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At Long Last - Part 5

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Chapter 5 - Dinner for Two

Barreling down the hallway toward Cinnamon Bun, Prince Gumball nearly ran headlong into Peppermint Maid.

“Goodness, sire. Where are you running off to?” Peppermint Maid asked, straightening her red frilly hat.

“Cinnamon Bun, she saw…” Gumball panted, out of breath. A thought hit him. “Peppermint Maid, you wouldn’t happen to know how to make someone forget what they just saw, would you?” He knew it was a long shot, but Peppermint Maid often surprised him with her knowledge.

“My apologies, Prince Gumball, I’m afraid I don’t.” Gumball’s face fell. He was about to run off when Peppermint Maid piped up, “But if it is Cinnamon Bun, I could probably… persuade her to keep quiet?” Gumball nodded. His subjects were probably already nervous enough due to the sudden curfew and the increased guards; a royal scandal could be disastrous. “Give me half an hour, I shall take care of her,” she said mysteriously, and walked off. Gumball sighed. Cinnamon Bun was a pain and a klutz, but no one had the heart to throw her out of the castle. Besides, she wouldn’t last two days outside the main gates of the Candy Kingdom.

Gumball returned to his room and showered. As he dressed in his usual pink clothes, he realized that Marshall Lee probably didn’t have any clothes with him. He called up his taffy tailor, and had a fresh set of clothes brought to the guest room. 


Marshall Lee sat on the bed, confused. He was showered and clean, and had even found an emergency tooth brush in the bathroom (dental hygiene must be a big issue here, he had thought to himself as he diligently brushed his fangs, what with everything being made of candy). He had spent the night at Prince Gumface’s castle, even shared a bed with him. They were supposed to be rivals, not bedmates. Marshall rubbed his face and sighed. He kept hearing the echo of the Draugur’s laugh, a sound he had hoped never to hear again. Old memories, painful memories, were being pulled to the surface of his mind, and it made him scared. And yet, last night he had felt a strange sense of safety in Gumball’s arms. What was with that?

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Answering it, he was greeted by a candy corn man holding a white cardboard box.

“His highness generously provides these clothes for your stay in the Candy Kingdom. Please leave any laundry in the hamper in the bathroom, laundry service will be returned the following morning,” the man recited, eying Marshall’s wrinkled shirt and jeans with distaste. Marshall took the box, thanked the man, and shut the door. He hadn’t been expecting hotel-level service. Then again, Prince Gumball probably had much more prestigious visitors than Marshall ever did at his house.

Marshall Lee set the white box on the bed and opened it. His face fell. “Nope. No flippin’ way,” he said, scowling.


Gumball sat at the head of a long meeting table, in a different room than the night before. Various advisors, scholars, and historians sat around the table, each with a somber look on their face.

“Precious little is known about the Draugur, ladies and gentlemen,” Gumball addressed the room. “But if we are to defend ourselves against this threat, we must arm ourselves with knowledge. After all, knowledge and fact are our greatest strengths and weapons.” He felt bad, having nothing concrete to encourage the assembly with. “Professor Poptart, do we have a location?”

Professor Poptart stood, although he was not much taller than when he was sitting. “According to legend, the lair of the Draugur is somewhere in the Unknown Lands to the north, beyond the Ice Kingdom. We have our best students sifting through historical texts.”

“Very good.” Prince Gumball nodded. “That’s a two-day flight from here. Any leads on defeating it?” He looked around the room. “Spiky Mayor? Key-per? Bufo?”

Key-per raised her hand daintily. Gumball called on her, and she stood on her chair. “I have heard tell, though it may be little more than a tall tale, of a door, a magical door of wondrous powers. The Doom Door, they called it, for it spelled doom for who ever, or whom ever, became enclosed in any room sealed by the doom door. You see, my gummy friend, once closed, the Doom Door may not be reopened, and no other exit may be used.” Key-per gasped for air, bowed, and sat back down.

“Choose Goose. Where can I find this Doom Door?”

Choose Goose giggled, flailing her limp legs. “To procure this doom-y door, a lover’s kiss sealed, rich or poor. Hew a stone, nine by four, and scribe the words ‘Trapped Inside Forever More”. Bathe the rock in water pure, to make this be your problem’s cure.” Choose Goose giggled again, then frowned. “But know, my friend, when it’s time to hide, your lover’s life will be the other side. Worry not, you will reunite, should the promise break by morning’s light.

Prince Gumball wrote furiously on a sheet of paper, knowing that Choose Goose’s riddles always had some deeper meaning. “Peppermint Maid, fetch some masons, then bring Water Prince here. Does anyone else have anything to share?” Gumball looked around the room, feeling as if he was grasping at straws. They had so little to go on. A magic stone door, a general direction of the Unknown Lands, and a cryptic riddle. “Very well. Thank you all for your help in this time of need. We-“

“Pardon me, my lord, but… do we even know for certain that this thing, this Draugur, is even coming? We’re basing this on the word of a half-demon, a well-known prankster in all of Ooo.” Gumball peered down the table, a little offended. It was Breakfast Prince who had spoken, and was now shrinking into his seat in embarrassment.

“I would trust Marshall Lee Abadeer with my life. He is telling the truth.” Gumball wasn’t sure where this newfound trust had come from. He was confident that Marshall wasn’t lying about his vision, but trust him with his life? He pondered this as the meeting adjourned, and the guests began to filter out of the room.

“Your highness, Fionna and Cake have arrived,” said a Banana guard, poking his head into the room. “They are waiting in the throne room.”

“Very good, thank you.” Gumball smoothed down his pink hair, trying to collect himself. Cake and Fionna were his closest friends, and he knew he could trust them with his kingdom.


“Fionna! So good to see you!” Prince Gumball strode into the throne room, arms open wide. Fionna smiled and blushed slightly as she hugged him around his waist. “I hope you enjoyed the party last night.”

“It was magnificent, wasn’t it?”

Cake nodded in agreement. “Mmm-hmm. You should have balls more often!”

“Listen, Fionna. I have a… a task for you.” Prince Gumball swallowed. He hoped he was making a good choice. “I’m going to be going on a trip, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It could be a few days, or it could be a very long trip.” He knew he might even not be coming back, but he didn’t want Fionna to freak out. “While I’m gone, Peppermint Maid will be in charge of the castle. Should anything happen to the Candy Kingdom, though, I am officially putting you in charge, as an interim ruler.” Fionna gasped. “Now, no loud parties, do not mess with the Bubblegum Guardians, and keep an eye on Cinnamon Bun.”

Cake squinted at Prince Gumball, suspicious, but didn’t say anything. He seemed to be very nervous. “You are coming back, right?” Fionna asked, her voice cracking. Gumball looked into her eyes, but couldn’t bring himself to answer her honestly. Instead, he just nodded, and took the crown off of his pink head.

“This crown is extremely valuable,” he lied, knowing that he had a dozen more in his bedroom closet. “It is a symbol of power, so my subjects will know that I have officially bestowed unto you the right to rule. Be careful, and be wise. I trust you.” Fionna looked a little sad, almost as if she could sense the danger that Gumball was about to face. He felt bad, forcing so much responsibility on her, but there was no one else that he trusted enough to be a fair and fit ruler than Fionna. He bent down, and kissed her gently on the cheek, making her flush deep red.

“Now, I have much to prepare. Off you go, and be safe,” he said, and turned to leave. A soft rustling noise stopped him in his tracks, and he thought he saw a shadow slide along the floor, toward the hallway. It was just a trick of the light, he decided, and left.


“Greetings, Lord MoCro! I’m sorry I had to call you here on such short notice, but I am going to need transportation to the Unknown Lands. Can you take me and one other?” Gumball asked, rubbing the dark monochromicorn’s mane. He stamped in response, spelling out the word “YES” in morse code. “We’ll also have a rather large piece of rock with us, do you think you can manage?” He could see the displeasure in Lord Monocromicorn’s eyes, but he faithfully nodded. “Thank you, old friend. If all goes well, we will be departing in the morning. Rest up, it may be a long journey.”

Gumball left the magical steed in the Candy Stables, and next headed for the kitchens. For all the fear and uncertainty he felt, the prince felt very much in his element; he was a natural born leader. Sometimes, during long winter weeks with nothing to do, he would spend hours pacing in the castle, going stir crazy from boredom. But now, he had lists of tasks, he had citizens to lead, and he had aides to instruct. It was good to be prince, he thought, as he entered the kitchens.

Walking up and down the kitchen aisles, Gumball paused here and there to inspect his chef’s work. He glanced up at the far wall, and smiled to himself. It was adorned with various plaques and trophies he had won in baking competitions all around Ooo. He knew these kitchens better than any other part of his castle, and felt safe here. His head chef was toiling away on a delicious smelling pasta sauce, and Gumball saw a sack of fresh cranberries waiting to be juiced. “Perfect, keep up the good work,” Gumball said, patting the chef on his back. “I’d also like to amend the menu for this evening. Fresh fruits, all of them red, a beet salad, and red velvet cake for dessert.” The chef nodded, covering the pasta sauce as he set off toward the pantry. Now, Gumball thought to himself, just a few more things to take care of, then time to deliver an invitation.


Marshall Lee floated on his back, a foot above the floor. Sounds of busy candy people echoed through the castle, talking in nervous voices, pushing large trolleys, even what sounded like stone being carved. His ears twitched. It must suck to be a proper prince, he thought. So much responsibility, so many people looking to you for guidance. He’d much rather sleep in, noodle around on his bass guitar, maybe watch a movie or two. Only when he was irritated at someone would he ever experience boredom, and that was more of a nervous restlessness than proper boredom.

He thought about what he had seen that afternoon. Gumball and Fionna… He scrunched his eyes tight shut, trying to get the image out of his head. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. Perhaps it was a symptom of spending the night in Gumball’s bed, or maybe… maybe it was something more. He shook his head at the idea. It was probably Fionna, he thought. He was probably jealous that she had apparently picked Gumball over himself. Content with that thought, Marshall Lee floated over to the window. The sun was just beginning to set, light sparkling off of the brown sugar roofing shingles in the candy city below. It was sort of pretty, he thought, in a disgustingly sweet sort of way.

There was a knock on the door. “Yes?” Marshall call out, not wanting anyone to see him in his current… situation.

“It’s Gumball, can you open up please?”

“What do you want?” He heard Gumball sigh through the door.

“I want you to open the door, please.”

“OK, hold on.” Marshall Lee floated over to the door, steadied himself, and pulled it open.

“Thanks, I was wondering if you’d like to join-“ Gumball stopped mid-sentence, seeing what Marshall Lee was wearing. Marshall Lee, the Vampire King and Prince of the Nightosphere, was wearing pink. Not just a pink shirt, but pink striped socks, pink sweatpants with red draw strings, and a pink and purple t-shirt with a pink plaid flannel shirt over it.

“Shut up,” Marshall Lee said, before Gumball could say anything more. “Your royal someone brought me this in the morning, and it was either wear this, wear my gross, smelly clothes from yesterday, which were due to be washed like, last week, or go prancing around your castle naked.”

Gumball turned deep purple at the thought of Marshall Lee naked. He pondered for a moment, then slapped his forehead. “Taffy tailor! He must be going senile! I said ‘Marshall Lee needs clothes, I think’, not ‘Marshall Lee needs clothes in pink’. I’m super sorry, I’ll have something else brought right up. Although…” He paused, and smirked. “You do look kinda cute in pink.” He was teasing Marshall, but the more Gumball looked at Marshall Lee, shifting uncomfortably in his pink ensemble, the more he thought Marshall Lee actually did look attractive in pink. It matched his fiery red eyes, and brought out the subtle turquoise in his skin. The soft curves in his neck, the shiny highlights of his cute little fangs…

“Hello? Gumface?” Marshall Lee waved his hand in front of the prince’s glazed over eyes.

“Wha… Oh, yes. I’ve come to invite you to dinner, there’s something I’d like to show you that I think will take your mind off of this Draugur business.”

“But I don’t eat like you… remember? I eat shades of red.” Now that Marshall thought about it, he really was quite hungry. The last time he had eaten was the previous morning. His tongue slid over his fangs. A good red would actually be quite nice. A strong crimson, or perhaps a scarlet. With some maroon for dessert.

“Yes, I remember. I’ve had an all-red meal prepared for us. Come, this way.” Gumball grabbed Marshall’s wrist, and led him toward the southern veranda. 

Marshall Lee normally wouldn’t let anyone pull him around like this, but the thought of food made his mouth water and his fangs tingle. He felt a little bad, forcing his funky red diet on the rest of… whoever they would be dining with. A prince as popular as Gumball probably ate in massive banquet rooms, making dull conversations with delegates, envoys, consoles, and other people who’s jobs Marshall Lee didn’t really understand. He was therefore surprised when Gumball led him out onto a small balcony. A cast iron table and two chairs were set for dinner, with a small lantern in the middle of the table illuminating the balcony. The last rays of sunlight were fading over the mountains to the west, and the first stars were coming out.

“This is where you eat?” Marshall Lee gasped, taken aback by the intimacy of the setting.

“Not normally, but I thought you might prefer this over a large banquet with fifty people per table.” Marshall nodded silently, awed by the lengths the candy prince had gone through to make him comfortable. It was… sweet, he thought, laughing softly.

“What?” said Gumball, seeing Marshall Lee giggle.

“Nothing, I just… thank you, for everything. Y’know, for letting me stay here, and giving me clothes, and junk.”

“My pleasure. Now, let’s have some food. I’m starving.” Gumball clapped his hands twice, and a gumdrop man appeared, pushing a trolley of food.

“Beet Salad, with a red-wine vinaigrette,” said the gumdrop man, setting plates on the table.

“Wow. I didn’t even know you could make a salad out of beets!” said Marshall Lee, prodding his salad with his fork in fascination. “This looks fantastic!”

“Thanks, I personally… had someone else make it.” Prince Gumball smiled, happy to see Marshall Lee enjoying himself. Marshall Lee laughed, and began eating. Gumball had never seen him eat a proper meal before, and it was fascinating. The vampire slid a small side plate next to his salad, and placed each fork full of food on the plate after sucking the red out of it.

“Umm, question,” Gumball asked. “After you suck all of the red out, does the food still… what does the gray stuff taste like?”

“Idunnuh, try it,” mumbled Marshall Lee, completely absorbed in his food. Gumball forked a piece of gray beet, and tentatively bit in. It tasted like cardboard. So Marshall really did suck all of the flavor out of it, he thought to himself. Incredible. He quickly stuffed some of his own salad into his mouth, trying to rid himself of the taste of gray cardboard.

“When I first turned to vampire, I had no idea I could eat red,” Marshall said between bites. “I’d heard all of the legends about vampires, drinking blood and stuff, so I locked myself in my room for three days. By the time I was really starving, I realized all I wanted to do was gnaw on things, not drink blood. I didn’t know it was red, though, that I was craving. I chewed on just about everything I owned, draining the color from some things, not from others. It wasn’t until I found a box of crayons that I figured out it was the color red.”

“Wow, I wonder what would have happened if you were color blind?” Marshall Lee laughed.

“I wondered that myself for a while. When I was really young, before I got into music, I wanted to be a fashion designer. Y’know, not like a tailor or a seamstress or anything, but someone who creates ‘looks’. A few years after I moved into the tree fort, I tried opening a shop by the Squeez-E-Mart, but this one lady, Eberhardtess, kept coming in and ordering green ascots. She must have been colorblind, because she would bring in these awful red dresses, and insist that they were green. At first I just gave her red ascots, but people would ask her about her red ascot, and she’d come back all huffy and steamed.”

Prince Gumball laughed. He’d met Eberhardtess once, many years ago. She was a brilliant pianist, and one of the most irritable old ladies he had ever met. Just imagining Marshall Lee butting heads with her made him grin. “So what’d you do?”

“I sucked all of the red out of her dress, she was ecstatic! Red works great with gray, blue as well, hence my… oh.” Marshall Lee glanced down, realizing he was still wearing the pink clothes from that morning. They both began laughing.

“Intermezzo, my lord?” The gumdrop man was back, with two small wine glasses filled with fruit.

“Yes, please. Thank you!” Gumball passed his plate to the waiter, and indicated to Marshall to do the same.

“What the fluff is an intermezzo? I thought that was a music thing.”

Gumball raised his eyebrows, smiling. “Is it?”

“Yeah, it’s like a small song that goes between two bigger musical movements or songs… Oh!” Marshall Lee’s eyes lit up as he made the connection. The waiter placed a glass in front of Marshall Lee. It was full of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and thin slices of blood oranges. A light red foam sat on top, making the whole thing look like an ice cream sundae.

“These were grown right down there, in the castle garden,” said Prince Gumball, pointing over the edge of the balcony. Marshall followed his finger, and saw a small courtyard with terraced planters, brimming with fruit plants. He stuck a strawberry into his mouth, bit down, and sucked the sweet, smooth color from the fruit. It was all very romantic, he thought to himself, almost as if he was trying to impress me. Probably practicing for Fionna.

“Prince Gumball…”

“Please, you can call me just Gumball, or Bubba, if you like.”

“OK, ‘just Gumball’, I was wondering…” Gumball poked Marshall Lee playfully in the side, making him jump. “Hey, that tickles! I was wondering why you didn’t ask me to play at your birthday party. Y’know, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Gumball frowned, thinking. If he told Marshall Lee the truth, he’d never believe him. “Umm… I just thought you’d enjoy the party better, if you didn’t have the stress of performing.” It was a silly excuse, and Marshall looked as if he didn’t fully believe Gumball, but he didn’t inquire any further. “To be completely honest, Chell and Lollipop Boy were absolutely dismal. Worst. Music. Ever. You’re playing at my next ball, whether you want to or not.” Marshall Lee laughed, relaxing a bit. He’d never seen Prince Gumball be as assertive as he had been today, but it was nice. “Wow, I guess you liked the fruit!”

Marshall Lee looked down at his fruit glass, noticing it was empty. “Huh, yeah, I guess so. This is fun, what’s next?” he asked, looking over his shoulder for the gumdrop waiter. Sure enough, he was pushing the trolley over to their table.

“For our main entrée, we have… spaghetti with tomato puttanesca sauce, garnished with red bell peppers” he said, uncovering the plates with a flourish. He removed the fruit glasses, and placed two steaming plates of spaghetti in front of Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball, followed by two crystal glasses of cranberry juice.

“Oh my glob, there’s no way I’ll be able to eat all of that.” Marshall Lee said, his eyes growing wide.

“Make sure you save room for dessert, too,” Gumball said, smiling. Feeding people had always made him happy, and seeing Marshall Lee full and content would be the perfect evening to a stressful day. “Oh, look! The sugar flies are coming out!” He jumped to his feet, and ran to the railing of the balcony. Turning toward Marshall, he beckoned him over.

Joining him, Marshall Lee looked out over the city. Small yellow lights were illuminating in the cotton candy trees all over the town. He gasped, as the lights left the trees and began swirling in the air, higher and higher.

“They only fly when the air is warm enough, and there can’t be any moonlight or breeze,” explained Gumball, watching the lights flutter and twinkle in the night.

“Thats… I don’t know what to say. It’s radically beautiful,” Marshall Lee sighed, looking over at Gumball. He felt a strange attraction in his chest, a sort of longing, as if he wanted to lay his hand on the pink prince’s arm. Gumball turned to look at Marshall, a dreamy look in his eyes.

“Yeah. Not many people get to see it from up here. I’m glad I got to show you.” Gumball leaned in toward Marshall Lee, keeping their eyes locked together. Marshall knew what was coming, but he couldn’t resist it. A strange and foreign force was drawing him in toward Gumball.

Inches away from each other, Gumball blinked. “Our spaghetti’s getting cold.” He turned and sat back down, leaving Marshall Lee dazed and confused. “Common, we can watch from here,” Gumball said, patting Marshall’s seat. Marshall Lee sat, and took a slurp of red from his pasta. It was delicious.


A short while later, Marshall Lee sat back in his chair, very full. Despite the size of his dish, he had somehow managed to finish off all of his spaghetti. Gumball hadn’t eaten quite as much as Marshall Lee had, but he was nonetheless contently full as well.

Prince Gumball burped, then covered his mouth in embarrassment as Marshall Lee burst out laughing. “Oops… excuse me.” Gumball said, quietly.

“Umm… No,” Marshall laughed, defiantly. He slumped back in his chair, and propped his feet up on the lower struts of the table. Gumball smiled. Despite his age, Marshall Lee was awfully immature, he thought, but in an endearing way.

The gumdrop man reappeared once more, with two last plates on his trolley.

“No, please glob, I’m sooo full!” Marshall Lee whined. He quickly sat upright though, as a wedge of red velvet cake, with special red icing, was placed in front of him. “On second thought, maybe just a few more bites.”

Prince Gumball smiled. Marshall Lee was adorable, he decided, and at that moment he knew he was falling in love with him. His piece of cake was set in front of him, and he nudged it toward the other side of the table just a bit when Marshall wasn’t looking. Now he had an excuse to scoot his chair over a bit, so their knees were touching. To his pleasure, Marshall didn’t shift at all, and they sat there, knee to knee, eating under the twinkling sugar fly lights.


As they stood to leave, after finishing their dessert and chatting a little more, Marshall Lee tapped Gumball on the shoulder.

“Hey, Gumball. Can… would you mind, and it’s OK if not, but could you…” He blushed as Gumball turned to look at him.

“Would you like me to keep you company again tonight?” Marshall Lee nodded, looking deep into Gumball’s eyes. They were a brilliant shade of blue, and had little flecks of green around the edges. Marshall had never really appreciated the prince's eyes before.

“In that case, let’s use my bed. It’s a bit bigger, and quite a bit softer.” Feeling a little awkward, but still quite happy, Marshall Lee followed Prince Gumball toward his bedroom. 

Wahoo! Chapter 5! Warning: Contents may be cheesy.

This one is a bit longer. I have some stuff to take care of in the next few days, so I may not have another chapter out before the end of the week. I figured I'd give you a nice long chapter to tide you over.

As I was writing this, a scene kept playing in my head:

Peppermint Maid: "Sire, every bad thing you could ever imagine is coming, and we have no defenses. We need a plan!"
Prince Gumball: Challenge Accepted.
He's such a good leader, ain't he? I wonder what kind of king Marshall Lee would make?

Chapter 1: Here
Next Chapter: Here

Cover Art by inorganico
© 2014 - 2024 aladdin-boy
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gdpr-32986635's avatar
I CAN'T EVEN.
MY FINALS.
BUT THIS IS JUST TOO ADORABLE. Blush Kaori Fujimiya (Total Shyness) [V1]