Anonymous

9

Bonnibel shivered and rubbed her palms together quickly in a futile attempt at warming herself up. She shuffled where she was sat, perched on a cold and uncomfortable wall, and tugged her sleeves over her fingers, balling her hands into fists. Her body shook with another shiver, the wind's icy breath making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Shakily, she let out a soft sigh, her breath coming out in a puff of smoke, and she leaned over and crossed her arms over herself. Penguins huddled together for warmth, and although Bonnie wasn't a penguin and didn't have anyone to huddle with, she could still attempt at closing herself up in an effort to keep the cold out.

The temperature was in the minuses, and Peter couldn't pick her up until five. So, Bonnie had resolved to wait outside of the train station for forty-five minutes.

(Probably not her best plan ever.)

She huffed again, tugging the hood of her pink sweater over her head in an attempt to keep her ears warm. She could've sworn it hadn't been this cold earlier when she'd left the house with Jake and Lady. It was probably an idiotic move to leave the house without a coat on Christmas Eve, but in her defence, she'd checked her weather app and that had told her she'd be fine.

Stupid apps.

Bonnie kept her hands balled into fists and thought back to how Jake had offered her a ride home. Regretting her decision to call Peter and save Jake the hassle, she gritted her teeth and decided that she was going to stick it out. She could handle another forty-five minutes.

In a final act of desperation, she emptied her pocket for some change to use for a bus ride home, but all she found was a quarter, a pen and a piece of scrap paper with a small shopping list scrawled on it. Nothing she could pay for the bus with.

Sure, she could walk home, but that would take her nearly an hour and it was already dark. Walking home alone in the dark? Not her thing. She was still kind of shaky with her orienteering around town, and she'd rather not get lost on Christmas Eve and freeze to death. Not how she wanted to go at all.

Bonnie kept her gaze trained towards her feet and avoided any passing looks from strangers. Loitering outside of a train station probably made her look a little weird, but if anyone asked, she'd tell them she was waiting for someone. A distant relative, or something of the sort.

Either way, when she heard a scuffling in front of her, her head snapped up to look at the person who was approaching her. Maybe Finn, Phoebe or Elle. Someone she hadn't seen go home already.

It was Marceline.

Bonnibel blinked up at her company. Marceline had stopped in front of her and was staring down at her, apparently wanting something. Why else would she stop?

"Uh," Bonnie cleared her throat and hunched her shoulders to stay warm, "can I help you?"

"Why are you sitting there?" Marceline folded her arms across her chest in an effort to maintain her intimidating persona. It was mitigated when she crossed one leg over the other in a casual stance. "It's Christmas Eve. Shouldn't you be off with your friends or...family or whatever?"

"I was with my friends," Bonnie replied quietly, "They all went home and my uncle can't pick me up until five. That's why I'm waiting here. Shouldn't you be with your family, too?"

"I only just finished work." Marceline told her, but it was hurried, like the information was irrelevant. "Aren't you cold? You're not wearing a coat."

Bonnie wasn't about to admit that she purposely left it at home. Not to Marceline of all people. "Yeah, I...forgot it."

Marceline blinked at her. "It's December."