Sorry for taking so long to upload this next chapter! I'm staying with relatives at the moment and things can get a little… hectic. Anyway, enjoy!
Finn tucked a stray lock of blonde hair into his hat and shouldered his adventuring pack. He took a deep breath and his calm expression broke into a grin. Jake wasn't here, so he could spend as much time with Flame Princess as he wanted. She didn't mind, but Jake would eventually start calling him "loverboy" and other embarrassing names. But not today. Finn felt stupid, grinning like some clown, but he was just… in a good mood.
He shimmied down the ladder from the upper story to the lower story and bounded across the wooden floor, yanking open the front door and treating his lungs to a deep breath of crisp, afternoon air. Bright light warmed his face but quickly became uncomfortable, as if the sun was trying desperately to burn him. Flame Princess loves these kinds of days, Finn mused. But now wasn't time for reflecting on the weather. Now was the time for fun.
He crouched and planted his palms firmly on the ground, gathering his energy, preparing to spring. Every muscle tensed. Then, with an explosion of speed, Finn took off sprinting toward the nearest hill. He laughed, but the sound was stolen by the wind. As he reached the top, Finn planted his hands on the grass and pushed upward with a burst of energy. His momentum carried him over the crest and he flipped once in the air, hugging his knees and closing his eyes.
He half-landed half-slid down the other side of the hill, nearly falling on his butt but quickly regaining his balance. Finn reached for his sword, pulling it from the sheath that hung at his side. The crimson sword seemed to glow with malevolence. Demon's blood rippled down the blade's ventral surface. It had been a gift to Finn from his foster father, Jake's dad, left for Finn to inherit after the former died.
Finn slashed at an invisible monster, then turned and parried a blow to his right shoulderblade. He feinted at another to his left, then jabbed, fully extending his arm. His sword flicked, disarming the enemy. Finn spun and twisted, and he felt… alive, like this was what he was meant to do. The demon's blood blade felt like it was part of his arm… No, it was his arm. Finn was the deadly weapon now. Grinning, he charged at the last monster, faked a slash to the hip, and punched the monster in the face. "Can't forget to use my bod," Finn stated.
He stood there panting, then silently sheathed his sword. Sweat poured from his brow and into his eyes. Finn furiously wiped his face with his wrist. He hoped he didn't smell, or else Flame Princess would…. His eyes widened. "Oh crap, Flame Princess! I totally forgot!" Finn chided himself for being such an idiot, and made up his mind to get to her house as quickly as possible. No more tricks. He took off running, enjoying the burning in his muscles.
Ten minutes later, Finn arrived at Flame Princess's house. There was no way he could miss it; the house he had built for her stood out like… well… an endlessly burning heap of cheap furniture and other assorted wood in the middle of nowhere. But something was wrong. The house was only a pile of furniture, cold and silent. As far as Finn knew, she rarely left, only to visit the Fire Kingdom. She met him at this time almost every day, but she wasn't there. Flame Princess never missed a… date? The word was foreign on his tongue, like a bad piece of food that he would spit onto the table and gross out Jake with. He preferred "hanging out" with his girlfr- wait, that didn't work either. Frowning, he paced around the pile of furniture. He was starting to sound like Jake, that romance-worshipping potato of a dog. Finn shook his head, knowing just what Jake would say about that.
He loved Flame Princess.. That was the problem. He didn't feel ready, didn't know what to do. Heck, he didn't even know who his real parents were! He was Finn, the human boy. What could he offer the princess of the Fire Kingdom? She was so powerful, so bright, so… beautiful. And whenever he saw her, his heart would jump into his throat and he couldn't find the right words to say. She made him feel like there was a fire deep within his chest, swelling and pushing and making it hard for him to breathe. And whenever she smiled, the flame grew brighter. She made him grin stupidly for no reason, she made him take baths, she…she… Why was it so hard to admit that he loved her?! Why did she even love him back?
Finn sat down and glared at the "house," frustrated. Sure, he was worried, but not overly. Flame Princess was strong, much stronger than him. She could definitely take care of herself. He sighed and lay on his back, tucking his arms behind his head. Finn stared at the clouds, imagining that they were his favorite things. A treasure map… Jake… his sword… junk food… Flame Princess…. Ugh, why couldn't he think about something else for just one second! Finn tried to sit up, decided against it, and lay back down. His eyes drifted back toward the sky. A cloud that was either Flame Princess's face or quite the gorgeous-looking octopus seemed to smile at him. Finn gave up and smiled back. Then he closed his eyes.
"Finn?"
He woke up with an undignified squeal and flopped onto his side. The sun was shining really brightly in his eyes. How did it get so bright? It was hurting… Wait- it wasn't the sun. The sun can't laugh. Standing above him was Flame Princess, giggling with a hand over half her mouth. Her crimson hair flared upward and crackled in the cute way that it does. The jewel set into her forehead sparkled, and the nearly identical copy of the ruby set in the bodice of her dress glimmered.
"Heh…. hah?" Finn asked, looking up at her. That didn't stop her giggling. She laughed, and it was the most beautiful thing Finn had ever heard. It reminded him of the cold nights he and Jake would spend in the tree house, everything silent but the crackle of the fire. It reminded him of the river he used to dip his feet in when he was a little boy, the water trickling over the rocks. It reminded him of wind rushing through the pines. But most of all, it was so purely her. He just wanted to laugh with her, to hug her as closely as he could and never let her go.
"Heh hah?" she asked, grinning down at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" Finn was confused. When did he say that? He stared up at her for a few seconds, then remembered. His cheeks flushed red. He was speaking nonsense again. It was one of those times where his tongue just didn't work correctly around her.
Finn must've looked pretty astonished, because she rolled her eyes. "Let me help you up, hero." She grabbed his hand with her slender fingers to try to pull him up. Pain seared through his flesh, burning his fingers. Finn cried out, and she dropped him and backed away, looking scared. "I'm sorry… I hurt you again, didn't I?"
Finn resisted the urge to scream. With much effort, he managed a "Nah, I'm okay." It sounded pretty fake to him, but Flame Princess sighed in relief and smiled weakly.
"Let me tell you why I'm so late." she sat in the grass next to him, which quickly began to smolder, and Finn felt his heart jump. Flame Princess traced a circle with her finger around a flower, surrounding it with a fiery moat. "I was with Princess Bubblegum."
Finn pursed his lips and stared at the ground. Princess Bubblegum was the ruler of the Candy Kingdom, and he used to have quite the crush on her. She was five years older than him, but apparently that was too old. She didn't like him back.
"Princess Bubblegum…" Finn murmured, a tone of bitterness in his voice.
Flame Princess didn't hear. "She asked me to come. Bubblegum said she could help… with my problem."
"Flame Princess! Please… I need you to be okay."
The memory stung Finn's mind. He remembered all too well that she was "physically unstable." After all, he had been the one down in the center of the earth with her, slowly losing oxygen. Finn had been on many adventures during his life, but when she nearly died down there, it had been the most terrifying moment in his life.
Flame Princess took a deep breath. "She says that my elemental matrix is stabilized." Finn felt like he had been hit in the chest with a hammer.
"W-what?" Finn stammered.
"Flame Princess!" he screamed as she fell, deeper and deeper.
"Finn! There's no time!" Princess Bubblegum yelled. "You have to-"
He grabbed Jake's arm and wrapped it around his waist, then threw himself into the hole, falling as the air got hotter and hotter…
"After the first time we… you know," she paused, plucking the flower from the ground and holding it carefully in her palm, as if it was made of glass. The blue morning glory looked stunning against the yellow orange of her skin. Seconds later, it burst into flames and shriveled. "Bubblegum said that the explosion of elemental energy was so powerful, it could only happen once in my lifetime. My system couldn't take another overload like that. So my brain is sending signals to my body not to do it again. It's kind of like immunity. Understand?"
Finn had no idea what she was talking about. But he nodded.
"I guess that's pretty much it… Bubblegum went into a bunch of scientific junk after that." Flame Princess gave him a wry smile.
Finn knew from experience that Bubblegum could delve into quite the lecture, but scientific junk wasn't what he was thinking about.
"So you can… I mean we…"
She nodded. Finn felt his cheeks redden. He turned to face Flame Princess, whose eyes were fixed on the ground, her face frozen with an unreadable expression. This was the moment he had been waiting for! So why was he so afraid? She was stable. But was he? Was he really ready for this? Flame Princess was staring at him. He looked back.
This time, he didn't look away.
Finn leaned forward, throwing aside all his doubts. She was his world. She was all that mattered. His heart pounded in his throat, and the fire in his chest smoldered and pushed, shortening and quickening his breaths. Hot blood rushed through his veins. The world around Finn disappeared. No longer was he sitting on a hill in the Grass Lands. No longer did he have to eat, have to sleep, have to breathe, because he was with her! She was his sun, the light of his life. Finn closed his eyes. He could sense warmth radiating from her direction, gradually growing hotter until his lips met hers.
The only fiery explosion was in Finn's heart. Flames coursed through his body, burning in his muscles and boiling his blood. It whispered in the deepest corners of his brain, speaking of the ancient cycle of creation and destruction. He could feel each breath she took, and every exhale was like blowing oxygen onto a fire. The inferno licked his skin, hissing as it met the perspiration on his palms and evaporated. Their lips briefly parted as Finn sucked in a breath, but he kissed her again, holding her cheek with his hand.
He didn't smell the sweet scent of burning flesh.
He didn't see the smoke curling from his hat.
He couldn't have seen it if he tried.
Flame Princess tried to pull away, but Finn held her even tighter, not wanting to let go. She thrashed and yanked her lips away from his, and Finn wondered why. Didn't she like him? Why did she look so scared?
Wait a minute… he smelled hamburgers.
"You're hot…" he muttered, just as he fell backward and the world went black.
