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Startled by the touch on his cheek, Bubba's eyes flew open to gaze into deep crimson. His body immediately relaxed. He could stare into those eyes all day--contacts or not. He wondered what Marshall's real eye colour was. He hadn't seen him with his contacts out before, and he was entirely too curious. Suddenly returning himself to the conversation, he sighed softly and looked away. "It was just a fight... Mother and I fight a lot. This is the first time she's actually hit me... It's not that bad," he explained to him. He looked back up at him and curiously asked, "Marshall...what's your real eye colour?" He glanced up at Marshall's hair, fingers itching to run through those soft-looking locks. "You know what? Don't tell me. How about we both not wear our contacts Saturday?" he suggested, a genuine smile leaking back onto his lips when he thought about them hanging out outside of school. He still couldn't believe it. Something caught his eye in his peripheral vision that he hadn't noticed before. There was a small cardboard box wrapped in packaging tape with a label and his name on it sitting on his desk. His eyes brightened significantly as he sat up, completely forgetting that Marshall had his hand on his cheek. "Oh! You're present came!" he said happily, reaching over and grabbing the box. He was about to rip it open...until he remembered that Marshall was in the room with him. He blushed slightly. "You can't see it 'til Halloween!" he squealed, hugging the box to him protectively.

Bubba blushed dark when he was asked if he always got that excited about things. "No...not really..," he mumbled, looking down at the small package in his lap. "Well, you're only the second person from school to come over... Fionna used to come over a lot...but not really anymore..," he told him, picking at the tape on the package. He looked up at him and narrowed his eyes again. Of course he had to get him something! He did every year! "Yeah, but I get you something every year!" he argued, a pout set on his lips. How dare he even suggest he didn't get him anything for his birthday! What're you smiling at?" he demanded in a frenzy of embarrassment and fluster.

He huffed when Marshall changed the subject so quickly. He looked over at the keyboard in his room and frowned a little. He hadn't played in so long. "I guess... I haven't played in a while, though," he told him as he stood from the bed. "I'll play the song I know best, I guess. Just...don't judge or anything when you hear it, okay?" he said, eyeing the male before walking over and sitting behind the keyboard. He set the box down on top of it and stretched out his fingers. He glanced back at Marshall before taking a deep breath and beginning to play. It started out slow, tempo building but not much. He began muttering the lyrics under his breath in a quiet rap before his voice built and he was soon singing aloud to the lyrics, lost in his own world. He actually eventually forgot that Marshall was in the room with him. He forgot how much he loved playing the keyboard...

Bubba was a little startled when Marshall began singing along with him. He eventually just let Marshall take over the rapping parts and he sang the woman's lyrics. Once the song was over, he smiled up at Marshall, getting lost in those eyes again. His eyes widened when he heard his mother yelling and coming up the two flights of stairs. "********, I'm gonna get in trouble," Bubba whimpered, looking at the door with a terrified expression on his face. His mother burst into the room and glared at him, like she knew exactly where he was sitting. "Bubba, what the hell do you think you're doing bringing someone in this house without my permission?" she demanded, body trembling with anger as she attempted to keep herself calm in front of the company. "I'm sorry, I just--" Gumball tried before being cut off again. "Get out. Get out of my house," she growled to Marshall. "Get out of my house before I call the cops on you." "Mother!" Bubba shouted, disbelieving how she was talking to his...friend? Was he a friend? "You're being rude and unfair!" he squeaked out, tears filling his eyes. When did she even start acting like this? He couldn't remember.

Gumball stared at Marshall Lee in awe as he began to tell off his mother. It was also incredibly arousing to see someone stand up for him so determinedly. He watched him go, face automatically erupting in a blush when Marshall winked at him. I can't believe he just did that... he thought, eyes snapping back to his enraged mother as soon as Marshall was gone. Oh, God... She's pissed... His body began trembling again as she closed in on him. She got right up in his face, close enough to him to feel some spit his his face as she spat, "Don't you dare bring him into this house again. If you do, you're gone." Gumball whimpered slightly and nodded, letting a soft sob escape when his door was closed and throwing himself down on the bed to cry once again. It was getting worse. He knew she was getting worse. His mother was mentally ill and both he and his father knew it, but they couldn't bring themselves to put her in a psyche ward. They both still loved her, so they couldn't really do anything. He heard his bedroom door open and he tensed up, expecting his mother again, but instead he felt the bed dip and a hand rub his back. His chin trembled as he sat up and threw himself at his father, wrapping his arms around him and crying into his shoulder as his dad held him, telling him it would be alright and they'd make it through this.

After Bubba calmed down enough, his father casually asked, "So...was that your boyfriend?" Bubba immediately turned bright red as he sat straight up off of him. "No!" he squeaked, taken aback. His father gave him a knowing smile. "Really? Because I've never seen you wear that shirt before. In fact, I'm fairly certain your mother wouldn't allow something like that in your closet," he said with a chuckle, wiping Bubba's tears away. "Plus, you're bright red." Bubba just grinned shyly up at him. "He's not my boyfriend, Dad. Even if I really want him to be..," he mumbled at the end. His father chuckled and smiled at him before frowning. "You know your mother won't like that at all," he told him in a warning-type voice. Gumball nodded. "I know. But, Dad, I can't change because of her..," he said softly, father nodding in understanding. Bubba suddenly brightened. "Do you wanna see what I got him for his birthday? It's on Halloween! I'm proud that I thought to get it!" he hopped off of the bed, his father looking fondly at him. He loved his son, and it stung when that boy said those words to him because it was so difficult to stop the woman, but he still loved her. He knew the slap was an accident in her sudden rage, but if it happened again, he would have to do something about it.

Bubba plopped back onto the bed with the box and reached into his desk drawer for scissors. He easily sliced through the tape and opened it up, pulling out a few items. He set a little white case with a clip on it on the bed, the bottom was black and the top was white with the words "THE VAMPIRE KING" in black written across it, two little bat wings on either side of the word. He held it up and opened it, the inside being lined with a soft pink fabric. When his father looked questionable, he told him to wait and pulled out what looked like two small sticks. They were fashioned to look like cigarettes, one one the butt end was red and the tip was red while the main body was black, the other the butt was pink as was the end and the bodice was white. "They're electronic cigarettes! He smoked and I really hate it, so I thought that if I got him these he may use them instead of smoking actual cigarettes!" he told him happily and pulled out four little bottles with labels on them. "And I got him four flavors, too. I got him Dr. Pepper, cherry, cinnamon and bubblegum. I hope he uses them. I really want him to stop smoking. I dunno what I'd do if he got lung cancer," he confided in his father, looking up at him with a bright smile. His father smiled right back to him, happy to see his son happy. "I'm sure he'll love it and use it. It looks like he cares quite a bit about you, too." Bubba blushed and smiled. "We're gonna hang out Saturday. I'm going to the mall with him. I haven't hung out with anyone outside of school since Fionna used to come over all the time. I'm excited." His father chuckled and ruffled his hair, Bubba whining about it. "Stop wearing so much hair spray, Bubba. You'll kill the environment," he joked before standing up. "I'm going to go talk to your mother. Love you, Bubba," he said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. Bubba smiled and said, "Love you, too Daddy."

Bubba spent the majority of the night wrapping the gift up perfectly in plain brown wrapping paper and took the time to draw all over the paper. In two days he could be hanging out with Marshall at the mall. He giggled uncontrollably when he thought about it, hugging the present to himself before setting it on the desk. Luckily he didn't have any homework he couldn't put off another day. He stood and stripped everything off...except for his boxers and Marshall's shirt. He smiled to himself and turned off the light, curling up in bed and easily falling asleep peacefully.

Friday, the next day, Bubba got off of the bus at the school and practically bounced up to the school, not a mar on his cheek from the abuse the day before. He sat happily in the courtyard, Marshall's shirt draped around him, and pulled out a book to read. He hummed softly as he opened a zip-lock back of cookies he had baked and began munching on one while he sat and swung his legs and read.

Bubba smiled up at Marshall when he sat down beside him. He pouted when he stole his book, though. "It's 'Through the Looking Glass'. The Alice and Wonderland story. It's really good," he told him happily. He was freely speaking to Marshall in the middle of the courtyard. The only way it could get better was if they were holding hands and were boyfriends. He took the book back from him and glanced at the page number before shutting the book and setting it atop his stack of books and binders. "Hopefully my mom'll pick me up today. If not I might need a ride home again," he hinted to Marshall as he turned to him to talk. "If that's okay, anyway. I just really liked riding the motorcycle," he explained quickly.

Bubba blushed when Marshall mentioned the shirt. He was kind of dumbstruck at the question. What would he tell him? Until you take it back? He didn't get a chance to reply, though, because Marshall kept speaking before rushing off to class. He had to say, though, as he watched him walk away, that it was...odd seeing the male without the over-shirt on. He hugged his books to his chest, smiling to himself as he walked off to class. He as in his own little world until he entered class adn sat down. Immediately he began to get ridiculed. "Good morning, Your Majesty." "How are you today, Princess?" He frowned deeply and looked down at his desk, ignoring them to the best of his ability as he got out his supplies for school.

At the end of class, when the bell rang for break, he rushed out of the room and to the bathroom to relieve himself. However, as he was coming out of the stall, he got cornered by one of the guys on the soccer team. He looked up at him, wanting to know why the hell he wasn't moving out of his way. "Hey, Princess," the douchebag smirked down at him and moved in closer. Gumball soon realized what was happening and began to panic. Was this guy trying to pick him up? Or molest him? It seemed both were the answer as the taller male leaned down and bit at Bubba's ear, sending repulsed shivers down his spine. "G-Get off of me!" he yelled, trying to shrink away from him. When the guy just laughed and closed in on him more, Gumball flipped and backed up into the stall before kicking the guy swiftly in the stomach. Surprised, the guy fell back into the sinks on the other side of the room. Gumball breathed heavily, staring at the guy for a few seconds before running out of the bathroom when he saw the guy getting up. He ran straight for the back door of the school, not wanting anyone in teh courtyard to see him cry, and dashed out of it. He dropped to his butt and leaned against a brick wall. He threw his books down beside him and curled into himself, holding his hands on top of his head as he began to cry. Why? Why did this have to happen to him? He was never mean to anyone! He tried to help out when he could wherever he could whoever he could! Why did people have to pick on him so much?

Bubba shook his head when Marshall tried to get him to look at him. He didn't want Marshall seeing him blubbering. He definitely didn't want him knowing what happened. What would he think? Bubba was so weak... But he actually got that guy off of him. He was proud of that. He had never really successfully stood up for himself before, and it felt good to be able to. He finally looked up at Marshall and wiped his face, sniffling a little as he smiled at him, an actual genuine smile. "Don't worry. I just stood up for myself and succeeded for the first time in my life," he told him softly. "Thanks for worrying, though," he added, giving him a shy, grateful smile.