. So strong sometimes I feel like I can't control it."

Marshall crawled closer then, his bare chest looming over him. Gumball curled his own body into the steadily sinking mattress, willing to get away from the infiltrator trying to invade his personal space.

"You had agreed to my terms, remember? No strings attached. Do not misunderstand this arrangement as being more than it is, because it is not. You are a pastime, a stress relief. Do not forget your role. Do not forget your promise."

Such poisonous and hurtful words were said, but that had not stopped the vampire's advances. He instead moved closer, gazing into his eyes.

"I know what you're doing, Gumball, and I'm not falling for it."

"What exactly am I doing then?" he prompted.

"You're pushing me away because you're scared."

"Scared? Me? Do not mock me Marshall Lee."

"You know it's true, and I'm telling you now that it's not going to work. You keep telling me that I'm nothing more than a pastime, but that's simply not true. You know it isn't. I mean, last night you-"

"I did nothing, and you heard nothing. Do I make myself clear?"

"But Gumball-"

"Marshall Lee, you have your role and I have mine. You know that."

"I'm sorry but I can't accept that anymore. I can't accept you coming over at night, only for you to leave, never knowing when you'll be back. I can't-"

Knock knock knock!

Marshall shot a harsh glare at the front door. Gumball was grateful for the distraction, a moment to himself to gather his wits again, but then Marshall's gaze turned back on him a moment later, looking pleadingly. Pleading for what, he had not known (he was far too ignorant at the time to understand).

"Spearmint Maid is here. It is morning and I must get back to my kingdom."

"I can't let you go," Marshall whispered, leaning even closer – dangerously close. Too close. He had felt the overwhelming desire to run, to hide, to forget this confession had ever happened and to return to his royal duties as the vampire king's breath tickled across his cheeks. "I won't let you go."

"Prince! Prince Gumball, are you in there?"

Everything had stopped. His maid's voice had faded in the back of his mind. His brain had abruptly shut down, refusing to function, to reboot. His heart had raced quickly, thudding in his chest faster than it ever had. He hadn't been able to move, hadn't been able to breathe. All he had been able to do was feel the wet lips pressed against his own.

They had never… kissed before.

Light nips and bites, yes, perhaps a little brush of the lips here and there; on the shoulder, on the neck, but never there… never on the lips.

He had made that a rule, and the reason for it was painfully obvious in that moment. His strong façade, his front started to crumble under Marshall. The emotions locked inside were leaking out until they had felt like they were overflowing in steady rivers.

And it had scared him. The swirls of emotions he had never wanted to experience were drowning him all at once. Before he could stop it he was creating an attachment, a connection with Marshall – with another person.

Where were his defensive mechanisms? Why hadn't he automatically shoved Marshall away? Why had he relished in the feeling of Marshall's hands as they tangled in his bubblegum locks, caressing the nape of his neck as his tongue prodding against his lips? Why had he felt like they weren't close enough, even though only a thin sheet separated their naked bodies?

He had been falling apart, and he knew it.

I need to leave. I need to leave!

"Gumball," he had heard Marshall moan against his lips. He gasped for air, for release, for distance when they briefly parted, but the vampire had only kissed him again; drowning him in emotions, drowning him in everything that was Marshall.

His pride. Even then he could not forget his pride. For his pride as a prince and his pride as a person he had to shove. Marshall. Away!

"Get off!" he cried. The lack of composure in his voice must have startled Marshall because he had flinched away from him. Swiftly, Gumball jolted up and pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. His entire body quaked in tremors; his lips trembling, feeling unbearably warm.

"D-don't…" Gumball had barely calmed himself enough to speak, but his voice had still cracked with emotion. "Do not ever do that again."

He had to pull himself together, had to mentally create distance between him and Marshall. Sweep the emotions back under the rug, lock them away tightly. Forget what had occurred by containing the memories in the vault of his mind. Maintain his pride – yes, he would not lose his pride!

But Marshall had thrown that all away with one innocent, simple gesture…

He had hugged him.

The arms that were wrapped protectively around him melted the barrier he had been desperately trying to reconstruct. He had choked on air as the cool comforting hands rubbed his back tenderly. The gentle whisper that murmured in his ear had been his final undoing;

"Don't try to hide from me again. I love you, Gumball. I love you."

Why…? Why had his vision blurred? Had he—Oh Glob, he had been crying. Why had there been tears streaming down his face? Why had he fallen apart in Marshall's arms?

"Don't… don't say that," he had whispered, his voice on the verge of breaking.

Stop making me fall apart. Stop making me feel this way. Stop making me feel.

He had to go back to the way he had been, back to the cool and collected man of facts and logic because if he didn't, he was scared of what – or who, to be precise - would remain.

Please, just let this stop. Let me go back to how I was.

"T-this is unorthodox behavior for the Prince of Candy Kingdom, and I am sure even more so for the Vampire King-"

"I love you for being you, Gumball," Marshall had said, ignoring his quiet and desperate plea to drop this subject; to forgive, to forget, and to never speak of this incident again. "I think I fell in love with you the first time you showed your real self to me, at that party that seems like so long ago. You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not. You don't have to pretend to be the Prince of Candy Kingdom."

"Marshall Lee, please-"

"You don't have to act strong. You can cry in my arms, like you are now. You can be you."

He had willed his body to stop trembling – really, he had, but it wouldn't listen to his desperate order. He had tried to shove Marshall away, pressing his shaking palms against the vampire's chest, but Marshall had only clung to him tighter.

"I love you whether you want me to or not. Get that through your thick head, Gummybutt."

He had felt the smirk on Marshall's lips as he tenderly kissed his neck, his jaw, his cheek, steadily nearing his lips. He had whimpered softly.

"Marshall Lee-"

"Drop the formalities. I'm Marshall – just Marshall, and I promise I'll never leave you behind."

Why he had whispered those last few words he was not certain (even today he did not know), but even though his mind had felt foggy and the pit of his stomach fluttered with butterflies, he had known Marshall would fulfill that vow until his immortal life ended; until the day his body burst into flames and only cinders remained.

The warmth that had spread through him as Marshall kissed him – a warmth radiating from a being that was said to be so cold – surprised him.

What had surprised Gumball even more was that he had never wanted that kiss to end...

xXx

The memories haunted him.

Memories of their first meeting, memories of their first dance, and memories of their first kiss—the kiss that had changed everything.

He could never forget that clumsy but heartfelt confession. How could he not remember the moment another person treated his heart like it was more than just a piece of bubblegum? How could he not remember someone who held him and kissed him so tenderly? How could he forget the only person who could crush all the walls and barriers he placed around himself - a person who not only saw him for who he was, but accepted him entirely?

How was he expected to hate someone who loved him so dearly?

He knew feeling this way about Marshall was wrong, especially so soon since… the incident, but he couldn't stop himself.

He could not deny the fact his fingertips still tingled in remembrance of where he had last touched him, and his heart raced in excitement at each gust of wind that caressed the nape of his neck, and his deepest thoughts and the crevices of his mind were consumed by him– by his face, his voice, his beautiful musical laughter…

He could not deny the fact he couldn't stop thinking about Marshall Lee for even a moment. The boy engulfed his mind, his dreams, even the darkest corners of his fantasies…

And these thoughts, these insatiable feelings were wrong. They were hindering his life to the point it was not only intolerable but unforgivable.

Marshall was unforgivable. What he had done was unforgivable.

In yet, his mind was producing excuses to forgive Marshall Lee, and it was driving him to insanity.

"He only destroyed your kingdom because he - you. Why can't you just admit it to yourself? Why can't you accept Marshall is in - with you? You know you are too. Just admit it, say that tabooed 'L' word. You - Marshall. You are helplessly, clumsily, desperately and madly; no, insanely in - with him. Just admit it, Gumball. Say it. Scream it to what is left of your world, your kingdom. Shout it until you can breathe no longer..."

He could never scream or even dare to whisper that forbidden four letter word, let alone in his own thoughts. Admitting would be accepting, and if he accepted… that would be the beginning of the end. If he accepted, his people would never forgive Gumball, and he would never forgive himself. Even if he gave in and forgave Marshall, his people never would. He could never change that, and he did not have the right to.

He was a Prince; a face, a political figure, a representative of his citizens. He was the embodiment of his people's wants and needs. Gumball was not supposed to have his own opinions outside of his royal duties. He was not supposed to feel, and he most certainly was not supposed to be swept off his feet by some fleeting feeling. He could never do such a thing, even if he wanted to.

If he had to choose between Marshall and his people, he would always choose them – his people, his family. Even if his kingdom burned to the ground and the candy citizens were nothing more than sugared ashes, Gumball would still be Prince of Candy Kingdom. He could never be his own individual.

Despite what Marshall seemed to believe, he could never become his own person.

(If only Gumball believed that himself…)

He wished he could discard those precious memories. He wished he could build a device to travel in time and ensure those events never occurred because even though he constantly denied it and tried to convince himself otherwise, Marshall had changed him. Marshall had taught him how to feel and love and hurt.

That's what he hated most – the hurting; the undeniable ache in his chest whenever he thought about Marshall. And Glob did he think about him. Gumball couldn't stop the memories, couldn't stop hurting, no matter how hard he willed himself to forget.

Even now in the comforts of his bedroom memories of Marshall plagued him.

His bed, so used to the vampire's presence, felt notably empty.

But even though the vampire wasn't purposefully hogging his blankets to force Gumball to cuddle closer to him, and even though he couldn't feel Marshall's fingers caressing his bubblegum hair when he pretended he was asleep, Marshall was still… there somehow. Perhaps Spearmint Maid had forgotten to change the sheets and his scent lingered, or maybe because of recent events Marshall was fresh on the brain, but Gumball could have sworn Marshall was lying next to him.

He was more than lying next to him – he was watching him.

Marshall was on his side, a fist resting against his cheek, floating easily above his mattress. His head turned at such an angle his wispy black hair tumbled over his shoulder, gazing at Gumball with half-lidded eyes; a sexy lopsided, sleepy smirk on his lips. He could feel Marshall's cool breath as he whispered clearly in his ear:

"Good afternoon, Gummybutt."

Was this… was this real? Was he sleeping soundly next to Marshall this entire time?

…Was watching Marshall destroy Candy Kingdom just a bad dream?

Before his mind could analyze the situation his hand was reaching towards Marshall; moving closer to his familiar smiling face, closer to the boy who caused his heart to ache, but when he tried to grasp for him…

There was nothing there.

Upon contact the image of Marshall slipped through his desperate fingers, evaporating into thin air.

The howling wind laughed at his foolishness, blowing in his ear. His blankets felt colder, emptier… as did his heart.

Marshall was so close; close enough to reach out and touch, but too far away to actually make contact with.

The situation seemed similar to how his life was now.

Marshall – the real Marshall, not a phantom, not some fantasy – was here in Candy Kingdom. He could be with the real thing if he wanted. What he would say or do he didn't know (Glob behold it was three in the morning and he was hardly in his right mind) but simply knowing he was there made him want to go to where he was. Perhaps it was the newly relived memories or maybe it was because Gumball felt so lost and wanted something stable, something familiar.

He was not choosing Marshall over his beloved citizens, he tried to convince himself. He was just being a little selfish…

It may have been the most logical decision, but he wanted to see him. He wanted to see Marshall Lee.

Not as Prince of Candy Kingdom, but as the Gumball he had fallen in love with.

(If only it were so simple to fulfill such an impossible wish…)

xXx

Impossible. It was impossible.

Evading the half-asleep Banana Guards had been easy. Maneuvering through his Kingdom and finding the staircase leading to underground dungeon had gone smoothly enough. Finding Marshall's cellar was just as simple but this… this was impossible.

How was he supposed to deal with a door?

He didn't have a key to open it (last he checked, the Banana Commander was responsible for it) and it wasn't like he could just knock and Marshall would open it for him. Honestly, he wasn't even sure he wanted the vampire to know he had came. If Marshall knew he would think Gumball cared.

But Gumball did care… He cared quite a bit, actually.

But what was he supposed to do about a locked door?

Maybe this was a sign from Glob to go back to his room, to forget about Marshall like a Prince in his position should. Maybe he should crawl back in bed and pretend this little night venture never happened…

Even as he told himself this, there was this uneasy feeling lingering inside him; an awful clench in the pit of his stomach, nagging at him, pulling him closer to this room.

It couldn't hurt to talk to Marshall through the door right? Then he could make sure he was okay. After all, that's what…

That's what friends do.

Gumball immediately shook the thought from his head as he tentatively knocked on the wooden frame but instead of hearing Marshall's voice Gumball was greeted with a gentle whine from the door as it swung open.

Why was the door unlocked? …Had Marshall escaped?

Was the Marshall laying next to him earlier really not part of some dream?

He had to know. He had to see the truth with his own eyes.

So he took a step forward.

His foot moved hesitantly into the unfamiliar territory, shifting his weight carefully as if the very floor threatened to fall from beneath him. Chancing another step, Gumball approached the thick darkness, squinting his eyes to make out his surroundings but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find Marshall. He couldn't see the outline of his chair or the candy rope. He couldn't see a spec of his pale skin through the abyss. No matter how hard he looked he couldn't deny the fact that there was nothing there.

Marshall was… gone. He was really gone.

But how could he have escaped? While not reliable, the Banana Guards were bound to have seen him, and there wasn't another way to leave if not through the door. If Gumball recalled correctly, this cellar had been created centuries ago, long before The Great Mushroom War, back when humans reigned in the land of Aaa. Although old, the walls were made out of the sturdiest of concrete. Even for a vampire it would not be easy to break through. Or at least, it would be harder than trying to destroy a wall of candy. Even if Marshall did have the strength to punch through the wall, they were underground. He would have to dig his way to the surface if he wanted to escape.

Where else could he have gone? There wasn't a window and it wasn't like it would be easy for him to get free. Besides, he had promised to see Marshall again…

"Will you… will you at least see me again?" Marshall asked somewhat hopefully. "I don't care if you have to keep me tied up or if it takes several days, just, when you have the time… please?"

Gumball turned, giving him a long, lingering look.

"Perhaps," he finally answered…

Technically, he hadn't promised anything but couldn't Marshall have waited for him longer? Was he not worth more than a few hours? Would Marshall really leave… without saying goodbye?

Is that what Gumball was truly upset about, that he left without saying goodbye? Why was he really more worried about the reason Marshall left than the safety of his citizens? Maybe the candy ropes weren't tied tight enough or maybe Marshall was stronger than his Banana Guards anticipated and he broke out; the reason why he was gone didn't matter. What mattered was that any minute now his kingdom could be falling. Again.

That was why he kept Marshall contained down here, far away from everyone else; so he wouldn't hurt anyone he cared about. (So he wouldn't hurt him.)

Gumball was keeping Marshall within arms reach for the good of his people, to protect his kingdom, not because of his own selfish wishes.

Marshall was dangerous. The vampire was here because if he was let loose again he would destroy everything he had tried so hard to build back; his kingdom, his citizens' trust, and his confidence.

But Gumball knew that wasn't true. He had seen the look in Marshall's eyes as he apologized to him; the guilt, the pain, the self-loathing. He had heard how desperate he was for forgiveness, but his pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Gumball couldn't forgive him. Marshall was a monster, after all.

…But maybe Gumball was the biggest monster of all.

Since the moment they had met Gumball neglected Marshall, shoving him away. He had twisted, bent and crushed Marshall's heart, all the while trying to convince himself that it was alright because the vampire's organ was undead. The reason he did that was because if he didn't create distance between them and Marshall got too close, Gumball was afraid Marshall would wedge himself into his own (heart). That's all it came down to: Gumball was a coward. And a fool. A complete and utter fool…

He was a fool for feeling so empty, so broken and helpless without Marshall by his side.

"Gumball…?"

Wonderful, now he was hearing Marshall's voice in his head. How much lower could he fall? Would he start seeing Marshall again too, reminding him of what had walked out on him, of who he would never have?

"Gumball, is that really you?"

The dust must have been clogging his senses and making him believe the impossible because Gumball could have sworn he had just heard Marshall's voice nearby.

But that was… absurd. The door had been unlocked. He wasn't there.

Gumball told himself this as he turned away from the darkness and towards the door, his eyes glued to the golden knob. His shaky fingers curled around it, clutching it like his lifeline.

He should ignore the voice and leave. He was probably so exhausted he was creating realistic visions to cope. But there was this little voice in his head – another hallucination, maybe? – that was ordering him to stay. And he was listening to it. (Why in Glob's name was he listening to it?)

Staying for a few more minutes couldn't make him lose more than he already had. He could indulge in this fantasy, avoid the fact Marshall had left him for as long as he possibly could. His grip was still on the door; on something physical, something real. Even if he became lost in this fantasy he could pull back from it and leave any time he wanted.

"I'm… I'm here Marshall," he whispered into the cool air and was a little startled when he heard his voice speak back.

"I thought you didn't want to see me after, well, earlier…"

Was that why Marshall left him? Was what he had said before too harsh?

Gumball's previous words echoed in his mind…

"No," the prince whispered into Marshall's ear firmly, "We can't go back. We can never go back to the way things were."

"Gumball. I… I really am sorry."

"Saying 'sorry' won't bring them back…"

The Prince of Candy Kingdom had said those awful words; his mask, his persona, not him, not the real him. While what he had said was true, he shouldn't have said it in that way.

He could have let Marshall known he forgave him.

"I-I… Glob," Gumball sighed, resting his head against the wooden door. He had to swallow his pride, just like Marshall had done before. The guilt was growing, clawing at his insides, suffocating him. He needed to apologize. Even if it wasn't to the real thing, saying the words still had to mean something.

"My words were quite… hurtful and I apologize for saying them. I just… I do forgive you. Truly, I do. But I couldn't… I can't…"

"Even if you forgive me your people never will?" Marshall finished, as if stealing the words from his lips. Wait, of course he knew what Gumball was thinking. Marshall knew what was on his mind because he was part of his mind.

Even if this Marshall knew what he was going to say next, Gumball figured he would speak anyway; for the sake of closure, for the sake of not having to think.

"Precisely. So even after all of this I am still-"

"Madly in love with me?"

Gumball froze. There it was: the tabooed L-word; forbidden from ever being spoken, even in his thoughts, and now it was hanging in the air for Gumball to examine and question, for the world to scrutinize.

Was that really what he was going to say? If this Marshall was a figment of his imagination, did that mean he had just confessed his deepest thoughts?

Was he, in fact, in… in love with Marshall Lee?

"I-I…" Gumball choked, his cheeks beginning to feel unbearably warm. He could clearly hear Marshall sigh.

"It's just me, Gumball. No one else is around. Even if you don't say it out loud, can't you at least be honest with yourself?"

No, he couldn't. He couldn't forget admitting would lead to accepting. He couldn't forget the beginning of the end, the beginning of the end…!

"I can't," Gumball whispered, feeling his chest ache as he buried the emotions threatening to surface like he had so long ago. He couldn't bring himself to answer, not even to a personification of Marshall.

"Then why are you here, Gumball?"

"I just… I just wanted to hear your voice." And he was doing just that; listening to Marshall, to someone who wasn't even there. He was only listening to his voice and he could feel himself already falling apart.

"Well, I'm here," Marshall lied because he wasn't. He wasn't with him. He wasn't by his side like he promised he always would be. He was gone. Gone!

"What is it that you want?"

Gumball's fingers curled into a tight fist, his fingernails digging into his bubblegum skin. He let the first words that came to mind die on his lips, instead replacing them with;

"I don't know. I don't know what I want."

"Gumball, you know," Marshall replied, but Gumball wasn't going to say it. He couldn't say it.

"I don't know what I want," Gumball repeated firmly. "I don't know what I should want."

His people were on the forefront of his mind. Gumball should want to be their humble leader. He should want to take care of his precious citizens, but then there was Marshall… he was always there in his head, even if the boy himself wasn't physically with him. But Marshall had abandoned him. That should have made Gumball's decision easier, but he couldn't commit to his choice. As long as there was still a chance, a little glimmer of hope…

"Don't think about what you should or shouldn't want; I'm not asking that. I want to know what you want, Gumball."

Visions of Marshall immediately invaded his mind.

He wanted to hear Marshall's sweet voice sing the latest song he wrote for him. He wanted to open his eyes to Marshall's beautiful face gazing at him. He wanted Marshall to steal his crown and float off, tempting him with bribes of public displays of affections to get it back. He wanted to know Marshall loved him; feel it in their kisses, in his embrace as he held him at night, to hear it as Marshall whispered sweet nothings in his ear…

Gumball shouldn't admit these desires aloud, but it was all there on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be said after so long. The weight of his unspoken confession was squeezing his heart, smothering him, killing him on the inside. He had to release it. He had to say it!

"I want… I want you! I have always wanted you!" Gumball cried, emotions he didn't want to come to terms with stirring inside. "But I cannot have you, can you not see that? I do not deserve you. All I will do is hurt you so I push you away, but you always come closer and it scares me, Marshall. It scares me. You just confuse me and make me feel so mixed up inside that I just—I just do not know what I am supposed to do anymore!"

He had said it. Glob, he had said it. He couldn't take it back now. He had to accept. He had face his emotions. He had to face Marshall, even if this one was imaginary.

But even though this Marshall wasn't real, his next words stopped Gumball's candy beating heart.

"Just be Gumball. Be you."

Do what makes you happy.

Memories of the day he wanted so desperately to forget surfaced at Marshall's lovely words. His body trembled in remembrance, his heart racing in nostalgia as Gumball mentally fought the urge to turn around and fall into the vampire's arms (because if he tried Gumball knew no one would be there to catch him).

"Gumball, are you crying?"

"N-no, of course not," Gumball snapped, wiping away the tears stinging in his eyes before they could fall.

"Gumball… You know I'm here for you, right?"

The tears Gumball had been trying to relent were steadily building back. "Do not lie to me. I know you are not r-really here," he choked, despite trying to force himself to not fall apart. "You are just a part of my imagination."

"No, really Gumball. I'm here."

Something about those words compelled Gumball to turn back towards the darkness, and when he did he saw a pair of bright vermilion eyes glowing within it. A swell of warmth stirred inside Gumball, reassuring thoughts of "So he didn't leave me" and "Marshall is still here" in his mind, until he processed a dark realization: Marshall had heard everything he had just said. This entire time the real Marshall had been in this room, listening to him. The Marshall he had been speaking to was not a phantom. He now knew his greatest secret, and there was no way to take it back.

Gumball found difficulty speaking through the lump in his tightening throat. "Please tell me you're lying."

He heard Marshall chuckle, the light from his eyes dimming as they narrowed. "Come over here and see for yourself."

And so Gumball did.

With each step closer to Marshall the vampire's red irises glowed brighter, waxing and waning like an elusive flame until they were right in front of him, close enough to see the emotions swirling in his gaze: quiet and tamed longing and desire. He could feel Marshall's breath against his cheek, smell his unique spicy scent tingle in his nostrils. This was either a very believable hallucination, or it was the real thing.

"Go ahead," Marshall whispered, and Gumball realized his fingers were trembling.

He wanted to touch him. Badly. But he shouldn't. He didn't deserve to.

He had almost hated Marshall with the thought he had left him. He had almost become his own person, and an ugly one at that.

How could he be selfish enough to allow himself to touch Marshall? How could he allow himself to want a person who was so selfless and honest and… bleeding.

Marshall was bleeding.

His black blood illuminated in the light of his eyes, trickling down his arms and waist in tiny rivers, pelting to the ground rhythmically in a steady drip drip drip. His usual plaid gray shirt was torn on his shoulders, waist and chest, deep gashes imprinted in his pale flesh. His blood darkened the black color of his shirt as he bled, the thick liquid absorbing into the material. The outline of a purple bruise swelled on Marshall's right cheek. Although small it still looked painful.

Earlier that day he had looked fine. Marshall regenerated quickly so any injuries he hadn't noticed from before would have healed by now, but this… Marshall had been hurt recently.

"Who did this to you?" Gumball asked, his eyes narrowing. Marshall avoided his hard gaze.

"It's not that big of a deal. I deserved it anyway."

Gumball grit his teeth at the dismissive answer. No one was allowed to hurt Marshall. No one. "Who. Did. It?"

Marshall bit his lip, trying to hide the split there Gumball had already seen. "A few guards, okay? Don't worry about it."

"You mean my Banana Guards?"

Gumball was fuming now. He had not authorized anyone to hurt Marshall, and what angered Gumball even more was that he would have never known. Marshall would not have told him, and these guards would have never spoken of this incident.

Speaking of guards… Their arrival in Marshall's room explained why the door had been opened. They had come, perhaps an hour or two before he arrived, and hurt Marshall. And the only one who could have done it was…

"Banana Commander!" Gumball gasped in realization and Marshall winced at the name, further confirming Gumball's suspicions. The Banana Commander had the key and he always seemed to hate Marshall. Why hadn't he foreseen this sooner? What happened earlier that day must have set the Commander off, and rightfully so. He wasn't supposed to be giving a murderer special treatment, but…

Marshall was hurt. He had to do something.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"A few… hours ago," Marshall murmured weakly. How could Gumball have not noticed the dark circles under Marshall's eyes until now? How could he have missed the notably lighter color of his already pale skin?

Although hours had passed Marshall was still bleeding. At this rate he would…

"You need to eat something," Gumball replied firmly.

He had left objects for him earlier. If he groped around the floor he could find one of them. But wait… they weren't the color red, they were… green? Did one of the guards switch them out?

"I told you, I'm fine," Marshall insisted, but his voice sounded strained, as if it hurt to force himself to speak. Seeing the black blood from up close made Gumball's stomach twist. Marshall obviously wasn't fine. He wasn't.

"Eat." Gumball pressed what he presumed from the outline was a green eraser to Marshall's lips, but he scrunched his nose in disgust and turned away.

"I am not eating that."

"Marshall, this is not the time to be a picky eater!" Gumball exclaimed and Marshall chuckled in amusement.

"I will eat the color green, but only if… you give me a kiss first," Marshall smiled weakly.

Gumball frowned deeply.

"How can you joke around right now? Look at you. You're dying."

"…Every moment you're not with me I feel like I'm dying," he heard Marshall whisper. "This is nothing in comparison."

Did Marshall really mean that? Was he thinking about Gumball as much as he was thinking about him?

"Marshall, I'm not going to let you die."

"Are you saying that as Gumball or Prince of Candy Kingdom?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm saying it, okay? Now eat," Gumball said, pushing the green eraser near Marshall's fangs, but the vampire kept pushing his head away. "Marshall Lee-!"

"I want to know," Marshall stated seriously. "And I won't eat anything until I know which person you've chosen to be."

"Please, don't make me choose," Gumball whispered, tearing his gaze away. "Because I… I can't choose. I can't."

"…Alright," Marshall finally said, and when he met his eyes they were gazing into his steadily. Gumball nodded in affirmation.

Finally, they had reached an agreement… an agreement not to agree to anything at all.

Gumball pressed the eraser to his lips once again, but his mouth still did not open. He felt frustrated now. "Why do you keep-"

"There's something else I want to eat," Marshall said simply and Gumball's cheeks burned at the way those glowing crimson eyes stared at him.

"The only thing I want to eat is you."

"It is rude to bite the hand that feeds you, Marshall."

"I won't eat anything else," Marshall replied firmly. Gumball sighed heavily.

"Just this once… alright?"

Marshall nodded and Gumball turned his hand over, exposing his wrist instead, the green eraser tightly gripped in his hand. Marshall leaned closer to the limb hovering over his face and kissed it.

"Marshall," Gumball warned, about to protest this was no time for games, but his words were cut off as the vampire's fangs sunk into his skin. The brief pain was quickly numbed. He could feel the color draining from his hand, his arm, his face as he grew lightheaded.

"Marshall, you have to stop or I'm going to-"

Gumball didn't get to finish his sentence as he collapsed against the vampire's chest and while he wasn't supposed to he enjoyed the feeling of being in Marshall's arms again, if only for a moment, before his mind drifted into darkness.

Abrupt ending is abrupt.

Forgive me. Seven thousand words later and considering it is three in the morning, my mind feels quite dead.

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite how fast-paced it may have been. I hope to have chapter four completed by next week or even the following one.

Reviews Until Next Update: 35 Reviews

That is all then. Have a lovely evening.

xLMAx