Sour Candy

Protection

"So, where am I gonna live?" Marceline asks as we land.

I rub my neck sheepishly, "I was thinking...in my chambers?"

"Oh." Marcy seems genuinely surprised, "Yeah!"

She kisses me and grabs my hand. I lead her through the Candy streets.

"Glob, I haven't been here in the daytime for so long." Marcy says reminiscently, fiddling with the hem of her hat, "Woah! Was that always there?" She laughs, and runs over to Banana Guard 16's graffiti work.

"Nah, that's pretty recent. Three, four years maybe?" I join her at the wall.

"Dang, you look super cute in this! And I look cool too!" 

And so it goes. Every few yards, Marcy would marvel at a new thing that appeared in the Kingdom. It's quite sweet actually. It shows that she cares about my Kingdom and my work.

Eventually we arrive at the castle. She sits on my bed and widens her eyes in shock.

"PB!"

"What?"

"This bed is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

I laugh and lay down next to her. "Second best." I remind her.

"Second best." She repeats, hugging me close.

*********************************************************************

I emerge from my room ten minutes later, going straight to the Banana Guard Facility. After a quick talk with Colonel Candycorn, I assemble the Banana Guards.

"I need one of your strongest to protect my friend. It will be a very important job and if you don't think you can handle it, that's ok." I say importantly. After a whispered discussion, they volunteer Banana Guard 37 forward. I tell him to guard my chambers and to not let anyone other than me, Peppermint Butler and Marceline in and out.

"Anyone." I reiterate. Banana Guard salutes.

Next I head to Finn and Jake's treehouse. 

"BMO, young lady, put that cone back on your head." I hear Finn say as I climb the ladder.

"Nooooo, I don't want to!" was BMO's response.

"You need to wear a cone of shame! You need to be shamed!" Jake shouts. BMO starts to cry.

"Hey, Jake, that's too much." Finn says, then catches sight of me, "Oh, hey PB!"

"Hi boys. What's going on here?"

"BMO switched the labels on the salt and sugar shakers and Jake put sugar in his sandwich." I catch a glimpse of Jake, shrinking his face into his head, like when he was being the "jerk in the band" in the Red Canyon. "What are you doing here?" I tell him about the hate. When I'm done, he scratches his head.

"Geez," he says, "that's bad. What do you want us to do again?"

"Just keep an eye out. Anything that makes this," I hand him a machine, "go banay-nays, call me, ok? I can't lose Marceline."

"Nah, us neither." Finn makes a face, "But can you look after BMO for a while? She's driving Jake nuts."

"Yeah, I can see." I can hear him shout at her for I don't know what. "Of course we can take her."

"We?"

"Me. I meant me. And Marcy..." 

"Aw!"

"What?"

"You guys'll make an awesome wife-wife biz."

"Dude!" I say, punching his arm, "We might. Besides, I thought you were crushing on me super hard."

"I was. Past tense. Hey, BMO, do want to go to a sleepover with Marceline and Bonnie?"

"YAY!"

I hold BMO's hand and we start to walk back to the Candy Kingdom.

"I feel like I haven't seen you and Auntie Marcy in so long!"

"Auntie Marcy?"

"Yeah! Is she still a vampire?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"I like vampires now! I am a brave big girl!"

I giggle.

"I can't wait to tell Auntie Marcy." I say.