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Bonnibel's life had grown more peaceful since the war. That peace wasn't what she had grown used to but she welcomed the changes in her life.
Game nights with Marceline and Simon, rebuilding her relationship with Aunt Lolly, visiting Neddy, date nights with Marceline, home-cooked meals, a sustainable sleep schedule, it was everything she dreamed about when she was younger. She finally felt that she belonged to a family. She'd never felt so light.
In short her long overdue break was haulted with an abrupt metaphorical screech and slam on the breaks, sending Bonnibel flying and flailing out the metaphorical window. Because why not? What disaster was waiting this time?
What waited for her however, was a task she was ill equipped for. Of course, it would be something science couldn't save her from. She had one week to plan a surprise birthday party.
It had been three days ago when the task had been hurled at her unsuspecting head.
...
She'd been enjoying dinner with Marceline and Simon. Simon had cooked, he attempted to replicate an old human recipe with ingredients on Ooo. He claimed to do the best he could without substituting ingredients. He also went on to rant about the horrifying implications of sentient foods. Marceline and Bonnibel's generally unphased attitudes momentarily stunned him speechless but after a short moment Simon dropped the subject mumbling incoherently. He sorrowfully shook his head while Marceline patted his shoulder, quietly reassuring him.
"Thank you, Marcy," He murmured in the exhausted tone that only a man who'd lost his sanity, fiancee, and 1000 years of time could ever achieve. He sighed heavily. He gave a weak but grateful smile.
"Enough about me, what have you girls been up too?" Simon asked, shifting the subject away from him. Marceline smiled softly.
"Well..." She rested her head in her hands, her eyes drifted away in thought.
"Me and Peebs hit up the market early this week, I helped Finn with some quest, and yesterday was LSP'S B-Day bash," Marceline recalled. Bonnibel didn't even know about the last one, she leaned over the table.
"Wait what, when was that?" Bonnibel asked excitedly, though she also felt a bit conflicted on the fact she wasn't invited. LSP was better friends with Marcy, but still..
"The quest or party?" Marceline asked, taking in another mouthful of food. She didn't bother to wipe the food dripping down her chin right away.
"The party, duh, I already knew about the quest," Bonnibel reached over with a napkin and cleaned Marceline's face. She rolled her eyes lovingly.
"Start with the party, it'll be new to both of us," Simon jumped in to suggest. He took another bite from his fork, the food burnt his tongue and he cursed quickly under his breath. It went unmentioned but Marceline seemed entertained whenever Simon cursed. Marceline refocused.
"I really didn't tell either of you, weird, you guys usually hear everything first," Marceline thought outloud before shifting comfortably.
"Yeah, yesterday was LSP's birthday, she had this huge party up in Lumpy Space," Marceline gestured lazily.
"She seems to be on better terms with her family these days but she denies it if you ever bring it up," Marceline shares with a grin.
"Anyways I'm still not sure how old she is, I forgot to count the candles..." Marceline drifted off for a moment.
"That's good, how was the party, did recognize anyone else there?" Simon asked, sounding very much like a doting mother. Bonnibel found it nearly identical to the tone she used for her subjects. It was sort of endearing to watch.
Marceline hummed in thought.
"It was mostly her other friends from Lumpy Space so no...Well actually," She paused.
"Turtle Princess was there, but mainly I remember Lemongrab,"
She turned to Bonnibel. Oh boy...
Bonnibel inhaled, preparing herself for whatever she was about to hear.
"Relax Bonnie," Marceline chuckled lightly.
"Nothing crazy happened, he was surprisingly chill, LSP has really managed to break him out his shell," Marceline reported and Bonnibel sighed and smiled tiredly. She shook her head dismissively, waving away worried thoughts.
"That's good," Part of her knew it would be. Lemongrab really had been doing better, she'd been worried when he'd passed her that letter, 'unmake me', for a while she was convinced she needed to keep an eye on him but there hadn't been anything that caught her eye as concerning.
She could relax.
Marceline caught a mischievous glint in her eye, smiling impishly.
"Though, you definitely should've seen the look on LSP's face when Lemongrab said he'd never been to a birthday party, or had one," Marceline's smile faded a bit.
Simon tilted his head.
"How do you manage that.. I mean, he knows what a birthday is, right?" Simon asked, eyes jumping between Bonnibel and Marceline for answers. Marceline looked away and Bonnibel winced.
"He does now?" Marceline answered with a weak shrug.
She floated up and took away the dirty dishes to clean. Simon frowned.
"I can't imagine... Even when Marcy was little, during the great mushroom war I always tried to remember," He reminisced softly, rubbing the table cloth absentmindedly.
"Although, sometimes I forgot, or gave her too many gifts, remember that Marcy," He huffed out a sad laugh.
He was less guarded when it came to talking about the crown these days. Or Simon did his best to make it seem this way.
Marcy giggled from the kitchen, it was light and innocent. Bonnibel couldn't help but smile.
"He gave me presents a couple weeks straight... At first I just thought I was lucky," She trailed off. It was quiet before Simon spoke again.
"Birthdays... It is sad though, when nobody celebrates a birthday, it's lonely," Marceline flew over to cheer him up, hair now messily tied up and a yellow soapy sponge still in hand.
"We can have super awesome birthdays now to make up for it, right?" She suggested and nudged him lightly. He smiled weakly.
"Yes, of course... I know that, I was just thinking about him though, Lemon... the lemon person," He squinted, frustrated with himself as he blanked on the name. Marceline smiled softly and patiently.
"Sorry, sorry, I guess I'm just empathetic is all," Simon sighed. He pinched between his eyes.
"Leave it to me to be such a debby downer," They both looked at Simon with blank confused faces.
"Old reference," He explained waving a hand dismissively.
Marceline hummed thoughtfully.
"Nah, you're good, I mean I get it," She reassured Simon and paused.
The suds of the soapy sponge dripped on the floor and the sink was still running. They'll deal with it later.
"I mean who would even let that hap-" Marceline stopped herself, eyes darting around awkwardly. Slowly they both drifted their gaze to Bonnibel, who found herself stiff and out of place. She giggled nervously.
"Oh jeez," Simon laughed it off anxiously. Jeez..Old human slang. Bonnibel noted.
"We didn't mean it like that. Well I didn't, but I'm sure Marcy didn't either," He laughed anxiously and quickly before Marceline patted him on the shoulder gently, she glanced at him with a look that must've translated to 'Chill out, I'll handle it'.
He sighed in relief.
"I'll take care of the rest of these dishes, it's only fair I clean up after the meal I cooked," He announced a bit too loudly to pass as casual. He stood up and pointed to the kitchen sink before he left.
Bonnibel let her head fall into her hands with a groan.
"I'm the worst and your dad hates me," Bonnibel grumbled as Marceline leaned against Bonnibel. The reaction was expected, nothing new apparently. Marceline hummed sympathetically.
"Mhm, but you're trying to be a better person now, me too, we all are... and Simon doesn't hate you... it's pretty much the opposite," Marceline's voice sounded rehearsed but Bonnibel couldn't judge. Bonnibel fell into the same old issues that needed the same reassurence. Despite what Marceline claimed she knew it must get tiring.
Marceline didn't look bothered in that moment though. She had a teasing look.
"He thinks we should get married because we're made for each other, like soulmates," Marceline nudged her and made an obnoxious kissy face. Bonnibel giggled and pushed her away. Marceline stood proud, well, hovered proud.
Marceline made it sound so cheesy but Bonnibel thought about it sometimes. Getting married. She hadn't brought it up yet however.
"Yeah, yeah," She looked away and sighed.
"Still, I really feel that I donked this one up, big time," Bonnibel explained.
"Then fix it," Marceline suggested, shrugging her shoulders. Bonnibel faced her.
"What?" She asked, Marceline had spoken like the answer was so simple.
"Well," Marceline spoke casually.
"I mean you should un-donk things, it's not too late if you remember his birthday," Bonnibel began to catch on and nodded along. Marceline continued.
"You should throw him a good birthday party, however that looks like," Marceline explained and vaguely gestured.
"Huh," Bonnibel thought outloud. Marceline flashed a smile then floated away to help clean up the dishes.
Marceline and Simon chatted amongst each other lively while Bonnibel began brainstorming.
Maybe Bonnibel had made things sound dramatic before but make no mistake planning a surprise birthday party for Lemongrab proved to be a very difficult task. Because of her own negligence toward him, yes. But also because Bonnibel quickly discovered she only had about a week and Lemongrab hated surprises.
So Bonnibel just needed to plan a surprise party without surprising him... Maybe she hadn't exaggerated the impossibility of the task.
...
It was day three and all Bonnibel had to show for it were half fleshed out ideas scribbled out on the back page of one of her scientific research notebooks.
Bonnibel stares at it until her head goes dizzy. It becomes clear she's not getting far on her own. She makes the best but ultimately most difficult decision, her last resort. She reaches for her phone and dials LSP's number.
She holds her breath and paces as the phone rings. But she isn't nervous, of course not. That would be silly, the only thing to be nervous about was LSP ruining the surprise, (Bonnibel lies to herself).
"Oh my Glob," LSP groans over the phone.
"Who even is this!? I'm shopping right now," LSP whines and Bonnibel can picture what her expression must look like over the phone. Bonnibel inhales deeply, smiling even though it'll go unseen.
"... Princess Bubblegum, or Bonnibel," She says like she's unsure. Bonnibel grips the phone and straightens her posture.
"Sorry to interrupt your shopping, I just need your help with something-"
"-OH MY GLOB!" LSP shouts and Bonnibel distances herself from the phone.
"Princess, I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't know it was you!" Bonnibel nods before realizing why that didn't work in calming LSP.
"Like, you're Lemongrab's mom and even though I think you're kinda rude I'd never talk to you like that!" LSP explains frantically and Bonnibel decides it's best to ignore the last part.
"You're good, I just need your help on something," Bonnibel states, trying to stay on track.
"It's about Lemongrab actually and it's pretty important," She says hoping to catch LSP's full attention. LSP goes quiet for a minute.
"...Are you going to experiment on him again or something?" LSP asks with concern, Bonnibel is momentarily stunned.
"What- What? No! Of course not, it's nothing like that, it's good!" Bonnibel sounds unconvincing to herself, she cringes. She drags a hand over her face while LSP hums in suspicious agreement.
"Mmhmm.. Yeah, okay, go on," Bonnibel can feel her glare over the call. Bonnibel slumps down into her chair.
"I don't want you telling anyone-" Bonnibel internally face palms mid sentence.
"-Not because it's bad! It's just.. ugh, I'm trying to plan a birthday party for him-" Bonnibel admits sheepishly and quietly like someone might overhear.
"-why now, isn't it kind of late?" LSP interjects sharply. Bonnibel frowns deeply.
"... Maybe, I'm just trying to do better now, but I need your help," Bonnibel confesses, she sweeps away a strand over her hair, prodding it back into place.
"You know him better than me," Bonnibel adds, and that admission hurts. It's an admission to failure. Nothing new to her relationship with Lemongrab but it still stings.
"...Whatever, fine, it wouldn't be much of a party if I wasn't involved anyways," LSP responds hesitantly and ends the call. A few short seconds later Bonnibel receives several texts asking when and where to meet up. Bonnibel sighs in relief. Hopefully the hardest part is over.
...
LSP arrives in record time, barging through the Bonnibel's lab doors.
"What ideas do you have?" She asks loudly and Bonnibel shushes, even though there isn't much risk of overhearing. LSP listens though and repeats in a loud whisper.
"What ideas do you have?"
Bonnibel groans, tearing the paper from the notebook to hand to LSP.
"Nothing much... No judging?" She hands her the paper and is left in a moment of nerve-wracking silence.
LSP looks at her then back at the paper.
"...Bubblegum, respectfully, this is hardly a wishlist," LSP puts a hand on her hip and Bonnibel buries her face in her hands.
"Yeah," She agrees dejectedly.
"I know," She adds with an ashamed sigh. She's a scientist, an inventor, a ruler, she should've had this in the bag, and yet...
"I mean, girl... you just listed facts about him and wrote down his birthday with a question mark," She places the paper down and points, Bonnibel looks back at her own writing and nods sadly. LSP seems overjoyed though when Bonnibel summons the courage to look at her face.
"You should've told me you needed a full on party planner from the start!" LSP exclaims, Bonnibel blinks.
"...You're good with this?" Bonnibel asks, surprised. LSP stares at her.
"I mean.. yeah, being needed for short notice party planning is one my top fantasies actually," LSP explains blankly.
"...But you seriously need my help, like honestly I thought you'd be better at this, it's kinda sad," LSP rubs the back of her head.
Bonnibel thinks that part could've been left unsaid but she wasn't in a position to complain so she nodded.
"Yeah, okay, but I'm still a part of this," She states clearly and LSP rolls her eyes.
"Obviously, I'm not doing all the stinkin' work around here," She clarifies and crosses her arms.
They start by creating a list of who should attend, it's a short list. They both agree it's good to keep it that way, knowing Lemongrab isn't very keen on surprises or unannounced visits or unexpected mail arrivals or... well anything unknown to him really.
From there it got a bit trickier.
"Location..?" Bonnibel asks, because obviously she's writing everything down, and actually preparing everything so this party will actually happen. Bonnibel enjoys it though, this part of the process she can understand. It's more doable.
"Wait, uh shoot, this is actually hard," LSP puts up a hand, gesturing for Bonnibel to stop writing. LSP chews her nails (does she even have nails?) as she paces.
"He wouldn't like if we messed with anything in the Earldom... but he wouldn't like somewhere he hasn't been yet.. hates it here," LSP mumbles to herself while Bonnibel tries to think of helpful suggestions.
"What about Lumpy Space?" Bonnibel ends up suggesting unhelpfully, LSP stops though.
She stares at Bonnibel with wide eyes and Bonnibel looks away, she hadn't thought what she said was that dumb.
"Wait, no, that might work, he tolerates Lumpy Space now," LSP explains excitedly.
"I could find an isolated location, but I'd have to hide it from the others, they think every party is their party," LSP chews on her cheek and Bonnibel starts writing again.
"Like what kinda person thinks like that?"
Bonnibel stays quiet and takes notes as LSP brainstorms actual party ideas, it doesn't take long before they have an actual idea and plan to execute everything.
Of course Bonnibel would be working on the latter, actually setting things up, reaching out to party guests, creating something to hide the party from crashers. Bonnibel was pretty much an expert at this, so zero complaints.
...
Bonnibel worries next about getting the right gift, predictably she once again is slumped. She sinks into the kitchen chair, letting her head lay face flat against the table counter with a tired groan. It had been another day of unsuccessful gift shopping.
"I hear ya," Simon says popping out of the freezer causing Bonnibel to jump up. She shoots a stream of jellybeans at him before letting the stream die out. She rubs her eyes.
"Simon?" She asks. Dressed again in his blue moo moo, holding handfuls of ice, the man nods.
"Yes... sorry, didn't mean to scare you," He apologizes with an ashamed mumble. He promised Marceline he'd leave the fridge alone but clearly now he's been breaking his promise.
"It's okay.. I won't tell Marcy, I'll let you handle that," She can hear him exhale a shaky sigh of relief, she can also hear the ice cubes slip from his fingers followed by a few curses.
"..Thank you," He finally answers, taking a seat beside her.
"Really, it means a lot.." He fiddles with his fingers nervously. Bonnibel lifts her head up.
"Simon," The name still feels foreign most days, so she makes an effort to say it naturally. Simon perks his head up.
"Yes?" He smiles politely, the rest of expression and body language betrays him though. It's clear he still feels a bit awkward when it's just Bonnibel and him. Honestly she feels the same way at times. Marceline was a good buffer.
"I was just looking for advice," She says, his eyes light up.
"For your research and science, of course! I've actually been waiting for this you see, I know we don't-"
"-No, not that," She feels bad to cut him off and worse to see him visibly deflate. He shrinks back down, not even trying to mask his disappointment.
"Sorry, okay, what is it?" He asks, his tone is depressing and bitter. Bonnibel narrows her eyes before taking a deep breath.
"Right, I guess you probably can't help much-"
"-When can I?" Simon looks down at the table while gripping his hair and the the whole sight is honestly depressing but Bonnibel continues on.
"-but you're the only person I could think of, you took good care of Marceline," Bonnibel reaches a hand out on the table. Simon looks up again, he's listening.
"Better than what I've done, I mean.. I have no idea what I should get Lemongrab, he hates almost everything," Bonnibel begins to explain, frustration slipping into her voice. Simon sits up, nodding supportively. It was funny how fast his demeanor changed.
"What gift can make up for all the ones I've never given?" Bonnibel asks. Simon frowns, looking at her sympathetically.
"Nothing," He answers sorrowfully. He looks up to see her melancholy, guilt stricken face and leans toward her.
"But... You know, I'm sure you'll find something," He pats her shoulder gently, offering a weak smile.
"...And with lost time it's not the lost gifts that matter most, I can give you that at least," He looks back with a sad but soft expression before walking back.
It was a sweet and insightful moment minus the fact that Simon slipped in a puddle of melted ice a few moments later. Bonnibel helped him up, she mopped up the mess too.
...
The next three days sail by and Bonnibel spent each one making sure everything's set up perfectly. At this point there's no denying that her nerves are eating her up. She paces around, her thick heeled dress shoes clacking against the tiled floors.
Tiled floors but no walls or ceiling, would Lemongrab be okay with this? The concept of a picnic bothered him.
She scans everything quickly before readjusting the table cloth again, making sure it's perfectly symmetrical.
Marceline hovers over her, creating a small gust of wind that disturbs her focus. The table cloth flies away from Bonnibel's grip.
"Relax Bonnie, the table cloth is fine," Marceline stretches in the air.
"Everything's fine, and everyone's here," She gestures vaguely with one hand, tying her hair up with the other. It doesn't work in her favor so Marceline uses both hands, tying it into a high bun.
"Aaanndd, he could show up any minute so you should probably try to chill out a bit, otherwise you'll freak him out too," Marceline tucks a loose strand of hair behind Bonnibel's ear.
She offers a smile and Bonnibel crosses her arms with a short nod. Unfortunately still stiff with rigid posture.
"Dude," Marceline narrows her eyes and Bonnibel frowns.
"What? I'm chilling, chilling out," She argues defensively and Marceline flashes an incredulous look.
"Uh-huh, real chill..." She agrees doubtfully. Bonnibel rolls her eyes as Marceline sets her head onto Bonnibel's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her.
"You're doing a good thing, I mean.." Marceline tilts her head, Bonnibel stares at her with a straight face.
"Even if this totally flops in your face, you've done way, way, worse," Marceline says and it is absolutely the worst reassure Bonnibel's heard from her.
"Gee, thanks," Bonnibel replies flatly. Marceline smiles politely, blinking her eyes.
"You're welcome," Bonnibel rolls her eyes again, this time with a smile.
Bonnibel hears LSP and Lemongrab approaching, specifically their voices. Glob, they were loud... they both spoke over each other but neither seemed to care. Bonnibel has trouble making out the conversation. Whatever it is, it's lively, defiantly lively.
Lemongrab bursts through the barrier of clouds and falls flat on his face. LSP trails after, floating without issue. Lemongrab pushes himself up and scans the area. He hums, squinting as he finishes accessing everything. Marceline blows her party streamer wealky. Lemongrab hums a short note, it's unclear if he approves.
Bonnibel catches LSP's eyes. Bonnibel tilts her head, LSP shrugs in response. Bonnibel will just have to watch how things play out.
"Thisss doesn't look like a meeting," Lemongrab comments nervously. He looks at Bonnibel.
"Is this another prank?" He asks accusingly and Bonnibel feels old guilt crawling up around the edges of her stomach. She had almost forgotten about that, looking back most of her behavior then was something she felt ashamed of.
"No, no, nothing like that," Bonnibel waves her hands frantically, quick to set things straight. Lemongrab squints with further suspicion.
LSP puts a hand on his shoulder.
"She's telling the truth, I lied to you," LSP tells him, making Lemongrab frown further.
He appears both deeply offended and hurt. He goes to Lemon Camel and strokes the beast's nose and inspects the paper party hat tied to Lemon Camel's head. He snaps his head back and shout.
"Explain!" He orders as he drapes himself dramatically over Lemon Camel, both possessively and protectively. LSP sighs.
"Your mom threw you a birthday party, I had no part in this," LSP answers.
"Unless you like it, then it was all me," She adds. Both Marceline and Bonnibel shoot a sharp glance her away.
"Okay fine, whatever, I'll let you talk," LSP bats them away dismissively, leaving to raid the snack bar set up.
The snack bar only consisted of Lemongrab's favorite foods so unfortunately for LSP it was slim pickings and very bland.
Bonnibel rubs the back of her neck.
"I wanted to give you a nice birthday party, I know it's probably too late but.." Bonnibel explains before trailing off.
"If you don't like it that's okay, we don't have to do this again," Bonnibel offers, Marceline floats behind her, checking her nails.
Lemongrab pets Lemon Camel's nose, he turns toward her with an offended pout.
"Don't!" He snaps shrilly. Bonnibel blinks, a bit startled and confused.
"Hmmnn.. it's oookay," He decides.
"But next year I plan it, and what day," He informs her with a small smile.
Marceline opens her mouth to speak but Bonnibel gently holds her back.
"Don't, not right now," Bonnibel instructs in a hushed tone, glancing at Lemongrab quickly. Marceline seems hesitant but trusts Bonnibel, she gives a quick thumbs up.
"Well.. this was nice, goodbye!" Lemongrab hums and heads for the door. LSP calls out for him with a drawn out 'wait' as she flies in front of him. Lemongrab haults at her request. He stares at her as she inhales another breath.
"The party's not over! you're supposed to eat cake and bust open a piñata and play spin the bottle-" Marceline shakes her head at LSP, Bonnibel dawns disaproval on her face as well. Bonnibel's pretty sure they didn't even have half of that set up.
"-Yeah okay, no spin the bottle, but presents! At least let us see you open your presents!" LSP pleads, wildly waving her arms about.
"Hmn.. fine," Lemongrab blinks, turning away to march back. LSP silently celebrates, congratulating and praising herself for convincing him to stay.
At Lemongrab's request they eat in complete silence. The stretch of silence ends when Lemongrab announces he's ready to open his presents.
Bonnibel and LSP are the only ones who got him anything, Lemongrab doesn't voice any disappointment though. As Bonnibel grabs hers, LSP shoves past her then sprints back. Lemongrab tracks her movement, unblinking and still.
"HE'S OPENING MINE FIRST!" LSP exclaims, already chucking her gift toward Lemongrab. It hits him in the face and he yelps.
"Oops, sorry babe," LSP says blankly as Lemongrab frowns and rubs his head. He huffs a quick displeased note and drops it to tear open his first gift.
He rips through it with a blank expression. Bonnibel smiles at the sight, feeling an odd fondness for him fill her chest.
He lifts the gift to inspect. It's a neon green fur coat, exactly like LSP would wear. Marceline stifles her laughter but Lemongrab eyes it like a shiny treasure.
"Ohhh..." He inspects it carefully, LSP wears a proud face moving her hands to ger hips.
"It's great and you're speechless, I know, you're welcome," She closes her eyes and nods approvingly. Lemongrab stares up at her, grinning in agreement.
"Mnnn, yes, thank you," He says gratefully. He holds onto it as they clear the trash away. Lemongrab presses the fabric to himself closely, even as Bonnibel sets her gift down in front of him.
Her gift was in a small box, it definitely looked lame in comparison so Bonnibel couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious. She began to second guess her choice. Bonnibel crosses her arms and smiles weakly as she steps back.
Lemongrab snatches it up and opens it. He has no immediate reaction upon seeing the gift, in fact he just stares blankly. He finds the small note attached, he swiftly reads through it before folding it back up. Bonnibel fears she failed. Lemongrab turns his gaze to her though, he cups the box in both hands, drawing it close.
"...Do you like it?" Bonnibel asks hesitantly.
"...Yes," Lemongrab responds hesitantly. He looks away sheepishly.
"Hmn. It's.. it's acceptable, thank you," He adds.
After that he's quick to leave, so quickly Bonnibel still isn't sure if this had been a success afterall. Lemongrab hadn't lashed out or screached so she decides it must've at least been okay.
...
Later that day her and Marceline sit huddled together on the couch while muffins bake in the oven. Marceline shifts to face her.
"Oh yeah, Bonnie," She nudges Bonnibel to catch her attention.
"I forgot to ask but what did you get Lemongrab?" She asks curiously.
"I couldn't really get close enough to see it and you never told me," Marceline says and Bonnibel raises her eyebrows. It's weird, she hadn't meant to keep that from her.
"Oh yeah, sorry," Bonnibel answers casually, she hums and pushes back a strand of her hair.
"I got him a new baseball mitt, with a baseball," Bonnibel states blankly.
"Huh," Marceline comments,
"That's cool I guess... I guess I just don't get it," Marceline crosses her arms as she slumps back against the couch. Bonnibel leans back, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"What do you mean?" She asks.
"I mean Lemongrab obviously seemed to like yours in like.. a sentimental way, I thought whatever it was would be like... his hambo or something," Marceline explains, mumbling toward the end like Bonnibel might find her words stupid. Bonnibel doesn't. Instead she grins, surprised.
"Really? For real, you think I did that well?" Bonnibel practically jolts up with excitement, but also relief as her lingering anxiety of failure fades away. Marceline raises and eyebrow before cracking a smile.
"Yeah, I knew you would," She states like it'd be silly otherwise.
...
Meanwhile in Castle Lemongrab, the note belonging to that birthday is pinned and framed below a display case holding two catchers mitts and one baseball. It's just a simple short note that reads: So we can play sometime.
But to Lemongrab, it's a promise he hopes will be fulfilled. It's a deeply cherished wish he's managed to hold on to throughout his years. Luckily for them both, Bonnibel intends to live up to her words.