Mean: By Luna Mrow

Disclaimer: I don't own AT or its characters. This story has alternate universe tweaks, but otherwise isn't AU. Hard to explain. Just read. Thank you! XD

~X~X~X~

He was mean.

Everyone warned her, everyone told her that the Vampire King was no good. He's one thousand years old and he's done nothing but cause problems. He's the son of a demon and comes from the Night O'sphere. He's troublesome, he's dangerous, he's bad. The most common word used to describe him, however, was mean.

And Fionna couldn't help but wonder, "Marshall Lee, why are you so mean?"

The young girl was the new girl in Aaa. She moved into a tree house with her older sister and fellow sidekick, Cake. The two had lived in another part of Aaa and moved because Fionna had accidentally blown it up. Something with the stove heat being too high, bacon grease flying everywhere, and a radio's wrong circuit. Possibly because she kicked over a glass of cooking wine in aggravation, but that required proof. Really, it was just a mess.

Fortunately, the two were met with friendly faces and welcoming neighbors. Prince Gumball, ruler of the Candy Kingdom for example. He was the first one to welcome the two, seeing as their tree house wasn't far from his own home. He was the perfect host who showed Fionna and Cake around his kingdom, introducing them to unique characters like Mrs. Cinnamonbun and Mr. Cupcake.

Actually, it was the Candy King himself who first warned Fionna about the Vampire King.

"It seems like there are a lot of fun places to explore," Cake said happily. She patted her human sister on the shoulder. "Don't you agree?"

Fionna nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! I'm so glad we moved here!"

Gumball laughed at the young girl's excitement. "I'm happy to have you two as neighbors," he said kindly. "And I have a few maps of Aaa if you two wanted to keep some."

"That would be great," Cake agreed. "Where should we explore first, Fionna? The Fire Kingdom? Lumpy Space? Ooh, maybe we can find the village where the giants live!"

All this certainly sounded exciting. "Actually, the one place I want to go first are the ice caves. It's only a twenty minute trek on foot and I wanna see a real cave," Fionna said.

The reaction wasn't what she was expecting. "No!" Gumball exclaimed. Cake's blue eyes and Fionna's wide ones stared straight at the pink prince. "No, I'm sorry. You don't want to go there," Gumball amended, sounding more proper as a prince should.

"Why?" both adventuresses asked at the same time.

Gumball looked around his castle's hallway to make sure none of his subjects were close by. His poor candy people could be so worried at the mention of unpleasant things. The coast was clear. "Because an evil creature lives there," he then whispered. He didn't have to whisper, but Prince Gumball was known for being on the dramatic side.

The Candy Kingdom prince had recently met Fionna. He knew that she was a strong willed girl and could handle herself, even though Cake was guardian enough over her. Gumball knew that this girl Fionna was smart, not book and science smart like him, but street smart. He knew that she wasn't like other girls, let alone princesses around the world.

But he was about to find out how fearless she was.

"Evil creature?" Fionna had asked. "Who is it? Cake and I will kill it."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, I'm afraid. His name is Marshall Lee, and he's not some monster or poor soul with a spell cast on him. Marshall Lee is a Vampire King," Gumball explained.

Cake's reaction was an over fluffy tail. "Oh no," she said. "Fionna, baby, vampires are serious business. We're not going to the ice caves. End of story."

It was out of character for Cake to be so riled up. She was older than Fionna, she knew more about the world and the evils inside it. True, Fionna was only fifteen, but she was almost sixteen. Which meant that in her mind, she was basically an adult. In her mind...

"Hold on, hold on," the young girl said. She wasn't letting this go that easily. "Tell me more, Gumball."

The Candy Prince shifted uncomfortably. "Fionna I really don't like talking about it."

"Please? I'm an adventuress. I'm in training to become Aaa's next hero, I—"

"Heroine," Cake corrected.

"—Heroine. Aaa's next heroine. I can't ignore the evil around here, even if this is my new home."

Gumball sighed. "Marshall Lee isn't... well... evil per say. He's not as horrible as the Lich... yet. If Marshall Lee decided he wanted to be the ultimate threat, he certainly could be. He can shape shift into a large bat or any monster his mind can think of. He can fly, he has impeccable strength, and he has an axe morphed with a bass as a weapon."

So far, all that stuff sounded awesome to the girl. An axe morphed with a bass guitar? Righteous!

"Okay," Fionna said, "what does he do that makes him evil?"

Again, Gumball sighed. "Perhaps evil wasn't the right word. Marshall Lee is... mean. He's mean. Cruel, even. Have you ever seen a cat hunt a mouse? The mouse will run and the cat will make it think that it can escape. But the cat is just toying with the mouse, and after the mouse tires itself out trying to escape the cat kills it."

…

"Oh glob, I'm sorry Cake," Gumball immediately apologized. "I was just giving an example."

Cake shrugged. "Nah, that's pretty much what we do. Except I look adorable even when I'm about to kill. Meow."

Fionna intervened, "So I'm to understand that Marshall Lee is the cat and we're the mouse?"

"Mice," Cake corrected.

"We're the mice?"

Prince Gumball nodded solemnly. "Marshall Lee is a dangerous creature, Fionna. Please take heed. Don't go near the ice caves. And don't wander around at night."

~X~X~X~

Of course Fionna didn't listen to Gumball. She didn't doubt that he was trying to give her a helpful warning, he seemed like a very helpful guy. But what she didn't like was how he talked to her. He talked to her like she was some little girl and he was her older parent warning his child. As messed up as that analogy is, that's how she felt.

She didn't need to be treated like a helpless kid. The teenage girl wasn't stupid. It's not like she was going to go to the ice caves as soon as her and Cake got home. No, she knew she had to wait. And wait she did, three months. Within that time her and her older sister did visit the Fire Kingdom and Lumpy Space, however they never did find the giants.

Finally after three months the time to see Marshall Lee came.

It was raining that day. Cake absolutely, positively, no doubt in her fluffy head hated the rain. Mainly because when her fur got wet it lost the fluffy luster and took hours to dry. That's more of a pain than it sounds.

So on that rainy day Cake was set in staying home all day. "Today is a good day to sleep in," she yawned, flicking her tail in delight. "And what about you, baby-cakes? You're not going out, are you?"

Fionna turned around. "I am. I'm gonna go visit Gumball. He said he was making cupcakes today."

"Oh, okay. You really wanna go out in the rain and get all wet?"

The human girl laughed. "I don't mind. I'll see you later today, Cake."

"Alrighty. I'll have pasta ready for you when you get back."

Fionna gave her older sister one last smile then proceeded out the door. Big rain drops hit her white bunny hat. She opened up her umbrella and held it over her head. The adventuress released a heavy sigh. She knew very good and well she wasn't going to the Candy Kingdom. She knew she just lied to Cake. She knew that what she was about to do could be the most stupid thing she's ever done. But she had to do it. She had to see Marshall Lee.

Fate was such a funny thing.

~X~X~X~

She knew that she'd get muddy while on her trek. It was a good thing Fionna wasn't too prudish about being clean. Her white bunny hat was still white, that's all that mattered. She put up her umbrella and climbed into the shelter of the ice caves. True, Fionna had no idea if this was the right one, but it was the first one she saw and she decided to climb in it.

"I should have brought a flashlight," the girl mumbled as she continued along. The cave was deep and dark. It almost seemed endless. The only light Fionna had was a pack of matches she carried in her green backpack. A little bitty match flame was almost nothing in a dark cave so huge. Oh well, at least it was something.

She felt her heart skip a beat when she finally found a house. This was the right cave. That house has to belong to Marshall Lee! It was strange to think that a vampire would live so secluded deep inside a dark cave, yet have a house so simplistic and nice. Oh well, these were his private quarters after all.

Fionna wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to waltz up to the front door and ring the doorbell. In fact, she didn't even plan on talking to the vampire. She was just going to see if she can catch a glimpse of him. No talking, no meeting, no letting him see her. In a weird way, she was spying on the vampire. But it wasn't what it looked like!

Climbing closer and hiding behind some cave rocks, Fionna was able to see inside the house's window. There he was. Marshall Lee.

Whoa.

Gumball never mentioned that he was a teenager! A handsome one at that! The sight of the Vampire King took the girl by surprise. He looked like an ordinary boy with a few differences. For one thing, his skin was a gray color. He had the wild locks of black hair, a tall and lanky build, a pair of regular old ripped jeans and a plaid shirt. Just a regular cool dude.

"He sure doesn't look like a monster," Fionna mumbled. She felt her face flush and cursed herself... now was not the time to blush. Okay, so she didn't exactly have the best track record with talking to dudes. But she wasn't even planning on saying a word to him, so it doesn't really matter.

She continued to look at him. Marshall picked up his axe bass that Gumball had also mentioned. The vampire started to play rock ballads.

"He's not a threat," Fionna whispered to herself. "Glob, Gumball is such a drama queen. I should have known." She gave one more glance to the Vampire King rocking out inside his home. Then she decided it was time to go back home and enjoy some pasta.

Fionna turned around.

"Boo."

"Ack!"

The adventuress fell to the cave floor in fright. She was beyond surprised to see Marshall Lee floating overhead. He looked down at her with his pair of pitch black eyes and a wicked smile on his face. No, this wasn't possible. He was in his house! And now he's out here? How could have have possibly found out she was here? Fionna was like a ninja, she didn't make a sound!

"Well, well, well," the Vampire King tisked. "I've got a little girl as an intruder, huh?"

He had a deep and sultry voice. Fionna felt her face flush again. She didn't expect to get this close to him. But now that he hovered over her, she could see his features more clearly. Marshall Lee was well over a thousand years old, but he must have stopped aging at nineteen or twenty. There was experience and wisdom in those eyes... yet his face still had that boyish remnant. There was no doubt he was a creature who has been around awhile. But there was still that twinge of adolescence in his features.

And oh glob, that voice.

He floated closer and closer. And closer. And closer. Her breath hitched in her throat when Marshall Lee hovered a few inches above her body. She was still on the cold cave floor and this creature had her sandwiched. Fionna had never been this close to a boy... even if this boy was a vampire creature.

"What's wrong, little girl can't talk?" the young man teased. He gave her a wolfish grin and Fionna saw rows and rows of sharp teeth, including his two large fangs. "It's been awhile since anyone has visited me. So what's your reason for coming here? I'll only ask once."

Fionna found her words. "I was just here to see what a vampire looked like." Her voice wasn't an octave above a whisper.

Marshall Lee smiled. "Don't I look pretty?" he taunted. "What's your name?"

"Fionna."

"Fionna. You trying to be a bunny, Fionna?"

He was referring to her hat. "I like bunnies," she answered simply. "But no, I'm fine being a human."

That was a mistake.

"You're human?" Marshall asked, and his voice took a dangerous turn.

"Y-yes."

"You must be lying. Humans don't exist anymore."

She let herself get too excited. "Don't you call me a liar!"

Marshall Lee hissed. "No one has talked to me like that in a long time." His deep voice chuckled. "Well, little intruder, let's just see if you are lying."

Shunk.

In one quick swoop his lips were on the side of her neck. Fionna squeaked but she never screamed. Her eyes shut tight but she never flinched. Marshall Lee was going to suck her dry, but he wasn't going to get the reaction of fear out of her.

To her surprise, it never came. The feeling of pain that should have accompanied his fangs jutting into her neck's pulse. Instead she feels a warm tickling sensation going up her neck. Oh glob, Fionna realized, he's licking me!

Marshall's head lifted up and he licked his lips with his red tongue. "Your skin is salty. I've never tasted that on a creature before. And your soap is strawberry scented. I approve of that." She was in complete awe. The older boy laughed at the human girl's expression on her face. "My, my, my, Fionna. I'm sorry, did you think that I was going to bite you? No, I'm not ready to taste you yet. But I bet you'd taste delectable."

Shove!

Fionna pushed him away from her and rolled onto her feet once again. "I will not be your mouse!" she yelled angrily.

He gave her a questioning look. "What?"

"Ugh, I won't be your toy! I've heard about you, Marshall Lee! They said you were cruel and evil and son of a demon! They said that you like to play with your food before you eat them and you're nothing but trouble! Well listen to me, I'm not here to be your little puppet and I'm not here to be your snack!"

He laughed. The Vampire King laughed so hard that his shoulders moved up and down with his breaths. "Oh Fionna, do you think I don't know about you?" he then questioned. He began to fly around the cave. "I know you, Fionna. I've visited you at night and watched you sleep. I rule the night. You really think I don't know when someone moves into my tree house?"

The adventuress was flabbergasted. "Wha-what? Your tree house?!"

"That's what I said. I know everything, Fionna. Even your name, I just lied to you so you'd tell me yourself. I know when you and Cake moved in, I know you're buddy-buddy with Prince Gum-wad, I know you're trying to be some hero of Aaa. You pathetic girl. If you know how dangerous I am, then why did you come here?"

Fionna took a deep breath. She was thrown through a loop when he said that he watched her sleep. And here she thought she was the stalker, going to watch him through his house's window. Not even!

The young and dangerous creature flew up close to her again. He was trying to intimidate her. He knew that when he put his face just a few mere inches from hers, he would make her intimidated. So that's what Marshall Lee did, he flew downwards and made sure his breath could tickle her nose. Fionna was frozen in her place.

"Why did you come here?" the Vampire King repeated. Now his voice was barely above a whisper.

Her heartbeat doubled. This wasn't how her first meeting with him was supposed to go. This wasn't supposed to be happening. How could things spiral out of her control so flippin' fast?

"You really are mean," Fionna whispered.

Before anything else could escalate, the unexpected happened.

BAM!

The cave ceiling suddenly crashed as a giant water goblin slammed into the cave. Fionna suddenly felt Marshall Lee's arms wrap around her as he jumped out of harm's way. Any second longer and there would be a cave stalactite crushed on her.

"I've come for your head, you vampire trash!" the water goblin howled. The creature was as big as Marshall's house, a seaweed green color with large eyes and a large nose. He had no weapons on him but he did have two large fists the size of heavy boulders.

One thing that Gumball never mentioned about the Vampire King; he had a lot of enemies.

Marshall set Fionna down on her feet, safely away from the water goblin. The fact that it was raining only made this creature stronger. "I'm gonna flood your home out, you fang bearing dirt bag! Then I'm gonna crush you under my fists!" the water goblin swore.

The Vampire King's pitch black eyes gave Fionna one more look. "Well the fun has been cut short," he told her.

"Come on, we can take him!" she exclaimed.

"No! You stay here. I'll be back." Marshall flew off towards the goblin.

Ugh, him too? First Gumball talked to her like she was a little girl, and now Marshall?

No, Fionna realized. No, Marshall didn't talk to me like I was a little girl. He almost sounded... concerned. Then she recalled how he just saved her from a stalactite from the cave wall. If he was so mean, why has he already saved her life?

She may not know him very well. This may be her first meeting with him. And yes, it was very stupid and unwise to join in on a fight against a water goblin, especially since Fionna was nothing more than a human.

But she was now determined. Marshall Lee wasn't really evil. There was more to him than what anyone has said and she was going to find out how much there really was to that vampire.

Not only that, but he was about to find out how stubborn she was. Stay here? Yeah right!

Fionna ran out towards the water goblin with her crystal sword in hand. She propelled off a rock and flew through the air, landing with her crystal sword stabbed straight into the water goblin's back. The villain never saw her coming, Marshall Lee had him distracted by attacking with his axe bass. The water goblin howled in pain as soon as Fionna's sword made contact... but it was going to take a lot more than a simple stab to take down this large creature.

"Ugh!"

She went flying when the water goblin punched her off of him. His hands were at least twice her size, so one simple flick sent her away. She was tossed across the cave and slammed into the hard wall. Her sword was still in the goblin's back. "Stupid human!" the water goblin cackled.

"This fight is between us!" Marshall Lee hissed. "Keep the girl out of it!"

"I'll fight whoever gets in my way!" the water goblin yelled back.

With another angry hiss, Marshall Lee swiped at his enemy with his axe bass. His weapon was no doubt sharp, but it wasn't nearly enough to deter his opponent.

Fionna's body was bruised, and she knew later on she'd see a huge purple lump somewhere on his back. But that didn't stop her from getting back on her feet and running at the goblin. Again she jumped back up and landed where her sword was stuck. She quickly grabbed the handle and pulled the crystal sword out, repeated her stabbing actions and sticking it straight through his shoulder.

"Raa! You little brat!" the water goblin yelled.

"Fionna, go away!" Marshall yelled. "You're gonna get hurt!"

"You can stuff it!" she replied stubbornly. Then she realized what words left the young man's mouth. You're gonna get hurt. No, this isn't real. He doesn't actually care, does he? Stupid vampire mind games!

The rain pouring down from the hole in the cave wall only made the enemy stronger. The water goblin had infinite strength as long as he was in his element. And that meant that his body could heal any wound or pain inflicted on his body. The first stab Fionna gave him was already healed.

The adventuress knew in order to win this she had to play it smart. She quickly jumped off the goblin and ran to Marshall's house. There was no time to take notice of his home or what things he had inside. The girl ran straight into the kitchen and found what she needed; gasoline. "Glob, let this work," she muttered.

Fionna ran back outside and started to pour the gasoline all along the walls of the cave. She made sure to pour it on the areas that were dry and a distance away from the vampire's house. Then, when there was no more liquid left in the container, she got the box of matches that was in her backpack. One match left. Of course.

Shoooooooooom!

The cave lit up in an intense dance of flames! Fire was everywhere and Fionna quickly ran back away from the unforgiving heat. Marshall Lee knew what to do. He transformed into his large bat form. Fionna couldn't believe her eyes. Gumball told her that Marshall Lee could transform into a bat, but she was thinking a cute little bat. Not a big ol' monster!

Now his size matched the water goblin's. The two began to wrestle, a force of strength against strength. In this case, yes, all Fionna could do was watch.

But it turned out to be Marshall Lee who was victor, as he shoved the water goblin into the pool of orange flames. The air was filled with high pitched shrieks and screams. "I'LL GET YOU BACK! JUST YOU WAIT!"

Marshall Lee spit on the water goblin in spite. He then changed back into his vampire form and quickly flew to the human girl. "Come on, this whole place is gonna go up in smoke," he said. Fionna was already coughing. It was hard for her to breathe. The Vampire King grabbed her by the waist and held her against him as he flew out of the danger. She kept coughing and wheezing from the smoke's irritant. "You'll be fine," he told her.

She weakly set her forehead on his shoulder. There was a feeling of refuge, of trust. Marshall would get her to safety, she knew that. How strange. How unfathomable. Fionna couldn't really feel safety in the arms of the Vampire King, could she? Wasn't he the evil of Aaa? Wasn't he the bad guy, the monster, the creature from the Night O'sphere? Yes, he was.

The battle had taken a lot out of her. Not only did she exert herself in trekking to his house, but the smoke of the fire had her lungs in mayhem. Would it really be safe if she closed her eyes and rested for a little while? Could she trust the Vampire King to keep holding on and fly her away?

As crazy as it sounded, the answer was yes. Yes I can, Fionna thought. Her eyes fluttered shut.

~X~X~X~

The sound of night crickets made her lift her head out of his warmth. She realized that they were out of the caves and back in nature. "Your home," she mumbled.

He shrugged. "I have like five more. Well, four, now that you and your kit-kat are in one. But no worries." There was something about his tone of voice. He wasn't going to be a threat or taunt to her like before. Now Marshall was talking to her like she was his friend. No malicious thoughts intended.

Fionna nodded once. "I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Just... about what happened to you. You lost your home and got attacked."

Marshall Lee laughed. Except this time, it didn't sound teasing and taunting. He was genuinely laughing. "It's no big deal, human. I'm not very liked, as you probably know. I certainly don't have a fan club like Prince Pinky."

She took a deep breath. "That's not true."

"No?"

"No."

"How so?"

"I like you."

He looked at her again, seriously this time. "That so?"

"Yeah. I like you Marshall Lee. I never believed the rumors that you were evil. You're just a wild guy."

He gave her that same wolfish grin. Then the Vampire King leaned into the human girl and placed his lips against her chin. She froze in his arms. It's not like she can run, he's still flying through the air and holding onto her. Marshall's lips moved from her chin and traveled to the corner of her mouth, his actions very drawn out and slow. Torturous, almost. "I still want to taste you," he muttered against the corner of her mouth.

Fionna was in a swirl of emotion. She wasn't listening to her head and she wasn't thinking about anything but the warmth that came with him. On instinct, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. And she hated to think about the big goofy smile on her face. That was enough of an invite for him.

He kissed her. It was almost unbelievable that a vampire a thousand years old could kiss a simple human girl that has suddenly come into his existence. Yet, here they were. There was an instant spark between the two. Fionna returned the kiss and he deepened it. Their lips molded against the others as he held her around her waist and she tightened her arms around his shoulders. At this point he was flying them anywhere. It didn't matter at the moment.

Later on Fionna can freak out about the fact she kissed the Vampire King. Later on she can wonder what was wrong with her. Later on she can worry about what Cake would do if she or anyone found out. There was no denying the feeling behind them. It felt so good to kiss him, and he had to have felt the same way.

But it had to end. Partially because Fionna felt like her head was going to explode. She panted heavily and looked into Marshall's big dark eyes. She didn't care that her face was beet red. That didn't matter.

"I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on you, Fionna," Marshall told her with a smirk. "There's something about you, human."

"You wanna try some of Cake's homemade pasta?" she suddenly blurted. Really, you just had your first kiss and the next thing you say is about pasta?

Marshall simply smiled in amusement. He looked like a regular guy in that moment, not a blood sucking monster. "Sure."

The girl decided that the Vampire King wasn't evil. True, he was a son of a demon. True, he could transform into gruesome monsters. True, he was from the Night O'sphere. And yes, he was troublesome. But he wasn't evil. He wasn't a threat.

"So, let me ask you again. Why did you come see me?" Marshall asked again.

Fionna gave him a small smile. "Cause you're mean."

Author's Note:

HELLO READERS. I LIVE. YES. AHAHAHAHAHA! *cough* Yes, indeed. Hello everyone! Okay some stuff to cover.

This is my 50th story. Hence the long length of a one-shot. This story was written in anticipation of the new episode 'Bad Little Boy'. Which, oh my glob, FioLee is the main plot. You know what that means? That means all the fangirls who ship FioLee are in feels overload. That's me right now. I'M FEELING DEM FEELS. MY SHIP IS CANON, BABY! XD

Ahahaha. I'm crazy. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! It truly means a lot. I don't know when I'll post again. Life for me has been busy. Fun. But busy. I'm working on my own private novels that I hope to publish. Writing fanfictions are a fun way to let loose, you know? Plus I've got amazing readers who support me endlessly. I love you all dearly. Please review, and thank you so much for reading.

I'm gonna go dance like an idiot. Cause that's how I roll.

~Luna