"Princess!"
A pink figure in a pristine white lab coat froze in mid tilt, watching the red liquid barely touch the edge of the glass beakers lip with the intention of being added to the blue liquid in a similar glass container in the other hand.
"Bubblegum! Princess!" a muffled voice called out to her desperately at the top of his not quite developed voice, his words cracking in between deep and shrill as he screamed. Listening carefully, she could easily tell where he was, as he yelled while running around the castle looking for her.
"PB! Peebles! Preebo! Bonnibel!" he continued, by now she put both of the containers down on her desk and silently waited for him to find her on his own.
"Bonnie! Pinkie! Nerd!"
Her eye twitched impatiently as he was running out of names and was now venturing into the touchy Marceline nickname zone.
"PRINCESS!"
And finally he kicked open the lab door and was victorious in his goal, however she was not happy. She snapped and glared at the human boy.
"What in glob's name is wrong with you Finn? I told you I was going to be extremely busy today an-"
But one look and her face fell as she found her hero in tears.
Her words and anger immediately died on her lips as she looked him over.
His chest heaved for air and his face was covered in sweat, where ever he came from, he must have ran the entire way, possibly screaming as well. His hat and clothes were in complete disarray, she would've said half of his shirt was covered in some kind of dirt but judging by the left side of his face and his arms covered in burns, he looked like he jumped into a fire pit.
"Finn wha-"
"Princess please I need your help!" he whimpered, his own tears causing his burns on his face to sting.
Without a second thought, she turned around and tore open her cabinets, "I can see that"
"N-no it's not about this….ow…it's something else! I really really nee-"
He stopped as she raised a hand requesting silence, her attention was still focused on the cabinet, "That's enough, relax and let's get this fixed first and then you can tell me what you need"
He opened his mouth to form words, to fight his case and request aid in this dramatic emergency, but old habits die hard. He bowed his head and huffed in impatience but obeyed for his princess.
As she searched through her various concoctions, Finn slowly and carefully pulled up a stool to sit on. Now relaxing for the first time that day, the severity of his wounds began to make themselves known, causing his arms to shake in pain.
He bit his lip, refusing to show weakness like any tough hero would in front of a princess, but managed to sneak in a sniffle here in there as the tears stopped flowing though the streaks stained his cheeks.
"Let's see…Paralyze Heal, Ice Heal, Antidote, Awakening…oh here we go! Burn Heal!" Bubblegum smiled, grabbing the small jar and lifting it up to show her hero.
However he was not amused, if anything he wasn't evening paying attention.
Which was unnatural.
Actually, everything right now was unnatural. His eyes usually bright and full of joy and courage was gone, now lifeless and full of despair as he stares at his own shaking and scorched arms.
Her heart broke to see him like this.
Pulling up another chair, she sat in front of him, opening the jar and ready to apply, "Alright, this might feel unpleasant but you'll be better in no time" she smiled, attempting to brighten the mood and bring him out of his slump.
"Thanks PB…" he smiled back slightly, well it was a start.
With two fingers, she dipped into the purple jelly like substance to scoop out and gently rubbed it into his deep red and peeling wounds.
"Ew…" he laughed at the feeling like a true boy would to slime. At this she smiled, it seemed like she was on a roll so far, so she continued.
"So, what happened? Get in a wrestling match with a fire wolf?" she asked while applying the goop on his palms he held out to her.
He shook his head and chuckled lightly, "…No…worse"
She raised an eyebrow, keeping her eyes on the work at hand but continued the light hearted conversation, "Worse? So you really did jump in a fire pit?"
He laughed, "I might as well have!"
Finally the depression was gone, back was the happy Finn she knew and adored. Complete with his hands she watched the medicine seep into his skin and repair every cell and follicle as he laughed, not at all noticing.
"So what was it?"
"I hugged the Flame Princess
For the second time that day her face fell and froze in place.
Slowly, she looked up at her hero with wide eyes in shock, "You…did…what…"
"….you know…now that I think about it…I didn't really think this all the way through" Finn gulped, suddenly realizing his situation.
Bubblegum stopped, not wanting to put the jar down to slap her own forehead in confusion as he was still in need of medical attention. She struggled to find the right words.
"How did…but…you and….I mean…why?"
"…promise not to get mad?" his voice was nearly a whisper as his face slowly shifted into a deep shade of red in embarrassment.
"I promise"
"I kinda…sorta…maybe…" he mumbled out quickly, refusing to meet her gaze.
It was silent.
What was he suppose to expect from telling his crush about a new girl he was interested in? Complete joy for finally getting rid of him or jealousy? True he didn't think this though but who else was he suppose to run to for a problem like this?
The Princess blinked in surprise, last time she checked about this time yesterday he had his head in her lap seeking attention no different than his own canine companion was. Now suddenly he had his eyes on someone else.
"…oh" she finally managed.
"…yeah….."
Only a few moments of silence was needed for her to collect her thoughts, as gentle as before she also continued in applying the medicine on his forearms.
"W-well…first of all I wasn't expecting…well any of that….and secondly you have no reason to be nervous or ashamed about telling me" she paused in mid rub to poke the boy square on the forehead to gain his attention. He winced slightly and looked up to find a smile on her face.
"I'm happy for you"
"R-really?"
She nodded, gently patting hand that was on the verge of complete restoration, "Absolutely, you're a wonderful guy Finn. You deserve to be happy"
Finn let out a loud and long sigh of relief as his shoulders slumped into relaxation," Thank Glob…"
The Princess let out a small giggle but it didn't last as her eyes fell back on his wounds, "However…of all people…Finn, you can't even touch her without getting third degree burns"
He sighed, flexing his hand that previously was frozen in pain, without Bubblegum's medicine who knows what kind of state he would be in, yet he felt no regret.
Finn looked up at his Princess with desperation and curiosity in his eyes, "What do you know about her? I know she's not evil…." He paused a moment, "Please don't tell me she is"
"…Well…yes I do know her…" she started, continuing with her work she began her story, "The Fire Kingdom and the Candy Kingdom aren't exactly on friendly terms, but we're not enemies…not anymore at least"
Finn unconsciously scooted forward until he was at the edge of his seat as if it would help him understand better, if it had to do with his crush he had every intention of learning everything he needed to know, "What happened?"
"When I was young, she was just a toddler. We used to play together all the time in an attempt to make allies. However as she grew older, she gained an quite a temper" she shrugged, "But that's normal for any young girl, however the Fire beings and their abilities are linked with their emotions. The Flame Princess is unnaturally powerful, add that with an intense temper tantrum and half of a kingdom was set ablaze…and she was only four years old"
Finn's jaw dropped, only moments ago he watched her take down theGoblinKingdomwithout much effort. She could burn all of Ooo down if she really wanted too.
"I had no idea…"
"Remove your hat please" she requested, now done with his arms all that was left was his face.
Finn blinked, and looked down at his arms. Covered in a thin sheet of gloss, his wounds were no longer red or peeling. Science sure is something isn't it?
Without a second thought, he ripped off his hat and turned his head, ready for more goop and story.
"What else?"
"To make things worse, the Fire King wanted to use this to his advantage to start a war. But she was too strong, even for him"
At this he turned to face her, "She's stronger than the Fire King!"
The Princess pouted and shoved a finger into his cheek, forcing him to turn his head back," Yes she is and she knows it. Together, he and I built a glass case for her; it keeps her powers contained and calm. Since then we've been on neutral terms"
"So to answer your question, no. She's not evil. She just doesn't know what to do with this amazing gift she has. And unfortunately that gift is burning things"
She smiled sadly, withdrawing her hand from his face, pleased with amount applied. Which was more than his arms, with basic logic and deduction, it was easy to tell that he tried so hard to hold onto her as they embraced.
"And even more unfortunate, burning things she doesn't mean to…"
"Like me?" he finished for her.
She nodded slightly; looking away she distracted herself by taking the jar and standing up to put it away in its orderly fashion.
"PB, I really like her and…" he blushed, just talking about it out loud made his heart jump and stomach twist, "…and I think she likes me…I mean she let me hug her"
"That is a feat in itself" she chuckled, closing the cabinet, she grabbed a rag and wiped her hands free of the goop, turning back to him she asked, "But I'm curious…how did you two meet anyway? The Fire King is extremely strict on meeting royalty only"
"That was my fault!" a familiar voice called out from the hallway.
"Jake what took you?" Finn huffed.
Jake whimpered pathetically from the hall, Bubblegum had to lean over to find the magical dog face down on the floor, slowly crawling towards the lab. A few slow antagonizing moments later, he made in and plopped himself on the tile floor.
"Dude…I've never seen you run so fast in my life…that or I'm really out of shape…" he mumbled against the floor, making no indication that he was going to be moving anytime soon.
"Whatcha guys doin?" he asked, since, well he couldn't see anything.
"I was putting medicine on Finn's burns while he tells me what happened today"
"Do you have anything to make me not so fat?"
She rolled her eyes, stepping forward she gently pushed the dog with her foot just enough to roll him over on his back, "Jake I believe your side of the story is needed first"
"Eh…well…I kinda went into the Fire Kingdom…and pretended to be a Baron and said Finn was a Prince…"
With her hands now free, she was able to place her hand over her face in some form of embarrassment, but more like a 'Are you kidding me…' way.
"There was stalking, there was fighting with robots, the Goblin Kingdom almost burned to the ground and in the end Finn got a hug and well you see what happened there" he stretched out a noodle like arm to point to his friend, only to find his burns completely healed.
"Wow that stuff really worked bro" Jake laughed, poking Finn's cheek to prove a point as he was no longer yelping in pain.
"Yeah but I can't keep doing this…PB, you're super smart. Can you help me? This isn't going to work if I can't be around her; I thought I could take it but…" Finn looked up at her with desperation and tears threatening to spill over again.
Stroking her invisible beard, the over complicated wheels and cogs that is Princess Bubblegum's brain began to move.
"Actually…there is something…" she mumbled, mostly to herself. She stepped over Jake and briskly made her way over to one of her many book shelves, each spine with theories, topics and titles that Finn couldn't even read. Bubblegum then pulled a seemingly random book from the shelf, pulling it out only slightly to activate a small square door adjacent from the shelf to open. Within revealed a red velvet lined jewelry case, filled with emeralds, rubies, diamond of vast colors in different forms, like rings, and bracelets.
Jake, remaining on the floor, stretched his neck upward to catch a glimpse of the secret safe just before she closed it with a gold chain in her grasp.
"I have a special charm I developed many years ago when I had to visit theFireKingdom. So long as you wear it, fire will not cause any harm to you", she stepped forward in front of the boys, amused as they crowded around her hand and stared in awe of a diamond shaped topaz jewel. Like a complete replica of the very jewel on the Princess of the Fire Kingdom.
"You may have it"
Finn's head snapped up and his eyes grew wide, "Are you serious?"
She laughed, looping the chain around his neck to confirm her answer, "Of course, you're going to need it more than I do"
Finn has cried probably more times today than he ever had in a year, touched by this simple act of kindness he felt his eyes sting, "…Princess…I…"
"No more tears Finn, we're going to have to go back, this time together, and apologize for lying to the Fire King"
Jake, with a sudden surge of energy, jumped up, "But the he never found out! Why should we?"
"I think we're better off being honest than having him find out himself…"
"And I get to test this thing out! Then what are we waiting for!" Finn jumped off the stool, doing a back flip in the process and pointed to the door "Let's go!"
"Good day Fire King"
Two temporary flame shield spits via Flambo for Bubblegum and Jake later, the group appeared before the Fire King in his throne room, along with the Flame Princess, in her glass lantern held high above them all like a chandelier, a very grounded and depressed chandelier she sat in her container, holding her knees and face buried in them.
"Princess Bubblegum, what an interesting surprise…" he raised a brow at his uninvited guests, but more specifically the small dog who hid behind the pink princess in fear "And I see you brought the buffoon and his Prince with you"
At this, Flame Princess' head snapped up and looked below; sure enough there he was looking straight at her. Finn waved sheepishly and giggled like an idiot. She couldn't help but smile and wave back.
"About that…I'm here to clear up a minor miscommunication"
"Oh?"
Bubblegum reached around, to grab the frightened canine and pushed him in front of her to be presented, "This is Sir Jake, Baron of the Grasslands as stated previously."
"Wait wh-"
Bubblegum coughed, cutting Jake off and quickly switched the subject over to Finn, whom she grabbed and placed in front of her also.
"However this is no prince"
Finn experienced first hand how Fire being's outwardly express their emotions, as of right now he feared for his life. Suddenly the room felt warmer than usual as the Fire King's body flared and began to spill out of his armor in anger, "Excuse me?"
Bubblegum also noticed the fatal look in the King's eye and quickly added, "This is Sir Finn, my finest knight and the greatest hero in Ooo"
Within a blink of an eye the Fire King was no longer a blaze in fury, but his body crackled pleasantly like a fireplace would during a stormy night.
"THE Finn? Finn the human?" he asked anxiously.
Finn gulped, "Um…yes…?"
"Why was this not mentioned earlier? That is far better than any old prince" the King let out a hearty laugh as his body and armor disassembled into the air, his strange form of teleportation as he reassembled mere inches from Finn.
He chuckled and placed a large fiery hand on top of Finn's head ruffling it slightly," My daughter is better off with a hero who spends every day taking care of evil. You have experience!"
The King continued to laugh as Finn struggled to put his hat back correctly as it was twisted completely around his face.
"B-but wait…she's not ev-"
Another loud cough from the Candy Princess interrupted," Fire King, since Sir Finn has expressed interest in your daughter, I do believe it's about time we work out our differences permanently don't you think?" she smiled sweetly.
He tapped his chin in thought, "Yes I do believe you are correct…very well then, come with me. We shall talk"
With that he turned on his heel and led the way towards the meeting room. Bubblegum nodded and followed with her knight and baron in tow. Speaking of which.
"Psst…PB?" Jake whispered, following closely while stretching himself close to Bubblegum's ear.
"Well it technically wasn't a lie, the tree house and the land around it is yours, which is a vast majority of the grassland" she whispered back, winking with a small smile.
He closed his eyes and threw both of his hands in the air, in silent victory, "Booyah, Baron Jake like a boss"
The pink Princess giggled lightly at his reaction, but found the lack of an extra voice joining in on the laughter odd. Looking over her shoulder she found Finn, walking unusually slow as he just couldn't find the will power to keep his focus away from the Princess above them, the same was vice versa. The Flame Princess had her hands pressed against the glass looking down at him, watching him leave sadly.
Finn's hero senses were going crazy; she looked so trapped in her glass prison.
"Wait, Fire King!" Bubblegum called out.
"Yes?" he stopped.
"Would it be alright if Sir Finn could stay with Flame Princess? I think they have a few things to discuss as well"
He was silent for a moment as his eyes narrowed dangerously, looking up at his daughter who looked back nodding vigorously.
He growled, "Very well, but don't expect much afterwards. You're still in trouble for leaving the Kingdom"
Flame Princess huffed, crossing her arms, "I know I know…"
With a quick snap of his fingers, every door, window and corridor was suddenly lined with Fire Soldiers armed to the teeth like some kind of dragon was about to be unleashed. Finn's hero instincts went off again, his fingers twitched for a sword at hand.
"Hey what's with the guar-"
Again, Bubblegum let out an exaggerated hoarse cough to cut him off.
"Sir Jake shall we?" she smiled though it was painfully fake. Finn's face fell into a deep scowl as he sized up every soldier surrounding the throne room.
"PB this isn't right!" he growled.
The Fire King raised a curious brow at the small boy's outburst but before he could question it, Bubblegum laughed nervously and quickly ran over the human boy, whispering harshly.
"Right now isn't the best time to question his parenting Finn. We can worry about it later, for now go tend to your Princess"
Finn blushed furiously, "…my…?"
A random soldier pulled the lever controlling the Flame Princess' chamber to be lowered; Bubblegum couldn't remember the last time she looked so happy.
"I'll talk to the King and Jake will be with me. Go ahead" she smiled, patting the boy on the head before giving him a gentle push forward.
"Princess shall we?" The Fire King called out, his impatience showing in the slight rise in his voice.
"Thank you" Finn whispered, taking Bubblegum's hand and placing a very knightly kiss on her knuckles before taking off like a rocket.
Jake shrugged, the girl is crazy but then again so was Finn. Maybe it could work. Finally they returned to following the King for their meeting, but not without another secret meeting of their own. Jake whispered again, "Hey PB, I know you never liked Finn that way but are you still ok doing all this for him?"
Without missing a beat she nodded, "Absolutely"
The very instant the lantern reached solid ground, Finn ripped open the door, reached in and wrapped his arms around the Flame Princess, pulled her out of her prison and swung her around while spouting out nonsense way too fast for her to comprehend but just enough to know that he was in fact happy to see her.
"FP! ImissedyousomuchI''teverhappenagain!"
"F-finn!" she was caught in between a yelp and a giggle as she held onto him until he was finished with the spinning and the spouting of nonsense.
With the biggest and goofiest grin she had ever seen on his face, he put her back on her own two feet and said," Hi"
Flame Princess blinked in confusion, looking him over there was not a single burn on him, not only that but he could touch her without spilling water out of his eyes and hurting her.
"How…y-you can…" she poked his head, no sizzling of flesh.
"Princess Bubblegum gave me her charm see?" he reached into his shirt and pulled out the jewel and hung from the gold chain to show her. Finn noticed the look of recognition in her eyes and smiled.
"And your burns?" she poked his cheek where she was sure it was red and black the last time they had met.
"You asked me if I was willing to defy nature for you and I am. And that's what science is all about! Pretty cool huh?" he beamed, unable to contain himself any longer he placed a big kiss on her cheek, causing her to glow bright as she blushed.
"We're going to figure this out, just like I said"
~SWD