At Long Last - Part 17

The days before Marshall and Gumball’s date seemed to pass quickly, giving the two very little chance to see each other. Gumball had catching up to do on his royal duties, having been gone for over a week. Rulers from the various kingdoms of Ooo wanted to know why they had been told to fortify their kingdoms, and a few of the smarter candy citizens, having realized that there was no ‘Sand Kingdom’ as mentioned in Prince Gumball’s announcement before he disappeared, were getting suspicious. Marshall, on the other hand, had spent nearly every day bonding with his father, the Luce stone having been moved to his new, temporary residence.

Finally Friday came around. Gumball paced in the foyer of his palace, feeling oddly nervous. He had struggled to find time to set up a few surprises for Marshall, and worried that they wouldn’t be impressive enough. A knock at the door interrupted his thought process.

“Coming!” he called, hurrying over to the large front door. After pausing a moment to catch his breath and double check his hair, he pulled the door open.

“Hey Gummy.” Marshall smiled, leaning against the door jam with a bouquet of black roses in his hand. He was wearing black skinny jeans with a bright red belt, and a dark grey button-down shirt with red piping. Gumball smiled.

“Hello, snowflake.” They stood for a moment, awkwardly separated by the threshold of the door, before Marshall jumped into Gumball’s arms, kissing him on the lips.

“I missed you,” he whispered into Gumball’s ear, his eyes closed as he took in Gumball’s sweet smell.

“Mmm, I missed you too. Sorry I’ve been so busy, I’ve been in debriefing meetings all week.”

“Ugh, that sounds awful. Also… I thought you wore boxers.”

“What?” Gumball scrunched his nose in confusion. “I don’t…”

“Y’know, de-briefing? Briefs? Like the underwear?”

“Oh, heh. You’re weird.” Gumball placed his hand on Marshall’s nose, giggling a little. “So where are we going? I’ve got a surprise or two for you, but those will come later.”

“Aww, what? Can’t I get them now?”

“Umm… No,” Gumball stated resolutely. “Patience, mister. By the way, I have dinner reservations at eight fifteen tonight.”

“Ooh, where at?”

“No where special, just this little place called Plat Couture.”

Marshall gasped. “Plat Couture!?! But that place is, like, crazy fancy!”

Gumball smiled. “Only the best for you.”

“Well, maybe I have something up my sleeve too,” said Marshall, grinning. “There’s a fair in town, I thought we could… I dunno, mosey around, play some midway games. Y’know, if you want.”

“That sounds lovely.” Gumball kissed Marshall on the nose, then, taking his hand, led him toward the front gates of the palace.

Arriving at the fair, Gumball paid for a large reel of tickets, despite Marshall’s protests, and they entered the colorful carnival.

“Have you ever been to a kingdom fair before?” asked Marshall, watching Gumball take in all the sights. Colorful, blinking lights assaulted them from every side, and the smell of fresh popcorn and deep-fried things covered in cinnamon wafted through the air.

“Yeah, but only as an official, for the opening ceremony and the dunking booth fundraiser. I’ve always wanted to come here just for fun.” He wrapped an arm around Marshall’s waist, looping a finger into a belt loop so he couldn’t accidentally let go.

“Ohh, Gummy! Look at that!” Marshall excitedly pulled Gumball toward a bright yellow booth covered in stuffed animals and prizes. A small stuffed bat with brown fur and pink eyes hung toward the back of the booth, a leftover from the halloween season.

Gumball puffed out his chest, living out one of his fantasies. “How do I get that bat?” he asked the booth attendant in his manliest voice possible.

“See them there bottles?” said the attendant, a short, elfish man with a wide black mustache and a heavy southern drawl. “Y’all just need t’knock four of them five over with this here ball. Two throws per ticket.”

Placing two tickets on the wooden counter, Gumball grabbed one of the grey balls. It was considerably heavier than he had expected, and the white milk bottles suddenly seemed far away.

“A kiss for good luck,” whispered Marshall, kissing him on the shoulder. Gumball reared back, and threw the ball. It thumped on the ground a little further than half-way.

“Bummer,” said the booth attendant, placing another gray ball on the counter. Gumball grabbed it, and threw hard. This time it sailed over the milk bottles, bouncing off of the back of the booth.

“Here, let me help.” Marshall stood directly behind Gumball, as close as he could get, and guided the prince’s pink arm as they threw another ball together. This time, it hit the stack, toppling three bottles with a satisfying clatter. Gumball smiled, wiggling his body against Marshall’s chest. “One more,” whispered Marshall into his ear as together they grabbed and threw the last ball. It hit the stack of bottles, but none fell.

“Sorry, boys. Another ticket, another two tries?” The booth operator smiled at them, his mustache twitching slightly. But seven tickets later, there were still only three bottles knocked over. “Looks like y’all’r out of luck.”

“It’s OK, Gummy, I don’t need…” Marshall said soothingly. But Gumball frowned, determined. He hopped up onto the counter, and leaned over to whisper in the booth operator’s ear.

“Well, of course!” said the man, looking confused. Gumball whispered some more in his ear, and he frowned. “You would?” Gumball nodded. The booth operator cleared his throat loudly, then sneezed theatrically, ‘accidentally’ knocking down the last two bottles. “Oh, looky there, boys. Seems you indeed got them all! Here y’go.” He handed Gumball the stuffed bat, who gave it to a stunned and confused Marshall Lee.

“What was that all about?” asked Marshall, as he and Gumball walked away from the booth arm-in-arm.

“Oh, I just reminded that guy who I was, and that the carnival’s business license is due for renewal soon.”

“Gummy!” Marshall exclaimed, a sheepish grin on his face. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

Gumball smiled, pulling Marshall closer. “I’d do anything for you.”

“Remember when I said I’d do anything for you? I think you may have taken that a little more literally than I intended.” Gumball frowned as he looked up at the ferris wheel. “I’ve not been so keen on heights since I fell off Lord Mono.”

“Come on, please, Gummy?” Marshall looked at him with his biggest puppy dog eyes.

Gumball smiled, although he still seemed a little nervous. “OK, but just for you, snowflake.” He covered Marshall’s eyes with his hand. “Just stop making that face!” 

After a short wait, Gumball handed the attendant two tickets, and the two boys climbed into their swinging bench. Gumball grabbed Marshall’s hand and squeezed tightly as the massive metal structure began to rotate.

“It’s OK, Gummy. I’ve got you.” Marshall snaked his free hand around Gumball’s waist, holding him tight. “But you’ve got to open your eyes. I’ve got a surprise.” Gumball cracked one of his eyes open, then the other. The ferris wheel slowed to a stop to allow more guests to board, and Marshall pulled his hand from Gumball’s grasp.

“What are you doing?” 

“Just watch.” Marshall placed two fingers in his mouth, as if whistling, but no sound came out.

“What was that?”

“I may not be a vampire any more, but I’ve still got some winged friends.” As he spoke, a massive black cloud began to rise from the trees all around them. Gasps came from the guests below as the cloud coalesced into a giant black shimmering ball.

“They’re bats!” said Gumball, breathless. Marshall nodded, then snapped his fingers twice. The mass of bats shifted, twisting and separating, until three distinct shapes appeared, floating in the sky. “L… that’s a heart… U. L heart you?” Marshall groaned, displeased.

He placed his hand to his mouth again, as if whistling, then made a series of three clicking noises with his tongue.

“Oh, I get it. Ultrasonic.”

“Gezundheit. There we go!” A few bats had shifted around, so the ‘L’ became an ‘I’.

“Oh, I heart you! Heh, I heart you too.” Gumball smiled, resting his head on Marshall’s shoulder. The lap bar made it impossible for them to properly hug, so the two boys just smiled and held hands. A few of the visitors below seemed to be taking advantage of the message floating in the sky, as the sounds of other couples’ ‘aww’s and ‘I love you too’s filled the fair.

After playing a few more midway games and watching a juggler on stilts for a few minutes, Marshall Lee grabbed Gumball’s hand and led him from the fair.

“Where are we going?” asked Gumball, squinting into the setting sun.

“The Marshmallowy Mweadows, to watch the sun set. And I’ve got a surprise.” Gumball grinned as he followed Marshall out of the kingdom, into the wide fields that served as the border between the Candy Kingdom and the Grass Lands. The sun was low, gleaming off of a nearby lake and turning the sky a brilliant orange. “Here looks good!” Marshall exclaimed as he led Gumball to a small, fluff-covered hill. A quilted blanket lay on the mallow ground, facing the setting sun.

“You planned this all out, didn’t you?” Gumball asked, crawling onto the blanket next to Marshall. The pale demon boy nodded, and suddenly blushed deep red.

“Gummy, have you… never mind.”

“No, what?”

“No, it’s silly.” Marshall turned away from Gumball, embarrassed.

“Come on, please?” Gumball placed a hand on Marshall’s shoulder.

“Have you… have you ever heard of hand-fasting?” Gumball scrunched his nose, thinking.

“Yeah… hold on. I think I remember reading about it in that book, the one with the poem about Beltane.”

Marshall nodded. “Pops told me about it. It’s an old pagan thing, like… uh, a pre-marriage.”

“Like engagement?” Gumball brushed his thumb against Marshall’s still-blushing cheek.

“Erm… sort of. It’s like a trial marriage. Like, you’re pretty sure you want to marry someone one day, but that day is still really far away, and you want something more than just ‘dating’, but not as permanent or structured as marriage.” Gumball nodded, the passage from the book coming back to him. “It’s kind of like a ‘you shall be together for as long as the love lasts’ kind of thing. I’m not explaining this well, am I?” Marshall frowned.

“No, I get it. Like a ‘someday’ promise.”

“Exactly!” Marshall twiddled his fingers for a moment, then reached into his pocket and cleared his throat. “Prince Bubba Gumball, would you…” He pulled two beaded bracelets from his pocket. “Would you be my partner, in the ancient and rather irrelevant…” Gumball giggled, his eyes filling with tears. “… rite of hand-fasting, so that our love may grow?”

Gumball gasped, tears now dripping down his face. Marshall frowned, nervously holding the two bracelets out for Gumball to take. Clearing his throat, he said, “Uh… Now’s the part where you say either yes or no.”

“Absolutely,” Gumball sobbed, grinning ear to ear. “I love you, Marshall Lee Abadeer.”

“Then here, take this and put it on me, and I’ll put this on you.” Marshall slid one of the beaded bracelets onto Gumball’s wrist. It was made of soft brown twine, and had an alternating pattern of red and black beads. Gumball paused to admire it before sliding the other bracelet, this one with pink and blue beads, onto Marshall’s pale wrist. “Please don’t cry,” he said softly.

“But I’m so happy!” Gumball replied, wiping the tears from his eyes. “This is absolutely perfect. Oh, snowflake, I love you!” He leaned over and kissed Marshall, pulling him close as they lay on the fluffy ground beneath the setting sun.

“Hey, Mar Mar!” A white and blue blur flew down the street, smashing into Marshall as Gumball led him to the restaurant.

“Oof! Hey Fionna. Hey Cake.”

“Hey paste-face,” Cake said, smirking at Marshall. “Where’re you boys off to?”

Gumball blushed, fiddling with his new bracelet. “Oh, uh…”

“We’re on our way to our date tonight at Plat Couture,” stated Marshall resolutely, seeing Gumball’s discomfort. He grabbed his partner’s hand, just to make sure the message got through.

“Date…? Are you two…?” Fionna squinted at them, flipping her blonde hair from her face.

“Yes, Gummy’s my boyfriend.” Gumball rubbed his arm nervously, waiting for Fionna’s reaction.

“Ha! Cake, you owe me nachos!” Gumball and Marshall both blinked slowly, confused. “Cake bet me you two wouldn’t hook up until next year, but I totally knew you would.”

“Wait, what? You… what!?!” Gumball looked back and forth between Fionna and Cake, his eyes wide in surprise.

“Dude, you two have been after each other for the past… I dunno, forever! Cake thought you guys wouldn’t figure it out, though. And now I get nachos! I love nachos!”

Cake groaned. “Man, you’re never gonna let me forget this, are you?”

“Nope! Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re trying to set up a playdate with Ice Queen and Abra-ca-Daniella. Nachos!” Fionna whooped as she hopped on Cake’s back, and the two of them ran off toward the Ice Kingdom.

“That was weird,” muttered Marshall. 

Gumball smiled, pulling him down the street. “Come on, I’m hungry!”

“Hello, we have reservations under ‘Gumball’.” The tall eclair girl behind the desk flipped through the reservation book as Marshall looked around the foyer of the restaurant, his eyes wide as he took in all the details. Plat Couture was one of the fanciest restaurants in the Candy Kingdom, and celebrities from all over Ooo were known to dine here.

“For two? Right this way please.” The eclair girl led the two boys into the dining room, a large timbered room glowing with ornate chandeliers and small table candles. “Have you two dined with us before?” Marshall shook his head. “Well then, welcome! Plat Couture is built in an old wheat mill, and we’ve tried to honor that legacy in our menu, using traditional ingredients and authentic old-world recipes. Chef Pierre has crafted a special menu for the two of you tonight, at the request of Sir Gumball. We hope you enjoy your evening.” She gestured to a small side room with stucco walls covered in framed maps of the different kingdoms of Ooo. “As requested, a four-top.”

Marshall looked at the table in the center of the room, raising his eyebrows at the four chairs.

“It’s so we can sit side-by-side. I thought you might like that better than being across the table from me,” said Gumball, rubbing Marshall’s back. 

Marshall smiled, and gave Gumball a quick peck on the cheek. The pink prince blushed as the hostess winked and left the room, leaving the two boys alone. “Holy cow, this place is shmancy!” whispered Marshall as he took a seat next to Gumball. “Look, the napkins even have their logo on them!”

Gumball nodded. “Only the best for you, my love.”

“So, that donut girl said you asked for a special menu?”

Gumball nodded. “This place has the best chef, but sometimes their menu is a little out of season, so I thought I’d make sure we get the best possible meal.”

As Gumball spoke, a short gumdrop man walked in holding a tray of food. He spoke with a slight french accent, and kept fiddling with his bow tie. “Monsieurs, your first course. Maitake mushroom soup finished with black truffle oil and served with brown bread.” He placed the two bowls of soup in front of the boys and left the room with a flourish.

“Wow, this smells incredible!” said Marshall, his eyes closed as he took in the smell of the soup. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” He grabbed a spoon, then paused, noticing Gumball watching him with a slight smile. “What?”

“Nothing, you’re just cute when you get excited about food.” Gumball smiled and gently rubbed Marshall’s leg before grabbing his own spoon and tasting the soup. “Mmm. This is great. Try it!”

Marshall took a sip, then leaned back in his chair as he savored the flavor. “It’s a little nutty. Oh, and a little peppery. I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it, snowflake.”

“You know what else I like?”

“Hmm?”

“I like it when you call me ‘snowflake’. It makes me feel special.”

Gumball leaned over and nuzzled Marshall’s neck, whispering “My snowflake.” Marshall shivered involuntarily. “What else do you like?”

“Huh?”

Gumball sat up, eating some more of his soup. “If you had any fantasy, what would it be? What would you like to do?”

“Like a fetish?” Gumball blushed, but nodded. “Hmm… You promise not to tell anyone?” Gumball nodded again. “Umm… I really like it when we’re only wearing underwear, really tight underwear, and you rub up against me.” He shivered again from thinking about it. “It makes me feel all warm and happy.”

Gumball interlaced his fingers with Marshall’s under the table, and whispered quietly, “Well, maybe we can do that tonight, after dinner.”

Marshall grinned, eating some more of his soup. “Hey, Gummy? What’s yours?”

“Mine?” Marshall nodded, squeezing Gumball’s hand. “Uh, it’s kind of silly.”

“So?”

Gumball sighed, then smiled. “Remember when I gave you those all-over-body kisses?”

“Yeah.”

“I would really like it if you would do that to me, but instead of kisses…”

“Yes…?”

“You, uh, lick me.”

“Lick you?”

Gumball nodded again, his face turning deep red. “Yeah. All over. It’s silly, I know.”

Marshall shook his head. “No it’s not, no more than mine. It sounds like fun. Tasty fun!”

The gumdrop man reappeared, and cleared their empty soup bowls. “For the next course, chef has prepared maratelli risotto with shaved truffles.” He placed the bowls of risotto down, then left and returned with a small wooden box. He set the box on the table, opened it, and pulled out two truffle mushrooms and what looked like a long metal cheese grater. Holding the grater over Marshall’s bowl, he shaved off thin pieces of the mushroom, until there was a fine layer over Marshall’s plate. He then repeated the process for Gumball’s bowl, then bowed and left.

“That was fancy,” said Marshall, already digging in to his next course with excitement. “This is soooo good!”

Gumball laughed. “That’s what you said about the soup.”

“Because it was! Gummy, you’re going to make me fat if you keep giving me this amazing food.”

“But I’m not even the chef tonight!”

“Yeah, but you did pick out the menu.”

“Well, yeah, I suppose so. But you’re so skinny, you could stand to put on a few pounds. Just more of you to love.”

Marshall giggled. “Gummy, you, sir, are a cheese brain. And you’re mine.” He kissed Gumball gently on the mouth. “And you’re the one I want to spend the rest of your life with.”

Gumball frowned. “What do you mean, the rest of my life? It’s your life, too.”

“Yeah, but I’ll still probably outlive you.” Marshall’s face fell a little. “You’re not part demon.”

Gumball took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Marshall, there’s something about me you should know. Do you remember how old I am?”

Marshall set down his fork, thinking. “Didn’t the invitation to your birthday say nineteen?”

Gumball nodded. “And how long have you known me?”

“Ninetee… wait. No. I knew you before I moved out of the tree fort. But that was, like, twenty five years ago!”

“And how old did I look back then?”

Marshall frowned, thinking hard. “Uh… exactly the same! Gumball, what the beef? You’re… you… How old are you?”

Gumball took another deep breath. “Yes, I’m older than most people think. I was born three hundred and eighty years ago. But since I’m a special kind of candy person, the very first candy person in fact, I age much slower than normal.” He smiled, taking Marshall’s hand. “My body ages approximately one year for every twenty real years. The same as you.”

“You mean…!?!”

“Yes. We can grow old together… if you want.” Marshall nodded, speechless, and wrapped his arms around Gumball in a hug.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he whispered.

“I don’t want people to know that I’ve had the throne for over three hundred years. Technically, the candy kingdom should get a new ruler at least every hundred years, but since the current heir to the throne is Lady Lemongrab, I can’t leave. Not yet.”

Marshall nodded. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“I know,” said Gumball simply, hugging Marshall back.

The gumdrop man appeared again, clearing the empty plates. “And now, for the main course, we have filet mignon of steak with béarnaise sauce. Please be careful, the plates are extremely hot.” He set two plates on the table, the steaks still sizzling. “We also have creamed spinach and a yam casserole. Enjoy.”

“Oh, wow!”

“I agree!” said Gumball, grinning as he sliced in to his steak. “This is cooked perfectly! And I love béarnaise sauce. Try it with the steak!”

Marshall dipped a slice of steak in the thick yellow sauce, and tasted it. “Mmm, this is really rich. There’s no way I’ll be able to finish this.”

Gumball laughed. “The last time you said that, you finished everything on your plate. And we still have dessert coming.”

“What!?!” 

Gumball nodded. “And after dinner, I have one last surprise for you. Hey, look!” He pointed at one of the maps on the wall. It appeared much newer than the rest, its frame shinier and a little crooked. “It’s the Unknown Lands to the north! The cartographers must have finished plotting it out while we were gone.”

Marshall stood up and walked over to the map. “Did we really travel that far? Oh, look! That’s the mountain. ‘Mount Hope’? Why’d they call it that?”

Gumball motioned Marshall to rejoin him at the table. “That was my request. We went there because of hope. Because you had hope, and because I had hope. Also it seemed like a nicer title than ‘Draugur Mountain’.” Marshall nodded. “Hey, how’s your father doing?”

“Pops is doing great. He’s working on a book about the origins of the Draugur, from things he found out while stuck up there with it. Pops has also been reading a lot about what’s happened while he’s been away. He says ‘hi’, by the way.”

“Well, tell him I say ‘hi’ back. He’s awesome.”

Marshall laughed. “I think so, too.” 

After finishing their steak, the gumdrop man one again reappeared, clearing the empty plates. This time he brought two small wine glasses with the plates. “Compliments of the chef, please enjoy this port wine made with blueberry extract. For dessert, bread pudding with plums. Enjoy.”

Marshall took a sip of the wine, savoring the taste. “I’ve never had wine this sweet before.”

“It’s special wine, they add brandy to stop the fermentation before all the sugar turns to alcohol.”

“Huh. Still not as sweet as you.” His face fell a little, though, and a brief frown appeared.

“Snowflake? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just… nah, it’s nothing.”

“Please tell me?”

“It’s just, today was amazing, it’s everything I hoped for. But what next? I mean, we’ve been planning this first date for a while. I guess I just don’t want it to end.”

“Snowflake,” sighed Gumball, rubbing Marshall’s back. “I could go on a thousand dates with you, and every one of them would be as special as a first date.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

Marshall smiled as he bit in to his dessert, moaning from the taste. “I’ve always wanted to know what plums taste like! They’re just purple enough that I couldn’t eat them when I ate red.”

“Well? Are they as good as you hoped?”

“Absolutely,” he said, staring in to Gumball’s bright blue eyes.

A warm breeze swept down the street as Gumball and Marshall left the restaurant, both waddling a little from their full stomachs.

“Best. First date. Ever.” said Marshall, resting his head against Gumball’s shoulder as they turned down the main street of the Candy Kingdom.

“Really? Well, just wait until our next first date.”

“Our next…?”

“Yeah, I was thinking we could have a first date on Tuesday, if your schedule’s free. Also, next weekend is Movie Night at Fionna’s, that could be another first date.”

Marshall smiled, rubbing his head against Gumball’s shoulder a little. “I love you, Gummy.”

“I love you too, my snowflake.”

“Uh… Gummy? Where are we going?” Marshall asked as they walked past Guar Street, where Root Beer Gal’s house was, the house that Marshall had been staying in for the past week.

“We’re going to your surprise.”

“Where’s that?”

“Marshall, what do you think about Root Beer Gal’s place?”

Marshall looked up at Gumball, a little confused. “Well, it still doesn’t have much furniture, and it’s a little big for me and my pops. I’m not crazy about the color of the walls, either. Also, the sun keeps waking me up every morning. I miss my cave,” he said, a little bitterly. “But I suppose it’s alright. It’s a roof over my head, keeps me warm at night, it has a bathroom and a kitchen, I guess that’s all I need.”

“That’s what I thought, that’s why I started looking for another house for you, a more permanent house. Something more… Marshall-y. Here we are.” They had arrived at the base of the Rock Candy Mountain, on the northern-eastern edge of the Candy Kingdom. On the other side of the mountain lay a rocky valley that bordered the Ice Kingdom.

“Here we are… where?” Gumball pointed at a small opening in the mountain side, a perfect half-circle.

“That’s the old wine cellars. The vintners used to store their wine barrels there, but now they use more modern storehouses. They’ve been abandoned for years now, but I thought you might like them.”

“That’s it? Gummy, I can’t live in just a cave, it’s not…”

“Shh, it’s what’s inside the cave that’s the surprise.”

The two boys walked into the cave. It was cool and damp, and had the unmistakable smell of an old, natural cave. Marshall smiled a little, remembering his old cave’s smell. This one was a little different, but it was remarkably similar. Rounding a bend, Marshall gasped.

“Gummy, is that…?”

“Yep, it’s your house.” Marshall ran toward the structure. It was indeed his old house, from his previous cave, with the same wooden porch, small garden in the back, and faded purple paint. “I had it moved here two days ago. It should be exactly as it was before, just in a different location.” Marshall unlocked the front door with shaking hands, and stepped inside.

“Oh, Gummy…” he said, breathless. Everything was in its exact same position, with one single exception: the ladder to the upstairs had been carefully replaced with a blue metal spiral staircase. Marshall turned and pulled Gumball in to a fierce kiss. “Gummy, this is the best. I love you,” he said, murmuring into Gumball’s lips. Pulling away suddenly, he grabbed Gumball’s hand. “And I think I know exactly how to thank you,” he said, his face flush with excitement. Leading Gumball upstairs, he pushed him into the bed, and curled in next to him. “You’re mine and I’m yours,” he whispered, fingering his bracelet. Outside, the moon cast a beautiful glow over the Candy Kingdom as Marshall and Gumball made love for the second time, with many many more times to come.

The End.