Tonight Together: GumLee

Tangled Tighter

Ch.15: Tangled Tighter

Peaceful. Plethoras of puffy flowers gathered within the field. Its plush grass calling for the prince to roll around. Gum Ball ignored it as his hands dug deep into the pockets of his pink jeans. A soft breeze tugged at his pale blue, short sleeved hoodie, exposing pink skin. He kept with the mind numbing walking as it blew harder, sky clouding like his mind. This week has been exhausting for him, filled with sex, confusion, and love.
'Scratch that,' Gum Ball thought, 'Just confusion and sex. No love... apparently...' He curled the hairs that frayed from his neck's nape, tugging a bunch with mixed emotions. The rain soaking his cloths seemed non existent as his mind raged on, white shoes becoming brown as they stomped in sloshing mud.
The field ran dry, compressing into barbed bushes and clawed trees that lined an orange hill side. Once again, the prince didn't notice. The only thing that caught his attention was the ground grabbing his foot, causing him to plunge into the mud. His front connected first, splashing the wet dirt over his back, and was soaked all over. By then the rain stopped.
"Honestly..." Gum Ball cursed at the timing of all this, feeling mud hardening his clothes as he cleaned his eyes. The prince sat in front a thick boney tree, some of the dirt flaked off with each movement. His head turned up, eyes closed, blending into the tree's dying moss. A twig snap made his ear flinch and an eye crack open.
"Marshal..." the prince breathed. Said man wore a large conical hat as a sun sheild, gauze taping over his arms and legs, a tank and shorts being the main assemble. Marshal's gloved hand reached for a jut on the hill, but stopped when he herd the breath. Gone in an instant. Panicked, Gum Ball squeezed his eyes shut, letting his camouflage do the hiding.
Marshal materialize right in front of the prince, bending down to wiff with an animalized nose. At any other time he would've noticed the prince, but his eyes were worst during day light. Plus, being covered in mud, Gum Ball's sent was hidden by the forest's musk. So the vampire shot back to the orange sill, pulling it down. The loud opening forced Gum Ball to look, Marshal disappeared into it's dim light. Pondering the thought of following as his feet decided for him, the prince scrambled into the cave. With a booming thud, the entrance crashed closed. Vampire within view slipped through the far left tunnel. Keeping his distance, Gum Ball tailed him in silence.
'Where are you heading?' The prince thought.

Marshal inched through the air, waisting time with his leisurely pace, occasionally walking even. Luckily his humming ran over the steps creeping behind him. He whipped the air like he slung a guitar. His lips parted ready to sing, when he reached the cavern's opening, leaving his follower itching to hear the unspoken words. The vampire lowered his fake guitar as the shadows spoke.
"What is your purpose being here?" It's voice spoke in to, angered, "I never summoned you."
"I'm sooo sorry!" Marshal said with a curtsy, all oozing with sarcasm.
"How dare you speak to me so!" The black rose up over the burning cauldron.
"Sorry, sugar, but..." Marshal turned away, eyes closed in satisfaction, smacking his butt with a sassy "I quit!". His eyes peered open, growing wide when he saw the prince. About to speak to Gum Ball when the person stepped out, pulling Marshal back then pound against the ceiling. Slung around, Marshal was rammed into the floor. Craters in his shape were scattered over the room. Finally, the person stopped with one last pound into the ground, he laid pointed to the ceiling. Marshal tried to stand, groaning when a foot pressed his chest down.
"What did I tell you before?" It droned with one voice, becoming two with each word, "You can't bail!"
"Too bad," the man spat his black blood at its face, "He hates me now... s-so suck it." Marshal lifted his middle finger.
"Fix it!" the creature gripped the finger, bending it back. He screamed in pain, Gum Ball flinching in the shadows.
"Can't, too far gone. He even set the guards on me screaming that he wished we never met." a bold faced lie. He coughed up more dark fluid. It released the finger, shocked, then shot out to claw his throat. It's screeches cried out, yelling at the man's stupidity, muffling Marshal's howling.
"What did you do!?!" The thing repeated as it smashed him deeper into the ground.
"Stop!"
The cry echoed through the cave. The figure paused, turning slowly. Its grip released the vampire, who passed out from all the impact, crawling over to the prince.
"You brought him here..." the thing seemed to smile, fingers brushing the air around Gum Ball's face, "You-you brought him... to me...!" Eyes wide, the prince stood paralyzed when he knew who it was.
"*Brandy?" Gum Ball breathed, her different eyes staring back into his.
"Gum Ball!" Marshal cried, climbing out of the ditch he laid in, "Run! That's not Brandy any more! Run!" the demonic girl kicked his head, propelling him back in. Gum Ball took this time to escape.
"My prince!" Its voices called, "Come back my love!"
He ran and ran, pushing himself to reach the end. One wrong turn and he's lost, so off of memory he raced through the tunnels. Lungs heaving for air, he reached the end.
'Now what?' He thought realizing he didn't know how to leave. Reaching for any thing resembling a lever, he frantically tried to leave.
"My prince? My prince!" the cries grew closer as he worked faster for an exit. In rushed frustration, he kicked the door. Balled up on the floor, he waited for the thing.
A loud creek shot his eyes open, lifting his head to look behind him. The door opened.
"Glob!" He praised, running through into the night's air. With a sigh, he cheered, twirling in a jump laughing...
His parade ended quickly.
A beefy hand wrapped around his ankle, sending the prince to the ground. Down he fell, slamming his head against a rock.
Black embraced him into unconsciousness.

(BTW *Brandy is gender bent version of Princess Bubblegum's suitor, Braco.)