Bad Little Boy .

Chapter Seventeen : Final Decisions .

Gumball's Point of View

" Marshall .. are you still there ? " My sleepy voice comes out as a whisper . I turn to my left side and softly smile as our eyes meet ; I thought he was going to leave again , like last time .. but he didn't . He's still here . " I didn't mean to wake you up , I just thought-- " He cuts me off with a light kiss .

" I promised that I was gonna be here for you , and I'm not breaking that promise again .. I know I was an asshole before , I left you right after we had sex for the first time .. But , you've changed me , Gumball " His sincere words turn my cheeks a light shade of pink . It's been awhile since we've had a loving conversation like this .

We're always either at a hospital or I'm always being tied down by medical equipment because it's getting harder to live without them .. so , we've never had the actual time to talk about things ; and I also think that we both know deep down that we have to talk about what's going to happen after I'm gone .. but we both distract and avoid the subject because it's sensitive .

I don't know , but .. I think this is a good opportunity to bring it up , but don't exactly know how to . I look at Marshall and stare at his perfect features , his chest is slightly exposed , but the other half of it is being covered by the sheets .

" Marshall , there's no easy way of saying this but .. You know I'm going to pass away soon , right ? " His white smile fades away as soon as my words come out . I gulp as I sit up , groaning from the pain that moving causes ; Marshall rapidly gets up and fluffs my pillow for me . He sits down beside me , but doesn't dare to look at me . " Marshall .. "

" O-Okay , I get it ! " Marshall yells out , his voice cracking . Tears run down his face as he starts shaking .. Ever since we found out about my cancer , he's kept his emotions bottled up inside because I'm sure he doesn't want me to worry .. but I do worry , maybe a little too much . " I know you're going to die .. I know , but what's going to happen to me ? G-Gumball , I-- I hate the fact that you changed me so much .. "

I stay silent , waiting for him to continue his little rant . I'm not gonna let my emotions control me this time , it's time for me to be there for him ; he's been here for me ever since before my cancer , so I don't plan on leaving him alone .. especially now , when everything has settled in and everything has become too real to deal with .

" I used to be a horrible person . I used to be arrogant , I used to be stupid , I used to be selfish and self-centered ; I didn't care about anyone else but myself , I didn't care about anything until you came along .. and , it scares me .. i-it scares me so much " His voice cracks even more , heavy tears running down his face ; I slowly get up and kneel in front of him , grabbing his face . " Y-You changed my life in so many ways .. and it scares me to depend on someone so much .. I-- " He breaks down right in front of me , he places both of his hands over his eyes and cries .

I gently hold him while I rub his back , just quietly humming in his ear ; he once told me that humming usually calms him down , that's why I'm doing it right now . " That's it . Let it all out . I'm so proud of you for doing that .. " I place a kiss on top of his forehead while I continue holding him .

" Marshall , listen to me .. " I place one of my fingers underneath his chin and lift up his face so he would be facing me ; once he looked at me , I placed both of my hands on his knees . I took a deep and gathered my thoughts before saying anything .. " I want you to take care of the Kingdom after I'm gone .. " His eyes widen as soon as I make my final decision . He stares at me for awhile , not knowing what else to say .

" I trust you with my life . That's why I'm giving the throne over to you .. That is , if you want it .. Just-- Please , take care of my people and my kingdom ; they're everything to me " I stop speaking as soon as he hugs me , placing me on his lap . He holds me like his life depended on it , as if he would crumble if I let go .

It's crazy how life works out , huh ? I never imagined this , I never asked for this .. yet , it's all I know now . My entire life was dedicated to my kingdom , to working without stopping , to taking everything too seriously ; and all of those decisions lead up to where I am right now , near my death-date .. If I knew Marshall was going to end up coming into my life , I would've had made different choices then ; I would've taken it slower , I would've stopped working , I would've did everything better for him .

But , we can't dwell on the past , not anymore .. All I can do right now is spend time with him and those who I love and care about before passing onto a better life . Death used to terrify the hell out of me before , I used to be so scared of leaving everything behind ; but now ? Death is all I can think of .. and it doesn't scare me anymore . I've accepted my destiny and I know I will be watching over Marshall from above , and maybe someday ; we'll meet again .