First waking up the next morning, I forgot where I was for a moment. That is until I realized that I was face to face with the most beautiful thing in the world. Marshall Lee's sleeping face.

He looked so peaceful laying there. Angelic almost. Eyes softly shut, mouth slightly agape. Simply gorgeous. I smiled as I continued to stare at him. I mean, who wouldn't? I didn't care to look at the clock, Marshall's face was too important at the moment.

His black hair was a mess. Strands stuck up random places and in different directions. I reached my arm up and ran my hand through his tangled hair in attempt to push it back so I could get a better view of his handsome face. I tucked a few of the longer pieces behind his ear.

Soon, I started to recall all that occurred last night and grinned to myself. I kissed him. This stunning man laying right next to me. I kissed him, and now he's practically mine. All mine.

I gently ran my thumb over his full lips. They were still soft, and I could feel his hot breath escaping them every so often. I touched his face, unable to resist, and traced his sharp features. Straight, pointy nose; thick, black eyebrows; perfect jaw line. His bone structure was incredible, I was jealous.

Knocking me out of my thoughts, I felt Marshall begin to stir in his sleep. His nose scrunched up in the cutest way possible as he removed his arm from my waist to rub his tired eyes. Adorable. His eyes opened and he stared at me for a few seconds, probably trying to remember everything, and why I was in his bed, creepily staring at him. Soon, a tired, goofy smile spread across his face.

"Good morning," he said in a very sexy, low, husky voice. Dear Glob... That morning voice... I could listen to him talk forever. If I wasn't already laying down, I surely would've swooned right then and there.

"Good morning," I replied. My voice wasn't even near the level of sexiness Marshall's was at, but it was still raspy. "Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Mhm, since you're here, I did." He said tiredly. He shut his eyes again and snuggled closer to me, resting the top of his head under my chin. His arms wrapped around my torso and his one of his legs wedged in between mine. I smiled and held him in my arms. "What about you, how'd you sleep?" He mumbled into my chest.

"Fantastic. Thank you."

We laid there for a few minutes, slowly getting more and more tired as we held and cuddled each other. Suddenly, Marshall lifted his head up and looked at me.

"What time is it?" He asked. His voice was going back to normal. It was still sexy, I'd have to admit. I leaned over my shoulder to look at the clock behind me. It was 5:45 in the morning. I turned back around and told him. He grumbled and put his head back under my chin. "I wish we could stay like this forever," he sighed.

"Me too. I like when you're this cuddly." I smiled. He laughed softly.

"WAIT," he lifted his head up again, looking shocked.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"WHERE IS- oh here he is." Marshall lifted up the blankets and pulled out an old-looking stuffed animal from behind him. He smiled and snuggled with it. Oh. My. Glob. Is he trying to kill me? Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter, too. I looked at him in astonishment. He was just so...adorable.

"Marshall...?" I asked in pure shock. He looked at me with big eyes.

"Yes?" He asked. He looked so innocent, and childlike, it was almost unbearable.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" He asked confused.

"Being cute. You're freaking adorable right now. Stop that."

He blushed. "But... Hambo."

"Hambo?"

"Yeah. Hambo. This is Hambo." He handed me the ratted looking plushy. I looked at the object in my hands. It was a light purple... Monkey? Or was it a bear? I couldn't tell. But for one thing, I did know that this... Animal of some sort, must mean a lot to Marshall. With all of its sewn patches, rips, and stains, I could tell Hambo had been around for a long time and had suffered the wrath of Marshall Lee's tender loving care throughout the years.

"You sleep with a stuffed animal?" I handed him back Hambo. That might've come out as a little rude or judgemental, but I was just curious. And as cute as it is, there's surely no way that the Marshall Lee Abadeer sleeps with a toy at night.

"Maybe." He mumbled, seeming embarrassed.

"Aww, Marshy!" I exclaimed. "Do the others know about this Hambo?"

"No, of course not! And they don't need to, either! It'd ruin my rep." He held Hambo closer.

"Aw, is someone embarrassed of their wittle stuffed animal?" I teased in a baby voice. He blushed more and looked away from me.

"Ugh, no! This is exactly why I don't tell people!" He sighed, "whatever, tease me if you want, I don't care. Hambo means a lot to me and I don't care who knows about him," he said with a scowl.

I laughed, "Oh come on, I'm just kidding. Where'd you even get it to begin with?" I was curious as to know where such a big, bad, tough guy gets a stuffed animal at. Then again, we all know Marshall is a softy at heart, I wouldn't be surprised if he bought it himself a few days ago.

Marshall sighed and closed his eyes before talking in a soft voice.

"It's kind of a confusing story..."

                             >>>>><<<<<

"Marshall! Come down here, please!" Simone shouted from downstairs. I quickly put down my superhero action-figures, bursted out my room and carefully ran down the stairs as fast I could without tripping.

"What is it, Simone? Did I do something bad?" I asked, concerned. I didn't want to get in trouble again! Simone knelt down in front of me and held my arms.

"No, sweetie, you're not in trouble. I have a surprise for you!" She stood up and walked me over to a box in red wrapping paper, my favorite color!

"Since your seventh birthday is tomorrow, I thought it'd be nice if you open one special gift tonight, and then the rest tomorrow, how's that sound?"

"Awesome!" I reached for the box with open hands. I ripped off the shiny paper and opened the box to find a... "Stuffed animal? Simone, I'm almost seven, I don't want baby toys anymore!" I held the purple monkey looking animal and stared at it in confusion.

"I understand that, Marshall. But this isn't from me." I looked at her funny. Who else would buy me toys except her? She continued talking, "this is from your father." My eyes widened. I thought dad had died a few years ago? I know so. I remember mommy hugging me and crying, but I was too young to understand. Simone had to explain it to me later on and then I was sad. We both were.

Simone and my dad worked at the same job for a long time and apparently they were best friends. From what Simone told me, she said that one day, there was an accident at work and dad was hurt really bad. At the hospital, both mommy and Simone were there, and they didn't like each other. Mommy thought they like-liked each other, and didn't want her to be around dad.

I remember a few days later, mommy was upset and angry and took it out on me. I didn't understand and was confused and hurt. She hugged my tightly and cried violently saying, "He's gone, he's gone," over and over again. I didn't know who was gone or what was happening, but I figured that I'd rather have her crying on me like a psycho than have her hitting me again, even if I didn't like seeing mommy cry.

Months later, she left me in a toy store while I was looking at race cars. She said she'd be right back and walked away. I waited there for a few hours, thinking she'd come back soon. Mommy and daddy always said that if we ever got separated, I was supposed to stay where I was and wait for them to come find me. So that's what I did. Strangers would ask if I was lost, but I'd shake my head no. I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers.

I figured that maybe mommy was lost, and I was supposed to go get her, so I wondered around the store looking for her. I began to cry in a random isle when I couldn't find her.

A pale lady with white hair came up to me a while later. I was prepared to shake my head in case she asked if I was lost, but she said my name instead. She said her name was Simone Petrikov and that she was friends with my dad, so I trusted her. Together we searched the entire store again without any luck. Simone ended up taking me to her house, where, for weeks, she would try to call mommy and go to our house, but she never would answer.

Now here I am, almost seven years old, living with Simone in a small house. I was brought back to reality and asked Simone a simple question.

"...How?"

She sighed, "it was supposed to be a gift from him for your fifth birthday, but he never got a chance to give it to you," she said sadly. "Your mom kept it and I guess she must've forgot to send it. But she remembered, and now, here it is. Happy almost birthday, Marshall. From me, and your parents." She rubbed my back gently.

I was quiet, I didn't know what to say. Instead I looked at the smiling monkey-thing with sad eyes and hugged it. I missed my dad, and this was the closest thing I had from him to remember him by.

>>>>><<<<<

"...and that's why Hambo means so much to me," Marshall finished. I could see him tearing up a little.

"Aw, Marshall, I'm so sorry." I hugged him tightly. I felt bad for him, he had a rough childhood. He was strong though, and it's his past that made him this way. Even though he's told he a lot, I knew for a fact that there's more he hasn't told me, but I wasn't going to rush him for force him to tell me, even if I do desperately wanted to know every single thing about him.

"Yeah yeah, that's enough. I don't need your pity." He pushed off me and sat up. "I need to piss." Marshall stood and walked into his bathroom and shut the door. I hate it when he does that. He doesn't need to put up that wall around me and he knows that. I sat up and rolled my eyes at his immature actions. It was 6:05 now, I should probably get ready.

Marshall walked out of the bathroom with red, puffy eyes. He must've been crying. I should've known. He's not as tough as he says he is, he's not fooling anyone. He glanced at me before walking out of his room and downstairs. Whatever.

I entered his bathroom and searched the cabinets for a spare toothbrush. Luckily he had one, and not bothering to ask if I could use it, I brushed my teeth. I shut the door, grabbed a towel from another cabinet and undressed, turning on the water in the shower and waiting for it to warm up. Suddenly I had the urge to pee, so I did that as well before hopping in his shower. Hope he didn't mind.

While washing and rinsing, I thought about random things. Like why things were a certain way, what our purpose on earth was, and why Marshall's shampoo smelled so good. You know, the simple things. I turned off the water, hopped out and dried off, wrapping the towel around my waist. I soon realized that I didn't have any clothes here, nor my hair products. Oh dear.

I slowly opened the door and peeped out, hoping Marshall wasn't near. Not seeing him, I walked out. Laid out on his bed was an outfit. A light pair of jeans next to a red v-neck t-shirt, a gray zip-up hoodie, and a pair of blue boxer shorts. Next to the clothes was a post-it note reading:

For you.
Sorry, I don't own pink :/ ;)
-Marsh

I smiled and put on the outfit. These must be older clothes because they fit me perfectly, and I know that Marshall is bigger than me. I checked myself in the mirror on his wall and went downstairs, still thinking about what to do with my hair. Marshall was in the kitchen making two bowls of fruit for us. He saw me walk in and smiled, handing me a bowl. I thanked him.

"You look nice," I stated, taking in his appearance. He was clad in a deep red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark gray slacks. He looked hot.

"You look nice too," Marshall smiled, popping a strawberry in his mouth. "Your hair is down... I like it. You should wear it like that more often." He ran a hand through my hair, gently tugging at it. "Uh oh," He said inspecting my head.

"What? What is it?" I started to panic a little.

"I can see your roots."

"WHAT!" I shoved my bowl into him and ran to the closest mirror. I examined my pink hair, noticing that my blonde roots were starting to show. I sighed and fixed my hair. "I just re-dyed it three weeks ago!"

"That sucks. Stop moping and come here." I frowned and shuffled back into the kitchen. Marshall was eating strawberries and leaning against the counter. "Don't look so sad, you can re-dye it later." He said. I shrugged. He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Anyways, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted this morning. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, I know you're just trying to help. So... Sorry."

"It's alright, Marsh. You can't help it, I understand." I walked up to him and rubbed his arm in a comforting manner. A small smile crept onto his lips. Marshall looked into my eyes for a moment before leaning down and capturing my lips with his. It was a short kiss but it held so much more. We blushed and grinned at each other.

We sat on the kitchen counter, talking and eating fruit until it was time to go to school. Marshall technically didn't have to be there on time since the only class he taught was last period, but he thought it'd be best to just go now with me. We rode in the car, listening to the radio and singing along to the stupid pop songs that came on. Our windows were down, letting the harsh breeze blow through our hair as we sped down the street.

Marshall parked the black, shiny vehicle into his parking spot and we exited, walking closely to the main entrance of the building. We soon ran into Fionna, Cake, Phoebe and Flame standing by a vending machine.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted as we walked up to them.

"Gumball! You're here, finally! Wow, nice outfit. And your hair looks great!" Fionna side hugged me and I thanked her. "We were just talking about ships and stuff. Oh! Hey, Marsh!" She happily hugged him too.

"Sup," he replied coolly.

"What're we doing in your class today?" She asked curiously. Marshall replied with a simple 'dunno' and shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

"What were you saying, Fionna? Something about boats?" I asked, trying to get her attention back. She usually got sidetracked a lot. The four bursted out laughing.

"No, dude! Ships! Like, relationships?" Phoebe laughed, tossing her orange dyed hair over her shoulder. I suddenly felt really stupid.

"Oh..." I blushed, embarrassed. Marshall clapped a hand over my shoulders and laughed.

"Give him a break, guys, he's had a rough day so far. He saw his roots this morning," he joked.

I glared at him and pointed an accusing finger at him after saying, "You're the one who pointed them out in the first place!"

"Aww, gummybear, don't be so fussy," he mocked, pinching my cheek like a child's. The group seemed to laugh at the scene playing out in front of them. They were starting to get on my nerves.

"I'm not being 'fussy'. You all are just annoying." I crossed my arms over my chest.

Marshall found amusement in this. "Is wittle gummypoo upset? Does he need a kiss to make it better?" He fake-pouted in a baby voice, clearly trying to piss me off. Well it was working. I'm pretty sure my face was beat red with anger.

I pushed Marshall off of me. "Ugh! Knock it off! Can't you just leave me alone for two seconds!?" I snapped. He looked hurt for a split second before replacing the look with a smirk. He shrugged. Idiot. Everyone was still laughing their heads off like it was the funniest thing they've ever seen. I rolled my eyes at them and stormed off down the hallway.

I heard Marshall call out from behind me, "c'mon Bubba! I was just messin with you!" I walked faster to my homeroom class and angrily sat down in a desk by the window, staring out it with hard eyes. What the hell was his problem this morning? Why does he have to be such a dick sometimes? I fumed in my seat, not paying attention to the bell or the morning announcements. People quickly filled into the class, taking their seats.

I started to calm down and realize that I was probably overreacting a bit. Mr. Ricardio walked into the room and spoke.

"Hello~ class, you're all looking quite ravishing this morning," he purred, looking directly at me. I blushed uncomfortably in my seat. Was he really doing this right now? In front if everyone? People were starting to follow his gaze at me. I blushed more and cowered in my seat.

As I was blushing there, all eyes on me, someone knocked on the door and entered. It was Marshall Lee. A majority of the girls in the class were freaking out, practically screaming his name and frantically waving at him. He gave the ladies a wink, in which they proceeded to swoon and sigh. I rolled my eyes. Ricardio quickly stopped talking about, whatever it was he was rambling on about, and turned towards the door.

"Abadeer? What are you doing here? I thought you graduated last year?" He seemed confused.

"I did. And now I'm the new music teacher," Marshall smiled innocently. Ricardio opened his mouth to speak but Marshall quickly cut him off. "Anyways. I need to talk to one of your students in the office, if you don't mind."

"Well, actually-" Ricardio started, getting cut off by Marshall's intense glare. He seemed to cower in his spot instantly. I would too if I were him. "Uh- I mean, sure! Of course! Who do you need, s-sir?" He stuttered.

Marshall quickly scanned the classroom looking for someone, ignoring the googly-eyed girls, and finally laying on me. He smiled. "Barnaby." I internally sighed and rolled my eyes at him. I wasn't mad at him anymore, I just wanted him to think I was.

"What do you want now, Mister Abadeer?" I sneered, getting up from my seat. He raised his eyebrows, clearly amused by my actions. Marshall shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms over his strong chest.

"Well, Mister Gumball, the principle needs to see you, so I'm taking you to the office. Now come on." Marshall walked to the door and held it open it for me. As I was about to step into the hallway, Marshall turned around. "Thanks, Ricardio, see you never!" And with that, we walked out of the room.

We walked down the hallways quietly. What was this about? Am I in trouble already? I asked him.

"Oh, you're not in trouble. Ricardio is," he grinned evilly. "We're going to get him fired for harassing you yesterday."

I thought for a moment. "All because of me? Marshall, I don't think that's a good enough reason for someone to lose their job," I countered, adjusting the straps of my book bag on my shoulders.

Marshall shrugged. "I think it is. Besides, it's not like you were the only one he's done that to. There's been multiple student reports of mild sexual harassment caused by him. And since you seem to be his new target this year, I plan on preventing that from continuing. I want you to be safe here. Anywhere for the matter." Marshall kept walking, not once making eye contact with me.

I blushed at his words. He really didn't have to do this. The thought of someone going through all this trouble just to protect me was a comforting thought, but I didn't feel as though I deserved this. And as bad as it sounds, neither does Ricardio. This is a man's career we're talking about! Sure, he should be punished a little, but completely fired? That sounds like a little much. Then again maybe I'm just thinking about this too much. Maybe he does deserve this. Giving people too many chances was a bad habit of mine.

"Marshall," I muttered, causing him to stop and look at me. "I don't know about this... Are we really going to get this guy fired?" I looked at him unsurely.

Marshall blinked at me. "Of course we are. And hopefully thrown in jail, too!"

"Doesn't this seem like a lot of work just for me and a few other people. I mean, it's not like he's doing it to everyone, you know?" I was still unsure about this. Marshall looked at me like I was crazy.

"Bubba. Are you insane!? This guy is a fucking pedophile sex offender! How can you just stand there and be okay that he's creeping on kids like this! Are you literally that innocent and oblivious of the fact that Ricardio has done harm to people and will do worse harm to you if you don't stop him!? It's amazing that he hasn't been arrested already!" Marshall ranted, shaking me by the shoulders. I stayed silent and stared wide eyed at him. "Barnaby, I need you to understand that by doing this, you're going to not only protect yourself, but everyone else in this school." He hugged me tightly. "I don't want to have to find you crying in a corner one day because that sick freak touched you, or worse. I need you to be safe and far, far away from him. Do you understand?" Marshall looked me in the eyes intently. I nodded slowly. "Good. Thank you," he kissed my forehead gently and continued walking to the office. My face heated up.

Shortly we arrived and Marshall, being such a gentleman, opened the door for me before entering himself. The secretary glanced up at us for a brief second, then continued tapping away at her keyboard. Marshall barged in Principal Petrikov's office, startling her.

"Marshall Lee, Barnaby, what is it?" She asked concerned, trying to catch her breath. Marshall strutted confidently to a chair in front of the large desk and plopped in it, propping his feet up on the said desk.

"I... We, have a serious issue to address," he answered, crossing his arms. Petrikov sat up in her leather chair and leaned in, interested.

"Uh-huh. And what is this 'serious issue' here?" She motioned for me to sit down, to which I obeyed. Marshall explained the whole Ricardio situation and perisuadedly offered his solution to the problem very formally. Petrikov was shocked and asked if it was true. I told her it was.

Long story short, Simone Petrikov called the school board and demanded they do something about this immediately, who in turn, called the police and had Mr. Ricardio arrested and put under interrogation, along with a few current victims. I asked to stay out of the whole mess. For the rest of the school day, everyone seemed a bit happier, lighter even. Content with the thought of having a creepy man out of their school.

At lunch, Fionna had a pizza delivered in celebration. Our table was smiling and laughing, making jokes and fooling around. We were all ecstatic. Soon enough, Marshall strutted over.

"Aye, y'all better have saved me a slice," he opened the lid, revealing only the insides an empty grease-stained cardboard box. "Wow. I can honestly say, I'm so hurt right now." He placed a hand over his heart and wiped away a fake tear. Flame smirked at him, mouth full of the last pizza slice.

"Shoulda came sooner, loser," Flame mocked, taking another huge bite. Marshall marched up to him and ripped the slice from his hand.

"Give me that!" Marshall exclaimed.

"Oh hell no! That's mine, asshole!" Flame scowled, standing up abruptly.

"Shoulda ate it sooner, blah blah blah!" Marshall taunted, imitating Flame in a high-pitched voice and sticking his tongue out at him. Flame lunged at him. Marshall ran to the opposite side of the table, taking a slow, sensual bite from the pizza. Flame scoffed.

"You're so childish! Just give it back! I'm hungry, dude!" Flame begged, clearly annoyed. In response, Marshall proceeded to lick the whole rest of the slice, claiming it as his own. Flame grimaced, "Aw gross, man! Really?" Marshall laughed and they both sat down at the table.

We chatted for a few minutes, not really talking about anything important. Cake and a few others were engrossed in a debate about cats versus dogs and which pet was better.

"No no no, think about it. Dogs are so needy and dependent. All they do is beg and whine and be annoying all the time. Who wants to have to take them outside constantly? Not me. Cats on the other hand, they're reserved, quiet, and not annoying. Plus you don't have to take them out ten times a day. Not to mention they're constantly sleeping, not making messes and chewing random things unlike dogs. Case closed," Cake sat back satisfied with her argument.

"I agree with Cake," Marshall added, "cats are way better."

Flame huffed, "you guys are stupid. What if a robber comes to your house? What's a cat gonna do, rub up against their legs and purr as they steals your TV? Dogs will bark and scare them off, even attack them if they need to."

Phoebe added, "yeah but cats are cuter so who cares..."

"Oh so you think little fur balls who shit and piss in your house are cute?"

Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest. "So what if I do? At least they don't drool." Cake and Marshall nodded in agreement. Fionna spoke up.

"Guys, enough of this. You all are fighting like cats and dogs..." She joked. We dry laughed. "Anyways, I was thinking we should do something this weekend. What do you guys wanna do?"

"Sorry, Fi. Me and Bubs have plans Saturday," Marshall wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Oooo, 'plans'," Flame teased.

"Shut up. It's not like that, perv."

"Mhm... Whatever you say, Marsh." Marshall just rolled his eyes and removed his arm from my shoulders.

Fionna looked intrigued. "What're you guys doing?" She asked innocently. Marshall and I looked at each other for help for what to say. We didn't want to tell her that we were going on a date. Especially when we didn't even know how it was all going to play out ourselves. We shrugged at each other before I faced Fionna again.

"Uh..." I cleared my throat, "we don't know yet. We're just gonna hang out, I guess," I said unsurely.

She asked confused, "well why can't you hang out with all of us? You're just gonna be alone together, that sounds boring." I looked at Marshall again for help to back this up.

"We just wanna hang by ourselves. Bro time, you know? Guys night," Marshall stated coolly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders lazily again. Fionna shrugged.

"Alright, whatever. As long as I'm invited to the next guys night!"

"Fi, darling, you're a girl. You can't come to guys night. That's against the bro code."

"Says who?"

"Says the bro code! And us!" Marshall said, beginning to get frustrated. The table was silent for a while.

Fionna muttered quietly, "I still don't see why I can't come." Marshall groaned loudly.

"Marshall hush. You can come to the next guys night if you want, Fionna. I'm sure Marshall won't mind," I told her. Marshall rolled his eyes but stayed quiet.

>>>>><<<<<

The final bell the day rang, interrupting Marshall's speech about composing music. "Whatever, we'll finish this up tomorrow. I'll see ya, guys," he waved, walking over to his desk to collect various sheets of music. Everyone left the room with a goodbye, leaving just the two of us alone. I slung my bag over my shoulders and leaned on the shiny desk.

"What's all this?" I nodded to the pile of papers he was shoving into his bag.

"Oh, this? Nothing really, just some old stuff I found. I was trying to organize it earlier, clearly that didn't go very well," he laughed. I smiled at him, picking up one of the papers off his desk. It had messy scribbles of different lyrics and notes jumbled all around the page. The more I inspected it, the more familiar the words seemed.

"When is this from? I feel like I might know this song," I asked, looking up at Marshall who was now standing next to me. He snatched the page from my hands and inspected it himself. His brows furrowed as he tried to decipher his handwriting. His face suddenly lit up and a crooked smile crept onto his face.

"I remember this! Dang, it feels like I wrote this so long ago." He paused, smiling at the music in front of him. "I was living at my mom's at the time and it was late at night, so I wrote this in the dark in my bed. If I would've turned the lights on my mom would've kicked my ass for being awake so late," he laughed, probably recalling a memory. "I just had to get it out if my head, you know? Write it down before it drives me crazy, or I forget it completely..." He trailed off.

"Can you play it for me?" I smiled. He looked at me with a smirk before checking the clock above us.

"Well...I'm supposed to talk with Simone soon... but whatever. I guess I could sing for you, but only because you're cute." He bopped my nose and walked to the grand piano. I sat next to him closely, waiting for him to begin. He took a deep breath before playing a few chords. Instantly I remembered the song and closed my eyes he began singing in his heavenly voice.

"Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?
Closed your eyes and trusted, just trusted?
Have you ever thrown a fistful of glitter in the air?
Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, "I just don't care."?

It's only half past the point of no return
The tip of the iceberg, the sun before the burn
The thunder before the lightning and the breath before the phrase:
Have you ever felt this way?" His voice crescendoed and decrescendoed in godly ways, holding out certain notes and changing up the chords on the piano.

"Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
Your whole life waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone
Have you ever been touched so gently you had to cry?
Have you ever invited a stranger to come inside?

It's only half past the point of oblivion
The hourglass on the table, the walk before the run
The breath before the kiss, and the fear before the phrase:
Have you ever felt this way?" The piano changed into a faster, happier tone as he soon belted out the next part, eventually changing into a loud, deeper sound.

"La la la la la la la la," the piano quickly changed into a deeper sound for the next part of the song.

"There you are,
Sitting in the garden,
Clutching my coffee,
Calling me sugar
You called me sugar," when he sung the last part it was as if he let all his emotions go and just sung his heart out. Soon enough the song went back to calm.

"Have you ever wished for an endless night?
Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight?
Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself will it ever get better than tonight?
Tonight." He held out the last note softly and ended the song.

((Sorry to interrupt, but yo listen to this cover ^ literal perfection. His voice is kind of what I imagine Marshall's sounds like. Close your eyes, turn this up loud, and just listen to his voice. I've played this over a million times, never gets old. Back to the story!))

By the end of the song, my head was resting on his shoulder. Chills were still running down my spine from his voice. "Wow," was all I could say. Marshall laughed quietly.

"Remember it now?" He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer.

I nodded, "yeah, you sang that to me at the end of my freshman year, when you were a junior... That's weird to think about. Who would've thought we'd end up like this?"

"Crazy isn't it? How only a few years can change someone so drastically. I went from a punk who lied about sleeping around with girls only for the popularity, to a dorky teacher cuddling his best friend on a piano bench after singing to him. And you-"

"Wait wait wait... You mean to tell me you lied about all those girls?" I sat up and stared at him in disbelief. Marshall Lee Abadeer, the notorious playboy, was a phony? He looked at me confused.

"Totally! Well, not ALL of them, there was a few I actually did bone. Still, I was so desperate I literally paid girls to say they had sex with me and then tell their friends how good I was. I thought I told you about that? Guess not," he shrugged.

I didn't know what to say. It's like my whole life is a lie! Well technically, his is... "Are you kidding me? No... There's no way you did that! Why... What... You kept that up for four years!?"

"No, after Ashley was when I started doing it. Mostly because I wanted to get back at her for all the shit she put me through, and make her realize that I didn't need her in my life... It was also getting me mad fame so I just kept doing it. Also, because I wanted to make a certain someone so jealous that they'd have to come running." He winked at me.

"What, you don't mean me, do you?" I raised my eyebrow at him. He just smirked. I scoffed at him. "Well, I'll admit that I was jealous... But that's definitely NOT how you try to attract someone."

"Yeah yeah, but I got you now, don't I?" He nudged my cheek with his cold nose playfully. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I guess... Hey, don't you have to be somewhere?"

"Ugh. Yeah. But I'd rather stay here with you." He straddled the piano bench and wrapped both arms around me tightly, nuzzling is face in my neck. I let him have his moment for a while, only because I enjoyed him holding me like this.

"Marshall, Simone is probably waiting for you," I tried persuading him.

"Fine, I'll go... But! I want a kiss first." He smirked. I sighed, slightly annoyed, but I couldn't complain if it meant kissing him. I leaned in and gave him a short peck on the lips. He didn't seem very satisfied. "You know, I'm not too sure if I should leave yet. I think I need more convincing," he winked.

"Fiiine," I groaned. I leaned in once again and kissed him. The kiss was longer than the other one, but only lasted several seconds. I pulled away and looked at him. "Happy now?"

"Hmm... Still not convinced," he teased.

I gave him a smirk and readjusted myself on the bench so that I was sitting like he was. I scooted even closer to him and pulled his waist to me, his legs almost on top of mine. "I guess I'll just have to give you something worth while," I smirked. I crashed my lips onto his, running a hand through his dark locks. I felt his cool hands rest on my shoulder and neck. I leaned my head to deepen the kiss more, softly biting his bottom lip. He gasped slightly, giving me enough room for my tongue to enter his mouth. Our tongues fought for dominance as our hands gently gripped each other. I won and explored Marshall's mouth, making him moan softly. We continued making-out, losing track of time and not caring either way.

"MARSHALL!" A shrill voice called out after a white, interrupting our make-out session. We both jumped at the sudden noise and pulled away from each other with wide eyes and swollen lips. "I told you that we needed to talk after school! It's almost three o'clock!" Simone shouted. "I don't have all day to be waiting for you while you're in here sucking face! Hurry up, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes!" She stood at the door with crossed arms, tapping her foot. Marshall sighed and ran a hand through his now messy hair.

"Alright alright, stop shouting, you sound like my mother," he stood up and grabbed his bag off his desk, along with some random papers. He quickly walked over to me and kissed my lips. "Sorry, Bubs. Do you have a ride home? I'm gonna be here for while."

"It's fine, I'll call Pepper," I grabbed my bag and searched for my phone.

"Marshall, let's go!" Simone shouted again.

"Okay! Jesus Christ," he mumbled, clearly annoyed. "See ya, Bubs." He waved before following Simone out the door, her yelling various things at him while they left.

I sat on the piano bench, phone in my hand, not being able to stop the smile growing on my face. I can't believe I just did that... That felt amazing! Who knew I could be so dominant? With that question at hand, dirty images of Marshall and I flashed through my mind causing a blush to spread across my face. "Oh lord..." I sighed. I quickly called Pepper.

                             >>>>><<<<<

Hours later, I was sitting at my desk doing homework when I heard my phone ding from the bed. I picked it up and saw a text from Marshall:

I didn't know you could kiss like that ;)

                           >>>>><<<<<

Hellooo guys! How was that chapter? Super long, I know. I feel like I owe you guys that though.

Do you guys like my long chapters or no? And also, do I have too much dialogue? Tell me Bc I'd like to know!
SONG CREDS:
Glitter in the air - Pink
(Cover by Jorge Roman)
Anyways, thanks as always for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment, it really means a lot!  You're comments crack me up sometimes lol

See ya in the next chapter! 😉❤️