Anonymous

51

Marceline settled back onto the pillows and glanced around her new – or old, technically – bedroom. There were no guitars on the wall, but instead in a rack she'd bought from work with her staff discount, and the bed was a little smaller. She'd brought her own TV with her, because there was no way in hell she was letting Marshall have the Xbox. It wasn't home, but she didn't mind.

It was sunny outside, the rays of light shining through the open blinds. Perhaps that was fitting for the last day of summer. School was tomorrow, and she knew she'd have to see her dad there, but it wasn't like he could do anything to her. She was still a little afraid that all of this was some kind of sick joke, and not just the product of Bonnie's quick thinking and Hunson's reluctance to get caught, but she tried to relax. For now, at least, she was okay.

"This is the last box from your car," Bonnie said as she brought it in and set it down. It was filled to the brim with clothes, and she set it down next to the dresser before slumping down onto the bed next to her. Bonnie looked her over and seemed to think that something was wrong. "Look, I know that you probably miss your own house, and your brother, but this-"

"No, no," Marceline quickly interrupted the oncoming apology, "I mean, I do miss my bed, and Marshall, but no. This is good, I think. It's just weird to not have to feel like I'm walking on eggshells all the time."

It was quite surreal. In the process of moving her boxes from her car to the bedroom, she'd knocked a picture of her younger self from the table and the glass had cracked. At home, that would've meant instant fear and guilt. She still felt it, despite not being at home, but Simon had merely waved it off, promised it was no big deal, and swept up the glass.

"I'm just glad that you're safe and that I don't have to worry about you being around your dad all the time anymore," Bonnie tangled their fingers together, and Marceline rested her head on her shoulder, "It still makes me mad that he's just going to get away with hurting you for nearly eight years. You don't know how much I want to see him suffer for that. But if him getting off scot free means that you stay safe... I guess that's just something I've got to accept."

"Well, I'm never going to talk to him again after graduation, and if he loves me like he claims, hopefully me cutting him out will be some form of suffering. A small revenge, anyway." Marceline shrugged. She was trying not to think about him. For now, at least, she was free of him. It felt imaginary, like this was a dream she was going to wake up from, and it would be a year ago, before she knew Bonnie, when she was just putting up with everything and hoping the people she cared about weren't secretly judging her on rumours.

"He'll regret ever even doubting you when you're a rockstar," Bonnie squeezed her hand, "and you can buy a really expensive guitar for the sole purpose of smashing it over his head."

Marceline laughed quietly, but she shook her head. She knew it was a joke, but it always made her a little uncomfortable, the idea of retaliating at all. Violence was like him, and if she retaliated, she'd be no better. "Nah. I'd never want to stoop to his level. And it physically pains me when people smash pretty guitars."

Bonnie's fingers started gently combing through her hair. "I know you wouldn't. You're nothing like him."

"Well, thank you for saying that," Marceline said quietly, because it did mean a lot that Bonnie thought that. It had legitimately brought her to tears when Bonnie had told her she had her mother's heart, and ever since she'd said it, she'd believed it. "Anyway, enough about all of that. Talk to me about something."

Bonnie hummed, "About what?"

Marceline looked up at her and frowned in thought. She tried to think of some sort of conversational topic, but all she could really think about was how cute Bonnie looked with her round glasses and her big blue eyes and the adorable little freckles dotted across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. "Tell me how you got so cute."