A/N: Thanks a million to everyone who favorited/commented! Your reviews are like sweet, sweet narcotics.

Also, if I go back and edit everything to replace "Bubblegum" with "Bonnibel" will anyone feel weirded out? Because it's becoming increasingly weird to write her last name now that I'm in the habit of writing "Bonni."

Also I don't know about you girls but I personally can't resist using my friend's perfumes whenever I'm at their house~~

OoOoOo

Whooping, Marceline tossed her pool stick wildly into the air, not caring if it happened to land on someone's head. "I win!" she said, flying circles around the table. "Ha ha ha! Who is the Pool Master? Who won the grand tournament of Ooo? Me! I did!" Righting herself, she pointed down at the rest of the party. "And you will bow before me, all of you!"

Rolling his eyes, Jake just crossed his arms and complained. "You're being a ham."

Turning her eyes black as a feeding shark's, she hovered down close to his face. "Oh yeah?" she said. "Well- pbbbblt." Her tongue wiggled out like a flag in the wind.

Stretching his tongue out long enough to rival hers, Jake splattered spit in her direction. "Pbbblllttt to you too." He blew a longer raspberry at her.

"No, pbbbbbbbbblt to you!"

"No, you ppbblt!"

Pulling at her ears, she shrunk her nose back and elongated her face, halfway shifted into her bat form. "BLUHLAHLAH LALHLALH MY NAME IS JAKE AND I'M A SOOOORE LOSER."

Making himself as thin as he could, with over exaggerated hips and what was probably supposed to be cleavage, Jake waved little tendrils around his head. It mimicked Marceline's hair surprisingly well. "OOH HOO HOO," he said in a high falsetto. "I'M MARCELINE AND I'M HYPERSENSITIVE! I'LL MISCONSTRUE EVERYTHING YOU SAY! DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!"

Shifting into a more wolf-like form, Marceline held herself, letting loose a sob. "Oh no my wounded heart! I guess it's a good thing I'm super stretchy so I can just hug lots of people at once, instead of being able to rip the heads off of my enemies, because that's not lame!"

Waving his hair around, Jake turned and did a little dance, wagging his butt in her direction. "Wow, then I guess I'm glad I'm so hardcore! Here let me burst into song about it because I'm incapable of successfully transmitting my feelings any other way!"

Lifting up her chin, Marceline turned her head aside with a haughty hmmph. Flying over to Rainicorn, she wrapped her arms around the Lady's neck. "Ok fine then I'll just take off with my super hot babe and we'll have adventures without you, MAR-SUH-LEEN."

Blushing, Rainicorn looked around the room for help, not sure if it would be a good idea to play along.

"Fine, JAKE, I'm gonna go flirt with PB and hope no one notices."

Marceline turned bright red. "Fine, go have fun with your new slave."

"Fine, I will."

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

Finn grabbed the hem of Marceline's shirt, yanking her away from Rainicorn; she went limp and allowed herself to be dragged like a balloon. "All right, all right, I think that's enough ham-to-ham combat for one night," he said, setting Marceline down on the pool table. She sat on the edge of it, swinging her legs with a childish glee. "You're not allowed to make the loser do anything mean or harmful, other than that, go nuts!"

"I can't wait to see what pranks Marceline comes up with for this," Beemo said, clapping his little hands together.

Making pistols with her fingers, she shot them in Bubblegum's direction. "Hear that? He's counting on us. Slave."

The princess just sighed, rolling down her sleeves. No one had pressed her for an explanation; Finn was the only one who had gotten a good look at it, and he hadn't realized the mark on her wrist was from a vampire bite. If he wasn't going to press the issue, she wouldn't remind him of it.

Twisting her mouth, Marceline waited for the sharp retorts Bonnibel was so famous for. Nothing. She prodded further. "So if I said that you can only address me as "master" in the next twenty four hours, you have to do it!" she said, pointing at her with a wicked grin.

"Ooh, saucay," LSP muttered.

But all Bubblegum had to say was, "Yep."

She faltered, looking crestfallen as she failed to incite any sort of reaction from the princess, who was glancing into a nearby mirror now to fix her hair. "…You're kinda suckin' all the fun out of this, Peebs."

"What can I say? I accept defeat with grace and poise." She lifted herself onto the pool table next to Marceline, crossing her legs at the knees and shrugging. "So is this the next twenty four hours, or can I please have a day first to get my affairs in order?"

Grumbling, Marceline started twirling a lock of her long black hair around her index finger. "Fine, I'll reserve it for a special occasion or something."

"Well, I guess that's good news for me." Jumping off the table, she said, "And if that's the case, then it's time for me to go home to my bed. Lady, would you mind giving me a lift?"

Marceline almost fell of the table. "Wh- so soon?" she asked, floating around the princess. "It only just hit one o'clock."

"Not all of us are nocturnal, y-your highness." As if to prove her point, a stuttered yawn broke up her words. Nodding in agreement, Rainicorn gave Marceline a very pointed look and scooped the princess up onto her back.

"I'll escort you two, then," Marceline decided. "Never know what creeps are out flying at this time of night."

"Thank you, Marceline," Bubblegum said primly. "And thanks, Finn, for throwing such a fun party."

"No problem, Princess. Maybe we can do it again next week!"

If they didn't get distracted by some new adventure, that is. "Sure," she said anyway, knowing better than to expect Finn to follow any sort of plan. In the mean time, she'd get to work on building a pool table of her own. "Good night, boys! LSP, do you need a lift?"

"Naw girl, I got Brad swinging by in a bit to get me." Thinking for a moment, she flipped open her expensive new wireless phone, dialing furiously. "Hello, Brad?" she said, floating off to another corner of the room. "Yeah, lumping come pick me up already, ok bye. No- bye, Brad! Brad! Ugh!" She hung up.

"To the castle, then. I'll see you guys later," Marceline added to Finn and Jake, giving them a lazy half salute before she followed Rainicorn out the window.

Finn ran to the window and waved at them until they were far out of eyesight. Jake patted him on the shoulder, giving him a little half hug. "You ok, brother?" he asked, making sure LSP was too busy texting to eavesdrop.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Finn seemed genuine in his shock, so Jake kept quiet. He just listened to Finn talk. "We had a great adventure, all our friends came over to have a party with us, and Marceline and Bubblegum seem to be getting along better than ever! Even if they still bicker a bit. Today was a huge success!"

LSP laughed. "Uh, yeah, I'd say they're getting along. Jeez, do they think they're being subtle or something? Sooooo obvi."

Finn frowned, looking from LSP to Jake and back again. "What's obvious?" he asked, pulling his hat off and scratching at his head.

"Uhhhh..." the dog trailed off. "Umm... bro, I think we need to have a talk."

OoOoOo

That rainicorn was worse than a mother around Bubblegum. After several heavy hints and finally an actual plea from Bonnibel to let them have a moment, she 'decided' that it was time for her to head home as well. However, she didn't leave before sticking her face in Marceline's personal bubble, letting out a heavy snort as a warning. The vampire queen held up both her hands for peace, smiling nervously. "What? I'm not gonna hurt her," she said, sounding insulted. "You make some bold accusations, Lady."

Grumbling under her breath, the faithful Lady finally left, and they were alone. "She's a good friend," Marceline said as she watched the lithe shape disappear into the clouds.

"Yes, she is." Standing next to Marceline on the balcony, she leaned against the railing, looking out into the night. "...Everyone knows, don't they."

"Yeah... we're bad at this."

Her hands found her face as she leaned over the railing like she had suddenly gone boneless, groaning loudly. "I'm a fool."

Awkwardly reaching out, Marceline patted her on the shoulder. "There there? At least they don't seem to be against it."

"Probably because they're just as confused as we are."

"Well, there's that." Pulling her into a hug, she nuzzled the top of her head. "I've been playing this by ear, myself. Hasn't let me down so far!"

Bubblegum wasn't about to pull away when her face was being squished into Marceline's chest, so she gladly returned the embrace, sighing deeply. Marceline must have gone burrowing through her makeup cabinet, because she smelled like an old perfume Bonni had bought months ago, but never used. Somehow, black licorice smelled much better on the vampire. Must be a unique combination with her personal chemical makeup. "Your intuition lets you down all the time, Marcy, I don't know how that's supposed to be reassuring."

Grounding herself so that they were on even footing again, Marceline reached down to pinch Bubblegum's bottom. "Watch it."

"Or what?" she dared, lifting her chin up with a defiant smirk.

"Or.. or I'll make you my slave and you won't get any work done tomorrow."

Pressing up against the vampire, she locked her arms around the other girl's neck, hands extended out into the night. It was almost instinct for Marceline to respond by placing her hands on Bubblegum's hips. "Oooh, what a punishment," she said, sticking out her tongue.

Flushing, Marceline struggled to come up with something to say to that, becoming more and more flustered the longer the silence went on. "Well?" Bubblegum asked.

Gripping the back of her pink head, Marceline pulled her in for a kiss, still blushing furiously. Pulling free and untangling herself from the princess, she lifted up into the air, hovering a safe distance away. "Y-you have work to do, so stop trying to use me as an excuse to procrastinate," she said, crossing her arms. "But I'll definitely see you again tomorrow night so we can hang out again. Like a real date. I mean, if you want." There was a long pause. "Is that ok?"

"Yes, that would be... that would work."

"Great. I'll try to pick you up before midnight so you don't pass out on me again."

Bubblegum covered her face, turning away with embarrassment. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"How could I? It's just too quality."

Shooing the vampire away, she went back inside her room. "Oh, just get out of here, you. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Night, princess."

Bubblegum stood with her hands on the open door, grinning up at the other girl. "Good night, queen of the skies, o dearest of vampires!" She closed the door as Marceline started cracking up, recalling the incident with the apples.

She went to bed with a smile on her face, and a little more of the confusion that darkened her heart was wiped away.

OoOoOo

Truth be told, Marceline was fully aware and prepared for the fact that the last few nights might have been a fantasy, or a mistake. Nothing between her and Bubblegum had been fully resolved yet, and it was still too soon to say they were dating again. This was just a date. Possibly.

Some part of her expected to be turned down last second when she wound her way up the spiral staircase to the princess' room. Deciding to be nice and proper, she took the front door this time, suffering more than a few curious and sometimes hostile looks from the staff. She had a lot of candy friends who knew she would never hurt them, but there were still people out there who believed all the rumors that she herself had started: that she was heartless, a killer, a ruthless queen.

It helped her image. Sometimes it hurt her feelings. She just had to accept it as a part of her life and move on.

No sooner than she had knocked on the door, though, than Bonnibel Bubblegum flung it open and hugged her tight as she could, saying, "Marceline! How good to see you, my friend. Come on inside, I was just wrapping up a few letters that need to be sent out before the sun fully sets."

Well. So far so good.

Still a little cautious but mostly hopeful, Marceline went inside and hovered about, letting Bubblegum wrap up her work before they could head out. "You never told me what we would be doing tonight," Bubblegum said as she gathered up a handful of scrolls, checking to make sure each one was labeled correctly. "I trust I am dressed correctly?"

As far as Marceline was concerned, jeans were always correct (especially jeans that showed off Bubblegum's butt), but she knew what the princess meant. "Yes. You look great," she added, fiddling with the drawstrings of her navy blue hoodie. It was still sort of light outside, so she was bundled up head to toe.

Bubblegum rang for a servant, giving them detailed instructions on what to do with each manuscript, and then she closed the door on him and turned around with a sparkle in her eyes and her hands on her hips, satisfied with a job well done. "All right. I finished working hard. Time to play hard, as the saying goes."

Marceline smiled, holding out her arms. "Awesome. I forgot my magic flying carpet, though, so I'm gonna have to carry you."

"I will set aside my magic carpet rule just this once, so consider yourself fortunate," she said, pretending to be stern as she walked over to Marceline. She wasn't sure where to grab on, though, or if she was going to be lifted piggy back style like with Rainicorn. "So- shall I just- oh!" Before she could finish, Marceline had bent down and scooped her up bridal style. "This works."

"Kay, hold on tight now," Marceline said before lifting up and heading out, treasuring the feel of being able to hold onto a girl she felt she could love.

OoOoOo

This place was special to Marceline. A huge- huge- bookstore. Except to call it a book store would be a disservice. It was more like a labyrinth, full of history both profound and trivial, and there were more than just books to be found stacked on the shelves. Only too late did her mind catch up with her heart, though- if something went wrong again, would this place just become another location ruined by bad memories of a failed relationship? There were entire continents Marceline couldn't bear to think about, knowing that here was where Ash promised to never hurt her, or there where someone else- a lover who's hated name was long pushed away into the dark corners of her mind- had given her the gift of immortality.

So maybe she was more sensitive than she let on. So what.

So she had a history of bad exes. So what.

Bonni was different.

...Wasn't she?

Still though, she found herself unable to not get excited when Bonni's eyes lit up at the sight of it all. The shelves stacked almost to the ceiling, and Marceline had to fly in order to reach the very top. Wrapping her arms around the princess' middle, she lifted her up to get a good view of the store.

It went on for miles, it seemed.

"Isn't this place the bomb?" Marceline asked, glee coloring her voice. "It's like a treasure hunt. I'm not into reading that much, but there's just so much more to this place than books. I once found a whole human skeleton near the basement for sale. Bought it for a song."

Bubblegum was overwhelmed; swooning was becoming an imminent threat. "There's a basement?"

"Actually, now that I think about it, it might have just been a lost customer." Marceline was still musing over the skeleton, chin resting on Bonnibel's shoulder. "I think I gave the pinky finger to Finn," she said, frowning as she tried to remember. "Anyway- you're into sciency things, right? There's a section for sciency things over here."

Setting the princess down again, she flew next to her as she walked, gaping in awe at some of the titles she read as she wound her way through the maze. "I thought there weren't any existing copies of the Libris Ignis left?" she asked, yanking it out as she passed. "Oh! And there's- oh my goodness, how have I gone my whole life not knowing this place existed?"

One eyebrow raised, Marceline glanced over at the princess. "Don't ovulate all over the floor, now. And stick close- I wasn't kidding about getting lost."

"I am incapable of ovulating or getting lost."

"Well, you seem to be doing your best." They had reached a fork in the path. Grabbing onto her elbow, Marceline tugged her in one direction. "C'mon. It's this way."

The princess cast a nervous glance behind her. "You.. do know how to navigate this place, though, right?"

"Of course. But then again, part of the appeal is the danger of getting lost. If it weren't for the filing system acting as a map, I'd never get out of here and probably die!" she said with a laugh, floating on ahead.

Bubblegum shivered.

"Don't worry babe. I'll make sure nothing eats you."

Not sure whether not that was a joke, the princess hurried to catch up with the vampire, reaching up to grab her hand. Startled, Marceline looked down with a shy smile, floating closer to the ground so that Bonnibel didn't have to extend her arm so much. "Just a few more minutes and we'll reach Chemistry, I think," she said, giving the warm hand a squeeze.

It turned out to be Physics, but whatever. Marceline gladly made herself useful, carrying Peebs around and finding a variety of instruments that the princess had to explain to her. She didn't exactly spend the last few hundred years refreshing some sort of college experience, so it all seemed familiar and alien at the same time. Marceline spent most of her days breaking a great variety of the laws of physics, so she found it all a little useless until Bubblegum asked her a very strange question.

"You eat red, right? So doesn't that make you a plant?"

Blinking a few times, Marceline wriggled a finger in her ear before saying, "Sorry, I think I misheard you."

"No, you heard me fine. I asked if you were photosynthetic." Finding a crystal, she stepped up so that she was chest-to-chest with Marceline, looking upwards. "Pick me up towards one of those lights on the ceiling," she said, resting one hand on her shoulder.

Marceline did so, holding her tightly around the waist, wondering if it would be too soon in the date to lean in for a kiss. But Peebs was saying something- "There aren't any colors, just light. You are eating a spectrum of light. I tried eating a strawberry after you'd drained it, once- the taste remained the same. But you took away all the color."

"Whooa. Bonnie. Bonnie. This is your concept." Making sure to keep one arm around Bubblegum's waist so that she wouldn't fall, Marceline held up her other hand for the princess to see. "Now this is what it just did." She passed her hand over the top of her head, making a whooshing noise with her lips.

So then Bubblegum had to explain chromatics to Marceline. Holding up the crystal to the light source, she caused a small rainbow to fall down on them. "See what I mean? It's just light. You get your energy from it. You're photosynthetic."

"But..." Marceline squinted, thinking hard. "...Doesn't explain how it's transmutable from person to person though. Vampirism can't be like a parasitic plant-disease-thing... can it?"

Hugging her tighter, Bubblegum ran one hand down the vampire's back. "I don't know. I think you're a very pretty plant, if that's the case."

All the color in her body rushed to her face. "Oh- well, hey, don't get any ideas now. I'm not going to become a permanent fixture in your garden just cause you're such a smooth talker." Not responding, Bubblegum just smiled at her, reaching up now to push the vampire's hood back, tucking a lock of black hair behind one pointed ear. Marceline's insides started squirming. "Y-You can stop staring at me any day now," she said, puffing her cheeks out and turning her gaze somewhere else, anywhere else.

"Why would I want to do that, though?" she asked, still stroking her hair.

An idea struck her. Courage and a bit of wickedness bolstering her, she was able to meet Bubblegum's eyes again. "I could order you to. You owe me 24 hours of slavery, you know."

"All right, but you're the one who will have to make the most of those 24 hours. I'd plan ahead, if I were you."

"You plan everything."

Shrugging helplessly, Bubblegum just winced. "I can't help it? I like organizing. I have CDO."

Tilting her head, Marceline made a questioning noise.

"CDO. It's structurally similar to OCD, except in alphabetical order." A meaningful pause. "The way it should be."

For a second, the vampire thought she was serious until she saw her poker face cracking and a grin struggling not to show itself. Laughing so hard they dipped in the air, she clutched the princess close. They made it to the ground again before she completely lost it, thank goodness, and she set Bubblegum down on her feet. She remained floating, arms around the pink monarch's neck. Locking her arms around the vampire and whirling her around once, Bubblegum couldn't contain it anymore. She pulled her in closer, one hand tilting the other girl's chin and kissing her on the lips.

But then Bubblegum darted backwards as if she had been burned, flushing. "Ah!" she said, putting her hands behind her back. "Sorry. That was forward of me. I mean, I know we have- already- but that doesn't mean I should go around stealing kisses- I mean-"

Marceline just laughed again, floating perpendicular to the floor. She got in closer. "What? Was that some sort of apology? And I didn't even have to spank you for it."

Bonnibel puffed out her cheeks. "Yes, you should make fun of me, that is how you ensure future occurences of this anomaly. Great positive reinforcement method, Marcy. Truly flawless."

Marceline reached out, grabbing a handful of pink hair. "Kiss me and say something snarky and smart again."

"Is that an order, o nightly queen?"

"It's a request."

"I can't always guarantee intelligent responses, Marcy. There's a .001 percent margin for error there, at the very least."

Grey hands grabbed the collar of her shirt. "But you're doing it right now."

She found her arms snaking around Marceline's waist again, expression thoughtful. "...This is actually pushing your buttons, isn't it? You're not kidding."

Shivering from head to toe, Marceline closed her eyes and nodded. "Phew. Let's go pay for these books and get out of here before I take us to the Spelunking section."

"Oh really? And what's over there?"

A long tongue ran over one fang. "Darkness."

"Tempting." Eyes thoughtful, she traced an outline of Marceline's lips with one finger. "Irresponsible, but tempting."

"Aw, geez." Shaking herself like a dog, she lifted Bubblegum into her arms. "When even you're thinking of doing something bad, I know it's time to get out."

"It's not bad," Bonnibel chided, cuddling against her. "Just illegal."

"Uahah ahahal alall alala not listening, not listening, if you're so desperate for inside my pants then we can find a nice cozy cave somewhere and hide from the sunlight. Just say the word. Till then we are on a date, and I am going to be a gentleman." Beginning to sing for real now, she flew back towards the entrance, making sure her lover had a good grip on all the books she had picked up. "I think you left your phone in my room. It goes off and I wake up too soon. I try tellin' my friends but they can't believe what we've done is true. But I always feel that we're all right, like when we're stayin' up late at night. We perch on the porch smokin' and stay until the sky turns to li-i-i-ight~"

Once they started seeing other travelers, Marceline seemed to calm down a bit. Her fangs didn't jut out so much, and her hair had stopped wriggling. The presence of other people reduced the risk of indecent behavior significantly. It was dark outside when they paid for their items and left, so Marceline left her hood down.

Spotting Bubblegum yawning, she said, "Want to get some caffeine in your system? There's a nice 24 hour place nearby." The whole town that housed this gargantuan monument to books was a 23 hour place, to be honest. Cobblestoned streets almost always had a person wandering along them, scholars and adventurers alike who dared to enter the labyrinth of scrolls. She gave her friend a toothy smile. "Then we can decide where to head out next."

Bubblegum was walking on her own again at this point, holding onto a bag of heavy tomes. She looked up at the vampire flying next to her, who was waiting for a response. "I think I love you, Marceline," she said instead.

"Great, I'll get the cranberry juice."

Making a screechy noise, Bubblegum stopped where she was and stomped one foot. "Marceline."

"What?" Marceline stuffed her hands into her hoodie pocket. Yellow eyes gleamed just a bit in the moonlight, most of her face still obscured as she looked over her shoulder at the princess.

"I... I wasn't kidding!" Bubblegum insisted. "I've... thought a lot about this. And I want to make things right with us again. What do I have to do to convince you?"

Silence stretched on, punctuated by the sporadic flutter of some night creature flying by too close. Marceline tended to attract those kinds of creatures whenever she went outside. "Come have coffee with me," she finally said. "And sit and chat and flirt with me. I need to work my way up to the point where I can feel safe saying those words to you again, but don't expect them before I'm ready. Ok?" Marceline looked away. "I don't think I'm asking for much."

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

Marceline waited for some sort of response. "That seems... fair," Bubblegum said. "Let's go, then."

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

The words rang an reverberated in her head. She lifted her hood again, keeping her hands safely in her pocket as they continued walking down the cobblestoned street, only one set of footsteps echoing in the dark. That had been her chance. Hell, that had been what she was waiting for. Her whole being ached for it, wanted to shout (I FEEL THE SAME WAY GOD WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG) from the rooftops, but then her sense of self preservation kicked in. Did she really want to get burned again? Did she really want to run the risk of giving her heart to someone who'd already dropped it, tore off a piece and kept it in her pocket? These thoughts buzzed in her head as she tried to resume the date as it had been before.

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

They found the drink shop, ordered and paid. They spoke more about books and music, why Marceline decided to turn her axe into a bass and why not a guitar? Another snippet of Marceline's past came to the surface, illuminated by the moon as they left the store again, drinks in hand.

"Let me try that," she said as they walked, bending down to take a tiny slurp from her straw. Coughing and grimacing, she darted away with a hiss. "Bleh! Can that even be called coffee?"

Seeming almost bashful, Bonnibel found an excuse for her milk-and-sugar-and-chocolate laden confectionary drink. "I think it has one shot of espresso? Tastes enough like coffee for me." Taking a moment to gulp another mouthful, she added, "Besides, you don't drink coffee."

"Well, if I add red dye to it..." Marceline shook her head, getting distracted again. "Look, I know what coffee tastes like, and that thing in your hands is a smoothie, not a coffee."

"I think it's more like a milkshake," Bonnibel mused.

"Fine, same difference."

"Can I try some of yours?"

"Eewww, how does grey cranberry juice go well together with a coffee monstrosity?" Marceline asked, but lowered the cup anyway for Bonnie to sip at. "You must have freaky weird taste buds."

"Mm-hmm," Bonnibel agreed with a grin. "They like a little variety from sweet to tart, now and again."

"Ooh, and what about spice-ay?" Marceline asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Darting down, she pecked Bonnibel on the lips and scooted back again, grinning. "Stole my kiss back, nyah nyah."

The princess just laughed, smacking at the nearest part of Marceline she could reach. "Fine, keep it. I'll just wrestle it out of you later."

"Haha, as you wish, my love." Even though she had said it in a sarcastic tone, Marceline winced almost as soon as the word had slipped, trying to busy her mouth with the remaining juice. It was all grey, though, and utterly tasteless to her. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid-

Bubblegum had definitely caught it, though, lifting one eyebrow and glancing at her askance. "And here I was thinking I was the one giving mixed signals."

"It was- habit. Habit. Old habit. I don't know- what reason do I need? I mean, I don't have to say those words just yet, but I do sort of feel that way." Marceline was obviously flustered, her yellow eyes darting every which way, searching for escape routes. Looking everywhere but down at Bubblegum. "I mean. Obviously. I don't sleep with people I don't luh..." She bit her lower lip, viciously. "Really, really like them. You're my friend- or at least, you were my friend. You're cute- no-" she dared to flick her eyes once at Bubblegum, scanning her face carefully. "No, you're adorable. I like talking about books with you. I like hearing you try to explain physics to me. And- and I hold out hope that if I hang around you enough maybe I'll influence you to start listening to good music." She crossed her arms. "I don't know. Also you owe me 24 hours of servitude still. Oh my glob why am I still talking."

The princess chewed on her thoughts for an uncomfortably long moment, staring at her shoes as though they might have the answer. Scuffing one on the pavement, she tried to voice her fears. In the end, the most important one stuck out- the fear of repeating what had happened before, the pain of breaking up. Bubblegum didn't ever want to feel that way again. "But… we didn't work out last time. What will make this time different?" She challenged Marceline, because that's how progress is made. If you don't poke at the parts that hurt, you'll never find out how to heal them.

Her cheeks turned red. Redder than they had any right to be. "Because I learned from my mistakes," she said without hesitation. "Like, no one ever has perfect first pancakes, you know? Why should relationships work any different?"

Bubblegum blinked. "Beg pardon, what?"

"Aw, geez. You're really gonna make me say it." Marceline flipped her hood up, letting her hair shield most of her face. "I jumped to conclusions a lot. I got upset and paranoid and I was all irrational and stuff. And instead of trusting you to tell the truth, I just let myself believe whatever I wanted to believe in order to justify all my freak outs."

Bubblegum shook her head, holding up one hand for Marceline to pause. "No, no, I understand that. I'm fairly guilty of all you just described as well. But what I didn't understand was that pancake metaphor."

The vampire clasped her hands together, twiddling her thumbs. "Oh, you know. Like when you're making pancakes, how the first batch always comes out a little wonky, but then you get better the second time around?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Bubblegum considered this. "That's never happened to me before," she confessed.

"What?" She floated further away from the princess, looking at her as though she'd grown a second head. "Witchcraft," she declared soon after. "Or lies. When does a princess make her own breakfast?"

Laughs echoed along the dimly lit streets. "I'm telling the truth!" Bubblegum said, grinning up at her vampire.

"Prove it. Let's go to my place and make pancakes, right now. We can't waste a second."

Suddenly coquettish, Bubblegum twisted away, her hands clasped in front of her and her eyelashes batting. "Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?"

Her cheeks flooded with color, a small amount of heat rising from her normally cool body. Bubblegum made it her goal, then, to discover all the ways one could make a vampire blush so hard she almost looked human. "You've got a smutty mind, Princess. And don't think you'll distract me from seeing these pancakes of yours!"

Maybe realizing what she had said could be construed as another innuendo, she clammed up, biting her lower lip. Bubblegum just smiled and opened up her arms to the vampire floating above her. Marceline tilted her head to the side, eyeing the other girl cautiously.

"Get down here," Bubblegum explained. "I can't hug you when you're way up high."

Marceline gladly obliged, zooming down into her arms and holding her tightly. "I'm sorry we weren't perfect. This time we won't burn, ok?" Holding her at arm's length, she frowned at her. "At least, we better not, you just made me spout a lot of mushy bullshit."

Poking her in the ribs, Bubblegum made an equally rude face. "I'll let that slide because I know you needed to say it in order to save your tattered pride."

"Thank you."

Bubblegum poked her again. "Way to ruin the moment, though."

Marceline pecked her on the lips. Then she hefted the princess into her arms again so suddenly it caused her to squeak in surprise. Her heart feeling lighter than it had in years, she took off into the night sky, holding onto the girl she knew she could love.