Finding What Was Really Missing

Present. The Land of OOO. Outside The “Door of the Doorlord.”

 

It was perfectly obvious to Princess Bubblegum that her song was not going to work in the instant BMO’s control panel spontaneously combusted.

 

Finn sighed as the music that he, Jake, Marceline, BMO, and Bubblegum were making. “One more time?”

 

Bubblegum was too focused on BMO’s control panel to look up at him. “I may have…um…miscalculated.”

 

“HA!” Marceline exclaimed. “Looks like you’re not as perfect as you thought.” Then she moved over by Bubblegum. “Guess you can’t judge me anymore?”

 

Bubblegum stood up, letting BMO slide onto the rock she had used as a seat, and stated. “I never said you had to be perfect!”

 

Finn started to notice a fight was about to break out. “Alright…time out guys.”

 

Without giving it another thought, Marceline sucked up a loogie and spat it at Bubblegum.

 

The spit wad landed just under her right shoulder. As soon as it happened, Bubblegum was thrown into a state of shock. She gasped out a soft ‘Aaahhh’ that soon grew louder with each tiny exhale. Her arms shot up with her hands hanging low. She turned on her heals and walked away making that same gasping noise, over and over again.

 

Finn panicked at this point. “Princess…Princess wait!”

 

Marceline exhumed no feelings of regret; although she did have tears in her eyes. After making a cat-like noise she spoke out in grief, “Whatever! Ugh! I’m out of here too!”

 

Finn was still trying to get control of the situation. “Marceline?”

 

As she left she could hear Jake make a scene like some famous singer from a forgotten time acting like he was ‘all that’ and didn’t need anybody. When they were gone, they left Finn alone to try something else.

 

Marceline quickly caught up to Bubblegum, who was in the middle of wiping the spit off of her sweater. She prepared another volley, planning to strike from behind this time, but when she was about to; she stopped, and swallowed it.

 

Bubblegum wasn’t wiping it off with a handkerchief, like Marceline assumed she would, she was wiping it up with her left hand. She took a moment to look at it in her hand. Like she was going to do something with it, and then she just wiped it back off on the same spot it had been on.

 

‘What the…’ Marceline thought in confusion.

 

“I know you’re there. Did you come to give me some more?” Bubblegum inquired without turning around to face Marceline.

 

Marceline was not giving in to being the better. “If your guilty mind thinks you deserve more, then sure I got some more for you.”

 

Bubblegum finally turned around to gaze at Marceline. “What do I have to feel guilty about?”

 

Marceline looked appalled. “Are you joking?! You always ignore me! You’re always so high and mighty like the world revolves around you and your stupid kingdom full of stupid subjects who pander to your stupid face all the stupid time!”

 

Bubblegum looked confused. “Why do you think I try to ignore you?”

 

“Because you do!”

 

“I’m in charge of entire kingdom!” She raised her arms to make a motion for how big it is. “I have a lot of responsibilities. I can’t be goofing off all the time like you. Do you even have goals set in your life?”

 

Marceline looked even more hurt than before. “Goals?! What goals do I need?! To impress you?! Why would I need goals?!”

 

Bubblegum’s face went from sour to sad in a heartbeat. “You don’t have to impress me.”

 

Marceline laughed obnoxiously. “Oh really? All you ever do when I see you is nitpick every little thing about me.”

 

“Because all you ever do is stir up trouble. Why can’t you just be nice when I see you? Every so often it wouldn’t kill you to be a little normal.”

 

Marceline dropped her axe guitar and clenched her fists in anger. “NORMAL?! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME?! TO BE NORMAL?!”

 

Bubblegum hadn’t even realized until it left her lips how negative that word really was. “Marceline no…I…didn’t mean it like that. Look I-.”

 

“SO IF I WAS NORMAL YOU’D STOP IGNORING ME?! IS THAT IT?! IS THAT WHAT I’D HAVE TO DO JUST TO GET YOU TO CARE?!” Marceline was on the verge of going full demon.

 

“Marceline…no…I…”

 

“WHAT?!” Marceline was beginning to sob, a little.

 

Bubblegum couldn’t think straight. She was cursing herself for letting the conversation spiral out of control. She knew she had to do it. She just had to let go. “I…do care about you.”

 

Marceline’s mouth cringed and she made a sniffling noise as she exclaimed, “Well…you know…it never feels like it! It always feels like I’m just your problem; like I don’t matter to you at all!”

 

At this point bubblegum was starting to feel like getting defensive was all she really wanted to do. “Well…you always act like one! You want to be my friend, but when I’m busy at work you just tease me and cause problems. Like you don’t even care about me! Why do you expect such concerns from me when I never see them come from you?”

 

Marceline stopped sobbing as her eyes opened wide. “I…” Then her scowling face returned. “I don’t care. I don’t need to care. You’re just…”

 

“Just what?”

 

“Just this stupid know-it-all jerk who thinks the whole world should bow down to you. Like you’re so much better than me that I should just be praising you all the time. Why should I care about you?”

 

“Why do you?!” Bubblegum roared.

 

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t”

 

“UGH!” Bubblegum was done with this. “Just stop it!”

 

“Stop what?! Telling you like it is?!”

 

“Acting like a child! You always give me so much attention, but…but…but when I try to show you any emotions you act like you don’t even care. I’m done with playing this stupid game. For fart’s sake, it’s been nearly a millennium I’ve known you and I’m not doing this anymore!”

 

Marceline was confused, but only because she was too emotionally rigid to be honest with herself. “Do what anymore?! Care about me?!”

 

Bubblegum’s voice came out calm, as if she hadn’t been angry a moment ago. “I will always care about you.”

 

It was too much; she couldn’t handle it; Marceline was terrified. “I…I…I…”

 

“Stop playing this dumb game with me. Just be honest with me, please!”

 

Every nerve in Marceline’s body was screaming at her to float up and fly away. She couldn’t take it. This was all too much; and although it obviously wasn’t, she still felt it was all too soon.

 

Without a warning greater than the vision of her coming closer, Bubblegum moved in to get her face closer to Marceline’s. She reached out both hands to bring Marceline’s relaxed fists together in front of them. “That song you made on the spot. You sung it to me, right?”

 

Marceline began to blush as she moved her gaze away.

 

“You wanted me to know how you truly feel. It was beautiful. I don’t think I can ever forget it. And I wouldn’t ever want to.”

 

“Marceline, you don’t have to treat me like a goddess. I would never ask that of you; especially not you.” Bubblegum smirked.

 

Marceline didn’t even dare to bring her eyes from their aversion.

 

“I’m not perfect. You don’t have to treat me like I am. Perfect people don’t need anyone. I do.”

 

Marceline’s fists relaxed a little more inside Bubblegum’s grasp.

 

“You don’t need to be sweet like sugar. That’s what I like about you. You’re you. That’s what I want most from you.”

 

Marceline dared a flash of a glance, but never locked eyes with her.

 

“I never try to ignore you. Honestly I try to find time to go and see you, but my job is always too demanding. If anything my job is such an inconvenience to me when I really want to see you. You aren’t a problem to me. In fact you’re just the opposite. Besides your normal attitude, your face is usually a relief to a worrisome day.”

 

Tears formed up once again in The Vampire Queen’s eyes.

 

“I can’t understand why you would ever feel like you need to justify yourself to me. I know exactly who you are.” She moved a little closer. “I’m not being made to get farther away from you by your childish actions. Look at me now. Look at where I am. Please look at me?”

 

The muscles under the control of her nerves were waging an epic battle with the butterflies in her stomach. Marceline looked as if she could collapse into a smoldering heap at any moment, or explode in a deadly fireball.

 

“I’m not asking that every time we get on each other’s nerves for you to be the one to make up with me. I understand that sometimes it’s me and it’s my responsibility to reach out to you. Just understand that I am always waiting to hear back from you as much, if not more than I am hoping you are waiting on me to do the same. I know you want to reach out to me, and I’m so glad because even if you can’t accept the reason why you want to, I do.”

 

The tension was too high. Marceline was no longer in control of herself. In one quick motion her eyes locked tightly with Bubblegum’s. She could feel the tears pouring down her cheeks as she realized that Bubblegum’s eyes were following suit. Words had completely left her and she couldn’t even find the strength of will to open her mouth. It took her a few moments to realize she had been holding her breath. When she finally exhaled, her entire body shuddered uncontrollably.

 

Marceline could hear a song being sung, but it hadn’t registered until Bubblegum’s eyes had broken their ‘bond of understanding’ to peer over at Finn, starting a new song for his friends.

 

Bubblegum decided she may have pushed a little too hard, too soon. “Look, let’s just go back to help Finn get the door open, okay?” She let go of Marceline’s hands and started to stroll past her. As she went she paused briefly to turn to Marceline and say, “I know you want to tell me the truth. And I know I can wait to hear it from you. Please take your time; I’m willing to wait for millenniums to pass to hear you say it, because I know you will.” With a smile she moved on ahead; Marceline followed up behind her in a zombie-like state.

 

“Everyone, Bubblegum, I’m so dumb.

I should have just told you, what I lost was a piece of your hair!

Now it’s gone, gone forever, but I guess what does it matter when I just…just had all of you there?

Oh! I just had all of you there with me, my friends.

If you’re even my friends?”

 

Finn stopped to notice that The ‘Door of the Doorlord’ had begun responding to his wails. “You like this? This is what was missing. THE TRUTH!” Then he turned around to face Jake, Marceline, and Bubblegum.

 

“What am I to you?

Am I a joke, a knight, or your brother?”

 

Marceline started to play a melody on her guitar for Finn’s song without even realizing she was. Her mind was still lost in the depths of Bubblegum’s passionate words.

 

“What am I to you?

Do you look down on me because I’m younger?

Do you think that I don’t understand?

I just wanted us together and to play as a band.

Last night was the most fun I ever had.

Even liked it when the two of you would get mad…at each other.”

 

Bubblegum and Marceline locked their eyes together when Finn sung that line. For the life of her, Marceline couldn’t even remember why she was mad last night. All she could think about was how nice it was to spend so much time with Bubblegum; and the look on the princess’ face showed she was thinking along the same lines. So The Vampire Queen decided it was a good time to smile.

 

Everyone started to play their instruments again as Finn went on singing his improvised song.

 

“Oh you a-a-a-a-are my best friends in the world!

You a-a-a-a-are my best friends in the world!

That’s r-r-r-r-right I’m talking about the two of you girls, and you Jake.

 

“I want to sing a song to you and I refuse to make it fake!

What am I to you?”

 

Marceline had completely forgotten about the pain she was just dealing with and began to sing along with Finn.

 

“Am I a joke, a knight, or your brother?

What am I to you?

Do you look down on me because I’m younger?

Do you think that I don’t understand?

I just wanted us together and to play as a band.

I’ll forget that I lost a piece of your hair.

I’ll remember the pasta that we shared, over there.

 

“Ah-ah you a-a-a-a-are my best friends in the world!

You a-a-a-a-are my best friends in the world!

That’s r-r-r-r-right I’m talking about the two of you girls, and you Jake.

 

“I want to sing a song to you and I refuse to make it fake!”

 

It couldn’t be said if the two of them had even noticed it, but the girls were now ‘ah-ing’ in perfect harmony. As if one voice wasn’t truly, beautifully, complete without the other. They were now close enough to each other that their minds were tricking themselves into believing they could feel the vibrations of each others voices on their cheeks.

 

“Make no mistake; I’m going to sing a song that feels so real it’ll make this do-o-o-or break!”

 

And with that the door had opened. They could see the Doorlord waiting on the other side, eating a sandwich. So they went in and demanded their stuff.

 

The Doorlord argued, in the most incomprehensible and confusing language imaginable, that the true treasure they had discovered was friendship. Marceline, Bubblegum, and Jake had to explain it to Finn the Human. Just as well. Why in the world would a human have to be forced into speaking someone else’s tongue? We aren’t built like that!

 

Luckily though, they beat the living crap out of the Doorlord in the most mathematical way possible, before tying him up in the corner.

 

With the Doorlord defeated, Jake began dispensing out the stolen treasure. Finn got his lock of Princess Bubblegum’s hair first.

 

Bubblegum looked at him and exclaimed, “Oh you.”

 

Finn felt embarrassed. “Ah…esh.”

 

Jake found his blankey and gave BMO his controller. Then he pulled out a t-shirt. “Marceline, here’s your…rock shirt.”

 

Marceline point at it and said, “Hey that’s not-.”

 

“It’s mine!” Bubblegum ran up and grabbed the shirt. “That’s mine!”

 

Marceline was stunned. She started to blush. “You…kept the shirt I gave you?”

 

Bubblegum, for once, looked a little embarrassed as well. “Yeah…it uh…means a lot to me.” She smiled.

 

“But you never wore it.” Marceline arugued.

 

Bubblegum got it on so fast that one could swear she was wearing it the whole time. “Dude, I wear it all the time; as pajamas.”

 

Marceline acted on an instinct she didn’t even know she had and gripped the left side of her chest with her right hand.

 

Finn had a sudden realization of the entire situation. “Wait. If that’s Bubblegum’s shirt, then what are you missing Marceline?”

 

She had an answer in her mind. Almost like the question meant something completely different to her, but she realized this wasn’t the most appropriate time to say something like that. So she said nothing.

 

Finn, however, made up his own idea on the matter. “Wait a second. Wait a second! You don’t have a thing!” He pointed at her with a grin. “You just wanted to hang out with us!”

 

“No I didn’t!” Marceline argued.

 

Finn’s smile was huge. “No way, you’re caught! I figured you out! Hahahaha, hahahaha!”

 

Anger took over Marceline as she started to grunt harshly and grow into a demon. She began chasing them as she roared, “I’ll kill you!”

 

As Finn and Jake laughed/ran away, Bubblegum stopped to grab the enlarged Marceline by her leg; very clearly trying to get her to stop.

 

Marceline turned on her with an angry demonic voice, “What?!”

 

“Just stop a second. I still have something to ask you about.” Bubblegum said without a hint of reaction to Marceline’s state of mind and stature.

 

Marceline calmed down and returned to a peaceful form. “What?”

 

Bubblegum got close to her once more, but didn’t touch her. She was smiling. “You sang that first song to me as well, didn’t you?”

 

Marceline’s face looked pale, well paler.

 

Bubblegum didn’t break her gaze or smiling face. “And it came out again later in that other song. You wanted to…what was it again? Bury me in the ground? How so?”

 

Marceline’s jaw dropped and she began making quiet, encumbered breaths.

 

Bubblegum placed her hand on her hips, and formed her smile into a smirk. “Then you wanted to bury me with your sound, right?” Bubblegum moved in a little more. “Which sound?” She pointed a finger at Marceline’s mouth. “That one or that one?” She ended her sentence by pointing the same finger down at The Vampire Queen’s chest.

 

Despite whatever odd physiology made up her being, Marceline could swear she was hearing a pounding noise coming from her own chest up through her throat and slamming into her eardrums.

 

Now Bubblegum came even closer so that their faces were near enough to feel each other’s breath. “And that last part. How did it go again?” Her voice stilled to a soft whisper on Marceline’s face. “Drink the red from my pretty pink face.”

 

It felt like tree roots had completely frozen Marceline in the spot she was standing. She was scared; no she was terrified or horrified. She didn’t know what was going to happen next. Or she did and didn’t want it to or she did and wanted it to; she couldn’t make up her own mind or get a grip on her own thoughts long enough to follow one.

 

In one swift motion, Bubblegum backed away and stated, “Whatever it was, I know you’ll tell me in your own time. Let me know when that is.” She turned around and walked away as she waved goodbye, behind her.

 

The star, that caused the planet Marceline was still rooted to, to spin around it in its orbit, was no match as a way to ever disable Marceline like that moment Bubblegum had just forced upon her. Marceline realized that if she couldn’t find the strength to be true to herself one day, this type of thing would just keep happening. It was now very clear to her; her relief could only come from three simple, yet unbelievably complicated, little words.