Chapter Text
Lights were off in the Candy Kingdom, but that didn’t stop a particular Prince of the Night from getting in. He wasn’t into break-ins, but he’d do it tonight. His mind was chewing at him, no matter how hard he tried to divert his train of thought.
His royal majesty had something that belonged to him, and the vampire wasn’t just going to ask for it back. The pink-tart didn’t deserve that, so instead, here he was— sneaking in through the window made of the very substance he detested the most.
Unlocking it was the easy part. The hard part, however, was finding the fucking thing. Gumball was a light sleeper, Marshall Lee knew that about him. What he also knew, was the state he left his room in. Being a scientist meant you were busy, but it also meant you were too in your head to care about anything other than your studies. Marshall Lee had experienced that ignorance first hand, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it right now.
Scarlet eyes burned through the darkness of the room which reeked of bubblegum. His pale nose wrinkled at the stench, convincing himself the smell sickened him as he crawled through the window. Soft groaning came from the large bed, truly fit for a king. Sheets washed over the body of his royal majesty, twisted and conformed from what could only be a restless sleep. He deadpanned at him, floating in the air for a moment before he shook his head, eyes swarming over the room for what he was here for.
“Where do you keep it, huh?” Marshall muttered, huffing a soft gust of air past his lips. The room was coated pink, which was no surprise. It was far more impressive than his own room, however he much preferred the darker palette he had going on, not the unruly amount of rosé he saw before him.
The first place he’d look was Gumball’s vanity. Floating closer to it, it was unnecessarily grand, however the shit sprawled across the counter was almost comical. This Prince had preached to Marshall Lee how much of a slob he’d been, knowing damn well he himself was a slob, ten fold. Hooking his finger in the handle of the draw, he steadily pulled it open. Clothes were oddly tidily packed into the drawer, however none of them seemed to match the shirt he was searching for. He moved to close the drawer, seeing as it had no use to him, however it seemed to be jammed.
“How the fuck is it stuck? I just fucking opened i-…” The drawer slammed shut, the force of his own effort collapsing back onto him as he flew into the mirror. With a groan, he rubbed his forehead which unsurprisingly began to ache. Without even processing the possibility that he had awoken, light abruptly flooded the room, temporarily blinding the vampire. After some adjustment, he turned to face the bed and saw none other than Prince Gumball. With a face contorted into one of apprehension, he sat there stunned. Unmoving, obviously trying to make an attempt to speak, Marshall was quick to jump in.
“Hey.” The vampire’s voice was careful, unthreatening but not quite joyous either. He wasn’t happy to be here, but he needed his shit back. With a cool face, he descended until his heels met the ground. His converse were coated with mud and god knows what else, all on Gumball’s carpet. Perhaps he was a pretty messy guy, but it didn’t bother him.
“Hello? Can I help you with anything?” Gumball’s brow raised, his face scrunching up a little at the sight of those filthy shoes on his floor. That was the least of his problems, Marshall thought.
“You’ve got something of mine.” The raven-haired male crossed his arms, keeping his sentences short. He wasn’t feeling particularly chatty right now, despite the remark he could make about Gumball sounding like a cashier.
“Wanna be a little more specific? I don’t like you being here as much as you do.” The Prince hissed, genuinely having no clue what he was on about. He slid out of his bed, standing before the vampire without hesitation. It felt odd to stay there, especially with the vampire being here. Gumball had a right to stand up to him, too. Marshall Lee was in his room, after all.
Before he could let out a cocky remark, Marshall’s eyes fell down to the gum’s torso. His eyes sparked, suddenly leering like he had a degree in it. With his head, he gave a suggestive nod to the shirt Gumball had adorned.
“You still wear that?” Marshall scoffed, denying the conflict igniting in his chest. “Thought you would’ve fed that to your subjects, or something like that.”
Gumball’s face somehow turned pinker, and he was quick to avert his eyes. There was no way he’d admit to him how often he wore this shirt. His brows furrowed, and he showed obvious discomfort. “So what? What’s it to you? You’ve broken into my room, looked through my things— who are you to come in here and question me?” He huffed, hands moulding his messy hair back to something respectable.
“What’s it to me? Remember, your highness. That’s my fuckin’ shirt.” His eyes compressed to slivers, giving him a black look as he stepped closer. “I want it back.” Marshall spoke with a lack of heart. It was a special shirt to him, hence why he’d given it to Gumball all those years ago. But that was years ago, and things had changed.
The look on the Prince’s face was one of conflict, gulping thickly before he composed himself with a swift breath.
“Fine. I don’t care. Just hurry up and get out of my room.” His voice was quieter than before, lacking the fight he had as he turned his back to the vampire, expecting him to do the same. Marshall didn’t turn, though. Instead, he waited with watching eyes.
Gumball reached to the bottom of the shirt, crossing his arms over himself before he pulled the fabric over his head, removing it himself. The vampire’s eyes lingered a moment too long, burning into the back of the man before him, admiring only a little. He flashed his eyes away when Gumball handed the shirt back to him, reaching for a new shirt off of the littered floor. Snatching it, he was quick to shove past the royal, hovering back to the window.
“Next time, knock.” The Prince’s voice was hushed, however it was still laced with something venomous. Sitting in the frame for a moment, Marshall turned back to the gum. To his surprise, he was looking right back at him.
“This won’t happen again, your majesty. Sincerest apologies from yours truly.” He bowed with a shit-eating grin, soon falling back and out of the window, drifting into the night.
Left shirtless and breathless, Gumball stood in the pale moonlight. Watching as Marshall Lee slipped away from him, blending into the void that was the night sky.