Sparkles

;;

The Candy Kingdom does not run itself. It is a wide kingdom, thickly populated, and like any pocket of civilization, there are always problems to deal with. The prince has people beneath him to sort out the more every day things that do not require his direct interaction, but even that leaves Gumball with an enormous load of responsibilities to tend to. For someone so young, Gumball has accomplished more than any ruler before him in their lifetime in his short seventeen years. He stopped a civil war between the sugarless and the sugary, kept the Whywolves out of pastures and farms, has employed the two most successful heroes - Fionna and Cake - that the Candy Kingdom has ever seen, among countless other things. He's used to that stress and has never been unable to cope with the pressures of being a monarch. Scientists engineered him specifically so that could not happen.

Prince Gumball is busy, overloaded, and always, always has something important to do.

But that does not keep him out of the library.

The palace has the biggest library in all of Ooo. It covers almost the entire lower level of the castle, divided by genre, lined with so many shelves, Gumball can't count them all. It smells of cinnamon-ground pages and thinking, an aroma the prince simply cannot deny himself once he's caught a whiff of it. His servants even know to take him the long way to conference rooms just to avoid the temptation of the swirling stairs that lead down to the library. It's open to the public by a door on the other side of the castle, which the prince is usually kept far away from. It's too much for Prince Gumball to resist. From a bubbling young age, Gumball expressed great interest in knowledge. He loves to learn on a level that's almost disgusting. Being raised by scientists, it's not all that surprising, but the sheer amount of information he not only wanted to store, but could retain for an indefinite time, was astounding. It was an unprecedented side effect that the scientists who had created Gumball - meant only to be a perfect ruler for Ooo - had not anticipated.

If reading were food, Gumball would be grotesquely obese. In every spare moment he could capture, he was shuffling through the pages of some worn book he had picked up from the library. He stuffed them within his vests, smaller ones up his sleeve - once, he even managed to fit a few into his pant legs. What he was most interested in were the books that had somehow managed to survive the Great War - the one that had snuffed out almost all life. They were old and fragile, made from trees of all things, and spoke of bizarre things, like these curious institutions in which children would spend up to eight hours a day sitting in a desk listening to an elder. And it was mandatory! There were also these very strange modes of transportation called monster trucks, and while Gumball still hasn't found an accurate illustration of these creatures, they sound terrifying. Not to mention the odd behaviors of humans - a species likely extinct with the exception of Fionna - like gym class and sweet sixteens and Jersey Shore - and on and on! It was all so terribly interesting that it was all Gumball could do not to spend a week living in the library.

As it was, the prince could currently be found located in the midst of the enormous library, hiding beneath a table with his knees folded beneath him. Usually, such childish games like hiding from one's responsibilities and duties was not something Gumball would engage in. As it was, he had stumbled across a particularly weird text among the shelves after ducking in for a 'quick look' between conferences and wanted to at least read a good chunk of it before he had to return to his more professional life.

Much more time has gone by than Gumball is aware, however, and his Kingdom is on the verge of sending out a search party when someone finds him. Unfortunately for the servants, this person is not a guard or a servant or really anyone of particular help to Ooo.

"Hey, Bubba."

The prince jumps so hard, the top of his head collides with the underside of the table. He yelps, rubbing tentatively at the now throbbing section of his skull while searching for the source of the voice. He frowns when he sees no evidence of anyone standing nearby and decides he imagined it, beginning to duck over his book once again only to feel the cold, slick swipe of a narrow tongue beneath his ear. Gumball makes a noise bordering on a squeal and whips around, clamping one pink-hued hand over the now damp spot on his flesh to come eye-to-mouth with his tormentor.

Marshall Lee, Vampire King, grinning in a most devilish fashion, is floating upside down in the space behind the table. The open flaps of his flannel shirt dangle down, the black tank-top dipping to reveal the gray-blue tint of his stomach. He twists, his legs still hovering well above his head but now meeting the prince's gaze instead of looking at his gummy lips. Marshall Lee's black spikes of hair flatten over his forehead, a few rogue chunks jetting out from the globe of his skull in an almost threatening fashion. He's still grinning. The prince can see a white glint of an elongated canine peeking out from his upper jaw.

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from scaring the absolute gluten out of me."

Marshall Lee does nothing but laugh at the royal's words, maneuvering a chair out of the way so he can slither past Gumball and plant himself on the floor. The vampire is considerably taller than Gumball, having to duck slightly in order to keep his head clear of the table. "The whole Kingdom is teetering on the edge of chaos in your absence, my Prince."

Gumball's cheeks, already a pink shade, flare into a dark red. He looks down at the book, still split open, and frowns. He looks up again. "What time is it, if you are able to come to the castle?"

"The sun's down." Marshall Lee is still smirking, bending one leg at the knee to balance his elbow atop it. "Your peppermint lady-slave says you've been missing for half the day."

"She's a servant," Gumball quips, but he's too overwhelmed with guilt to put much conviction in his words. His forehead collides with his open palm. "I can't believe I let myself get so absorbed! I'm a prince! I should behave better than this!"

Marshall Lee's foot nudges against the prince's chin. "If you chew gum too hard -" The vampire stops. "Okay, that was a bad analogy. What I meant was, you deserve a little break now and then." The boy scoots closer to the prince until one of his knees meets Gumball's, propping his chin on the tips of two long, calloused fingers. "Whatcha readin', Bubbs?"

Gumball's mood drastically improves at the mention of the book, lifting it slightly. "Oh! I was actually going to ask you about this, because, look!" He turns the book over, showing Marshall Lee the cover. A pair of pale hands cup an apple against a black background. "This is about vampires!"

Marshall Lee frowns, peering down at the book with narrowed red eyes. "Twi?"

"Yes! The cover and some of the pages have been damaged, so I'm not sure what the original title was, but apparently this was a best seller before the Great War. There are vampires and Wherewolves - whatever those are - and women who live in towns named after silverware, Marshall. It is simply bizarre." Gumball shivers in delight, his guilt already forgotten. "Oh, and these vampires are nothing like you. None of them play the bass or float or drink color - they drink blood, actually, from animals, and it's quite disgusting - but some of them have powers. This spunky one, Alice, she can tell the future. How cool is that?"

"Ice cold."

"This other one, this Ed fellow - he terrifies me with his stalking tendencies, but he can read minds! Can you do stuff like that, Marshall Lee?"

The vampire's good mood has simmered. He crosses his arms and doesn't say anything.

"But the strangest thing, Marshall, is - guess. I swear you would never guess this."

Marshall Lee sighs, the puff of air ruffling the black strands of his hair. "They sparkle in the sunlight."

Gumball's jaw drops for a moment, swinging before he snaps it shut. "How did you know that! Did you read this before?"

The King furrows his black brows. "Are you serious? They sparkle?"

"Like glitter! It's hilarious!" Gumball snickers into his hand, his body giving a little twist, as if he cannot physically contain his joy at such a prospect. The vampire across from him muffles the slight smile crawling over his lips. "So ... so girly, for such a macho man this author is trying to portray."

Marshall Lee snorts. "As if you're one to talk about macho. You're pink, Bubba."

"Coral," the prince retorts quickly, snapping the book closed. He sets it on the floor and closes his hands under his chin, meeting the other boy's eyes. "What happens when you step out in the sun? I've never seen you in direct sunlight. You're always under an umbrella or a hat."

"I smoke."

"Oh, Marshall, that habit is terrible for your lungs - though I suppose you're dead and you don't need them anymore -"

"No, Bubbs. I literally start to smoke. I'll catch on fire."

"Oh." The Prince touches his lips. "My word, don't you ever get in the sun, all right?" He says instructively, as if Marshall Lee isn't over one thousand years old, as if he has no idea the intricacies of his species. "It's a shame you can't read minds or tell the future, though. That would be handy. One of them can even control others' emotions! It would be quite useful for you, I'm sure."

"I bet I can do something those pseudo-vampires can't."

"Oh?" Gumball perks, instantly intrigued. The brightness of his eyes is almost intoxicating. "What's that?"

The vampire unleashes a tight grin, extending one arm and capturing the prince's smooth pink chin between his thumb and forefinger. He shifts forward until he's rolling forward on one knee, catching the prince's gasp against his mouth just as his lips close over Gumball's. The pink boy's eyes widen before melting closed, his body sinking as warmth pools itself somewhere in his gut. The vampire's lips are cool and taste of red, somehow, though Gumball can't explain how he knows that. Roses and strawberries and maroon-colored scarves, all mixed in one. There is just a quick swipe of tongue, slithering in and out, leaving Gumball breathless when the older boy finally separates their lips with a soft sound. Gumball's eyes flicker with disorientation, his body swaying slightly, and if he weren't already sitting, he probably would have fallen.

"It is not fair," Gumball says weakly, swallowing hard and settling a hand on top of his drumming heart. "When you do that."

Marshall Lee laughs. He reaches out, wrapping his arms around the prince's waist and hoisting the wiggling, protesting prince out from under the table. He tosses the royal over his shoulder and begins his journey through the library, humming loudly over Gumball's loud cries.

"You've got a Kingdom to run, your Majesty," the vampire chuckles. "This is no time for silly stories of sparkling vampires."

A/N: I do not own Twilight. Or Adventure Time, for that matter.

Along with Princess Bubblegum/Marceline, I believe I have found my new obsession.