In-Grave-ing Your Name On My Heart

Chapter 4

Gumball had barely gotten any rest. He couldn't get their stupid argument out of his head- he had to apologize and fix this.

So there he stood, facing Marshall's house, his head hanging low. His pink hair fell over his eyes and he reluctantly pushed them out of his face. He took a deep breath and knocked, waiting for Marshall to respond.

Nothing.

"Marshall, look, I'm sorry.. Let me in, come on," He said, pressing his forehead to the door. However, upon doing so, the door creaked open.

"Marsh, you really need to fix this door, anyone could just walk-" His voice caught in his throat as he stepped inside.

"It's.. empty..." Gumball said, furrowing his brow.

"What the glob... Marshall?!" He called, becoming more concerned. He wouldn't just leave... Would he?

"Marshall!" He called, checking his rooms. There was no furniture, no food in the kitchen, no appliances, no clothes in his closet, nothing scary like usual for him to find, nothing.

"Marshall?" He screamed, tears starting to run down his face, "You wouldn't leave.. not like this... not without saying goodbye... Right?" He turned the corner to Marshall's bedroom, finding all the rooms in the house empty, which didn't exclude this one.

He sat on the floor and buried his head between his knees, drowning in regret for the fight the night before.

Why did they fight about something as stupid as that anyway. He put the guilt trip on himself, saying that he should have never told Marshall to leave. He should have begged him to stay. He should have... what? What more could he have said to make Marshall stay? He poured his feelings out, eventually collapsing on the floor in a puddle of emotions. No longer able to put together thoughts and sentences on right and wrong. He just... felt. He let it all out.

After what seemed like hours, he craned his neck to reinspect the room. Could he have missed something? A note? Anything...

But upon standing and desperately searching, he found nothing. It was as if Marshall Lee Abadeer had never even been here.

He trudged back to Marshall's front door, giving the house that once held so many fond memories a final disheartening look, vowing he wouldn't give up. He'd come back every day til he found Marshall here once more.

However, after coming back over and over, he had to accept it. Marshall wasn't coming back. He was just... gone. For days, maybe even months, Gumball returned to Marshall's home, each time becoming more and more discouraged. The candy people mourned, feeling the pain their leader was feeling. The people were going crazy, their leader was facing heartache and hid in solitary, and with his bubbly presence lost, the kingdom began to plunder. The kingdom had become the essence of doom and gloom, making the candy people suffer more than anyone. Their sugary kingdom was crumbling.

Gumball knew something had to change, he had to do something with himself or his people would tear their own kingdom apart. He couldn't let that happen.

Gumball sulked, finally deciding to let it all out, purge, and then collect himself.

He walked into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror for the first time in weeks. He refused to cry anymore. Suck it up. Move on.

He called Peppermint Maid, telling her to assure his people that by morning, things would be different. However, he didn't know if that was to be a good thing or a bad one.

He had to change it up, he couldn't stand looking at himself anymore. He was too proper, too uptight, he needed to let go. Feel.

He grabbed a bottle of hair dye and a razor.

"Why not?" He sighed, looking at his dazed, zombie-like appearance.

He put on gloves and combed the goop through a section of his hair, then another, and another, til he had all but the outer edges covered. Tears ran down his pink cheeks as he washed his hair and shaved the edges, wanting nothing more than a familiar face to appear at his window, asking him what the heck he was doing. His heart hurt, but after tonight, after he felt as much pain as he could put himself through, he'd give up. Stop feeling. Maybe even for good. Marshall was the only one who could make him relax the way he did and now he was gone to who knows where. Probably with some other guy, or girl for glob's sake.

He dried his gummy hair and went to work changing his closet. Throwing out anything proper or formal, he left the torn tees he usually only wore when he was alone... or with... He shook his head. Stop thinking. He put on a tee with no sleeves and a pair of black jeans, no longer caring what the others thought of him anymore.

He looked at himself in the mirror, "What the hell did I do to myself?"