Bittersweet - Bubbline AU

Chapter Thirty - The Boy's a Slag, The Best You Ever Had

Chapter name so long it sounds like the title of some A Fever You Can't Sweat Out song.

Good reading!

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Kevin and Bonnibel had their share of things in common that went beyond their dyed pink hair.

They were voracious readers. They liked indie music and had a passion for acoustic versions. They had a geeky side and an almost instinctive mania for demonstrating knowledge of random trivia at any opportunity.

And they were exactly the kind of people who would snap an Abadeer out of his tough-as-nails pose.

However, they weren't quite like Marceline and Marshall Lee. Perhaps they looked like a gender-reversed copy of each other in a cursory glance, they had one crucial difference.

Bonnibel was a hopeless romantic with a heart of melted butter. She had a true naivete, and a dirty side that only Marceline was capable of igniting.

Kevin just knew all too well the advantages that an innocent little face could provide.

Kevin had no problem exploring the things he liked, with the people who were attractive to him. Most of the time he preferred to keep his relationships transcentered, but he had no problem making an exception or two if the person was worth it (that's where Marshall came in, by the way). He was a bit shy, but he was far from being a naive little boy.

And he wasn't the least bit interested in staying monogamous at the moment. Marshall Lee might have been one of his favorite hookups, but he was far from being the only one.

And Marshall was well aware of that. When they had the party in celebration of the contract signed with the label, he had his opportunity to confirm what he already knew with his own eyes.

He was sitting in his sister's chair, his leg slung over it's side, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Watching from afar as Kevin was making out with another guy in a far corner.

And he had a smirk on his face.

Maybe now you're waiting for a shattered Marshall Lee, opening his heart with a painful song. But he wasn't exactly the kind of person to cry to a Billie Eilish song in such a situation.

Like Kevin, Marshall was only a copy of his sister if observed by far. If Marceline used the image of a thick-skinned girl as a defense mechanism and to hide her weaknesses, it was quite different with him. He was genuinely arrogant.

He believed in the power he had. He knew he was wanted, he knew he was in a better position. He was aware of the fact that he was the guitarist in a fairly popular (and soon real famous, he was sure) band, of the fact that he was part of New York's elite. He knew he was handsome, that he drew attention.

The thing was, Marshall Lee was very spoiled. When he wanted something, he got it. He wasn't very used to 'no's, but he wasn't the type of guy to get mad for being rejected.

He was the guy who spared no effort to show them that it was worth saying 'yes' to him.

It was very easy for him to kiss whoever he wanted, sleep with whoever he wanted. It's not like a lot of people were willing to deny it. It was almost boring how easily he could convince a boy to be with him. If he ended up falling in love, it would be reciprocal.

And then there was Kevin.

Kevin didn't think so highly of him. He wasn't going to go jumping up and down with joy at being with Marshall. He wouldn't feel more fortunate for that. In fact, he wouldn't even give him the privilege of exclusivity.