Candy Fangs

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

Part 4

Candy Fangs

She must've been standing there for half an hour before she finally moved, Marceline's pain fresh in her mind. She couldn't believe what had come out of her own mouth or how fast it had happened. She'd never seen the vampire so upset before in all the years they had known each other, and it was more painful than she could have even imagined. It was as if she had plunged a sword right into Marceline's chest, and there the air of betrayal hanging about her, like that of blood on the floor, reminding her of what she had just done. There was a soft knock on her door.

"Princess?" She didn't look up.

"Come in, Peppermint." She said quietly. The little man crossed the room, extending a cup of steaming tea out to her.

"No… thank you." She croaked, her throat tightening suddenly, hands trembling. Sighing, he set the tray down on her desk.

"It was the right thing to do, Princess." He said, touching her hand.

"I-I know you're right… But it doesn't feel that way, Peppermint. I didn't know something like this could hurt so much. I still love her, and the pain I caused her…" Her voice broke, the muscles in her throat tightening.

"But you're responsibility, Princess. You must always remember that responsibility demands sacrifice. It is all for the best." He murmured, and then he was gone, leaving her alone in her misery as she forced herself to walk over to her bed, legs stiff as boards. She sat there staring in to space for quite a while when she heard the howl, morose as it lingered in the night air outside.

"Oh Marceline, I-I'm so sorry. So sorry..." She cried, tears finally welling up in beautiful dark eyes and spilling over the brim. She shook with sobs as she sat there in her bed, crushing her knees to her chest, wishing she could take back all those hurtful things she had said. Take back the pain she had caused, and the mistrust she had instilled.

She imagined one of Marceline's cool hands touching the top of her head, stroking her hair in a comforting manor. She imagined that smooth voice whispering comforting words into her ear, that firm body behind her, pulling her into an embrace she felt could protect her from anything. She longed for the Vampire Queen's touch, her love and forgiveness. She wished she could throw her crown away and run off with the vampire, singing and laughing together, talking about things that made no sense, making love until their bodies trembled with exertion, throats hoarse and lips swollen. But she knew her place was in the candy kingdom, with her people, bettering their lives and protecting them. Her place was as a princess, and she had to keep up that image for the sake of her people, whether it left room for love or not. At least that's what she told herself…

"You know, you still haven't told me why you dumped me." Marceline said as she stared up at the sky beside Bonnibel, her crimson eyes trained on the moon hanging overheard. Bubblegum sighed deeply.

"I know." She said, and Marceline waited for something more, but the princess remained silent. A frown tugged down at the corners of her mouth, and she turned her head to face the other girl.

"Well aren't you going to tell me now?" She asked, unable to keep the edge out of her voice. Bubblegum closed her eyes in response, the corners of her own mouth turning downward.

"No. I do not wish to talk about it." She said stiffly. "Look, a shooting star." She lifted one hand, pointing up at the sky as a tiny white light streaked across the midnight backdrop. Marceline looked up impulsively, then bit her tongue, realizing she was being led off track.

"I don't care. I want to know." She said stubbornly, and Bubblegum sat upright abruptly, her face contorting with frustration.

"I can't tell you, alright? I just can't, so please stop asking me. Can't we just enjoy one another's company like we used to?" She asked in exasperation, a strange look dancing just behind her dark eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, when Marceline finally gave up, realizing Bubblegum wasn't going to give in.

"Yeah, I guess." Marceline grumbled, and the two of them lay there in silence, staring up at the sky, the tension dissipating at an agonizingly slow pace. Then it was the vampire's turn to heave a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Bubblegum turned to face her, her expression suddenly concerned.

"I'm still in love with you, if you didn't already know that." Marceline said, turning her own head to look the princess in the eyes. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, and she found herself a little surprised when she saw guilt line the girl's face.

"I… know." She said slowly, turning her face away and closing her eyes again. "I still have romantic feelings for you as well."

"R-really…?" The vampire asked, unable to hide her surprised excitement as she rolled onto her stomach and rose into the air a little. A tiny smile twitched at the corners of Bubblegum's lips and she let out a humorless laugh, not looking at her still.

"Yes. When I invited you here tonight, I wanted to tell you that there was nothing between us anymore… but I couldn't." She laughed again. "I've been trying all night, but when you look at me the way you do, I just can't bring myself to do it. That night you kidnapped me, everything I've buried deep down in my psyche came roaring back to life in a way even I can't hope to explain. And when you kissed me at the party…" She shook her head. The vampire hung in the air, wide eyed and slack jawed, unable to speak or move her limbs for fear she'd break the surrealism of the moment, stirring herself into wakefulness from a dream she didn't want to escape.

When Bubblegum finally turned again to look at Marceline, the vampire just couldn't help herself; she moved just a fraction closer, cupping that soft, warm candy cheek in her cool palm as glistening black irises stared back at her, tugging at her heart strings. She had just begun stroking smooth skin with the pad of her long, skinny thumb when all of a sudden a rather tempting bottom lip caught her attention, and she found herself running the digit over the swell of it ever so carefully. The princess's breath hitched as the vampire leaned in closer, until their lips were a hairsbreadth apart, the undead queen inhaling her sweet candy breath as it rasped its way out of her lungs, the surroundings calm enough that she could hear the princess's heart pounding wildly within her chest. She wondered distantly if the vampire knew that she had such an effect of the candy person's body, but then again if she did, she never would've been able to fool the vampire in the first place. It was a wonder she hadn't given in outside the Duchy that night, with how hard she felt herself falling all over again, or returning her fiery kiss just outside. The Vampire Queen's passion had always rendered her helpless and reeled her in, like a fish on a hook.

When the vampire finally kissed her, it stole her breath, and she knew that even if she managed the strength the push her away, she couldn't do it. She wanted to taste the Vampire Queen's lips too badly, craved their firmness, and the demanding yet gentle movements of her tongue caressing her own. She wasn't disappointed either, as Marceline craved her as well, seizing her willingness and using it to her utmost advantage. Her cool lips brought utter relief to the painful ache in Bubblegum's chest that had been there for so long she had forgotten it was there in the first place, just as the princess's warmth filled up the gaping hole in the vampire's still heart. That moment was everything she'd missed about the vampire queen, rendering her helpless, until she couldn't help but wrap her arms around her in an effort to pull her closer.

It seemed to drive Marceline crazy when Bubblegum let out the tiniest of moans when she felt sharp teeth nibble her bottom lip, not as rough as their last kiss but enough to catch her attention and urge her to open her mouth. Bubblegum's fingers grasped at Marceline's shoulders, wadding up her shirt as the vampire lowered herself over her fully, so that she was able to feel soft breasts push again her own, a strong thigh coming to rest between her own. She deepened the kiss then, groaning softly as the princess's sweet candy taste coated her tongue. There was only one other place on her body that tasted as sweet as this, if not sweeter... When she finally pulled her mouth away from Bubblegum's, the girl was left gasping for breath, whimpering as fangs and a forked tongue teased her sensitive throat.

"Ahh, M-Marce," She moaned, trying to grasp at the vampire's head but running her fingers through thick black locks instead. "N-not here, please…" She didn't even need to finish her sentence, finding herself being scooped up into strong, slender arms, hoisting her up into the sky. The vampire's face was a mixture of determination and lust as they flew through the night sky faster than Bubblegum was used to, leaving her to squeeze her eyes shut and cling to the other girl for fear of falling. At this the vampire's arms tightened around her, holding her closer as she moved faster through the air.

They arrived at the castle in what felt like mere moments to the Princess, the vampire's boots clicking softly as she touched down on the stone of the windowsill. She set Bubblegum down on her feet just inside, watching her silently as she walked up to her door and pulled the deadbolt in place. Just as she turned around to address the vampire, she found herself pushed up against the door, a hungry mouth on her own once more. She bit the girl's lip roughly, causing her to whimper and open her mouth, allowing her quick access once more. Their tongues moved languidly, sliding and pushing against each other until Bubblegum seemed to submit, the soft muscle sliding along the underside of Marceline's enticingly.

Unable to stand it any longer, the vampire lifted the hem of the candy girl’s dress up past her belly button, bunching it in one fist while the other hand slid over her stomach and into the princess’s silk panties. She exhaled shakily, licking her lips at what she found.

"So wet for me already..." she purred, opening her eyes to stare into the princess’s.

The princess let out a moan in response, to which Marceline kissed her once more, pulling her forward and carrying her to the bed. She laid her down roughly as she settled down on top of her, growling as she nudged the princess’s head back and latched onto her throat with an eager mouth. Her hand shoved the dress aside, reaching into her panties to stroke the tiny wet pearl hidden amongst soft folds. She was just about to sink her fangs into the girl’s skin when the princess managed to pull her head back, guiding it to her shoulder instead. Grunting in slight annoyance, she pulled the dress’s collar aside with her free hand and bit into soft flesh.

“Ah!” She princess hissed, her hips bucking simultaneously against the vampire’s hand as her fangs broken through her skin. She sucked hungrily, draining the pink from her the area as her fingers rubbed Bubblegum’s swollen clitoris at a painstakingly slow pace. After a moment she pulled away, a long tongue teasing along the now gray flesh. The princess was already so close that even she could feel it, but she didn’t like the idea of the girl’s first orgasm occurring while they were both still fully clothed, or while she was perfectly willing to use her mouth instead.

The princess didn’t bother to hide her displeasure when she felt the vampire’s nimble fingers go still, her hand withdrawing from her underwear, her weight suddenly lifting from the bed. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the vampire undressing, pulling her grey tank top over her head, arms reaching behind her to unclip her bra. The articles of clothing fell onto the bed carelessly, crimson irises on hers as she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down. Bubblegum reached up to her then, arms open and held out in a welcoming manner that she couldn’t resist, so she lowered herself back to the bed once more. Warm fingers touched her, trimmed fingernails scratching lightly over the skin of her bare back before taking the waistband of her pants and easing them down.  Together, the two managed to pull the tight article down to around her ankles, with a little bit of shimmying on the vampire’s part.

The two kissed passionately as Marceline kicked her boots off, followed by her pants, until all that was left were her black panties. But she didn’t plan on losing those until Bubblegum was completely naked, not daring to chance that the girl would distract her with touches of her own. Her fingers eagerly reached under the princess, unbuttoning her dress and pulling it away so that she was left in a purple bra and panties, the same ones she had been wearing on the night Marceline had taken her virginity. It seemed to somehow make the moment all the more urgent for the vampire, who merely pushed the left cup of the bra upward so as to close her mouth over one dark pink nipple.

“Oh!” The princess gasped, her hands grabbing onto the other girl’s head. Her tongue swirled around the pebbled tip, flicking it a few times so that the princess arched her back and held on tighter. Simultaneously, her hands worked at sliding purple panties down ample thighs, scratching her nails over soft flesh along the way. She sucked on her nipple roughly then, releasing it with a slight pop before moving lower and dragging the girl’s panties the rest of the way down and discarding them. Bubblegum looked down at her as if she had something she wanted to say, but Marceline didn’t give her time, diving between her legs and licking her soft slit ravenously.

“Aaaaah…” she moaned, her head dropping back as her eyes snapped shut with pleasure at the sensation of a very welcome tongue. Marceline groaned herself, her tongue lapping hungrily at the princess’s rather wet entrance, before licking along wet outer and then inner lips, purposely avoiding the swollen bud. Bubblegum tasted even sweeter than she remembered, coating her tongue, sugary and delicious. Pink fingers slid into her hair and held on tight as Marceline opened her eyes, taking in the dark pink, almost purple color of her lover’s glistening sex. Her tongue just barely touched the princess’s swollen pleasure point, teasing her cruelly until her hips finally pushed upward, the hand in the vampire’s hair pulling her head closer and urging her to stop teasing, to which she obliged.

“Ahh, Marceline!” She cried softly, her eyes squeezed shut, already so close to falling over the edge. The vampire drug her tongue over her clit firmly, swirling the muscle around it, feeling it swell the closer her princess came to release. And just as she was about to release, that wonderful tongue paused. Forcing her eyes open she looked down at the vampire with pleading eyes, not surprised to see her staring back. Pulling her mouth away, clear pink fluids glazing her lips, she spoke.

"Look at me," she said almost breathlessly, "I want you to look at me while I make you cum..." The words sent an electric jolt throughout her body, making her forget that she should’ve remarked on the Vampire Queen’s rather distasteful choice in words, and instead causing her to melt inside so that all she could manage was a nod. And then the vampire’s mouth was on her again, licking and sucking as Bubblegum’s fingers tightened in her hair. It was hard to keep her eyes open as her pleasure welled up inside her to impossible heights, a thin layer of sweat glazing her skin all over. She curled her upper body forward to maintain eye contact with the vampire as she was brought to the most intense orgasm she could remember, a hoarse cry issuing from her throat to which she did her best to muffle with her own hand. Marceline continued to stimulate her as her hips bucked wildly against her face, fingers pulling her hair hard as the princess came. When she finally drifted back down from the high, she was reduced to gasping for breath, quivering from the intensity of the aftershocks.

The vampire’s long tongue licked around her lips as her fingers gathered up the remnants of the princess’s juices from around her chin and cheeks, and she paused to suck them clean before gliding up to kiss the princess on the mouth. She was surprised when she was suddenly grabbed around the waist and pulled downward, her bare skin pressing against the princess’s save for her panties and the other girl’s bra. She couldn’t help but moan as the other girl kissed her with renewed fervor, two hands slipping into her underwear and grabbing her bottom.  

“Marceline, I…” The pink girl paused, but the vampire was a step ahead of her, sliding her panties off and tossing them aside. The candy girl allowed herself a smile as she looked up at the gray vampire, a softness touching her eyes that made Marceline’s breath catch. They continued kissing each other over and over, pink hands kneading her bottom until one began to stray, touching the ridge of her hip before moving lower still to graze over silken black curls. Marceline was practically gasping for breath she wanted to feel the other girl’s touch so badly, the look of need on her face making Bubblegum’s own sex ache with need all over again. Finally, one finger touched her swollen bud, pressing down lightly and moving in a circular motion, so that she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Bubblegum’s.

She had forgotten how wonderful it was to touch Marceline so intimately, to feel the physical manifestation of her arousal, to watch and hear the way her body responded. She was gentle at first, before gaining confidence once more and touching her more firmly, her lover’s clitoris swelling the more she stimulated it. Her arms quivered as she supported herself over the princess, her face so expressive as her eyebrows knitted together and she bit her bottom lip, making small grunt like noises increasing in pitch and volume the more Bubblegum rubbed.

“Oh glob, Bonnie, it feels so good… It’s been so long…” The other girl couldn’t begin to fathom how much she had missed this.

“Marceline… I-I want to…  t-taste you.” She said suddenly, causing her to jerk her head up and meet her eyes. She wasn’t joking.

“Ok…” She exhaled, swallowing with a bit of difficulty. She moved to roll over when the girl’s hand caught her hip.

“No, like this.” She said, pushing up on her so that she rose up into the air slightly. The princess resituated herself slightly and guided the vampire up over her, until her hips hovered over the girl’s head. Then her hands were pulling her down, so that she was kneeling over her face and she thought she might actually cum right then and there.

“Bonnibel,” She breathed, and the princess actually blushed a little, like she used to back when they had first started making love. Pink hands pulled at her thighs again, urging her to lower her hips. Complying, she was greeted with a warm tongue parting her folds, causing her head to fall back as a low moan was drawn from somewhere deep in her chest. Hands returned to kneading her bottom, accompanied by another lick, then another before her warm, almost hot, mouth closed over her, sucking softly.

“Ugghh…” The tongue was in no hurry, just as hers had been, lapping softly at her until she was trembling above her, reaching down to support the princess’ head in her hand and pull her tighter against her. In response she shifted her head a tad lower underneath the vampire, warm tongue probing at her dripping entrance now, pushing inside and making her groan low in her throat. “Mmm, fuck…” She hissed, eyes closed as the tongue began thrusting lightly, back and forth a few times before retreating again. Lap, lap, lap, and then the muscle was swirling around her, a little flick followed by another, and she was so close, about to cum.

“Bonnie, please.” She whimpered, and the other girl’s tongue began licking up and down firmly, pushing her over the edge and making her clench her jaw.  “Yeeees!” She hissed, her thighs spasming slightly on either side of the princess’s head, her stomach clenched as she came hard, pushing her hips down as she rode the other girl’s mouth. She gasped for air as the waves ebbed away, her pelvis jerking when a curious tongue flicked her overstimulated clitoris, making her look down as she moved to get off the other girl’s face.

"You're so beautiful." Bubblegum said as she lay there, looking up at the Vampire Queen. After a moment she sat up, reaching for a handkerchief tucked away in a pocket on her discarded dress. Marceline smiled shakily at that, settling herself back down on the bed at the girl's side.

"So're you." She said, and found herself suddenly afraid to touch the princess, thinking that if she did that she might recoil and so she sat there awkwardly, one hand supporting her weight while the other lay limply in her lap. Bubblegum smiled at her, and the two were quiet, both of them wanting to say something but unable to bring themselves to actually voice the right words. And so Bubblegum began to crawl to the edge of the bed, heading in the direction of her chest of drawers when Marceline caught her wrist.

"Can we…cuddle, y'know, naked?" She asked, her eyes pleading. She knew it wasn't Bubblegum's favorite thing to do, feeling as though they were exposing themselves to the unnecessary risk of being caught, but she needed to feel the girl against her still, skin to skin. When the princess looked into her wide, begging eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say now.

"For tonight." She agreed and crawled back to her, kissing her lightly on the lips, then reached out to peel the blankets back. Marceline floated off to turn out the lights, pausing to kick the remaining clothes off the bed into a pile on the stone floor before settling under the covers with her princess. She pressed her pubis into the girl's bottom, her breasts pressing into her back as her arms wrapped around her waist, her room temperature body absorbing her heat. Within moments Bubblegum's breathing evened out and she was asleep, but Marceline found it much harder to drop off, despite the drowsiness from her orgasm. She felt so relieved to feel Bubblegum against her again, it was almost unreal. She had honestly thought, despite nights of lying in bed remembering and thinking, that she would never feel Bubblegum's naked body against her own again. She held onto the princess tightly for most of the night, inhaling her smell and stroking patches of skin, committing every detail of the girl's body to memory when she remembered something from a long time ago.

It was a week or so after Marceline had first confessed her love for Bubblegum, and the two were sitting on her huge mattress, the princess trying to study from her text book while the vampire bombarded her with questions.

"Would you still love me if my face was like LSP all the time?" Marceline asked, squishing her face between her hands, waiting for Bubblegum to look up from what she was doing. "Oh my glob, kiss meh, PB." She said, making smoochie lips with her best LSP voice. Bubblegum smacked face with a pillow, but couldn't help but laugh. A moment later, she pushed the pillow off, sitting up again and thinking.

"Would you still love me if... I had a bat nose all the time?" Marceline asked, morphing her nose into the wet snout of a bat.

"Of course." Bubblegum said, kissing her nose and causing the vampire to blush.

Marceline awoke to the sting of sunlight on her back, making her hiss in pain. She transformed herself into a bat, diving under the covers and causing Bonnie stir slightly in her sleep, murmuring unintelligibly. She blinked blearily, a little dazed as she realized she was in the princess's room with a still naked princess in the bed. Smiling to herself, she snuggled up into the curve of Bubblegum's back, inhaling deeply when suddenly she sat bolt upright. She was left in a tangle of blankets as the princess scrambled out of bed, and Marceline struggled to the other side of the mattress, peeking out from under the cover of blankets to see the princess dressing frantically, just before a knock sounded on the door.

"Princess, I have your morning tea. May I come in?" It was Peppermint butler.

"One moment please!" She called back, yanking the curtains closed and then rushing to the door, pulling the deadbolt back. Marceline suppressed a hiss and receded back further into the blankets as the little candy man came in, carrying a tray with a cup of steaming tea.

"Something the matter, princess?" He asked, noting she looked a little frazzled.

"Oh no, everything is just fine." She said, smiling and taking a quick sip of her tea. "You know, this tea would taste so much better if I drank it in the lab. Won't you come with me?" She asked, and put her hand behind his back, rushing him out, tossing a anxious glance over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. Marceline heaved a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes and snuggling down into the blankets again, tucking in for a long day of hiding in the princess's room until the sun went down, since she didn't have her gloves or sunhat.

She managed to sleep most of the day away, but woke up sometime late in the afternoon, bored and hungry. Climbing out of the bed, she transformed back into her usual self and got dressed in her clothes from the other night, floating up into the air and looking around. Even though it had been quite a while since she had been in the princess's room, save for the previous night, not much had changed. Then again, that wasn't surprising considering Bubblegum was a rather impersonal girl at times, not one for personal touches. She flew up into the air, deciding to dig around in the closet, rummaging through a variety of pink outfits including dresses, pants, shirts and what not, as well as the black band shirt Marceline had presented to her the night after the concert. The memory made her blush a little bit.

"Do you like it?" She asked, producing a black band shirt from her bag, holding it up for the princess to see. Bubblegum's face lit up in a smile.

"I love it! Thank you, Marceline!" She said, taking the shirt from her and trying it on. Marceline could feel herself blushing with happiness, loving the way the punk rock shirt looked on little miss prim and proper.

"I'm glad." She managed, smiling. It was then that Bubblegum hugged her tightly, their cheeks pressed together. She wrapped her arms around the other girl, holding her close and breathing her in. All the way back from the concert Marceline had found herself worrying that what had happened back there was a fluke, something that had just happened and didn't mean anything, so that they'd go back to being normal friends again as soon as they got back to the castle. The thought had been enough to tie her stomach in knots, worrying about whether she'd ever get another opportunity to confess her feelings for the girl or if she should even bother.

"You know, despite your tough exterior, you really are a sweetheart deep down." Bubblegum said as she pulled away enough to look at Marceline, holding onto her shoulders still. The vampire rolled her eyes at the remark, but did not fail to notice the blush that crept up into the candy girl's cheeks then, watching as she lowered her eyes a moment before leaning in and shyly pressing a kiss to Marceline's lips. Marceline caught the back of her head just as she was about to draw back, pulling her back in for more.

"Stay with me tonight?" Bubblegum asked when she drew back, a nervous smile on her lips.

"Sure." The vampire agreed nonchalantly, reveling silently. "But I don't have any clothes to wear to bed, or for tomorrow."

"You can borrow some of mine." The candy girl suggested, standing up, about to go into to her closet when the vampire held up her hands, shaking her head.

"It's fine, I can manage." She said quickly, kicking off her shoes.

"Well I'm going to go get in my pajamas at least. I'll be right back." Bubblegum said, and went to her chest of drawers, retrieving a night gown and setting her crown down. She disappeared into her bathroom for a little bit, leaving Marceline to herself as she unsnapped her bra and pulled it out of her shirt, tossing it aside. She turned her head slightly when she felt the bed shift a few minutes later, Bubblegum crawling toward her. She looked sleepy as she pulled back the blankets and settled underneath, her back to the vampire. Marceline climbed in after her, silent as she stared intently at the girl's back, wondering if she could cuddle up against her when suddenly the girl scooted backwards just a bit before going still.

Feeling a little reassured, Marceline closed the rest of the distance, pressing herself lightly into the girl's warm back, the curve of her bottom settling into Marceline's pubis perfectly, breasts pushing against her back. Ever so carefully, she rested one arm over the girl's waist, her face mere centimeters away from the girl's powdered gum hair. The two lay awake for a little while, neither saying a word as they got used to the feel of one another. Marceline for one, was not used to being the big spoon, although she found that she rather liked it, and Bubblegum on the other hand, had never played the part of either spoon, and found herself quite liking the position in general. But soon enough, the two dropped off, and were lost in their own separate dreamscapes.

Marceline awoke the following afternoon to the rustling of blankets as Bubblegum sat up yawning, her arms raised over her head as she stretched. She realized that the curtains had been drawn shut, a thin sliver of light allowed through that stretched no further than a few feet from the windowsill, which lit the room just enough to see by. She admired the new shirt on Bubblegum, still lying underneath the blankets, smiling to herself and propping her head up with one hand as she observed the other girl waking up. Everything was fine and dandy until she made to leave the bed.

"Hey, who said you could get up?" Marceline asked from under the blankets, her voice still a little groggy with sleep.

"Oh, do I need your permission to move around?" Bubblegum asked playfully as she stretched her legs, facing away from the bed.

"Yes!" She said, and Bubblegum squeaked as she was suddenly swallowed up by the blankets, Marceline pulling her back onto the bed. She laughed as she her sides were tickled mercilessly, left gasping for breath when the vampire finally let up.

"C-can I go now?" She asked breathlessly, wiping at the corner of her eye.

"Not yet." Marceline set, and leaned down, kissing her forehead softly before drawing back. A moment later, she leaned back down, kissing the girl's nose, then her lips. This third kiss lasted the longest, when the vampire finally pulled away, a bit reluctantly.

"Ok. Now you can go." She said, smiling.

Marceline bit her lip then, looking around the room for something else to do when she spotted Bonnie's desk. With a wicked little smile, she began snooping through the papers laid out on the desk, although there wasn't anything very interesting there. She then began rummaging through the drawers, finding pens and pencils, rulers, scotch tape and other office type supplies when she came across a drawer that was locked. Knowing that this was the drawer Bubblegum kept her diary in as well as her most precious data, she produced a bobby pin from her pocket, and began working at the lock until it gave. She felt an anxious little bubble form in her stomach, suddenly afraid of what she might read as she reached for the little pink book. And then the bed room door knob turned, making Marceline stiffen as she slammed the door shut, flinging the pin somewhere off in the room as she dashed up toward the ceiling.

"Marceline, where are—oh." Bubblegum looked up at the ceiling then, smiling when she saw the vampire perched on a rafter. "I hope you weren't too bored all day, cooped up in here by yourself." She said, sitting down on her bed.

"Why is my desk such a mess?" She asked suddenly, realizing all her things were strewn out everywhere.

"I was looking for a pen and paper." She lied quickly.

"I see. Blank sheets of paper are over here, silly." Bubblegum said, smiling. "If you'd just looked you would've seen it."

"Oh." Marceline said, nodding her head as she drifted down to eye level with the princess. "So uh, about last night…?" The princess sighed.

"Things will need to be even stricter than before. You must only come to see me at night, Marceline. That shouldn't be hard, given that you are a creature of the night after all. And we must take extra precautions so as not to be seen together, by anyone." Bubblegum said, her eyes completely serious.

"Bonnie, are you…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, for fear of the answer. Are you ashamed of being with me? "Never mind. Fine, I agree." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm glad." Bubblegum said, a relieved smile washing over her face, as if oblivious to Marceline's obvious distaste for the conditions. "I've missed you so much, Marce. I really have." She said, standing up and gathering the other girl into her arms, hugging her tight. It was almost too much to bear, the vampire fighting back the urge to explode. If you missed me so much, then why is it so important to keep me a secret?

"I gotta go." She said, pulling away abruptly. She flew through the curtains and out of the window, disappearing into the night outside. She wouldn't have ever thought she needed to be away from Bonnie so soon after being reunited, but then again, she never thought that she'd have to follow a set of ridiculous rules, either. And she still didn't know why they'd broken up in the first place…

She spent quite a while in her cave thinking, wandering around in the dark, moist depths before returning to her house and strumming a few chords on her base. She wondered what Bubblegum was doing, and what she was thinking, if she had any idea just how cruel her little "rules" really were. Even though Bubblegum was an overall kind person, she could be rather inept when it came to considering the feelings of others concerning the things she said and did. It was always about her loyal subjects, what they needed, what they wanted, what was best for them. And Marceline got that, she really did, but would it kill her to think about herself for a change? Or maybe to consider how Marceline felt?

But hell, if that mattered, she never would've dumped Marceline in the first place. At least not the way she had done it. The vampire found herself gripping the neck of her guitar tighter and tighter, strumming the chords a little too roughly, when she just set it down and forced herself to relax. 'Focus on the positive for once. You can talk to her now, touch her again, and even make love to her. Maybe I can butter her up a little if I try hard enough, get her relax a bit on those rules of hers. It wouldn't be the first time…' Marceline smiled to herself, recalling her rather innate gift of 'persuasion', especially where Princess Bubblegum was concerned. She wondered then what Finn and Jake would say about the whole situation.

"Hm. Maybe it's time I pay them a visit." She mused. Donning her hat and gloves, she flew out to meet her friends, arriving fairly quickly. She slipped into the tree house through an open window, completely undetected, watching as the dog stood in the kitchen, humming happily to himself as he prepared breakfast for Finn and himself.

"Hey, puppy." Marceline snarled, transforming herself into a wolf and snarling in Jake's ear, who let out a wail of terror.

"Finn!" He yelled, who came running out of their room, brandishing his sword.

"What's the matter Jake? Oh hey, Marceline." He said, lowering his weapon and waving. "Sup? You're up awful early."

"Not much." She lied, transforming back to her usual self and flipping her hair out of her face, floating backwards with her hands behind her head, as if she were in a pool. "How about you guys?"

"Hm. Just about to eat breakfast. Do you want anything?" He asked politely, going to the fridge and digging around.

"Got any strawberries?" She asked, floating up beside him.

"As requested, milady." He said, pulling out a plastic bag and handing it to her. About a handful of mushy strawberries were inside, just enough red in them left to tide her over until later. "So what brings you here?" Finn asked as he sat down, soon followed by a weary but silent Jake, scraping some eggs onto his plate.

"Well, I had a question I wanted to ask you." She said honestly, taking one strawberry and sinking her left fang into it, sucking out the red.

"Shoot." He said, stuffing his face.

"So… if somebody you really, really liked asked you to follow a set of really dumb rules in order to be with them… would you do it?" She asked, glancing over at him, tossing aside the mushy grey strawberry. Finn stopped eating for a minute, thinking about it.

"Well, yeah, I suppose so. But only if I really liked them. Like, a whole lot." He was about to start eating again when a thought struck him, his face scrunching up. "Hey, you're not with that Ash guy again, are you?"

"Oh, no. That guy is a mega-loser, I'm so over him." She laughed genuinely, sucking the red from another strawberry.

"Well then who're you talking about? Does Marce have a boyfriend?" He asked, grinning playfully, and she bit the inside of her cheek at that. If Finn knew who she really cared about, she didn't know how he'd take it. Probably better now than he would've before he met Flame Princess.

"No, no boyfriend. I was just curious is all." She said, tossing the second strawberry aside.

"Can I say something?" Jake asked then, looking up from his food, which was almost untouched. Marceline felt her back stiffen a little, remembering the way he'd looked at her that night back with the Ice King incident.

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, you gotta ask yourself a few things before deciding if that person is worth sticking with. I mean, I don't know your life or anything," He said quickly, "but, well, is it really worth being with someone who makes up a set of rules so that you can be with them? You gotta like them a whole just to follow those rules, especially if they're not fair." He finished, playing with his food awkwardly. Marceline was still for a few seconds, a confused Finn looking from one friend to the other, trying to catch up.

"Yeah." Marceline agreed. She loved Bubblegum a whole lot. Sometimes too much, she thought.

"So uh… wanna go adventuring with us today, Marceline?" Finn offered, picking up his plate and setting it in the sink. She glanced over at him as if she had forgotten he was even there, then offered a small smile.

"Nah, I'm good. But thanks for answering my question you guys. I really appreciate it." She sucked the red from the last strawberry, tossing it away when she was done. With that, she gave a small wave and left, but not before catching Jake's complaint about the mess she'd left, which made her laugh.

Later that night, Marceline returned, flying over the kingdom and entering the castle through the princess's bedroom window only to find it empty. Despite her absence, the vampire was not deterred, knowing exactly where to find her. She flew back out through the window, around the castle and down to the laboratory, slipping in through an open window.

"Whatcha dewwin'?" The vampire asked, sliding up behind the princess.

"...an experiment." She said flatly, biting her tongue as she worked to measure out exactly one drop into a beaker of blue liquid.

"Oh." She said, pushing thick pink hair out of the way and nuzzling Bubblegum's soft throat affectionately.

"Marceline, I'm a little busy right now…" She said slowly, letting her annoyance show plainly in her tone.

"Hm..." The vampire hummed, nibbling her skin. There was a low hiss as Bubblegum managed to finish what she was doing, and the vampire watched with mild interest as the liquid changed to indigo, then violet, followed by red, orange, yellow and so on, following the sequence of the rainbow.

"That's pretty cool." She said, touching her feet down on the ground and settling behind Bubblegum.

"Thanks." She said with mild irritation, Marceline holding on to her despite the fact that was reaching for her notepad and pen to record her results. It quickly became obvious that the vampire had no intention of leaving her alone to work, and was not going to be ignored.

"So what're you working on, anyways?" Marceline asked, resting her head on the other girls shoulder and reading her notes.

"Well, to put it simply, I'm looking for a way to establish who or what will take my place when I am gone, since I'm not going to live forever." She said, taking off her glasses and cleaning the lenses with the hem of her lab coat. The vampire went stiff behind her then, and the air around them became tense. Bubblegum instantly realized she had made the wrong choice in words.

"But you can." Marceline whispered in her ear, and although Bubblegum couldn't see her, she could almost picture the sullen look on her face.

"Marceline, no. If I'm going to live for an exponentially long period of time I wish to do so through the means of science, not vampirism."

"But how likely is that to happen? You've been working on that science crap for as long as I've known you, and it's nowhere near as full proof as what I can give you! I could do it whether you wanted me to or not, you know." she said darkly, arms tightening around her midsection. Bubblegum heaved a heavy sigh and pried the vampire's hands away from her waist, taking one in her own as she met the vampire's gaze.

"But you won't." She said, her voice firm while her eyes softened, taking in the rather morose vampire queen, who was on the verge of tears. She hated that the candy princess could make her cry so much, and so easily at that. The argument of the princess's mortality was a frequently recurring problem.

"Let's just forget about this and go to bed, alright? Let me just clean up here." She said, turning away and reaching for the glowing beaker when strong hands grabbed her by the hips, spinning her around. Before she knew what was happening, she was backed up against the table, Marceline kissing her lips fiercely.