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Description
For a moment, the vampire considered it.
A flick of the wrist, a puncture in the neck and his spine would be broken with his blood draining out onto the floor, magenta liquid bubbling between his lips as he gasped out his dying breath. It was revenge alright. But Gumball would have welcomed it. He knew how badly he had screwed up, and he wanted a way out. Also, something within Marshall disagreed with murdering his former best friend.
Besides, everybody knows how revenge is best served.

' No. I'm not gonna kill you.'
Gumball glanced up at Marshall-lee, surprised. The vampire wouldn't sympathise with him, he knew that much, so why the hell..
' Why not?'
' Because you want me to. That's not a punishment, it's a gift. I'm not helping you escape her without trying to make your wrongs right. You're gonna pay for this everyday when you look at her face and realise that she will never trust you again. You'll pay for it when she shies away from you, afraid. You'll pay for it when you see her in my arms instead of yours, because I'll be the only man in Aaa she'll let come near her. You're gonna pay for what you did a thousand times over and you'll never even come close to what you owe her. Because you'll never be able to pay back her innocence.'
Marshall-lee took a step forward then crouched down, staring straight at the prince. Gumball shivered and cringed away from the vampire's midnight black eyes, fury glowing ruby red in the center.
' And if you ever- ever- touch her again, I will tear out your intestines and use them to make your noose, before throwing you off of the window ledge of this laboratory. Got it?' He said quietly, the soft hiss far more menacing then anything he had spoken earlier. Prince Gumball nodded, rooted to the spot in fear. Marshall-lee then drew back his fist and delivered a lightening fast punch to the prince's temple, knocking him out cold. After a moments contemplation where he deliberated between what was reasonable and what was satisfying, he brought his foot down roughly on Gumball's bent knee, feeling like he should wince but instead purring at the sound of splintering bone and tearing muscle. Gumwad was gonna have a hell of a headache when he came to, immediately followed by headfucking pain and a limp that would last a lifetime.
Good.
Marshall nodded in perverse satisfaction at his handiwork before flying out of the same window he had just threatened to hang the Prince of the Candy Kingdom from.

As he flew back towards the treehouse, he mentally reveiwed every iota of information Gumball had given him. Yes, he understood why the spineless idiot had taken advantage of her. She had been so messed up with all the stimulation that she had acted like she wanted it. Wanted it bad, judging by Gumbutt's description. But he knew that she had no clue what she was doing. He was the one that had drugged her up in the first place. He had nothing that took the responsibilty or the guilt away from him, yet Marshall knew he would spend every night of forever miserably trying to convince himself otherwise.

He was more worried about Fionna now. After what had happened to her, judging by the blood, something had been damaged. And if it was even at all possible, she could be pregnant. And that was only the physical injuries. How long would it take for her to recover mentally? It wasn't like there was much he could do for her either. She had been a virgin, and the first time would hurt even if it was gentle and loving. Actually, that was something else that was bugging him, though he'd be damned if he ever admitted it. Stupid mongrel had stolen Fionna's first from him. ( Somehow, he had always assumed that he was the only male in Aaa with any kind of sexual prowess, considering if she ever tried that with Flame dork she'd be burned to a crisp from the inside out. Guy probably jizzed lava.)
Gumball had be so moronically focused on his own bloody sex drive that he had essentially treated Fionna as his personal whore, without any regard for how she might feel. He had used her and hurt her, and somehow didn't think that he should be responsible because he was ignorant?
Marshall-lee could feel a white noise ringing in the back of his head, and he had half a mind to make good on his threat from earlier, or possibly break his other knee and a couple of ribs into the bargain. But Fionna needed him now, she needed care and affection. Not revenge.
But how the hell was he supposed to give her that when he couldn't fucking touch her without making her remember that bastard? He calmed himself, feeling the noise and the white heat that accompanied it fade slowly. The fury was replaced quickly by unadulterated anxiety. He knew how to deal with bad guys. After all, he had been dealt with in similar ways many times, though never for a crime that was not only illegal but morally screwed- just illegal ones. But he had no clue how to deal with the victim.

' Fionna?' Marshall-lee called nervously as he drifted back inside the treehouse, then cleared his throat. Yelling at Gumball hadn't done his vocal chords any favours. The treehouse seemed deathly silent, until a small, cracked sob broke through. Instantly, as if her tears were a hook that had latched themselves onto his heart, Marshall-lee was drawn towards the noise and flew into Fionna's room. She was sitting up on her bed, Cake asleep at her feet. Her hair was messy and crumpled, her eyes looked sore and red and there were still tears flowing silently down her cheeks. It looked like she was trying to suppress the pain, in order not to wake Cake. Marshall couldn't believe that after everything that had just happened to her, she still had the grace not to wake up her cat with her crying. This girl was a fucking miracle.
Fionna appeared mildly surprised to see him there, and she frantically pawed at the droplets sliding down her cheeks.
' Um, I... Marshall, I was- Uh..' Marshall-lee shushed her and drifted over to the bed, floating awkwardly a few feet away from her. Even though he understood now, having her shy away from him was still unpleasant at best, and besides she had gone through enough emotional turmoil in the last day and a half.
' Fi, you were asleep when I left. What happened?' He asked quietly. He'd never admit it, but seeing her cry always shocked him, just because she was so friggin' tough.
' I... I-I had a nightmare.' She hiccuped, before desperately clasping her hands over her mouth as her shoulders shook, anxious eyes fixed on her cat. Cake rolled over and stretched, but didn't wake up.

Marshall-lee could literally feel himself ache as he watched her with his want to pull her into his arms. The intensity of it surprised himself a little. He had always thought that he was at least content with their relationship as it was now, because he had never really needed connections like that before. Besides, Ashley had kinda destroyed his faith in relationships as a whole. He just hadn't thought he wanted what they didn't have that badly. But watching her, frightened blue eyes filled with tears at the horror of her dreams, pushed past his distancing front and made him want to help, and made him want her to want his help. That was rare. He was usually fine with indifference, even towards her.

' Fionna, I- Was it about... Him?' He questioned uncertainly, as disturbed by his own reaction as he was by hers. He wasn't used to feeling this helpless, nor being bothered by it, and he disliked both sensations deeply.
Fionna stared at him mutely for a few moments, before her eyes filled with fresh tears, and she stared at him as she nodded, her entire body wracked with the sobs she suppressed underneath her fingers. Marshall found that he literally could not take being so distant anymore- Jeez, how the hell had he been like this for a fucking millennium?- and seeing as he didn't know any other way to make her feel better, he reached for her.
Fionna cringed away from him automatically, and the hurt immediately bloomed in his chest, but he slid his arms around her shoulders and under her knees anyway. He gently picked her up off of the bed, taking one of the blankets with her and carried her down the ladder and over to their puffy purple couch. Fionna remained rigid as he carried her, although Marshall could sense the conflict she was experiencing. Her mind wanted the comfort, but her body rejected it.
' Fionna, stop thinking about who I am, and just accept that I'm here. And I won't let that asshole come between us.' Even as he said the words he winced at how cliche and ridiculous they sounded, but he was thinking on the fly here, and resorting to bad TV lines is usually what happened when he was exhausted and confused and angry and worried and a billion other things. Give me a break, He sighed mentally. Fionna looked up at him, her hand and mouth trembling as she tried to stop herself from crying.

' Talk to me. What did you dream about, just say whatever you want to say.' He whispered, sinking down into the couch cushions and curling her up on his lap, his arms wrapping protectively around her slight form and cradling her to his chest. Fionna gulped on her tears as he rocked her back and forth, willing for her to work with him. Slowly, she let her hand fall from her mouth and instead grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging on the fabric like a lifeline.
' I dreamed that I was in a wedding dress. And I was so happy, because I was going to marry somebody who I never though would like me how I wished he would. And then, when I walked up to the altar, the guy who was standing there, the guy I wanted he- he changed, and then the dress started turning red, blood red, and the crowd started s-screaming.' Fionna paused for a second, panting slightly, and Marshall was about to tell her to stop but she continued just before the words left his lips.
' Then he t-tackled me, and it was like I was trapped in my own head, and I wanted to scream and yell and push him off but I couldn't, I j-just couldn't move then he tore off the dress and- and-...' Marshall-lee quickly shushed her, but was unable to stop the small nugget of gratification from settling into his stomach when she buried her face into the side of his neck. Jeez, she was crying her guts out and all he could think was that he could touch her again? Good gob, he was hopeless.
' It's okay, I know, I know. You don't have to say anything, I know. You're safe, I'm here.' He murmured, feeling inadequate. He could usually spin words like a pro, but he didn't have the aid of a guitar or an emotional defense if he screwed up. If he got this wrong, Fionna would be hurt and so would he, weirdly enough.

' Fionna, I went after him. I had a feeling.' Fionna looked back up at Marshall in bewilderment, her eyes looking too large for her hollow features.
' You went after him on a feeling?'
' Yeah, well last time I didn't trust myself I ended up missing you, so I'm not going to do that again. I made him tell me everything.' Fionna pressed her lips together in a thin line.
' Then what?'
' Then... Then I knocked him out and broke his knee.' He said sheepishly, worried at her reaction. She looked almost concerned for the dickface. He hadn't expected that.
' Why didn't you kill him?' She asked impassively, studying Marshall-lee unfathomably. Marshall-lee was highly disoriented by this change in temperament and focused on trying to coherently phrase his thought processes.
' Because that's too good for him. He should grovel at you feet for the rest of his fucking life for what he did to you, not die and escape from having to apologise. He life is pretty much the same as my death, which is better than he deserves, but I also reckoned that you probably wouldn't want him dead...?' He said, posing his last remark as a question. Fionna continued to stare at him for a moment, and Marshall suddenly recognised that she was suppressing fear. She was afraid of him.
' Fionna?' He said in alarm, and she shook her head, clinging to him in an entirely reassuring way. She wasn't going to make him leave. His actions hadn't backfired.
' I just.. I.. He said he was sorry, but I was scared and he hurt me and I'm still scared of him, but I didn't want him to be dead. I mean, he has the candy kingdom to run and-' At this a small flame of rage blazed inside the vampire once again and her growled, silencing the human.
' Fionna, I don't give a fuck about the candy kingdom, all I care about is you. That bastard deserves to be cursed with immortality then run through with a spiked spear and set on fire for all of eternity. His responsibilities and stature be damned, he hurt you all because he wanted to get some. I will not let anybody treat you like that .' Marshall suddenly faltered, the fire sputtering out as quickly as it had started and he eyed the girl curled on his lap apprehensively, worried that his anger might have frightened her again. There was fear in her expression, but also wonder. What did he do?

" All you care about is.. me?" she said, looking at him in amazed disbelief. Marshall-lee blushed. Yeah, that might've slipped out. But perhaps it was a good thing, maybe he could distract her from all the pain and uncertainty she was dealing with.
' But.. you said I was just a little girl.' Marshall-lee found himself desperately wanting to run and hide from the situation, and knowing that he couldn't, and cursing himself for not just holding his damned tongue.
' I, um.. You.. mean a lot to me, Fi. Just... That was ages ago, and you were still a little girl.' he said quickly, feeling intensely exposed and hating every second.
' Marshall, that was last year. What changed since then?'
' You did.' Fionna appeared confused by the sentiment then stiffened as if shocked when Marshall's forearm brushed a small piece of her back where the skin had become exposed. She instantly struggled, before remembering that she was fine and had nothing to worry about and guiltily glanced at the vampire. His face remained carefully neutral, but Fionna could see in how his eyes were narrowed how much the tiny gesture wounded him. He had done so much for her, and she reacted by freaking out. This was Marshall, for grob's sake.
' I'm sorry, it- I can't-'
' I know. I'm just still pissed that this is all Gumbutt's fault and I can't do shit about it.' Fionna inhaled sharply at his name, then contemplated the vampire guardedly. She needed to know what he had done to her. And why.

' What did he do to me, Marshall? Because I don't remem- I c-can't-' Fionna appeared on the verge of tears again, and Marshall-lee instantly tightened his arms around her, rocking her back and forth and humming soothingly. Fionna's first reaction was to cringe away, but she suppressed it and instead searched for the comfort she would find in the warmth and pressure, the safety of it. Eventually, she found the contrast between how intimate this felt and how cold her drug-hazed memories seemed, one of the only details she could recall. Clinical and metallic. With that thought firmly set in her mind, she allowed his embrace and finally, finally found what she had needed.

Description
For a moment, the vampire considered it.
A flick of the wrist, a puncture in the neck and his spine would be broken with his blood draining out onto the floor, magenta liquid bubbling between his lips as he gasped out his dying breath. It was revenge alright. But Gumball would have welcomed it. He knew how badly he had screwed up, and he wanted a way out. Also, something within Marshall disagreed with murdering his former best friend.
Besides, everybody knows how revenge is best served.

' No. I'm not gonna kill you.'
Gumball glanced up at Marshall-lee, surprised. The vampire wouldn't sympathise with him, he knew that much, so why the hell..
' Why not?'
' Because you want me to. That's not a punishment, it's a gift. I'm not helping you escape her without trying to make your wrongs right. You're gonna pay for this everyday when you look at her face and realise that she will never trust you again. You'll pay for it when she shies away from you, afraid. You'll pay for it when you see her in my arms instead of yours, because I'll be the only man in Aaa she'll let come near her. You're gonna pay for what you did a thousand times over and you'll never even come close to what you owe her. Because you'll never be able to pay back her innocence.'
Marshall-lee took a step forward then crouched down, staring straight at the prince. Gumball shivered and cringed away from the vampire's midnight black eyes, fury glowing ruby red in the center.
' And if you ever- ever- touch her again, I will tear out your intestines and use them to make your noose, before throwing you off of the window ledge of this laboratory. Got it?' He said quietly, the soft hiss far more menacing then anything he had spoken earlier. Prince Gumball nodded, rooted to the spot in fear. Marshall-lee then drew back his fist and delivered a lightening fast punch to the prince's temple, knocking him out cold. After a moments contemplation where he deliberated between what was reasonable and what was satisfying, he brought his foot down roughly on Gumball's bent knee, feeling like he should wince but instead purring at the sound of splintering bone and tearing muscle. Gumwad was gonna have a hell of a headache when he came to, immediately followed by headfucking pain and a limp that would last a lifetime.
Good.
Marshall nodded in perverse satisfaction at his handiwork before flying out of the same window he had just threatened to hang the Prince of the Candy Kingdom from.

As he flew back towards the treehouse, he mentally reveiwed every iota of information Gumball had given him. Yes, he understood why the spineless idiot had taken advantage of her. She had been so messed up with all the stimulation that she had acted like she wanted it. Wanted it bad, judging by Gumbutt's description. But he knew that she had no clue what she was doing. He was the one that had drugged her up in the first place. He had nothing that took the responsibilty or the guilt away from him, yet Marshall knew he would spend every night of forever miserably trying to convince himself otherwise.

He was more worried about Fionna now. After what had happened to her, judging by the blood, something had been damaged. And if it was even at all possible, she could be pregnant. And that was only the physical injuries. How long would it take for her to recover mentally? It wasn't like there was much he could do for her either. She had been a virgin, and the first time would hurt even if it was gentle and loving. Actually, that was something else that was bugging him, though he'd be damned if he ever admitted it. Stupid mongrel had stolen Fionna's first from him. ( Somehow, he had always assumed that he was the only male in Aaa with any kind of sexual prowess, considering if she ever tried that with Flame dork she'd be burned to a crisp from the inside out. Guy probably jizzed lava.)
Gumball had be so moronically focused on his own bloody sex drive that he had essentially treated Fionna as his personal whore, without any regard for how she might feel. He had used her and hurt her, and somehow didn't think that he should be responsible because he was ignorant?
Marshall-lee could feel a white noise ringing in the back of his head, and he had half a mind to make good on his threat from earlier, or possibly break his other knee and a couple of ribs into the bargain. But Fionna needed him now, she needed care and affection. Not revenge.
But how the hell was he supposed to give her that when he couldn't fucking touch her without making her remember that bastard? He calmed himself, feeling the noise and the white heat that accompanied it fade slowly. The fury was replaced quickly by unadulterated anxiety. He knew how to deal with bad guys. After all, he had been dealt with in similar ways many times, though never for a crime that was not only illegal but morally screwed- just illegal ones. But he had no clue how to deal with the victim.

' Fionna?' Marshall-lee called nervously as he drifted back inside the treehouse, then cleared his throat. Yelling at Gumball hadn't done his vocal chords any favours. The treehouse seemed deathly silent, until a small, cracked sob broke through. Instantly, as if her tears were a hook that had latched themselves onto his heart, Marshall-lee was drawn towards the noise and flew into Fionna's room. She was sitting up on her bed, Cake asleep at her feet. Her hair was messy and crumpled, her eyes looked sore and red and there were still tears flowing silently down her cheeks. It looked like she was trying to suppress the pain, in order not to wake Cake. Marshall couldn't believe that after everything that had just happened to her, she still had the grace not to wake up her cat with her crying. This girl was a fucking miracle.
Fionna appeared mildly surprised to see him there, and she frantically pawed at the droplets sliding down her cheeks.
' Um, I... Marshall, I was- Uh..' Marshall-lee shushed her and drifted over to the bed, floating awkwardly a few feet away from her. Even though he understood now, having her shy away from him was still unpleasant at best, and besides she had gone through enough emotional turmoil in the last day and a half.
' Fi, you were asleep when I left. What happened?' He asked quietly. He'd never admit it, but seeing her cry always shocked him, just because she was so friggin' tough.
' I... I-I had a nightmare.' She hiccuped, before desperately clasping her hands over her mouth as her shoulders shook, anxious eyes fixed on her cat. Cake rolled over and stretched, but didn't wake up.

Marshall-lee could literally feel himself ache as he watched her with his want to pull her into his arms. The intensity of it surprised himself a little. He had always thought that he was at least content with their relationship as it was now, because he had never really needed connections like that before. Besides, Ashley had kinda destroyed his faith in relationships as a whole. He just hadn't thought he wanted what they didn't have that badly. But watching her, frightened blue eyes filled with tears at the horror of her dreams, pushed past his distancing front and made him want to help, and made him want her to want his help. That was rare. He was usually fine with indifference, even towards her.

' Fionna, I- Was it about... Him?' He questioned uncertainly, as disturbed by his own reaction as he was by hers. He wasn't used to feeling this helpless, nor being bothered by it, and he disliked both sensations deeply.
Fionna stared at him mutely for a few moments, before her eyes filled with fresh tears, and she stared at him as she nodded, her entire body wracked with the sobs she suppressed underneath her fingers. Marshall found that he literally could not take being so distant anymore- Jeez, how the hell had he been like this for a fucking millennium?- and seeing as he didn't know any other way to make her feel better, he reached for her.
Fionna cringed away from him automatically, and the hurt immediately bloomed in his chest, but he slid his arms around her shoulders and under her knees anyway. He gently picked her up off of the bed, taking one of the blankets with her and carried her down the ladder and over to their puffy purple couch. Fionna remained rigid as he carried her, although Marshall could sense the conflict she was experiencing. Her mind wanted the comfort, but her body rejected it.
' Fionna, stop thinking about who I am, and just accept that I'm here. And I won't let that asshole come between us.' Even as he said the words he winced at how cliche and ridiculous they sounded, but he was thinking on the fly here, and resorting to bad TV lines is usually what happened when he was exhausted and confused and angry and worried and a billion other things. Give me a break, He sighed mentally. Fionna looked up at him, her hand and mouth trembling as she tried to stop herself from crying.

' Talk to me. What did you dream about, just say whatever you want to say.' He whispered, sinking down into the couch cushions and curling her up on his lap, his arms wrapping protectively around her slight form and cradling her to his chest. Fionna gulped on her tears as he rocked her back and forth, willing for her to work with him. Slowly, she let her hand fall from her mouth and instead grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging on the fabric like a lifeline.
' I dreamed that I was in a wedding dress. And I was so happy, because I was going to marry somebody who I never though would like me how I wished he would. And then, when I walked up to the altar, the guy who was standing there, the guy I wanted he- he changed, and then the dress started turning red, blood red, and the crowd started s-screaming.' Fionna paused for a second, panting slightly, and Marshall was about to tell her to stop but she continued just before the words left his lips.
' Then he t-tackled me, and it was like I was trapped in my own head, and I wanted to scream and yell and push him off but I couldn't, I j-just couldn't move then he tore off the dress and- and-...' Marshall-lee quickly shushed her, but was unable to stop the small nugget of gratification from settling into his stomach when she buried her face into the side of his neck. Jeez, she was crying her guts out and all he could think was that he could touch her again? Good gob, he was hopeless.
' It's okay, I know, I know. You don't have to say anything, I know. You're safe, I'm here.' He murmured, feeling inadequate. He could usually spin words like a pro, but he didn't have the aid of a guitar or an emotional defense if he screwed up. If he got this wrong, Fionna would be hurt and so would he, weirdly enough.

' Fionna, I went after him. I had a feeling.' Fionna looked back up at Marshall in bewilderment, her eyes looking too large for her hollow features.
' You went after him on a feeling?'
' Yeah, well last time I didn't trust myself I ended up missing you, so I'm not going to do that again. I made him tell me everything.' Fionna pressed her lips together in a thin line.
' Then what?'
' Then... Then I knocked him out and broke his knee.' He said sheepishly, worried at her reaction. She looked almost concerned for the dickface. He hadn't expected that.
' Why didn't you kill him?' She asked impassively, studying Marshall-lee unfathomably. Marshall-lee was highly disoriented by this change in temperament and focused on trying to coherently phrase his thought processes.
' Because that's too good for him. He should grovel at you feet for the rest of his fucking life for what he did to you, not die and escape from having to apologise. He life is pretty much the same as my death, which is better than he deserves, but I also reckoned that you probably wouldn't want him dead...?' He said, posing his last remark as a question. Fionna continued to stare at him for a moment, and Marshall suddenly recognised that she was suppressing fear. She was afraid of him.
' Fionna?' He said in alarm, and she shook her head, clinging to him in an entirely reassuring way. She wasn't going to make him leave. His actions hadn't backfired.
' I just.. I.. He said he was sorry, but I was scared and he hurt me and I'm still scared of him, but I didn't want him to be dead. I mean, he has the candy kingdom to run and-' At this a small flame of rage blazed inside the vampire once again and her growled, silencing the human.
' Fionna, I don't give a fuck about the candy kingdom, all I care about is you. That bastard deserves to be cursed with immortality then run through with a spiked spear and set on fire for all of eternity. His responsibilities and stature be damned, he hurt you all because he wanted to get some. I will not let anybody treat you like that .' Marshall suddenly faltered, the fire sputtering out as quickly as it had started and he eyed the girl curled on his lap apprehensively, worried that his anger might have frightened her again. There was fear in her expression, but also wonder. What did he do?

" All you care about is.. me?" she said, looking at him in amazed disbelief. Marshall-lee blushed. Yeah, that might've slipped out. But perhaps it was a good thing, maybe he could distract her from all the pain and uncertainty she was dealing with.
' But.. you said I was just a little girl.' Marshall-lee found himself desperately wanting to run and hide from the situation, and knowing that he couldn't, and cursing himself for not just holding his damned tongue.
' I, um.. You.. mean a lot to me, Fi. Just... That was ages ago, and you were still a little girl.' he said quickly, feeling intensely exposed and hating every second.
' Marshall, that was last year. What changed since then?'
' You did.' Fionna appeared confused by the sentiment then stiffened as if shocked when Marshall's forearm brushed a small piece of her back where the skin had become exposed. She instantly struggled, before remembering that she was fine and had nothing to worry about and guiltily glanced at the vampire. His face remained carefully neutral, but Fionna could see in how his eyes were narrowed how much the tiny gesture wounded him. He had done so much for her, and she reacted by freaking out. This was Marshall, for grob's sake.
' I'm sorry, it- I can't-'
' I know. I'm just still pissed that this is all Gumbutt's fault and I can't do shit about it.' Fionna inhaled sharply at his name, then contemplated the vampire guardedly. She needed to know what he had done to her. And why.

' What did he do to me, Marshall? Because I don't remem- I c-can't-' Fionna appeared on the verge of tears again, and Marshall-lee instantly tightened his arms around her, rocking her back and forth and humming soothingly. Fionna's first reaction was to cringe away, but she suppressed it and instead searched for the comfort she would find in the warmth and pressure, the safety of it. Eventually, she found the contrast between how intimate this felt and how cold her drug-hazed memories seemed, one of the only details she could recall. Clinical and metallic. With that thought firmly set in her mind, she allowed his embrace and finally, finally found what she had needed.