Prologue: Sweater Weather

"When did you know?"

He's sitting on a rock, watching her kick back waves on the shore. It's a cloudy day, just how she likes it. Marshall Lee suspects that's because he has no excuse to stop her from dragging him outdoors.

He tilts his head, waiting for an answer.

"Know what?"

Marshall Lee smirks because of all the things she's up for exploring lately, the one thing she avoids is the l-word. Marceline smirks back.

"I was fourteen and you were making waffles."

Marshall Lee frowns. "That's it?"

Marceline kicks ocean water at him. "Oh yeah. You wore that apron with the sick frills."

"The pockets are great. For spices," Marshall Lee can't believe he's defending something so obviously un-hetero.

"You were teaching me how to beat box," Marceline continues. "With one cheek, so I could chew waffles with the other."

"That's it?" Marshall Lee restates. "No foot-popping? No sexy fantasy?" Admittedly, she is pretty impressive at mouth theatrics. Perhaps that's why she's a natural at other things.

"That's it." Marceline is enjoying his crestfallen expression. "Your turn."

Marshall Lee knows the exact moment when. But he slaps his fingertips together, elbows on knees, anyway. "I was 1,000 and you were seven, when you drifted into my life—"

"Lech."

"Real talk, babe," Marshall Lee protests. "Something funky stopped me from eating you that day." Marceline walks towards him, wind blowing her hair back. She's wearing a cardigan and her jeans are rolled up at the ankles, and small waves crash against her slim feet. It's an indie film scene when Marshall Lee looks at the girl and the seascape before him. "I knew we were roomies for life when you kept eating my apple stash."

"Before or after the daycare blew up?" Marceline stands before him now, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Heh. So you knew," Marshall Lee rubs his hair.

"Like you weren't gonna come back," she sticks out her tongue.

"Hey," He holds his palms inches apart. "I was this close."

"Whatever."

"Good thing I did. Otherwise I'd never realize we were otp at the karaoke party."

It's Marceline's turn to look disappointed.

"Last month? You started noticing me last month?" He holds out his hands and she takes them with hers. Marshall Lee won't just yet tell her that whatever it is between them, he's been missing it a long, long time.

"Would it be so bad?" He looks at her hands, a trifle smaller than his yet perfectly alike. "If I were a dirty old man with a thing for a kid?"

"I wouldn't mind," she draws herself closer, between his bent knees. "It's you." Marshall Lee looks up at her now. Her heartbeat pulses steadily through his hands.

"What if we were twins? Clones?" he continues.

"Mirror images? Carbon copies?" Marceline stares back. Her mouth curls at one side. "Well, thank Glob we're us, right?"

Marshall Lee believes in whatever fate, blessing, accident, or fluke in the space-time continuum that brought Marceline to him.

"I don't care what we're supposed to be, Marsh," Marceline rests her forehead against his, eyes closed. "As long as there's us."

"I don't love you because you're me with boobs, you know," Marshall Lee inhales the scent of her skin. Strawberry. He thinks nothing of saying that word; it feels right. I love you because you're fucking incredible.

"I fucking know," she's smiling, he can feel it. Just like she has that uncanny knack for knowing what he doesn't say.

"Okay."

A/N: I rearranged chapters! 'Cause I can. And because this one makes a good prologue.

Let me convince you why MarceLee is that one otp that won't happen but should :]

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is Pen Ward's baby.