Work Text:
Gumball stared at himself in the mirror; his reflection tiredly gazed back at him. The red varsity jacket he fashioned made him appear to stand out in the dark room. The usual tan sweatshirt he’d always wore had been sitting in the closet, collecting dust for the past few years.
His eyes averted to the digital clock on his nightstand. “10:32 PM,” it read.
‘Figure I should head out now… The party isn’t gonna wait for itself.’ He decided. The walk to Tobias’ house felt particularly long, at least to him it did.
The door to his room opened, and out he crept, trying his absolute best not to make a noise.
He slowly headed down the stairs, making sure not to hit any points where they would creak loudly and potentially wake up his mother. Once he reached the bottom, he b-lined to the back door in the laundry room with less effort. Opening the door and gently shutting it behind him as he stepped outside.
The cool breeze of an early summer night came and went in an instant. He walked around the house and onto the sidewalk out front. And so, the long and quiet trek to Tobias’ house began.
Gumball found himself alone again. It was a feeling he’d grown accustomed to ever since Penny left him around the beginning of high school; she cited his “constant immaturity” or something along those lines as the reason why. He could hardly remember that day; his brain spent years suppressing that awful memory.
But he was over it by now; he learned to accept that people will come and go in your life. And that was that. The thoughts abruptly ended as a lone car drove through a shallow puddle in the road. He stopped for a moment to watch it go by, until it turned a corner and vanished.
He’d asked Darwin if he wanted to tag along with him earlier that evening. But he was apparently “too tired” after a long day of lifeguarding at the local pool. And honestly, Gumball could understand that. Sitting outside in the blazing sun all day watching small children swim around does sound quite exhausting after some time.
Even if Darwin wasn’t coming along, it just felt nice to get out. At least, that's how he justified it. He’d slowly grown to realize he didn’t need others to be happy. But it really does feel way better to have others to do fun things with instead of doing it by yourself.
Gumball moved his hands from his pants pockets and into the jacket pockets as the temperature slightly dropped. The jacket was something he began wearing at the start of high school in an attempt to distance himself from junior high. And he never really stopped wearing it since, even if his junior year had ended a few weeks prior.
High school had been… strange. He remembered the last day of middle school, and something Ms. Simian seemed to stick with him.
‘It goes by fast, don’t waste your time,’ Her words played in his mind.
‘Pfft, 3 years here felt like an eternity, there's no way it will!’ He recalled saying back.
And then the bell rang, and his junior year was already finished.
“She was right…” He mumbled to himself.
As he reached the outskirts of Elmore, he could hear faint music off in the distance, indicating he was close to the Wilson household. Excitedly, he picked up the pace, walking faster down the sidewalk. More cars were parked up and down the singular two-way street as he grew closer to the house. Most of them were those of his peers from his grade.
Finally, he reached the promised land: The Household of Tobias Wilson. Stepping through the front door felt like being transported to a new world. The blaring music vibrated his body; the bass of whatever song was playing pounded in his chest.
A grin grew on his face.
Carrie stood all by herself behind the counter. It was nearing the end of her evening shift at Joyful Burger. The “fun” part of evening shifts was that near the end, literally nobody would show up. No people, no orders, just nothing.
‘I feel like an idiot standing here with this stupid uniform on…’ Carrie thought to herself. Looking down at the uniform itself caused her to groan in discomfort. The tacky red button-up with the company logo on it felt unusual on her. Paired with the equally tacky red visor she was required to wear made for an ultimately humiliating outfit.
She peeked around a corner into the kitchen to glance at the time. ‘11:27 PM,’ it read on the drive-thru order screen.
“Why do you have to start your dumb party while I’m on the clock?” Carrie quietly whined to herself.
‘Only upside is that I’m out of here in 33 minutes…’ She tried to think on the brighter side.
The subtle buzzing from the outdated overhead menu screens made itself more apparent in the quiet and empty Joyful Burger. It was the only sound accompanying her; her other coworkers also stood around doing nothing.
The sound began to echo in her head; the deafening silence only enhanced the now blasting noise. It didn’t help the already uneasy atmosphere that the dead fast food chain provided at a relatively late hour. And despite her best attempts to ignore it, it would somehow crawl into her head each time without fail.
Soon enough, she slipped into her own thoughts in an attempt to tune it out.
‘I think I brought enough for the party, five bottles should be enough for the night, given the size. It wasn't even hard to get them…' The dude behind the register was practically asleep when I walked in.’ She smirked upon remembering the clerk.
“I’m pretty sure I bought enough for them…” She confirmed aloud, albeit quietly.
She tapped her finger against her upper arm, trying to patiently wait for 12 AM. But for some odd reason, time always seemed to slow to a halt at work, especially if she had plans immediately afterward.
A lone customer wandered in through the front doors, the first one the establishment had had in the last hour. It was just Elmore’s local hobo, who’d normally come in at this hour. Regardless, Carrie got herself behind the kiosk to take his order.
“Hi! Welcome to Joyful Burger! How can we help you?” Carrie happily greeted with a fake smile. God she hated saying that every single time.
“Hi, I’ll have the uhhh… Kids meal.” The hobo ordered.
‘A kid’s meal, really?’ Carrie thought, adding it to the order on the kiosk.
“Will that be all for tonight?”
“Yup!”
“Your total comes out to $7.14.”
The hobo dug a crumpled $10 bill out of his pocket and handed it to her. After uncrumpling it against the counter and placing it in the register, she gave him the few cents in change he needed before handing him his order number.
She handed the “cooks” in the back the order ticket, and they begrudgingly got to work on it. The sound of the fryers bubbling and the grill sizzling kicked back up as they got to work. Carrie went back to standing around, occupying herself with her thoughts again for the time being.
The kids meal was done in no time. A somber “order up!” from the kitchen snapped Carrie out of her thoughts. She spotted the tray of food sitting on the kitchen window and grabbed it.
It didn’t take much wandering around to find the hobo sitting in one of the corner booths.
“Enjoy your meal!” said Carrie, handing the hobo his tray of food.
“Thanks!” The hobo said back.
She scurried back to the counter and went back to spacing out.
Finally, the clock struck midnight. She immediately headed for the door, taking off her visor as she pushed open the building’s side doors and floated out into the back lot. She pulled her keys out and unlocked her beaten-up car sitting in the lot.
She stepped into the vehicle, tossing her visor onto the passenger seat and sitting behind the wheel. The ugly uniform came off immediately and was replaced with the death metal shirt sitting on the passenger seat.
The drive to Tobias’ wasn’t particularly interesting, albeit for the engine’s occasional stutter or gasp. She was used to those noises by now; they practically came with the car.
By the time she arrived, the party was already in full swing. The music could be heard from halfway down the block, which is where she decided to park for the night. She always parked a little way away from the actual party, since the cops would turn up at some point, and she didn’t want to deal with that.
She got out of the car, grabbed the basket of booze out of the trunk, and made her way to the music.
A decently plastered Gumball stumbled into the kitchen; his fur was already a mess, and his face could tell a million stories. He’d previously spent a good chunk of time loitering around the living room, shooting the shit with Tobias about summer plans over numerous drinks.
He spotted the familiar figure of one of his closer friends standing by the sink: Ocho Tootmorsel. Wasting no time, he approached the boy and greeted him with a slurred, “Whasssup, Ocho?”
“Not much really, just hanging around,” Ocho raised his voice to talk over the music.
“What brings you here tonight? You’re not really at these too often,” said Gumball.
“I have shit-else to do tonight, and constantly gaming gets a little boring from time to time,” Ocho answered, taking a sip from the solo cup in his hand.
“Great to hear dude!” Gumball smiled.
“Yeah thanks,” Ocho replied, “Where’s Darwin?”
“Tired from work, like he always is…” said Gumball with a sigh.
“Really? Is it that hard to sit on a chair for hours?” questioned Ocho, raising an eyebrow.
“Well what do ‘you’ do for money, Ocho?” Gumball playfully shot back with a question of his own.
Ocho opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t come up with an answer. His mouth closed in defeated resignation.
“I’m not taking shit from a guy who flips burgers!” Ocho fired.
“I’m not taking shit from a guy who does nothing all day,” Gumball jokingly argued, unable to pick up on the fact that Ocho was serious.
“Oh really?” Ocho raised his voice and got in his face.
“Dude relax, I'm just messing with you,” Gumball assured with a nervous laugh.
“Oh alright then,” Ocho realized, changing his demeanor back to the way it was before, “Anyways do you want a shot of this?” he offered, changing the topic and gesturing towards the ominous-looking black bottle on the counter behind him.
“Well what is it?” questioned Gumball.
“Ghost Vodka, brewed from the deepest depths of the Underworld. Carrie brought it.” Ocho explained. The bottle radiated a threatening aura: a subtle, ominous hum could be heard from inside of it, it lacked any sort of label, and a thin, black mist emanated from the bottle itself. Any rational person would turn around and walk away.
“Sure!” Gumball happily accepted, holding his empty cup out like a kid on Halloween. Ocho gladly poured a shot into the cup and poured one for himself, too.
Without wasting a second, Gumball put the cup to his lips and downed it all. The taste instantly made his face recoil and crumple like a ball of paper. The taste could only be described as the burning souls of the damned condensed into a drink. Reluctantly, he swallowed it. A terrible sensation simmered down his throat, burning it for a few moments. His expression failed to hide how much he hated it.
“Tastes horrible, right?” Ocho laughed.
“Y-yeah!” Gumball coughed, the taste and sensation still lingering. He leaned over as he broke into a coughing fit; whatever was in there felt like it was seared into his mouth.
Gumball watched as Ocho took his shot like a champ. He had nowhere near the same reaction as him. His demeanor remained the same, almost stoic.
“How do you do that?” Gumball asked.
“Eh, you get used to it after some time,” Ocho explained.
“Haha yeah I love that band!” Tobias awkwardly lied.
“Oh really now?” Carrie questioned, crossing her arms in skepticism.
“Yeah I was a big fan of their last album!” Tobias continued the thinly veiled lie.
“What was its name again?” Carrie asked, pretending she didn’t already know the answer to that.
Tobias’ face dropped, the weak lie shattered in an instant.
“Uhh…” Tobias mustered.
“Exactly what I thought,” Carrie finished before floating away.
“Why do I bother coming to these anymore…” She mumbled, not really knowing where she was going.
Carrie wandered back into the kitchen, where it was very apparent that an argument was occurring. A circle of people had formed in the kitchen to watch said argument unfold.
“No, what's your problem!?” An agitated male raised his voice. Carrie could immediately recognize it as Ocho’s.
‘What a shocker… Ocho is upset again.’ Carrie rolled her eyes.
“Fuck you man!” An agitated female raised her voice and shoved Ocho.
‘Wow it’s Jamie, color me purple…’ Carrie rolled her eyes once more.
Ocho’s forehead turned crimson as his rage reached a boiling point. In the blink of an eye, the boy lunged forward at his aggressor and knocked her to the ground in one swift move.
The ox immediately got back up and charged at the 8-bit spider who once stood above her. With a powerful swing to the face, she knocked Ocho back a couple of feet and forced the crowd to back up a bit.
The aggravated teens started trading flimsy blows to the body and head; they tanked each shot they gave each other like a brick wall. It was apparent that the fight had reached a standstill for a couple of moments.
As amusing as it was to observe the fight, it wasn’t anything special. Just a typical drunk brawl between two idiots who’d probably forget all about it the next morning. Fights at parties had become more of a spectacle for others than a genuine beef between two people. Like they were just doing it for the hell of it.
But then again, it was Ocho, the ticking time bomb of Elmore High. And paired with whatever he had tonight, there wasn’t a single universe where he wasn’t going blow for blow with someone.
Finally, Ocho landed a critical hit on Jamie’s gut, causing her to temporarily keel over in intense pain.
He took this opportunity like a blessing and knocked Jamie to the floor with a loud ‘thud’ before pouncing on her. Profanity after profanity came from his mouth as he repeatedly struck her. Of course, the crowd reacted to each blow with an “Ohhh!” or something like that.
Ocho decided to stop once he felt satisfied with what he’d done. Jamie was still on the floor, grasping at her gut and groaning in pain.
“That’s what you get you horn-tailed piece of shit!” Ocho shouted before fleeing the scene into the large crowd that’d formed.
Carrie just stood there amongst the crowd, not really understanding what the point of all that was.
“Whatever…” She mumbled, abandoning her drink on a random counter, “I’m done for the night.”
Gumball found himself awkwardly sitting on the curb with a now-empty red cup in his hand. Granted, by now he only had a buzz, but the need to vomit was becoming evermore present. This happened nearly every single time: he’d drink quite a bit, screw around for a few hours, start coming down, and vomit either on the side of the road or in the toilet at home if he was somehow able to suppress it long enough, which he rarely did.
It was a cycle that would repeat every time he went out. And every time he promises he’d never drink again. The phrase quickly became a lie, almost a joke to him. I mean, it wasn’t even that fun anyway. Was he spiraling out again like he usually does? His head felt a little heavier tand heavier on his shoulder, the uncomfortable grumbles coming from his stomach only made it worse He was probably gonna–
“Heyy Gummmball!” A cheerful female voice called from behind him.
Gumball’s head snapped around in an instant to the source of the voice. He saw none other than Carrie Krueger herself coming out onto the lawn, her loose metal band shirt hung halfway down her shoulder. The knot in his stomach tightened at the sight, forcing him to curl over in discomfort on the curb.
“Hey Carrie…” Gumball tiredly groaned.
“You look like shit,” Carrie commented, lying on the grass next to the sick feline.
“Thanks Carrie, it means the world…” Gumball sarcastically replied, slightly turning to face her.
“Anytime, Gumball,” She smiled.
“What do you want?” He asked bluntly. The knot in his stomach became harder and harder to ignore.
“Well, I saw you sitting out here so what are you doing?” Carrie flipped the question back onto him.
“Sitting on the curb thinking about going home,” Gumball admitted, “Is that what you want to hear?”
“Yeah actually, I was thinking about doing the same…” Carrie related, “This party kinda blows…”
“What makes you think that?”
“Like every guy here has tried to hit on me,” she complained, “And every time they do, they bring up some band that I don’t even listen to or something.”
‘Wow, I really sat around at my job for seven hours just to leave and get sexually harassed at a party for two hours…’ Carrie realized, sighing aloud.
“Oh, that sucks…” Gumball managed to respond.
“Yeah, it really does, Gumball. I’m probably gonna head home now,” finished Carrie, getting off the grass to get going.
“W-wait! Did you drive here?” Gumball asked, stopping Carrie dead in her tracks.
“Yeah, why?”
“Could you give me a ride? I don’t think I can walk back home…” Gumball requested.
Carrie took a second to study the boy still sitting on the curb. She could immediately pick up on the fact that he was being genuine and wasn’t trying to do some sicko stuff. And she wasn’t about to let some sick kid walk all the way back home in the dead of night. There was really no reason to refuse.
“Sure,” Carrie flatly accepted.
Gumball pried himself off the curb and stood up. The instant dizziness he got from standing up almost made him almost lose balance and fall over before fading away. The walk to the car wasn’t particularly long, at least to her it wasn’t.
“Hey, can we stop for a bite on the way back?” Gumball asked, opening the dented side door to the car and stepping inside.
‘What am I your mother?’ Carrie impulsively thought.
“You know I can’t eat, right?” She said instead.
“I’m well aware,” acknowledged Gumball, closing the car door.
“So you’re gonna pay for yourself?”
“Yep!”
“Alright then, you have a place in mind?”
“You know that 24-hour breakfast diner called Dinner?”
"A diner called Dinner that exclusively serves breakfast?” Carrie needed to make sure she heard that correctly.
“Yeah it's over by the mall, I go there after parties when I can.”
“Sure, I guess…”
Carrie twisted the key, the engine sputtered and gasped, failing to start with a final soft whimper.
“Piece of shit…” grumbled Carrie out of frustration.
Carrie twisted the key again, but with more force. The engine released a final gasp before picking up and starting.
“So what brought you to that party in the first place?” Carrie asked, pulling the car out of the spot.
“Boredom for the most part…” Gumball simply answered.
“That’s what everyone says,” replied Carrie, “There’s no way it’s that simple.”
“Well what do you want to hear then?” Gumball countered, “That I just go to fit in with others and I don’t actually like parties?”
His words struck Carrie like a brick to the face. She’d never heard something that applied to her so much come from another person, and from Gumball no less. She was momentarily left speechless, resorting to tapping her finger on the wheel while she figured out how to respond.
“I get that feeling…” Carrie half-laughed.
Gumball’s ears perked up.
“You hate parties?” Gumball asked, not fully understanding what she meant.
“I mean yeah. I only really show up to drop off booze and hang around,” Carrie explained, “I don’t even like drinking that much.”
“I can relate to the last part…”
“Well then why do you do it?”
“To let go and live a little, I guess…”
“So you ‘live a little’ every night?”
“Not every night, and you know what I meant. Why do you bring it then?”
“Because why not? I get it for free anyway.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Fine then, it's fun to see what stupid shit people do.”
“Oh, so it's like a big joke?”
“Yeah pretty much.”
The ride turned silent for a couple of minutes.
“It tasted horrible, by the way.”
“Of course it does. The souls of the damned aren't gonna taste like sunshine and rainbows, Gumball.”
“How do you even get it in the first place?” questioned Gumball.
“I know people, that's all I’ll say,”
“If you say so…”
They pulled into the parking lot of the so-called “Breakfast diner called Dinner.” Which looked like any standard diner sitting in the middle of a vast parking lot. She parked in a random spot near the entrance, noting how there was only one other car parked in the lot.
Heading into the diner itself, it looked like any other 24-hour diner at a late hour: completely dead, but so peaceful. They sat at a random booth next to a window and waited for Larry to give them a menu.
“So basically the entire reason I have that shitbox out there is because it was only 1k and my parents insisted that we buy it and ‘slowly fix it over time.’” Carrie ranted, “It's so stupid!” She laid back in the booth chair and crossed her arms.
“I mean 1k isn’t terrible for a first car…” Gumball mentioned.
“The reason it was 1k is because it came with a multitude of problems, Gumball.”
“I know, but it did get us here.”
“Do you even have a car?”
“I don’t, but I drive the family car.”
“Then what do you know?”
“I know that I’d kill to have my own car, even if it was a busted piece of crap.”
“One time I was driving on the freeway and the car shut off for a few seconds before turning itself back on.”
“Okay?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Larry came around and handed Gumball a menu before scurrying back to the kitchen.
“You didn’t take your family car tonight, right?” Carrie asked.
“No, if I did, I probably would’ve driven myself here.” Gumball earnestly answered.
‘You realize you’re in no condition to drive, right?’ She wanted to say before catching herself, realizing that if she were in the same state of mind, she’d probably think the same.
“You wouldn’t drive,” said Carrie.
“And why is that?” questioned Gumball.
“I’d take your keys away.”
“And how would you do that?”
“You look very easy to steal from.”
“How do you know that?”
The booth turned silent for a few moments. Carrie turned her attention to the uninhabited parking lot outside. The lot was only illuminated by the numerous street lights scattered throughout the desolate landscape. She turned her gaze back to the boy across from her upon finalizing an answer.
“Everyone is easy to steal from when they’re inebriated; they’re too stupid to realize.”
“Fair enough.”
Gumball saw Larry approaching the booth from the kitchen. He glanced at the menu for the last time, locking in his final decision.
“Are you ready to order?” Larry asked in a blatantly fake upbeat tune.
“Yeah. I’ll have the Waffle Slammer with hash browns.” Gumball ordered, looking at the picture of the item on the menu.
“Alright, one Waffle Slammer with hash browns coming right up!” confirmed Larry before he walked away.
“Whatever happened to calling it a waffle meal or something?” questioned Carrie.
“It's the name gimmick for this place,” answered Gumball, flipping the laminated menu around for Carrie to see and pointing at the ‘combos’ section.
She read the names and immediately picked up on the gimmick.
“It's very repetitive…” She commented.
“It’s good, though,” Gumball responded.
“If guess so…” Carrie said under her breath.
There was a pause for a brief moment as Gumball thought of what to say next.
“It's nice to have company for once, I’m always by myself when I come here…” thanked Gumball.
“Yeah, anytime.”
The casual banter continued as Gumball waited for his food. The minutes seemed to melt by as the conversation steadily flowed from topic to topic.
Gumball’s food finally arrived. The waffles, fried eggs, bacon, and hash browns created a heavenly scent that he couldn't resist. He wasted no time indulging himself in the large breakfast before him. The taste and feeling were a godsend to his mind and his stomach.
Carrie sat and watched for a couple of moments before turning her attention elsewhere, more specifically to a bougie, somewhat familiar car pulling into the parking lot. She could swear that she’s seen it somewhere, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The vehicle left her field of vision before she could figure it out.
A few minutes later, the familiar faces of Masami, Carmen, and Teri stumbled into the diner. Masami shot a glance at Carrie and Gumball before being led into a booth on the other side of the diner by her friends.
“Masami and her friends are here…” said Carrie, barely above a whisper as to not be heard.
“So?” Gumball replied with a mouthful of waffle.
“I don’t like her.”
“Why is that?”
“Last time she stayed the night at my place after a party, she stole one of my CDs and $20, and then has the audacity to call other people broke. I haven’t forgiven her for it.”
“And you didn’t confront her about it?”
“Of course I did, but she insists that I just misplaced it or something. It's so annoying.”
“I get why you wouldn’t forgive her…”
“Yeah, she’s such a bitch for that.”
Gumball continued eating his meal. He tried to eat a little faster so they could leave quicker, as if he wasn’t already ravaging his food to begin with.
“Hey guys! What brings you here at such a late hour?” A sly, cheerful voice greeted them. Of course, it was Masami, in all her glory.
“Nothing really, just grabbing a bite before driving him home,” Carrie answered, hiding how much she hated interacting with the cloud girl now floating between them.
“Ooo fun!” She continued with the cheerful attitude.
“Yeah I’m just about done and ready to go,” Gumball lied. He would continue eating this for the rest of his life if he could.
“Carrie, you’re aware that your shirt is like, halfway down your arm, right?” Masami pointed out.
“I’m well aware. Are you aware that you haven’t given me my FaceMelter CD and my $20 back?” Carrie shot back in response.
“I’ve told you this a million times already; you probably just misplaced it,” Masami shrugged, keeping the cheerful demeanor afloat.
“I swear to God Masami, it was on my shelf that night, and the morning after you left, it was gone. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“You played it that night and forgot it somewhere; you were probably too drunk to even remember.” Masami insisted with a knowing grin.
‘Here she goes again.’ Carrie mentally sighed.
“I took maybe three shots that entire night, and I didn’t have to crash at my friend's house for the night like you always do.” Carrie fired back with heavy emphasis on the ‘you’.
“So are you guys here on a date or something?” Masami teased, that same grin still on her face.
“It’s not like that,” Gumball chimed in, taking a sip from the glass of milk in front of him.
“Then what is it like?” Masami pressed further, leaning closer towards him. The stench of alcohol stung Gumball’s nostrils.
“Can two friends not grab a bite in the dead of night?” replied Gumball, trying not to give too much attention to the matter.
“Well, what I’m thinking is that you’re not ‘just’ friends.” Masami continued to tease.
“What if we weren’t just friends? How does that change anything?” Carrie mentioned.
“See! I knew it! I kneeeew it!!” Masami happily exclaimed.
“Yeah, you’re right, haha…” Carrie awkwardly played into it despite not wanting to.
“So what's it like dating a ghost, Gumball?” Masami questioned.
‘Why can’t you just go away?’ Carrie whined in her head.
“It's really cool!” Gumball responded with a smile, forcing himself to play the part.
“What’re the dates like?” She continued questioning.
“They’re fun… We went to this arcade the other day, the one in the mall.” Gumball continued.
“Ohh yeah, I’ve been there before. Suuper fun.” Masami replied.
“But yeah, we were in the middle of a date, so it’d be nice if you let us be…” Gumball attempted to make her go away.
“I see, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Masami finished with a smile, floating away to the other side of the restaurant.
“See what I mean?” complained Carrie.
“Yeah I see now…” Gumball agreed.
“She’s so persistent, like she doesn't know when to stop!”
“I know, right?”
Gumball was just about finished with his “Waffle Slammer” by the time Masami went away and was more than ready to leave the diner. Larry came back around to give them their tab, which he paid in-full.
They wasted no time leaving afterwards.
“So I was wondering if you wanted to head to my place? If you're not super tired, of course,” Carrie offered.
Gumball didn't answer, giving himself a second or two to think and check the time. The clock on his nearly dead phone read ‘3:52 AM.’
“Sure!” He happily answered with a smile.
The rock music that was now playing on the radio drowned out all of the concerning noises that the engine had to offer. The car sped down yet another dead suburban street before making a sharp turn down yet another dead suburban street.
Gumball found it quite surreal to see the streets of Elmore so devoid of life. He spent the majority of the ride peering out of the rolled-down window. The cool night air blowing in his face felt immaculate.
The car slowed down as they pulled into the driveway of Carrie’s house. Gumball stepped out and briefly admired the decently large house towering over him.
“My parents are heavy sleepers, just don’t be extremely loud,” Carrie mentioned, passing by Gumball and phasing through the front door.
He stood by himself for a minute until the front door opened. Of course, Carrie was floating behind it with a flirtatious smirk visible on her face. Gumball followed in after her and continued following her as he was led into her room. She went in after him and gently closed the door behind her.
“Hey Gumball?” Carrie prompted.
“Yeah?” Gumball responded, turning around to face her.
Carrie’s lips collided with his in an instant. Her hands gripped his shirt collar before he could comprehend what was happening. A wave of warmth mixed with euphoria washed over them as her eyes slammed shut.
Gumball’s eyes met her closed eyelids. His body turned warm as his face turned flushed; if this lasted any longer, he would melt into a puddle.
The sensation came to a halt when Carrie pulled herself off of him. Her eyes shot open and locked with his; the look on his face told an entirely different story. She immediately assumed the worst from it.
“Shit I’m sorry I should’ve asked you can leave if you want I apologize!” Carrie fumbled with her words while anxiously scratching the back of her head.
A tiredly euphoric, yet stupid smile crept up Gumball’s red face. It told her everything she needed to know. And she could only reciprocate with one of her own.
“What’re you smiling at?” Gumball rhetorically asked.
“What’re ‘you’ smiling at?" Carrie rhetorically asked back.
Gumball couldn’t help but laugh, and he couldn’t really understand why. He soon collapsed onto the bed as he broke out into a fit of laughter.
His laugh was just as contagious as the flu, and Carrie found herself laughing alongside him. She fell onto the bed next to him in a drawn-out fit of laughter.
“You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Carrie laughed.
“Yeah you caught me off guard, of course I looked stupid!” Gumball chuckled.
Eventually, they settled down and found themselves lying in silence. Gumball sat up and gazed at the ghost girl lying on the foot of the bed. Once more, their eyes locked, Carrie noticed a slight sparkle coming from Gumball’s eyes. Which was something she’d never seen before, especially from him.
“We should do that again…” Carrie suggested in a mumble, breaking eye contact and looking at the ceiling.
Gumball’s heart seemed to flutter at the suggestion. He scooted himself a little closer to the foot of the bed. She sat up in response and turned to face him. Unsurprisingly, that same stupid look was on his face. Carrie could only try her hardest not to burst out laughing again.
Their faces neared each other, their eyes slowly closed, and finally their lips met once again. That beautiful wave of euphoria struck both of them once more. The world around them faded into obscurity as them and only them were in a quiet, yet blissful state. Everything seemed to melt away just like it had been during the time they’d spent together.
Gumball broke the kiss for a moment, a thin saliva bridge formed and collapsed between their lower lips.
“Why’d you stop?” Carrie whispered, briefly opening her eyes.
Before he had a chance to respond, she pounced. Landing on top of him and pressing her mouth against his. Gumball’s mind turned to a blur, his arms wrapped around her, and pulled her body closer to his. The fabric of her shirt brushed up against his chest.
His tongue slid out of his lips, prompting a small moan of enjoyment from Carrie as the feeling of intense warmth continued to grow inside her. Her’s got under his a moment after, sending a tingling sensation throughout his head.
Gumball broke the kiss once more and slithered his hands back onto the bed. Carrie scooted back and sat on his lap for a moment with a confused expression on her face, her tongue still slightly flopped out of her mouth. He hastily attempted to unbutton the varsity jacket he was wearing. But was having difficulty doing so due to the way he was positioned. Carrie covered her mouth in a futile attempt to hide the fact that she was giggling again.
“Well excuse me for not knowing how to do buttons right!” Gumball attempted to rationalize with a laugh.
“Here just let me do it!” Carrie giggled.
She unbuttoned the jacket with little difficulty, much to Gumball’s pleasure. He slid his arms out of the sleeves and sat up to take it off, tossing it somewhere on the floor. A plain green t-shirt sat underneath in its place.
“Where were we again?” started Gumball.
They wasted no time getting right back into it. The waves of enjoyment and love were ridden together, hand in hand. The subtle noises they'd make out of pleasure became evermore present with each passing minute. The concept of time didn’t matter anymore; all that did was that they were here, together, in this moment.
Gumball’s grip on her hand slightly tightened as the girl on top of him leaned in more. Their tongues rolled over one another like twirling fingers. A repressed groan of enjoyment finally escaped his lips at the strange yet beautiful sensation he had not felt in so long.
‘He’s loving every second of this,’ Carrie managed to think, ‘I am too…’
The thought came and went like a passing train; the beautiful things she was feeling clouded up her mind again. And even if she came from the underworld, she knew what heaven felt like.
Carrie slowly pulled herself off him, unlocking their one-connected lips. Their eyes both flickered open and met, revealing a heavy blush that was painted on both of their faces. That smile crept back up Gumball’s face, and Carrie couldn’t help but smile right back at him.
After a few moments, she got off of him and lay next to him, finding a comfy spot beneath his arm. Gumball adjusted accordingly and wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to him.
“We should do this more often…” Carrie slyly suggested.
“I’d love to,” Gumball grinned.
The room turned silent; they both knew exactly what they meant. But the realization of it took a minute or two to settle in.
Even though she tried her hardest, she couldn’t suppress a laugh any longer. It finally escaped from her in the form of a small giggling fit.
“What’s so funny?” Gumball smiled.
“I don’t know!” Carrie continued laughing.
“How do you not know?” Gumball joined in.
“I just don’t!” She rationalized.
Eventually, they settled down again. Carrie found the TV remote sitting on the edge of the bed and flicked on the television. Silence soon filled the room as Carrie flipped through channel after channel. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing on television at such a late hour, like it really mattered anyway. Her mind was too preoccupied with other things to actually care.
She finally settled on one of those cheesy murder documentaries that seemed to air 24/7. But even then, it was just background noise. Her head found a place under his arm.
“I’ve never been to that arcade you mentioned earlier…” said Carrie, turning to gaze into Gumball’s eyes.
“We should go there someday,” suggested Gumball.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” inquired Carrie, “Or today, I guess…”
“I have work in the afternoon until six…” He sighed,
“Dang really?”
“Yeah it sucks… I’m available the day after, though.”
“Sounds like a plan then, I’ll show up whenever.” Carrie smiled.
The documentary droned on as they cuddled, embracing each other.
“Wait, so you went to a party and did all of this while having work tomorrow?” Carrie realized, slightly sitting up.
“Yeah, it’s basically routine at this point. I go to bed at like six in the morning.” Gumball answered honestly.
“Aren’t you like, super tired?”
“I am…” He said with a sigh.
“I think you should stop staying out so late if I’m being honest. Sleep is important, y’know.”
“Well, you’re also still awake.”
“I don’t have work today, and I barely drank tonight. You, on the other hand…”
“Fair point…”
“So are you gonna try and get more sleep after tonight?”
“It's worth a shot.”
A smile grew on her face.
Carrie glanced over at the clock on her nightstand. “5:06 AM” it read.
“The sun is gonna rise soon, wanna go watch it?” Carrie proposed.
“I’d love to!” Gumball accepted with a grin.
Carrie got off the bed and stretched. She grabbed her keys off the nightstand and waited for Gumball, who was slow to get going. He managed to claw himself out of bed and dusted himself off.
“Stupid piece of shit…” Carrie grumbled, twisting the car key harder. The engine kicked up with a few sputters and revved on.
“So, where are we heading?” Gumball asked as Carrie pulled the car out of the driveway.
“This spot I know, it's really scenic,” Carrie answered, “You’ll probably like it.”
The ride to said spot was longer than any other one that night. Gumball noticed how Elmore seemed a little less empty and dead at this hour, but not by a lot. A car or two would be stopped at each intersection.
The long ride gave him a bit of time to reflect. Was this really happening? And it really was that easy? It all just seemed too good to be true, yet it was. He stopped leaning against the window to look at the girl driving the car.
But there she was, her hair gently blowing from the wind coming in through the rolled-down window. Leaning back against the seat with one hand on the steering wheel and the other sitting on the windowsill. There was just something so elegant about it.
“What?” Carrie smiled, breaking the silence.
“Nothing!” Gumball broke his gaze in an instant and looked back out the window.
“It’s not ‘nothing’, Gumball, what's up?” She continued, her eyes fixated on the road.
Gumball sighed, knowing he had his back pressed against the wall.
“I’m not dreaming right now, right?”
“It’d be a little funny if you were, but no, you’re not dreaming right now.”
“So tonight actually happened?”
“Yes. Yes it did.”
“Sweet.”
“You think you’re gonna wake up tomorrow and I’m suddenly not gonna like you anymore?”
“Kinda yeah…” He scratched the back of his head.
“Well you’re completely wrong.”
The bug that’d bothered him in his mind was squashed. This was real, all of it. Wasn’t a dream, delusion, drug trip, or anything of the sort. It was reality. But it only raised another question from him.
“Do dreams really come true?” He pondered.
“Only if you make them,” She responded, "That's what my Dad told me.”
Gumball turned his view away from the window and back to Carrie.
“Guess I’ll have to try harder…” replied Gumball.
“What are your dreams, Gumball?”
“Not to end up like my parents.”
“And why is that?”
“Mom’s overworked and Dad doesn’t really do anything. Maybe I could be the middle ground between that.”
“What's the plan after high school then?”
“College probably. Haven’t thought about it too hard. What's yours?”
“Same thing.”
“For what?”
“Haven’t figured it out yet…”
“Then that makes two of us.”
“There's still plenty of time.”
“Yeah, we graduate in less than a year.”
“Crazy to think about.”
The car started to slow down as it entered a parking lot situated on one of the many taller hills surrounding Elmore. She parked in a random spot and hopped out. Gumball followed after her.
A short walk took them to a lonely bench that gave a breathtaking view of Elmore. The pair sat on the bench facing towards the horizon, far off in the distance. A handful of stars were scattered about the fading night sky.
Gumball could see all the individual buildings that had their lights on at this hour in the expansive city below them. And despite how small everything looked, he could still find some places he knew. He could point to the still-derelict mall sitting on the far side of town. And the upper-class neighborhoods that stood on the lower hills.
Carrie’s attention was focused on the large hills encompassing Elmore, which only put into perspective just how small they were. She could see the sparse trees placed across the elaborate hills. The sounds of chirping birds began to emanate from them.
“I had a great time with you tonight…” said Carrie, laying her head on his shoulder.
“So did I,” said Gumball, smiling.
Soon enough, the first bits of sunshine began to creep over the hills. The clouds hanging high in the sky slowly became more and more illuminated as the sun continued to peek over the horizon. The sky’s colors started to shift from a deep, almost black blue to a variety of oranges, yellows, and reds. As if an elegant artwork were being painted in real time across the sky above.
Gumball was unable to take his eyes off it; there was just something so beautiful about it.
“Carrie?” Gumball prompted, still looking off into the distance.
“Hm?” She went, intrigued.
Gumball turned silent for a moment, deciding that he needed to ask it now. His gaze averted from the sunrise and into Carrie’s eyes.
“What are we?”
“Well what do you think?” Her tone was soft, yet intrigued.
He knew exactly what she was thinking. And she knew exactly what he was thinking. The silence said everything.
Their faces grew closer, their lips softly pressed against one another for a moment. The feeling of warmth and comfort briefly washed over them.
They turned their attention back to the sun, which already hung low in the sky. The light began to wash over them, and with it, the clarity of the previous night's events set in. This was all real, all of it. And they were ready to face whatever would come of it.
Fin.