A/N: This is my first shot at writing these, so reviews are welcome! I don't own Adventure Time, but it would be sweet if I did. Also this will contain references to anything that's happened in the series, so potential spoilers I guess? Also fair warning, this story is a pretty slow burn, but things to ramp up, so stick with it :)

It was a pretty normal day for Finn so far.

Early to rise, as usual, and a morning spent with one of Jake's over-elaborate meals and video games with BMO. A lunchtime jam session with Marceline, a stopover in the Candy Kingdom for tea with Princess Bubblegum, and to top it all off a surprise kidnapping of Wildberry Princess by the Ice King that he could foil. Well, technically Gunter had accidentally foiled that one already just as Finn and Jake crashed heroically in, but Wildberry Princess had thanked them for giving her a lift home anyways. It was a pretty normal day.

Which was good, as Finn really needed some normalcy to deal with his broken heart. And his burns.

He rode Jake quietly as his dog took him away from the Ice Kingdom. Wildberry Princess slept soundly in a fleshy divot in Jake's back behind him and Jake was remaining silent to give Finn some time to think. A cold breeze swept down from the mountain and across the magic dog, but Finn only smiled and removed his hat and let the wind and snow soothe his burned face.

He'd seen Flame Princess' reaction coming. He hadn't expected Flame King to jump in on the action too though. Finn quietly reminded himself not to walk into a kingdom of evil denizens when his intention was to directly upset their princess by breaking up with her (He thought it was unnecessarily evil of them to hold him there until Flamo's spell wore off.) He wished that he hadn't had to dump her, but as their relationship continued to develop it became more and more clear to Finn that his influence wasn't turning her good. If anything showing her how to dungeon crawl and telling her it was ok to let loose on bad guys had just coaxed more of her destructive side out. He sighed, and cautiously ran his hand over his singed face. His golden hair blew quietly behind him, having finally started to get long again since he last shaved it.

"Hey man, you ok up there?" Jake's voice tentatively asked.

"Yeah, just enjoying some quiet time. I've been so busy keeping my mind off of everything that I haven't had any time to think, you know?"

"I hear you Finn, sometimes I like to just sit on Lady's roof with her and think about stuff. Uhh..." Jake rubbed one of his elongated paws behind his neck, "Ah, sorry. Probably don't want to hear about my girlfriend right now." Finn just shook his head and rubbed a spot on Jake's back.

"No worries bro, Lady's cool. To be honest it'll be nice to not have to have PB make me so much burn cream anyways. I know they say love hurts but seriously, she was made of freaking fire dude." Jake and Finn shared a laugh, which made both of their hearts feel fuller than they had in days. Finn had dragged his feet on breaking up with Flame Princess, wanting to find an easier way to do it. Jake had insisted that he be a man about it however, and he'd also hidden his copy of Mind Games so Finn couldn't get any bad ideas from it. After seeing the state he was in when the boy had returned however, Jake had regretted letting him go alone like Finn had insisted on. Still, it had been three days now and Finn's wounds were starting to mend. He'd cried, screamed, sighed, and raged, and now he was starting to get back to the Finn that Jake knew and loved.

The duo dropped Wildberry Princess off at her home and headed back to their tree fort, looking forward to a good night's sleep after their adventure time. They chatted a bit, some gossip about the Candy Kingdom, Jake told Finn some funny stories about his kids, but Finn eventually fell silent again. Jake couldn't help but feel a gnawing worry in his mind.

So what's next for Finn? Bubblegum's too old, Flame Princess is too evil... I can't think of anyone else in Ooo who he'd like... I don't know how to help you Finn.

The pair arrived home, spent a few minutes relaying the day's events to BMO, and then turned in. Finn climbed into his sleeping bag and sighed as he lied down, deep in thought. Jake curled up in his drawer, casting a concerned glance to his best friend and brother.

"Night Finn, had a good time today!" Jake forced some extra enthusiasm into his voice as he spoke, hoping to get through to the boy. Finn rose slightly, looking back at Jake, and gave him a genuine smile.

"Me too buddy, thanks for being you." Finn lowered himself back to his bed and sighed again, though this time it was less sad and more content. Jake also allowed himself to relax slightly, feeling a smile on his own face as he realized something important about his closest pal.

Yeah. Finn, you're going to be okay.

Finn spent a long time thinking that night. He had to admit, he honestly felt... better now. Objectively, he knew breaking up with the Flame Princess was the right thing to do. He had tried everything he could to turn her good over the past few months, but he knew he wasn't the person who could do it. Maybe somebody else in Ooo had what it took, heck maybe the Magic Man could teach her a lesson, but she had spiralled too far into her own love of fiery devastation for him to feel safe just being with her much less trying to teach her to be good. And he knew he couldn't beat her up or smite her like he so easily could with other evil creatures, she was too important to him. So he did what he thought was right, and let her go so they could both live their own way. A small part of his brain rang with an epiphany, as he suddenly had some understanding of Bubblegum's interactions with him. He hadn't thought it fair either, but she had a duty and had turned him away to serve it. A little reserved bit of old bitterness dried up then and Finn felt a little more alive than he had in three days. He slept fitfully, having gained a small sense of closure in two different parts of his life.