Disclaimer- Me no haz AT rites, me sad at that, but me live with that! And with that sentence, I hope that's the worst bit of writing you'll have to see in this fic.
Author's Note- I got this idea from my brain... but oh well. read at your own convenience. It's a FinnxMarceline one-shot, but after this I'll probably flip and do a PBxFinn fic. Or may do another pairing chosen by randomness.
Rating- T. For some iffy language
That being said, let's delve into this!
-Finn's POV-
Why must our decisions have consequences that may not be apparent now, but may greatly change the future as you foresaw it? I've had many of adventures in my life. I'm not elderly by any means. I'm twice the age I was when I was an adventurer. I'm twice the age that I was when I made an extremely erroneous decision that lead to my brother's death. I had done another stupid childish action, but this time, it wasn't the usual Ice King trying to abduct a princess to marry. No, it was a reemerging Lich. Thanks to that fiend, my brothers blood was on my hands. My brother's life was lost because of my hands.
Not long after that fight, where we were able to eventually encase the Lich in ice and bury him under hundreds of feet of snow, hopefully never to see him again.
Lady took it the hardest, after myself. She had gone off for weeks at a time, to places where she and Jake had spent time either on dates, or rehearsing their instruments, or just watching a sunset.
Ice King had been a major help after the loss. We had managed to pull a part of his old self out. Or at least, we were able to get him to stop going after Princess by abduction. He had focused his efforts on more usual kingly goals, trying to obtain more land, and getting more subjects.
Princess Bubblegum had tried to help me as well, but after Jake's death, I didn't want to hear about her royal duties, or want to attend any special ball, or do anything at all.
There's been one person that had really helped me out along the way though, and she definitely wasn't the one that I was expecting to help.
As I've moved on from being an Adventurer, I feel that I can tell my story today.
Let's begin in the beginning... the beginning of the end of life as I knew it
~Modern Day Adventure Time~
"Heya Finn, found some fun games in the dump. Feel like playing any of them?" The canine companion of one of the last humans asked his fellow roommate
"Nah. We've been playing games for almost a week now, it's been too quiet here bro'." The human boy said as he flopped down onto the couch, but seconds later, the Ice King flies through their open window
"Finn, hurry! The Lich is back!"
- Many hours later, after a long and gruesome battle that involves many of the Lich's minions and the inhabitants of Ooo-
"It's over now Lich! We have you powerless, you're done!" The human boy yelled as he rushed at the evil figure, before the figure became a mist and then disappeared who knows where, and for once, Jake was the voice of reason in this fight
"Finn. We need to be careful, he can posses bodies. He could be anyone."
"Come on Jake, we have to get him before he can escape!"
"I'm not saying don't catch him, we just need to think it through before we do anything that we may eventually regret..."
"That's impossible Jake! We're young and mathematical! Let's just find him. This time we have to make sure no one is able to get into the room. Or out of it." Jake spoke, as he began to stretch around, searching for cracks that the Lich could have escaped from
It turns out that Finn accidentally let someone into the room. Or it could be said something. The normal body of the Lich was scary enough, but this mound of flesh in some places, and robotic parts in others, looked like an extremely twisted attempt at a cyborg. The worst thing about it was that it had become to look decayed, and also had a vast array of weaponry on it's arms. As he accidentally opened that closet door, he would not realize the consequences that that being would bring to his life.
The ceremony was a month later, Jake had died protecting Finn from dying as the Lich had possessed the cyborg, and the Ooo inhabitants had managed to put the Lich in his place, for the moment at least.
Finn had been expected to speak at the ceremony... That wasn't possible in his current condition as someone who couldn't put a coherent sentence between sobs and regression into the depths of his own mind. Some doctors said he was trying to avoid reality. Some of his friends said he was trying to remember his brother, his best friend, his partner, in something of a memory photo album. Finn didn't care which was true. He just wished he could go back to being a normal guy with his brother.
The taste of adventure, at one time the taste that Finn had been addicted too, soon turned sour. He had debated on continuing being an adventurer for Jake, or to honor the fondest memories of his brother. He could continue the public image of Jake as someone who died fighting for the lands of Ooo, or he could allow the real Jake, one of a normal guy, to thrive.
The one thing he had managed to do as the casket was lowered into the ground was place his sword into the casket, to show the candy people, the penguins, whatever strange being showed up, that he was done. With a slight smile, he also took off his hat and put it onto Jake's head, and whispered his parting words to his best friend
"Goodnight Jake, hope you have some nice dreams." Wiping a tear away, he slowly walked back to his seat, and watched as the box of wood's lid was closed, and slowly descended into the ground, and clumps of dirt were laid upon the casket.
He felt people pat his back, but as he let his blonde hair cover his face, he didn't feel like feeling anything.
It had been another year since the accident. Finn had become something of a hermit. Actually, fuck modesty, he had become a hermit. He got a thirty minute walk, or drift really, a day and rarely came out much aside from that. He had been invited to attend a party with Princess Bubblegum, but he had turned it down, like the last attempt, and the last, and the one before that. Now he set in his tree house, talking to Beemo only. And only to inform him that they were running low on some supply and that he should send a letter to someone to obtain more of it.
It was true, Finn was now a shell of his former self. Finn had once been a mighty warrior. Now he was someone who had developed a deep disdain for causing his brother's death, and now being expected to move on!
Now PB was hoping he would at least attempt to reintegrate himself into society. She didn't understand. She wanted a hero again, she wanted her hero. That part of Finn had died along with Jake. He was nobody's hero. It wasn't like the Candy Kingdom couldn't protect itself. If she needed anybody with any major power when you heard his name, he had managed to get Billy to come out of retirement on occasions before. Now would be no different
Finn flopped back down on the couch where only 365 days before, Jake had been sitting. He looked back through family pictures, focusing on the ones where the two were their happiest.
When they first defeated the Ice King.
When they first met their friends.
When they first went on an adventure.
And the most recent photo before Jake's passing, a picture of the two just enjoying the sunset, Finn hadn't known why Jake had been so obsessed with the sunset before, but he managed to go outside on clear days to see the sunset for many of the days since Jake had left.
He had managed to see lady a few times on hills close to the one he always inhabited, and he even tried to talk to her a few times. Jake had gotten him a translator book to learn, but Finn had never considered it, but he hoped now, he could at least share his feelings to someone else who had felt the same.
The Ice King had become something almost of the nice king. He had managed to regain part of his life, he had managed to stop trying to kidnap princesses. Now all he does when he feels in the mood to be a king, which has been surprisingly less and less often, he only really tries to obtain land. The closest to his old self is when he attempts for an arranged marriage. Physically it may not be kidnap, but Finn had observed that he was still trying to take their future away from them.
The reason Finn had even attempted to keep up with Ice King was because three months after Jake's passing, in the middle of the summer, every morning that Finn would trek to the grave, he found that a bouquet of ice flowers had been placed on the grave. They would never last all day in the heat, much less after sunrise, but it showed Finn that there were others sharing his pain.
Finn closed his photo album suddenly, as Beemo suddenly walked in
"Finn!" The video game advice friend of Finn yelled, as Finn looked over at him in response, not saying a word, or even moving his mouth. "Message from Princess Bubblegum."
Finn scoffed at her name. He couldn't bare the thought of being asked to go to some ball on today of all days. "What is it?" He politely asked, he may not feel too kindly of PB, but he knew Beemo still did
"Tonight, they are having a small party, in honor of Jake." Beemo told Finn, already frowning as he was expecting the same answer as usual, a no
"How many is 'a small party'?" Finn dryly questioned, as he set the photo album upon the table softly
"About ten people: You, Princess Bubblegum, Ice King, Marceline, Lady, her parents, his brother, myself, and Lumpy Space Princess." Beemo counted off, with his screen counting up from zero to the ten
"As long as I'm not forced to see anyone else, tell Princess Bubblegum I accept." Finn said, before looking towards the floor and wondering how many people would show up 'uninvited'
He assumed Jake would have wanted him to at least attempt to reconnect with his friends, even the two he happened to be avoiding the most now. PB for obvious reasons, and Marceline just because she didn't feel like showing up randomly recently, and he didn't feel like making a trek to her house alone
As he shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts out of his head so he can get ready, he debates wearing a hat, or cutting most of his disheveled hair off. He finally decides upon just trying his hand at styling it, and as he steps out in a button up shirt and jeans, he'd like to say he looked quite dashing
As Finn walked into the candy kingdom for the first time in a year, he noticed how little it had changed, as well as how greatly it had changed. Without the constant abduction of herself, PB had managed to come as close to a utopia as anyone could in Finn's eyes. But alas, also in Finn's eyes were that life would never be, could never be perfect.
He walked into the castle, and saw that a few people had already arrived, Beemo had managed to leave before him, and the Rainicorn family discussing some topic with LSP and PB, it appeared that Ice King, Jake's other brother, Jermaine, and of course, Marceline, hadn't arrived yet.
Finn ignored the attempt at a conversation and strolled around the outskirts of the city for a while, as he happened to still be a half hour early for the party. There was the place where Jake had picked through garbage when he went crazy, there was where Jake had been when Susan Strong and the fish folks almost destroyed the kingdom.
He noticed that it was slowly approaching time to go back, and managed to get back into the castle with a minute to spare before being 'late' although it really didn't matter, he guessed that was one thing that being a chivalrous knight had taught him, manners.
The Ice King and Lady's parents were currently discussing history, because apparently the crown had retained the memories of wars it had caused, and wars that it's wearer had heard about. It was interesting to see that the Ice King had a serious look on his face, trying to remember all the battles, all the strategies, everything that the elder rainicorns said
Finn walked next to Jermaine who was at the food par, currently grabbing a hot dog and a can of what was once called 'beer'. Finn hadn't the taste for it, or at least the ones made by the Candy Kingdom, as candy people, maybe too sweet beer tasted good, but to a human, it was eh at best, and disgusting at worst
"How you holding up Finn?" he asked the human boy, who due to the look on Jermaine's face had fallen back into his pit of depressing thoughts. "Do you want me to like, come bring you some things from mom and dad's old home? Maybe there's something sentimental you can find."
"Thanks Jermaine, but I'm fine. it just still hurts man." Finn frowned deepened
"I know how you feel brother. I miss him everyday." Jermaine commented, as he began to walk away, looked back for a moment, but then slowly shook his head slightly
Finn hovered around the food, deciding that anything would be better than having to talk to anyone here really. He loved Jermaine, he was his brother, but he wasn't a best friend like Jake was. Lady's folks had tried to eat him, and he still felt uneasy around them. He'd like to avoid PB like the plague, and Beemo really didn't feel like someone he could talk to much, and if he really needed to, he wouldn't do it here.
He had wasted an hour just staring off out into space before someone else had walked over, and picked up a red apple and quickly drain the color out of it before it was just a grey apple
"Hey Marceline." Finn said, before turning his head to look back out of the window and into the night sky
"Finn, you need to stop this."
"Stop what?" Finn asked, trying to play stupid
"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You can't live the rest of your life in despair over Jake's death." She told him, looking at him with a serious yet sympathetic tone in her voice
"How would you know anything like what I've been through?" Finn raised his voice, and only barely noticed he was becoming angry
"Hello, all the people I knew and loved died in a huge nuclear explosion! You had one friend die, I had friends, my mother, people I talked to once, people who I talked to everyday at school. I've managed to move along in life. Your life will be pointless if you don't!" the vampire queen defended, yelling right back at Finn, who's face froze, and there was silence, before Marceline finally broke it with a near whisper "That doesn't mean forget them, it means don't forget everything else as well."
Another 14 years had passed, and Finn had finally begun to enjoy life again, he still didn't go back to being an adventurer, but he did go on explorations with Marceline, from time to time being gone for months on end. He had been back in time for the annual "Jake Day" in remembrance of Jake, but thanks to Marceline, he hadn't become obsessed with Jake, he'd come to terms that at the moment, Jake was gone. Who knows what would happen in the future?
As a twenty year old, he had grown into a young man, and had eventually began a relationship with Marceline, and currently they were very much in love. They happened to currently be venturing the land outside of Ooo, enjoying life ( or in the latter's case, the afterlife) to the fullest.
"Jake would be proud" The twenty eight year old Finn said, as he finished his story
Eh, that turned out a bit weaker than I honestly expected it to be... so yeah, will understand extremely negative reviews. Could of done better, but oh well.