Step Right Up

Marceline floated around impatiently in her house that was hidden deep underneath Ooo. "Where is he?" She thought angrily as she grabbed her battle-axe bass and began to strum away furiously. She flipped over so that she was floating with her back to the floor as she waited for Finn and Jake to arrive.

Finn and Jake were on their way to Marceline's place, just walking casually while chatting it up. "So, are you gonna ask her bro?" Jake asked his broham Finn as he elbowed him in the arm.

"I-I don't know.... W-why should I anyways?" His very pale skin turned a scarlet red from embarrassment.

"Cause I know you want to. Simple as that, besides, I know that you got over Princess Bubblegum after she fell for that other guy and started dating him."

Marceline heard two oh-so-familiar voices approaching her house. She quickly moved over to one of the smallish windows and grinned as she saw Finn and Jake at the top of the path. She opened the door and then floated into the kitchen to hide from them so that she could attempt to spook them out.

When they approached the familiar place, Finn stopped dead in his tracks. "J-Jake, Marceline's door is open!"

"Chill out dude, she probably left it open to get some air in.." Soon enough, he felt his body being shook in a fast motion.

"What if something /happened/ to her?! We don't have any time to waste!" He swiftly drew his sword as he grabbed Jake's arm and booked it to her place. As they ran inside, Finn was yelling desperately. "M-Marceline? Where are you?!" He searched all around, wanting to find her desperately.

Marceline giggled quietly from her hiding place. "Just a few more minutes..." She whispered as she listened to Finn's yells. She felt kind of guilty as she heard his cries get more and more frantic with every passing second so she decided to end it. She turned herself invisible and crept up behind Finn before becoming visible again and yelling "BOO!".

He fell backwards, on top of her without really knowing. He was scared as hell, but he turned over, though still being on top of her little cold body, his face looking directly at her's. "N-not cool... I was worried sick!" Though Jake fell on his butt laughing like no other /dog/ could.

She let out a noise that sounded somewhat like a whimper as Finn fell backwards onto her. Looking at his face that was painted with a worried expression she smiled sympathetically. "You were worried about me Finn?" Her pale gray skin turned an extremely light shade of pink. As Jake started to laugh she hissed and slid out from under Finn, looking hurt and embarrassed.

He nodded as he slowly got up, but he turned to Jake and chucked his backpack at his face, seeing that Marceline was hurt. "Knock it off dude!"

He quickly dodged the bag as he stopped laughing. "Sorry man, I couldn't help myself..."


Finn soon turned to Marceline to see if she was alright. He reached out his arm and placed his hand on her shoulder, worried about her once again. "Are you o-okay?" He asked.

Marceline felt Finn's warm touch against her cold skin. She blushed again but stopped as she turned around to face him. "I'm fine Finn. Just a little shaken up, that's all..." She sighed as she rubbed her neck lightly. "Anyways, you guys want some food? Movie night starts soon so if you want something to eat, now's the time to say." She floated into the kitchen and watched them through the window in the wall.

"S-sure....." Finn rubbed the back of his neck slowly as he replied to her. His face turned a bright pink when he turned away, so she couldn't see. Though he just stood there.

"Yeah, I'll eat something, well... Make that a lot!" Jake yelled as he walked over to sit down, still watching his buddies reactions.

Marceline began to float around the kitchen gathering ingredients to make something that she knew Finn and Jake loved: the everything burrito. She was becoming more and more confused as she tried to get her head around the events that had happened in the past few minutes. She was also getting more and more worried about what would happen at movie night as it was "couples" movie night. After taking a few minutes to think she had finished making the burritos. "Alright boys. Food's ready." She put the burritos onto the counter before grabbing an apple for herself and floating over to Finn's side.

Jake obviously hurried up and grabbed the burritos and sat back down, leaving him a spot for Finn and Marceline, but Finn slightly froze when he felt her next to him. He was acting so strange lately, he didn't mean for that to happen, he actually hoped she didn't hate him for it.

Marceline chuckled quietly to herself as she watched Jake grab the burritos like they were going to disappear in five seconds. His appetite was...amusing to say the least. She stuck one of her fangs into the apple and sucked the red color from it. She looked over at Finn and noticed that he hadn't even touched his burrito. "Hey Finn," She put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay man?"

He quickly nodded as he felt her soft skin touch his. "Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He made a smile appear on his face.

Jake quickly butted into the conversation. "He just has butterflies, that's all."

"Shut up dude!" His face turned a flamingo pink as he sat down in the chair, instead of the couch.

"It's just...um...well, never mind." She moved her hand onto her waist and smiled. She looked over at Jake and then back at Finn as they had a short argument about something that was unknown to her and chuckled quietly again before floating over to the window to hide her face that was slowly turning pink. "Guys, I think we should get going soon. Ya know, to movie night?" She said quietly, still looking out of the window.

"Y-yeah....." Finn spoke very softly as he stole a burrito from Jake and ate it.

Jake didn't pay any attention and finished the rest of them up. "Good idea! I can't wait to see Lady Rainicorn!"

Marceline looked back at Finn and smiled as she saw him eat one of the burritos. "Thank goodness he's actually eating something..." She thought to herself. She couldn't let him realize that she was worried about him as that would make her seem kind of soft. "Are you and Lady Rainicorn gonna get it on Jake?" She grinned mischievously as she opened the door.

Finn smirked and replied for him. "Most likely." He chuckled as he finished what he was saying.

"How do you know dude? You've never /got/ it on before… And I bet it won't happen tonight either." He childishly stuck his tongue out at his human friend. Finn just flushed deeply and walked out the door as soon as Jake did.

Marceline laughed at Finn and Jake's mini argument. "Humans are so amusing." She said to no-one in particular as she waited for them to exit her house. She fiddled with the sleeves of her purple t-shirt as she floated along behind them. Finn was acting weird so who knew what would happen at movie night? She blushed just thinking about it.

Finn lightly rubbed his arm while walking, he seemed like such a fool right now, he really wasn't acting like his normal self. Jake kept encouraging him though.

Soon they arrived at the Drive-In Theater. There was a large outdoor screen with the projection booth in the cab of a ruined truck. There was also various types of seating, most of which were in ruined cars. Marceline sat on the same truck that she'd sat on at the last movie night and hugged her knees to her chest as she waited for the movie to start. Jake would probably leave her and Finn to sit with Lady.

As she guessed, Jake went off to sit with Lady and they started to cuddle, as for Finn, he sat next Marceline, though he didn't speak a word, he was nervous to after all the events that happened today so far.

Marceline fiddled with the red ties that held her hair in two short pigtails. She was far too distracted to even pay attention to the movie that was playing. She rested her head on her knees and hummed quietly to herself. Everything was so awkward right now and she didn't like it at all.

He looked over at her and frowned. He was worried for her again and he got those butterflies once more. "A-are you alright?" He asked calmly, even if he did stutter.

She looked up as she heard Finn's sweet voice talking to her. "I'm okay, I guess. Just a little confused..." She tried to smile but she couldn't manage even the smallest little smile. Everywhere around her people were making out and it was making her feel dizzy and confused. "Finn...I..."

He quickly wrapped his arms around her, afraid that she might pass out or something. She didn't look too well by the look on her face. "What is it Marceline?" At that moment, he got even more worried.

She blushed as she felt Finn's arms wrap tightly around her body. Her insides felt like they were turning to jelly and her mind was rushing. What was going on? She then groaned and fell onto Finn's lap, her eyes closed and her body getting hotter with every passing second.

He nearly jumped when he noticed what happened. "Marceline!" He nearly screamed, which made everyone put their attention on him. Both Jake and Lady Rainicorn rushed over to see if she was alright.

Marceline could hear Finn's voice screaming her name but she was too weak to say anything or even open her eyes to show him that she was okay. I need to do something to show him I'm okay. She thought as she heard Jake's and Lady's voices joining in now. She tried to move her leg but it only twitched. Hopefully that was enough of a sign.

He saw her leg twitch, which made him feel somewhat better, but he just wanted to hear her voice. At that moment, he knew that he had to get her out of there, so he stood up, with her in his arms, but before he left, he spoke to Jake and Lady. "S-she needs to be resting in bed, so I'm gonna take her back to her place, Jake, meet me back there when the movies over.

"Alright dude, be careful." With that, his buddy nodded and took off.

Marceline felt herself being lifted into the air and carried away from the buzzing crowd at the Drive-In. Her head was becoming less crowded and strained now but she was still in a feverish state. She had no idea why that had just happened but she did know that she felt safe in Finn's arms.

"Don't worry, we're almost back to your place..." A few minutes passed and they finally arrived at her home. He walked to her bedroom and placed her gently on the bed.

She felt the soft fabric of her cotton duvet as Finn placed her down gently. She was slowly regaining her strength and her temperature was returning to its usual cold self. She heard Finn leave the room and then attempted to roll onto her side but she wasn't strong enough yet. She'd just have to wait.

He paced back and forth in her living room, wondering what he would do. "It has to be my fault.. It just has to be... Maybe Jake was right, maybe I /should/ of told her how I felt..."

She tried to roll over again and this time she succeeded but she fell off of the bed and hit the hard wooden floor. Her eyes snapped open and she groaned again as she tried to get up but failed miserably. She curled into a ball and lay there shivering. Something was definitely wrong.

He heard a loud thud and rushed to her room. "Marceline!" He yelled as he picked her up and held her close to him. "What were you trying to do??" He was scared as hell.

She felt his arm's hold her tightly again. She managed to smile this time but that smile soon faded as she noticed how worried Finn looked. She now looked worried too. "Finn...I just wanted to roll onto my side, ya know, to get comfortable..." Her voice faded. "I'm sorry..." She gripped his shirt tightly.

"N-no, don't apologize, it's my fault... I should have stayed in your room...." He held onto her more tightly as he felt regret rush over him.

She smiled sympathetically before burying her head into his chest. "Don't blame yourself Finn." She whispered as she reached out for her duvet indicating that she wanted to be on her bed again. "Sit with me Finn."

"A-alright.." He said as he placed her down on her bed and sat down next to her. "S-so.. What happened back at the drive-in....?" He asked, wanting to know, cause he wasn't her, he couldn't have known what happened.

She looked at him sadly and shook her head. "I don't know Finn...I just felt really awkward...and then everyone started making out around me and I started to feel dizzy and confused. Then I guess I fainted. But it was really weird cos I could hear what you were saying. I just couldn't do anything..." She moved her head onto his shoulder and sighed.

"Heh, I can imagine... I felt awkward too...." He lightly wrapped his arm around her for comfort, to hopefully make her feel a bit better.

Marceline blushed as Finn wrapped his arm around her again. She had returned to her usual temperature but Finn was making her feel a little warmer than usual. "Don't forget, Jake was kinda pressuring you." She smiled. "Thanks for bringing me home Finn..." She lifted her legs onto the bed and snuggled up to Finn.

His eyes widened as he blushed deeply. "Y-your welcome and how did you know that he was pressuring me?? So you know now...?" He thought it was all over, she must have found out why his pal was pressuring him.

She looked at his shocked face and laughed gently. "I just guessed from the things he was saying earlier about the butterflies and everything else." She smiled before getting up and walking towards the bathroom. "I might have a bath, just to clear my head up a bit. You can just do whatever you usually do Finn." She waved as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

He sighed once she entered the bathroom. "She really must know now... I'm such an idiot! Now everything is really awkward... I can't even barely say anything to her, she must think I'm not the same person she always knew anymore..."

She let the taps run as she ran her hands through her hair and removed the red hair ties. "What is wrong with me?" She yelled as she kicked the sink with all of her might. Then she fell to her knees and cried quietly, her sobs drowned out by the sound of the running taps.

He heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom, so he walked up to the door and knocked softly on it. "Marceline? Are you doing okay? I heard something and thought I should check..."

Marceline shut off the taps when she heard Finn's voice. "I'm doing okay Finn. Nothing to worry about." She said laughing a little to show that she was fine. She then removed her clothes and got into the bath and deliberately splashed around a bit to justify what she'd just said.

"Alright..." He replied as he sat down next to the door. Was his judgment really off? Was she really fine? He wanted to know desperately.

After about fifteen minutes she got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her little body. She walked over to the door and opened it to see Finn sitting there. "Oh Finn! Were you waiting for me?" She said as she gripped the light purple towel tightly.


"S-sorry... I was just worried about you.." He looked up at her face and noticed that it was slightly red around the eyes. "M-Mar.... Were you crying in there?" He stood up and looked directly at her.

"No need to apologize Finn, I'm just surprised that someone's actually worried about me for once..." She smiled as she twisted her hair with her fingers. Her eyes widened at his next question. Was it really that obvious? She rubbed one of her eyes and smiled nervously. "Um...yeah, I was Finn..." A solitary tear rolled down her cheek as she moved her hand away.

He raised his hand and carefully wiped away the tear that fell down her pretty face. "Of course I worry about you.. And why? D-did I do something to hurt you...?" He brought her into a friendly hug. "If I did, I'm sorry..."

She blushed as Finn wiped away her tear. His touch was soft and made her feel a little warm and fuzzy. "Gee, thank you Finn." She smiled and shook her head. "No, of course not. It wasn't you...it's just...well...me and Ash got back together a few weeks ago but then...he left me for some other vampire chick..." She accepted Finn's hug carefully so that her towel didn't fall down.

"I-I'm so sorry to hear that dude... Is there anything that I can do to make you feel better? Or, help you with anything?" He wasn't expecting her to say that she just went through a break-up, but, it gave him a little hope, but like always, he was too chicken to even ask her, or tell her.

"Well just being here for me is awesome Finn." She paused. "Well, there is something you can help me with. Firstly, help me choose an outfit! And secondly, help me take out a whole field of dimple plant monsters!" She grinned devilishly. She walked over to her wardrobe and opened it while she waited for Finn to choose something. She really enjoyed his company as it made her feel as alive as an un-dead girl could be.

He chuckled softly. "Y-your trusting me with picking an outfit? Have you gone crazy or something? I would be the last man on the planet for choosing something fashion wise..."

"Well I trust that you'll make the right decision Finn." She smiled as she used her free hand to tie her long black hair into a pony tail. "I need something that would really bring out my skin tone. And I only own about seven different outfits so please choose one. It would mean a lot to me." She tried to make a cute face.

He blushed darkly as he pointed to the very last one on the rack, his finger shaking. "W-what about this one...?"

"Hmmm..." Marceline pulled the dark purple dress made from Why-Wolf fur out of the closet and examined it closely. "Oh Finn! It's perfect! Thank you!" She pulled him into a quick friendly hug and then dashed into the bathroom to get changed and let the water out of the bath tub. After about five minutes she was ready and had emerged from the bathroom. "So what do you think?" She asked as she did a little spin in the air.

His faced turned a crimson red as looked at her, his smile was gentle and kind. "Y-you look beautiful..." After he realized what he said he quickly tried to switch the word around. "Uhhh... I-I mean c-cute... Ummmm... G-good...?" He turned away, fully flushed.

"T-thank you Finn" She blushed a light flamingo pink before giggling as she watched her friend struggle to find the right word to say. She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled. "Let's just wait for Jake to get here so we can destroy the dimple plant monsters." She floated over to the couch and patted one of the cushions next to her.

"R-right...." He walked over to her and sat down. His focus was slightly off, he was embarrassed to look over at her since his emotions were acting crazy, though he had to tell her sometime.

Marceline noticed that Finn wasn't his usual self so she decided to say something to try to lift his spirits. "Hey Finn, do you remember that time when we ran with the wolves?" She asked him. Sure, it wasn't the best thing to say but she was sure it would make him smile.

He smiled softly when she spoke. He nodded as he looked over at her. "Yeah, I remember, those were some good times..."

She saw Finn smiling again and that made her smile too. "And also that time when we fought my dad just because he ate my fries. I still can't believe he did that, apparently they weren't that good anyway." She laughed softly. "So Finn, is there something you want to ask me? Cause, well, you know you can tell me anything right? We are friends after all."

He chuckled lightly until she asked if there was anything that he wanted to ask her. He finally got the balls to tell her, but it couldn't be here in the house. "C-can we take a walk...?"

"Sure. It would be nice to go out for a while to get some fresh air." She floated away from the chair and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "I'll write Jake a note just in case he comes back and we're not here." She began to scribble onto the paper and then stuck it onto the door. Then she grabbed her umbrella (just because it matched her outfit) and floated out of the door to wait for Finn.

He got up and slowly walked out of her place, closing the door behind him. He was about to offer her his hand but he quickly shoved them into his pockets, scared to blush even more.

"So where do you want to walk? We should probably avoid the Drive-In though because the film is almost over." She looked up at the sky and noticed how beautiful it was. "Hey Finn, look up at the sky." She gasped as she saw a shooting star pass overhead. "Make a wish Finn!" She closed her eyes and whispered something under her breath.

He closed his eyes and said his wish in his head. I wish that I could have a chance with Marceline... He opened his eyes after and looked over at her. "I have an idea of where I want to take you..."

"Oh really? Have we been there before?" Marceline smiled as she floated behind Finn. She was beginning to develop feelings for Finn but she couldn't tell him. He liked Princess Bubblegum and it was too soon. She's just broken up with Ash. Besides, he'd never feel the same way. She thought miserably.

"No we haven't." He finally decided to offer her his hand. "Come on, we should get going to there..." He waited patiently for her to grasp his hand.

She looked a bit surprised as Finn offered her his hand. She floated down to the ground so that she could walk on the ground beside him and took his warm hand. "Alright, let's go Finn." She said as her cheeks turned pink.

He too, turned pink again, but he loved feeling her soft skin. "Alright dude.." He walked right by her side. After a few minutes have passed, they both arrived at a field full of red poppies.

Her face lit up as she saw the field of poppies. "Oh Finn! This is..." She paused to look around and take in every detail. "This is beautiful. And red's my favorite color." She ran into the field, still holding Finn's hand, until they reached the middle give or take a few meters.

"I'm glad you love it...." He blushed deeply, seeing her so happy made him turn such a dark color. He knew at this moment, words couldn't do him justice, so, he leaned in slowly and gently kissed her cheek.

As Finn's lips touched her cheek she felt her entire body get a lot warmer. "Um...Finn..." She stared into his eyes as she felt her cheeks burning. "Is there something you've been hiding from me?" She sat down and patted the ground next to her, indicating that she wanted him to sit next to her.

"Y-yes.... There has been something that I've been wanting to tell you..." He sat down next to her and stared at nothing across the field. "I never knew how to really say it, but... I like you..." He looked over towards her but looked away again.

"I-I like you too Finn but I don't know if you're talking about the same "like" that I am." She blushed again as she moved her fingers across the soft flower petals. She picked one of the flowers and stuck one of her fangs into it so that she could suck the red colour from it. What kind of "like" is he talking about? She thought to herself. Could it be the same "like" that I'm talking about?

He sighed. "Probably not..... But, I hope it is..." He smiled again when he saw her with the flower. "Marceline, do you love someone...?"

Marceline looked over at Finn in surprise. "Um, well there is this one guy that I love. He's sweet and funny and cute and he doesn't treat me differently just because I'm a girl but...I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way..." She sighed. "How about you Finn? Is there someone you love?"

"I bet he's a real caring guy... Me? W-well.... There's one girl that I love. She always makes me smile, and makes me feel more than a hero, but just a person... A normal human-being..." He laughed before continuing on. "Though she probably doesn't love me..."

She smiled. "She sounds perfect for you Finn. I definitely think you should ask her out!" She smiled before picking a few more flowers and sucking the color out them. Although, that does mean I can't have you... She thought sadly.

He nodded before he held her hand. "I think you're right about that, she is perfect... So, I'm gonna ask right now no matter how much of a fool I am.." He kneeled in front of her not getting too close though. "M-Marceline, w-will you go out with me?" He looked straight in her eyes, hoping that she would say yes.

If she had a beating heart it probably would have skipped a beat at this moment. "You want me to go out with you?" She asked as she felt her cheeks burning a fierce red. She stared into Finn's eyes before leaning closer to him. "Of course I will Finn." She leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips.

His eyes were as wide as watermelons, but soon closed them, he wasn't expecting her to say yes, or even kiss him! His wish truly did come true.
Marceline snuggled into Finn's body and rested her head on his shoulder. "I never thought you'd actually ask me Finn. I had a feeling that you...ya know...liked me but to finally be together, it feels...good." She smiled as they sat in that beautiful field of poppies together underneath the stars. It was perfect.

Later on, close to midnight, Jake finally got back to Marceline's place and saw the note. He pulled it down, read it, and soon smirked. "So they ARE getting it on."