A Marshmallow's Guide to Loving a Complete Idiot (Inanimate Insanity)(Marshple)

Lesson #4: Sometimes, You Need Another Perspective

One day, snacking on a piece of leftover cookie pizza, Marshmallow got something rarer than gold: a moment of solitude. It was pretty crazy, actually: even when Marsh attended OJ's wild parties every day, she felt lonelier than she did now, with Apple dragging her by the hand around the sunny island.

(If you told Marshmallow a year ago that Apple was a handholder, she wouldn't have believed you. Nowadays, it was a reality she dealt with anytime Marsh didn't avoid it. It was weird and childish, quite like Apple herself, actually. Not that Marsh minded that much...)

'Wonder if she'd do it if she knew I liked girls.'

The thought made the smile drop off of Marsh's face— where on Earth did that come from? Just as quickly, she scoffed at herself: of course it shouldn't change anything.

Sure, it was true that Apple came from a rural area. (This was one of the few things she knew about Apple - she talked a lot, but seldom about herself.) Still, Apple probably had no idea what it meant, and even if she did...

Come on, she wouldn't hate Marsh, again. That, fundamentally, contradicted who Apple really was, outside of the hurt and fires.

Or so she figured.

'My first time alone in forever, and I think about THIS?'

Why was she even entertaining this train of thought? It wasn't like being gay would ever relate to Apple, anyway. Their quaint little friendship had settled into the mold of something perfectly platonic, something of which Marsh couldn't be more grateful. It was nice to have a close female friend she didn't yearn for more with.

"Marshmallow!" Apple ran over. "I NEED to show you this thingy I found!"

Apple's hand made a grab for Marsh's hand, but Marsh didn't let her have it as she stood up. "Are you going to get us lost again?"

"No, I promise!"

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"It just grinds my gears when they change the YouTube layout like that! The old version was so much better. Y'know?"

"Mhm."

As much as Marsh appreciated Apple's company, there was no polite way to say that, if Marsh had cared before, she certainly didn't STILL care after Apple droned on about it for ten minutes. (Apple clearly lost track of what she was supposed to show Marsh, but was trying to distract her from it while continuing to walk her in circles. She was not subtle.)

"It takes forever to use sites when they change stuff. Climbing trees is way better, a tree usually never changes except when..."

As Apple rambled on, Marshmallow only half-listened, murmuring responses as little as she could get away with. There were much more important things to think about, after all. It was only around five, but the clouds cast a downright ominous shade over them. A low rumble of thunder sent a shiver up Marsh's spine.

Most of the island was grassland, so when Marsh spotted a cave in the distance, she knew she had to make do. She grabbed Apple's hand and started towards it. "...Marsh, where're we going?"

"To that cave. We can shelter there until the storm blows over."

"Ohh, I didn't know we were getting one'a those."

"Look around, genius," Marsh snarked.

She wished she could be as unobservant as Apple was. After getting beat up all the time, she'd never have the luxury.

When they got to the cave, Marsh looked around, quietly marveling at the place. It was made out of dark gray stone. Pretty blue and purple gemstones were embedded within its walls, so bright they almost seemed to glow.