High-Grade Red

Chapter 3: Returning to [Relatively] Normal

Marceline is shaken out of her daydream as she hears the sound of a door opening, and Bonnibel's voice ringing through the air. "Still here?" she jokingly asks.

"Where else would I go?" the Vampire Queen responds. "I can't head back to my place; your bed's way nicer than mine!"

The princess sits on the bed. "Well, if your bed's a problem, I could always get you a new one."

Marceline shrugs. "No offense, Bonnie, but your... aesthetic is pretty much the opposite of everything that's in my house."

"Well, we're pretty much opposites, but that's not causing any problems, is it?"

"Good point," she concedes, smiling.

Bonnibel slides next to her and leans against her shoulder. "I'm glad you didn't leave last night." She sighs, prompting Marceline to gently wrap and arm around her shoulders. "I wish we could hang out more. Like we used to." She looks at Marceline, the princess' deep green eyes meeting her friend's dark red ones.

"Well, I can visit more. I just assume you're always too busy. I don't wanna get in the way, ya know?"

"I'll always have time for you, Marcy. Besides, if I am actually doing something, it's always nice to have someone to talk to while I'm working." After a moment's pause, she adds, "And I also know that you're mature enough to not cause any problems."

Marceline snorts. "I think that's the first time anybody's ever called me 'mature' before."

"Well, you really are." She takes a breath and quickly adds, "In spite of evidence to the contrary."

The two sit on the bed in silence for a few moments, but a knock on the door accompanied by Finn's voice breaks the quiet. "Uh, PB? Marcy? You guys up?"

Bonnibel reluctantly rises from the bed and heads to the door. She opens it to see Finn and Jake in the doorway. "Hey guys."

"Um... hey," Finn responds. "You... wanted to see us?"

"Oh, right. Come in here." She turns to allow them into the room. "As far as I can tell, Marcy's practically in perfect condition." Hovering slightly above the bed, Marceline gives two thumbs up. "Still, I'm going to need to run a few tests. Just a precaution, ya know?"

"Okay... then why'd you ask us to come here?" Jake asks, confused.

"Well, I want you two to make sure Marcy gets home safely."

"You want them to babysit me?" Marceline snorts. "I think I can go home on my own. As long as no storms pop up, I'll be fine."

Finn agrees with her, albeit with a small amount of hesitation. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's not gonna get hurt heading home. If she flies, she can get there in, like, ten minutes."

However, Bonnibel has already turned around and started to clean the room up, loading the various smaller utensils onto one of the dollies. "It's just a precaution, guys. Besides, it's not babysitting; it's escorting. That's way more important!" She pushes the assorted medical equipment out of the way, then turns around and sees that nobody is really convinced. With a sigh, she asks, "Can you just do this? Please?"

A brief moment of silence passes before the Vampire Queen answers her. "Alright. If it'll make you happy."

"It would." The princess returns to cleaning up the room. "Alright, well, I'm gonna get this stuff cleaned up and then do a few quick tests. Then you can head out."

After two hours, Bonnibel records the information of her final test, walking through her palace's halls with her friends. Marceline, Finn, and Jake are all ready to go, the two boys especially. "Well," the princess starts, "I'll come down and give results back to you. They should be ready by tomorrow."