Ignore the series. Suppose they continued being algebraic together.
And she realized one day that he would do a lot for her. He would bruise himself black and blue just to make her happy.
He really would if it would take that much. No holding back ever.
Her adventurer was too honorable.
She really should stop asking: you would do that for me? You would do that for me? Because she should know by now that he would. Anything. He would more than bruise himself or burn himself or beat himself... just to make her see. That she, bright and intense as she was, was most def worth it.
She could feel her flames grow brighter with just that one last thought.
You would do that for me?
Sweet, glob! Why wouldn't I do it for you!
But she wasn't some insecure princess that needed saving! She was tough as nails and a destroyer! She didn't need some human boy to tell her she was special.
And yet...
She really has made herself cheap, hasn't she? So attached to the feelings he evokes, she had forgotten she was more than capable of making it out on her own.
Others would call it stubbornness. Denial, even. There's no living soul in all the Ooo-y Land of Ooo who could totes make it out on their own. More importantly, who WANTS to make it out on their own? It's inconceivable. A death wish, really.
And a part of her accepted that. Being alone sucks cats. You can't make it on your own, not really. It's okay to need help.
But... she was fire.
The most stubborn element ever. Next to earth some would say... but even that could be moulded.
She was infinite and boundless.
Nothing and no one could contain her.
She will not yield to petty things that were matters of the heart.
Or maybe all this was self-preservation of a sort? Maybe a part of her realized that there was no way in the sweet name of glob he could really defy nature. Even for her.
And so she ventured to talk to him about it. About how it was okay for him to give up.
They could be just friends. No pressure. Or if he didn't want that then he could drop her. Hot potato and all that jack.
But it stands...
Do adventurers even give up?
She steeled her wrought nerves of fire.
"Yo, Finn... We gots to real talk, bro."
"Yea go ahead, FP. What about?"
She sat beside him on the log where a long time ago they wrapped tin foil around half of it so it wouldn't burn. Her spot, really.
For a moment they were silent.
Her eyes found the small pond in front of them and couldn't help but wonder at the simple beauty that was the setting sun dancing on it.
Then her eyes flicked up. The setting sun. It looked so... muted, so ambitionless in its afterglow.
Was this a sign?
She shook her head and chose to ignore it.
No need to add more drama to this heavy biz.
How cool would it be if she was normal?
"Normal's boring," the boy beside her said.
She didn't know she was thinking out loud.
She dug a toe in the dirt, a bit nervous.
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Being normal?"
"No... about boring."
"Uh-wha?"
She giggled. She liked it when he was confused. He really was cute.
Stop it.
C'mon, we need to real talk Finn, remember?
"Finn, it's okay to give up. Aren't you tired of getting burnt? It's getting, oh what was that word PB used... Pedious?"
"Tedious?"
"Yea, that!"
Snapping her fingers, she privately patted her own back for using such a fancy shmancy word.
"What's your point?"
Her mini celebration was cut short and her goofy grin dropped.
Right, she still hadn't gotten to the heart of it, had she?
And just as suddenly, the somber mood was back.
She sucked in a deep breath and told him straight up.
"It's too hot so just drop it, okay? It's okay to stop trying. Really, bro, no hard feelings."
Liar.
It was his outburst that hit her with the realization that maybe she really didn't know squat what she was talking about.
"That's crazy talk!" and he said it so intensely that she just had to look at him.
He looked pissed.
It's just his honor talking, a voice in her head said.
It was her turn to be angry.
"Finn, I'm not holding you to anything. We're not stupid, we knew this was never going to work out. We've been at it for what? Three years now?"
"Two years, three months and two weeks."
He wasn't implying anything, she guessed, but somehow it sent charcoals to her stomach knowing that he counted. Knew the exact amount of time they had known each other.
She once heard from someone that men weren't much like women when they were in love. They didn't break out into song or proclaimed it when they were hit hard. Instead... they remembered numbers and statistics to show affection...
Like a father exclaiming how his new baby girl was born with ten healthy flaming toes and an even more healthy flaming head of hair.
Oh.
Finn does it too.
The number of flameballs she threw at him that one time.
The number of hotdogs she could eat more than him.
How far her house is from his fort.
He was sweet. In a weird roundabout way.
She could dig that.
She does dig that.
But it wasn't... honorable to keep him from living life as normally as possible.
She wasn't normal. He didn't need her in his life to jack it ip.
And she wouldn't. Not anymore.
He needed to see that she really was letting him go. No strings attached. Couldn't he see that she wanted him to be happy too? A normal girlfriend he could hug and kiss! That's what he, the most heroic hero in the Land of Ooo, deserved!
"But I'm happier with you!" he shouted. She did it again, didn't she? Talking without realizing she even opened her big yap...
"Oh, because I'm a boy I couldn't possibly like like a girl if I couldn't hold her hand or hug her or kiss her! That's crazy! That crud doesn't matter!" he sounded so angry and just intense. It makes her heart thud faster. He always makes her heart thud faster.
He really was honorable, wasn't he?
"I don't care about the tiers!" and if he were twelve he would've stomped a foot.
Instead he chose to brood. He was silent for awhile before he continued; still angry, "what I care about is you," he said his eyebrows in a scowl.
He turned away from her with his arms crossed. He glared at the dying sun.
It wasn't a metaphor, he was going to make sure of it.
"I'm happier with you," he grumbled out again, still put out. But he wasn't finished. It took a lot of effort to calm down but he did. And once his buns were cool enough, he turned back to her...
"And you are too. You burn brighter with me."
That struck her pride.
She could punch him! The nerve of this guy! Who in the chiz goes around telling people how they feel. That biz was jacked up!
"You can't go around telling people how-"
He shut her up real good, though.
The smell of burning flesh was normal now.
"This," Finn said, "is normal."
She would have cry if she could.
"We'll figure it out, don't worry a peach."
He was always too optimistic.
"And if we don't?" they really were opposites.
All he did was laugh.
"You know I think you're badical, right?" he was shy all of a sudden... his pinky inched its way to hers, just barely touching it.
All she could do was nod.
"It doesn't matter," he swallowed and she could tell it was in preparation for something heavy, "I can't touch you, or hug you or kiss you as much as I want. None of it...
"All that doesn't matter. All of it is cool as long as I'm with you... fool," he added and she giggled.
"So I'm not giving up, okay? Is that okay with you?"
Her flames, as usual, burned brighter.
They stayed quiet after that. Enjoying each others company and the magic of stars.
"You're an okay guy, Finn," she sounded blasé.
But he knew what she meant.
"You're pretty mathematical yourself," he whispered back.
Maybe only a few minutes ago she would've wished to be normal just so she could lean into him but somehow this... sitting beside him, just barely touching was enough.
They'll figure it out.
For now, this was enough.
She sneaked a shy glance to the content boy beside her. And something like fire spread throughout her. That was normal now too.
Yea, sweet glob...
This was more than enough.
THOUGHTS? I just idk, I have this gut feeling that Finn would be THAT guy who doesn't give up when he likes like a girl. Who's all tough and intense but when moments get quiet, he's pretty soft. The kind who panics if he thinks he's lady love is about to say goodbye. The tender kind.
The Tender Kind... might be my next story. If only to make use of that title hahaha
Rev it up?