AN: Alright, one shot time! I've been itching to write this ever since the "What Was Missing?" episode. I love Marceline and Bubblegum now. So here is my attempt at portraying their past. I can only hope I did a semi-decent job. If not then I guess I better improve my writing. Well, in any case, I hope you enjoy since there really isn't much stories about these two yet.
Warning: Rating it M (just to be safe) for implied sexual stuff near the end and some minor language.
Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Adventure Time.
You and Me
Bubblegum- age 13
Princess Bubblegum cried as she hid in the hollow of a tree. It had been such a small thing that made her lose her composure.
The day had been relatively normal for the next ruler of the Candy Kingdom. She was sitting in the library with her tutor. It was her last lesson for the day before she would be allowed to retire to her bedroom. They were going over proper etiquette during meetings with other political figures when the realization suddenly came over her.
She had no one to call a friend.
She'd never stopped to think about it. She was kept so busy with learning what she needed to be the next ruler: etiquette classes, history, learning names of important dignitaries, royal duties to perform. It was overwhelming. Yet, she hadn't felt she was missing something until that day.
She couldn't even remember what her lesson had consisted of. She just suddenly was struck with a constricting feeling in her chest. Her breathing turned shallow and quicker. Her hands became clammy and sweaty. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Reality had suddenly punched her in the gut and she'd been unprepared for it.
Without warning, she bolted from her seat and ran through the palace. Her attendants looked on in alarm as she ran through the hallways. They called to her trying to get her to stop but she paid them no mind as she burst through the palace gates and ran into the forest.
She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away from that place. Run from the responsibility, from the pressure and, most importantly, from reality.
The reality of being alone.
Despite all the subjects in her kingdom, there was no one she could say was special to her. No one she could call a friend. She was always on a tight schedule and never given a chance to socialize with anyone outside the palace. They couldn't let a princess mingle with commoners. She finally stopped when she tripped over the root of a tree.
It was then that she realized she was in the middle of the forest and she had no idea how to get back. The howling of a wolf startled her and she quickly scrambled to her feet to find somewhere to hide. Thus, this is how she found herself hiding in the hollow of an old tree.
After a few more minutes, she wiped away her tears and composed herself. She had to get back to the castle somehow. The royal guards were bound to be looking for her already but who knew how long it would take for them to find her. She wasn't even sure how far she'd run.
Bubblegum poked her head out to take in her surroundings when the wolves howled. She quickly ducked back into the safety of the tree. They sounded closer than before.
Oh, why did I have to run into the forest?
The howling of the wolves drew closer to her location. She remained petrified hoping they would not find her. Suddenly a pack of wolves came to a screeching halt in front of her tree. She tried her best to sink into the darkness of the shadows but the wolves remained in front of the tree.
"Let's take a look at what you guys found." A voice called out.
Bubblegum was surprised when a girl floating down in front of her hiding spot. She appeared to be slightly older than her. She had a mane of black hair and piercing red eyes that locked onto her own pink orbs.
"Hmm, well this is a surprise."
The vampire girl reached in and was surprised that the girl took her offered hand. With a slight tug, Bubblegum came out of hiding and got a better look at the girl. She wore a light gray tank top, blue jeans, and red boots. Her skin was a light blue-gray color and felt cold to the touch. If she deduced correctly, this girl was a vampire. However, for whatever reason, she felt herself relax in her presence.
"Well, well, if it isn't Princess Bubblegum. I'm surprised to see you of all people taking a stroll in the middle of the night and in the woods of all places."
Her tone of voice caused the Princess to feel irritated. No one had ever addressed her so…casually. Not only that, but she made it sound like she was mocking her and that did not sit well with her.
"And who are you to judge where I can and can't go?"
The vampire smirked at her. This princess had some fight in her and that intrigued her. She figured someone as sheltered and pampered as the princess would cower in fear of her. It was a pleasant surprise.
"What a rude princess I have on my hands."
"I'm rude? How dare you suggest I lack proper manners!"
"Hahah, geez. Chill out Princess. I'm just messing with you. Don't you ever joke around with your friends for fun?"
"I fail to see how poking fun at someone is fun."
"Seriously? You don't tease your friends for kicks?"
Bubblegum fidgeted uncomfortably.
"I…I do not have anyone I consider…a friend."
"Really?"
"Yes."
The vampire girl looked at her thoughtfully before nodding to herself. Without warning she lifted the princess into her arms and took off into the night sky.
"W-What are you doing?" She shrieked as she struggled in the vampire's grasp.
"I'll let go of you if you don't quit moving around so much."
Hearing that, Bubblegum stopped struggling against the vampire girl and instead hung on for dear life. After a few minutes of silence Bubblegum decided to find out what she had planned for her.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm going to show you how to have fun."
Bubblegum snorted. "I don't need you to show me that. I have plenty of fun on my own."
"You sure about that? You look like you don't know the first thing about having a good time."
Bubblegum puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. She was acting childish. She knew. All those hours of etiquette class had gone out the window within the first few moments of meeting the mysterious vampire girl. Yet, for some reason, she felt like she could be like this around her.
"For your information, I have plenty of fun with my science experiments."
"Pfft, you're telling me you're a nerdo?""
"Being smart does not make me a nerd!"
"Fine, fine." The vampire smirked. "You're a brainlord then."
"Hmph! You're impossible." Bubblegum crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away from the vampire girl.
"Haha, you know what princess? I like you."
Bubblegum's cheeks gained a tint of red.
"W-What?"
"I said I like you. I thought you'd be a borefest but you're actually kind of fun."
"Thanks I guess."
She looked back at the vampires face and found her grinning at her.
"My names Marceline by the way."
Bubblegum blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized she'd failed to ask for the vampire girl's name. Her manners had really taken a nosedive.
"Nice to meet you Marceline."
"Well then princess let's go have some fun!"
"Bonnibel."
"Huh?"
Bubblegum suddenly realized what she had said and looked down at her hands in embarrassment.
"My name isn't princess, it's Bonnibel."
Marceline's grin widened.
"Alright then, Bonnibel let me show you what a good time looks like."
That was the first time Princess Bubblegum stayed out all night with a friend. She returned to the castle just before dawn with a smile on her face. The next day, she resumed her Princess duties but with a lighter spirit. Suddenly, ruling the Candy Kingdom didn't seem so bad. Not when she had a friend like Marceline.
-_-_-Adventure Time-_-_-
Bubblegum- age 15/16
The sun had set and the full moon shone brightly in the sky. Princess Bubblegum was unable to fall asleep. Soon, she would be turning sixteen. The council had everything planned out for her special day. Princesses from the various lands were coming to the big celebration. The entire kingdom was busy preparing for her special day. Her sweet sixteen would be a party to remember. There was just one thing she felt was missing.
Marceline…
She sighed as she thought about the vampire girl. She would never have imagined their friendship would become this important to her. It never failed to surprise her how the vampire would so easily break through her defenses and bring out a side of the princess no one had seen. It was something only Marceline was privileged with.
I wish you could come to the party.
That's what was troubling her. The festivities for her party would be well guarded and no one was allowed in without an invitation. She was friends with a lot of the princesses now but they were not Marceline. She wanted her best friend to be there to celebrate with her. The council though, would not allow a vampire to attend the festivities. Although a treaty of sorts was reached with the vampires that roamed the lands, they were not invited to gatherings such at this. Not even the ones who were royalty.
Their king was a ruthless being who cared little for things such as treaties. Some vampires would cause mayhem and terrorize civilians from the various different kingdoms. Sometimes, she wondered if Marceline was like them but the vampire girl would smirk and say she didn't do things that weren't fun.
A straight answer would ease my mind.
But that was Marceline for you. The girl spoke in riddles and liked to be vague. It was one of the things she liked about her.
I like Marceline the way she is.
She blushed at her train of thought. Lately, she'd been thinking these odd things about the vampire. Every time she admitted to herself that she liked the other girl, she'd get a strange fluttering in her stomach, her heart would beat faster, and she'd blush up a storm more often than she'd like.
This wasn't normal. She knew. Instead of dwelling on it though, she did what every scientist did she researched and experimented. She read about signs of attraction between two people and how the body would react to it. After much reading, she came to the sound conclusion that she was experiencing what was known as a crush.
The fact that they were both girls was irrelevant.
With this in mind she began to experiment with her newfound research. Whenever Marceline would come to spend time with her, she'd do little things to test her body's reaction around the vampire girl. First on her list of experiments was the appropriately named "Hugging Test". Little by little, her hugs would get longer and she'd squeeze just a bit tighter than before. On one occasion, Marceline even agreed to hug her until she fell asleep.
The continued warm feelings she experienced as a result caused the Princess to move forward with her next experiment.
Whenever the opportunity presented itself, her hand would find it's way into Marceline's. Every time she did this, her heart would beat just a faster than before and her cheeks gained a red hue to them.
Her reaction never failed.
The "Hand holding experiment" proved fruitful but she needed more. Thus her "kissing experiment" was thrown into action. This would be the test that dispelled any doubts in her mind. Yet, she could not bring herself to do it. How did one just ask their friend for a kiss?
I can't just ask her can I?
She was brought out of her thoughts when a knock came from her window. Bubblegum got up. A smile found it's way to her face. There was only one person who'd use her window as an entrance.
"Hey, Bonnibel."
"Marceline. What brings you around this time of night?"
She had a sneaking suspicion as to the vampires sudden appearance but she preferred if the vampire told her herself.
Marcaline floated in, hands behind her back.
"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by. Oh and I also brought you this."
She brought her hands forward revealing a cupcake with a single candle in the middle.
"I stole this for you. The candy dude didn't seem to need it so I made sure to make good use for it."
Bubblegum wasn't sure if Marceline was joking about stealing it but she chose to ignore it for now since it's the thought that counted.
"Thank you Marceline."
The vampire smiled. She was glad she didn't get scolded for potentially committing a crime. She wasn't about to tell her she had actually bought the cupcake for her. She had an image to maintain after all.
Marceline took Bubblegum's hand and lead her to the bed. She sat the cupcake between them and lit it for her.
"Go ahead and make a wish."
Bubblegum smiled and nodded. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about what to wish for. There was only one thing she wanted at this point. There would be no harm in wishing for it right? Her eyes opened once again and she blew out the candle. Marceline simply grinned and removed the candle.
"So what'd you wish for Bonni? Was it for something nerdy?"
"I certainly did not wish for something "nerdy"."
"Really? What could Princess Bonni have possibly wished for? You gonna tell me?"
"You realize that if I tell you my wish it won't come true."
"You sure about that?"
"Quite positive."
"Hmm, close your eyes again for me."
"Huh? Why?"
"Just close your eyes."
"Fine, but no funny business."
Marceline didn't deny or confirm anything and waited for Bubblegum to close her eyes. Once she did, Marceline pushed the cupcake that sat between them to the side and moved closer to the princess. She placed her hands on Bubblegum's shoulders and moved her face closer to the pink girl.
Bubblegum felt Marceline was closer to her. A blush rose to her cheeks at the thought that the vampire girl was this close to her. She was sure her heart would burst out from her chest. She was about to ask what Marceline was doing when she suddenly felt lips pressed against her own.
Her mind seemed to fizzle and shut down. Was this actually happening? It seemed almost unreal. Her mind slowly rebooted. With her thought process once again functional, she found that she got the answer she sought.
Marceline pulled away and Bubblegum opened her eyes. There was a dreamy look in her eyes. The vampire girl couldn't help but smirk at the reaction she got from the princess. She was caught off guard when Bubblegum suddenly tackled her and began to kiss her once more.
It really was hard for her not to smirk into the kiss. She hadn't expected Bubblegum to give into her desires so quickly. It was a pleasant surprise for sure and one she wouldn't complain about.
Separating their lips for a moment, Marceline flipped the princess over so that she was on top. Bubblegum wrapped her arms around Marceline's neck and brought her closer once again. Lips moved slowly against each other, testing out this new feeling. Their pace slowly picked up before Marceline decided she needed to taste more of the pink girl.
Bubblegum gasped when she felt Marceline take her bottom lip between her teeth only to then lick it. The vampire took that chance to slip her tongue into the unsuspecting princess's mouth. Bubblegum felt her body become heated as Marceline and her tongue explored each other's mouth with an almost desperate fervor.
Oh what magnificent things that tongue was doing to her. She had not counted on the vampire being so…skilled. The need for air arose and forced Marceline to pull back. She looked down at Bubblegum who looked up at her with hazy like expression. A proud grin made it's way to her face.
"Happy birthday Bonnibel."
"M-Marceline?"
The vampire chuckled at her confusion. She lay down next to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Why the shock? I'm allowed to kiss my girlfriend aren't I?"
"G-Girlfriend?" Bubblegum squeaked.
"Well yeah, we are dating right?"
"W-We are?"
Marceline sighed. "Isn't that why you've been cuddling with me and holding hands? Not to mention you seemed to be staring at my lips all the time."
"I was certainly not staring at your lips all the time!"
"Well maybe not all the time, but that doesn't matter. You've been crushing on me for awhile though."
Bubblegum felt her whole face heat up. She buried her face into the crook of Marceline's neck hoping to hide the blush.
How embarrassing!
"My princess is far too shy. You should've just told me that's what you wanted."
The princess pulled away and glared at Marceline.
"If you've known all this time then why did you not say something sooner?"
"I wanted to see what other experiments you'd try out on me before you finally confessed."
"Well excuse me for taking too long to confirm my feelings."
"Aww, don't be like that."
"You're the one playing with my feelings."
Marceline said nothing. She then pulled Bubblegum back into her embrace and placed a soft kiss on her temple.
"Sorry, I'd never play with your feeling like that Bonni. I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't mean it."
Silence filled the room.
"Are you serious?"
"About?"
"Being your girlfriend."
Instead of answering, Marceline pressed her lips to Bubblegum's once again.
She can never give me a straight answer.
Nonetheless, Bubblegum smiled and buried herself closer to her vampire.
My vampire.
She slept soundly through the night in Marceline's arms. That next day, just like she had predicted, her sweet sixteen was a party to be remembered. However, Bubblegum's most precious memory was that of her vampire. She'd received a gift no one else could match.
- _-_-Adventure Time-_-_-
Marceline gripped her family's heirloom ax tightly in her hand. Before her, the Vampire King coward. He looked up at Marceline's ruby red eyes. He knew this was the end. He'd been dethroned by a brat. He chuckled bitterly.
"You don't kid around do you?"
"I warned you didn't I?"
"I suppose so. Tell me one thing brat."
"What?"
"Are you satisfied?"
Marceline was growing increasingly agitated with the way the vampires were behaving lately. Sure it was normal for them to terrorize the residents of Ooo but they never caused any major harm.
A few days ago, that changed.
For the first time in years, a vampire had killed. This effectively broke any and all treaties the vampires had signed in order to keep peace in Ooo. It made her blood boil. Before her father was imprisoned in the Nightosphere, he'd brokered that treaty to ensure that their kind would no longer be hunted like they'd been before the Mushroom War.
Now all of that was destroyed thanks to the King encouraging the vampires to return to their old ways and take over the land. It was all so stupid. She'd let him know as much when they all gathered for a meeting.
The King did not take kindly to her challenging his authority and did something she'd never expected.
"If you continue to oppose me, I'll make sure your precious Princess will be the first to taste the terror."
Marceline had never been afraid of the Vampire King. Hearing him say those words however, sent an arrow of fear right through her. It was one thing to threaten her but to threaten Bonnibel was another thing all together.
"You wouldn't."
"Try me Marceline."
The vampire girl left the meeting with burning hatred for the King. A few days later the killing had happened. The worst part? Marceline was accused of the crime. Eyewitnesses confirmed it was her and word was quickly sent out for he capture. She'd gone to see her Princess that night to try to explain what was actually going on.
"Bonni…I didn't do it! You have to believe me!"
"You were seen Marceline! The entire village got your description down to a T."
"They're wrong! You have to believe me!"
"I don't know what to believe anymore. You never give me straight answers when I ask if you participate in the activities those other vampires do. Then this happens…how do you expect me to trust you?"
"Because you're my girlfriend! We've known each other for years now. You know me better than that!"
Bubblegum said nothing.
"I see how it is." She chuckled darkly. "You've already chosen to believe them."
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is! Don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. You're advisors already fed you the bullshit they want you to believe right? You already think I'm guilty."
"Don't you realize how hard it is for me to believe you when you refuse to open up to me? I never realized how little I actually knew about you until the meeting today. Now I know the things you do when you're not with me."
"They don't know what they're talking about! They don't know the first thing about me!"
"Apparently neither do I."
Marceline could feel her eyes burn with unshed tears. This wasn't suppose to happen. Bubblegum was suppose to be the person who supported her. Instead, she'd already decided to condemn her for something she didn't do. Something she was framed for and she knew who was to blame.
"We're done." She whispered.
"What?"
"I said we're over Princess. Have fun will all your precious subjects."
"Wait! Marceline!"
The vampire girl ignored the cries of her now ex-girlfriend. She was so angry. This was the worst thing that had happened to her since her father ate her fries. No, this was worse than that. It ranked up there with her mother's death.
I shouldn't have let someone get so close to me again.
She wasn't going to let this slide. Someone was going to pay for what happened to her. Marceline went to her home and picked up her battle-ax. An heirloom given to her after her father was imprisoned. She was going to pay the King a visit and show him exactly who he was messing with.
Marceline brought down the ax and ended the life of the Vampire King.
Not at all.
Days later, a ceremony was held for the new ruler of the vampires. Marceline became the Vampire Queen.
- _-_-Adventure Time-_-_-
Marceline began to travel shortly after her coronation. She converted her battle-ax into a bass guitar during her journey. She started to travel for many reasons. The main one being to get away from Princess Bubblegum. Not even a day after she'd killed the King, Bubblegum had tried to find her. She didn't know what for since she was now truly a murderer.
She doubted that the Princess believed in her innocence anymore.
She didn't want to stick around to find out either. Thus, she began traveling the land of Ooo to straighten out any and all vampires who thought they could continue where the King left off. She would make sure that the land of Ooo would not have to deal with another vampire murderer again.
Yet as she traveled around, she could not stop thinking about Princess Bubblegum. She hated that the Princess had reduced her to a lovesick teenager. But she could not deny the fact that she still had feeling for the Princess. How could things between them be fixed though?
What could she possibly say to make things right again?
I wonder what you're doing now Bonnibel.
Bubblegum looked up at the full moon from her room. It was on nights like this that she recalled the night she and Marceline became an official couple. It had been a year since Marceline had killed the Vampire King and took over as ruler. It'd felt like it'd been a lot longer since she'd seen the vampire. Every now and then she'd hear about her exploits around Ooo.
Not all of it was good though, but she'd come to accept that that might just be part of her nature as a vampire. She never went overboard, however, and all the vampires had gone back to doing their normal non-lethal mischief. She was sure it must have been Marceline's doing.
She really did make a fantastic Queen.
But she was still mad at her. Mad because she dumped her without letting her explain herself. Mad because she ran away from her. Mad because she didn't realize what the vampire meant to her until she left.
She wanted to make things right with her. She wanted her vampire back.
Are you ever coming back?
Marceline had returned to her home after hearing about a human name Finn. The kid thought he was some sort of hero. She'd also heard he'd developed a crush on her princess and that did not sit well with her. Thus she began to mess with the kid's head as much as possible. Turned out he was pretty fun and they'd become sort of friends.
Her situation with Princess Bubblegum was another story. They utterly failed at talking about their problems. Instead, they degenerated into insulting each other. Marceline acknowledged it probably didn't help that she would tease Bubblegum with things that only made her angry. She wished she wasn't such an incompetent fool when it came to talking about her feelings.
At least I finally got to see her.
Bubblegum was getting ready for bed after an exhausting evening dealing with the Door Lord. Tonight had caused her to think about her terribly dysfunctional relationship with Marceline. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Marceline was trying to tell her through the song.
She knew.
She still loved her. They still held feeling for each other that their argument from long ago became irrelevant. She was broken out of her thoughts by a knock at her window. Her heart immediately began to beat faster.
It can't be…can it?
She slowly walked to the window and stood silently in front of it.
"You going to leave me out here all night? You're manners haven't improved at all."
It was her.
"Perhaps I should if you're only here to insult me."
There was a pause.
"Geez, I'm just messing with you. Don't you ever joke around with your friends for fun?
Bubblegum felt the tears sting her eyes. A lump formed in her throat.
"I…I do not have anyone I consider…a friend."
Another pause. They were both thinking back to the day they first met. When their unlikely friendship began.
"Let me in Bonnibel."
Bubblegum practically threw open the window. There was Marceline; in the same outfit she'd come on the day of her sixteenth birthday, except she now carried around her ax bass. Marceline and Bubblegum stared at each other. Neither making a move. Afraid they were going to say something to ruin this moment between them.
Marceline's took a deep breath. "I see you do wear it to bed."
Bubblegum blushed and nodded. She didn't trust her words.
"I'm glad."
Silence again. Marceline growled in frustration. First they couldn't stop insulting each other now they couldn't even speak. She floated in and stood in front of the princess.
"Bonnibel…"
Bubblegum looked into the eyes of the Vampire Queen. In that moment they knew. No words needed to be exchanged. After all this time, they could still tell what the other wanted. They instantly embraced.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for not believing in you."
"It was my fault too. I didn't make it any better by keeping secrets from you."
"Please, don't leave me again. I-I don't think I'd be able to handle losing you again."
Instead of answering, Marceline pulled Bubblegum into a searing kiss. Tongues battled for dominance, hands roamed over each other's bodies. Groping, touching, caressing, like they'd never get a chance to again. That night, Bubblegum and Marceline became one.
How many times did they make love that night?
They weren't sure but they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were together again. They held each other afterwards wanting to stay connected for as long as possible. Sunrise would soon come and Marceline would be forced to leave. This time though, Bubblegum knew she would be back.
"I love you." Bubblegum said softly.
Marceline had never said those three magic words to her princess. She was never one to say what she meant when she was much better at showing it. However, it was a special night and even though she was terrible with talking about her feelings, she felt that saying those three words once in awhile to her princess wouldn't be so bad.
"I love you too."
Bubblegum smiled and closed her eyes. Sleep finally claimed her. Marceline watched her princess sleep until she was forced to return home. Before she left however, she was going to make sure that everyone knew her princess was taken. Bubblegum was not going to appreciate it but she was sure she'd be forgiven eventually.
"MARCELINE!"
When Bubblegum woke up, she found a pale spot on her neck. A hickey. Marceline had left a hickey on her. She wished she could remain angry at the Vampire Queen, but it soon disappeared and instead she smiled fondly at it.
Who knew her vampire was so possessive?
AN: That's the end of my fic. I tried as best I could to keep them in character but I have a feeling I failed. I still got along way to go when it comes to writing. Either way I hope it was somewhat enjoyable.