"Hello! I am BMO! Are you a little boy?"
"Uh… yeah." Normally, Finn would have objected to the word "little", but he was feeling pretty small right about now.
"Hooray!" BMO shouted, raising their arms in the air. "I was programmed to search for a little boy, and now, I have found one! We are going to be best friends!" The little robot hugged Finn's knee, and he gave a tired laugh. BMO seemed to sense something wrong, because when they pulled away from Finn, they were frowning.
"You do not sound happy," they said, and Finn thought that was odd - robots in movies never seemed to understand emotion. "Why are you sad, little boy?"
Finn sighed. "A lot of things, I guess." He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss his feelings with a stranger, but then, BMO wasn't really a stranger, were they? They had been there on Finn's shelf for years, he just didn't know it.
Besides, BMO was looking up at him so earnestly, like they truly cared and wanted to help. There wasn't an ounce of evil in them, so Finn sighed, and told them everything.
BMO often interrupted to ask questions - they didn't know what parents were, or what death meant, and Finn wondered how long they'd even been "alive" before that wire was disconnected. Otherwise, though, they were a good listener, and Finn hadn't realized how badly he needed to talk to someone until now. When he finished, he was crying openly, and at some point BMO had climbed onto his lap and was doing their best to hug him.
"I still do not understand everything," they said, "but I know you are hurting, and it's my job to take care of you now." Finn wasn't sure what they meant by that, but he nodded, sniffling.
BMO seemed pleased. "First thing, you need to get cheered up!" They said, sitting on the floor. "Would you like to play video games? Or listen to music? I can do lots of things!"
Taking his mind off everything sounded good right now. "Let's do a game. Thanks, BMO."
"You are welcome… oh! What is your name?"
"Oh, right. I'm Finn. Finn the Human."
"Okay, Finn!" BMO said, and their screen changed to reveal a menu. "Pick a game!"
Packing forgotten for now, Finn played on BMO until he fell asleep on the floor, and Jake found a very confusing scene before him when he returned.
It was still dark out when Jake awoke. At first, he wasn't sure if he'd slept at all, but the clock on his nightstand told him it had been at least a few hours. Every part of his body begged to go back to sleep, but he ignored it. Jake was sure Finn would want to leave as soon as possible, and he hadn't packed yet. They could make camp once they were on their way.
Finn… Jake sat up and looked at his brother. He was asleep on the floor, controller in hand, the game console who had introduced themself as BMO in sleep mode beside him. Jake still wasn't sure what the deal with all that was, despite BMO's attempts to explain it to him last night. He would have to ask when Finn woke up.
For now, though, Jake would go downstairs, quietly make himself some coffee, and pack up all his stuff before Finn woke up. But as he opened the bedroom door, the smell told him there was already coffee brewing, and sure enough, Jermaine was sitting in the kitchen, nursing a mug and staring into space. "Mornin'," he mumbled as Jake entered, still not looking up.
Jake ignored him, getting a cup for himself. He noticed some bowls and a skillet soaking in the sink, and Jermaine, as if reading his mind, said "I was trying to make breakfast for you and Finn before you go, but I donked it up."
"Oh." Jake poured his coffee, and after a moment of consideration, sat at the kitchen table with Jermaine. "So does that mean you changed your mind about us going?"
Jermaine took a sip, then finally turned to look at his brother. "It means I've accepted that I can't stop you."
Jake waited for him to continue, but he didn't, so Jake took initiative. "Jermaine, I swear to Glob I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was best for Finn."
A sigh. "I know you think that, Jake. And I thought I knew better. But maybe my judgement isn't as good as I thought it was."
Jake didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. The silence was comfortable, but it was a strained sort of comfort, and the sounds of sipping felt far too loud in his ears. Jermaine finished his mug first, and he put it in the soapy water with the other dishes, mumbling something about washing them later. He walked to the stairs, then turned to Jake.
"I dunno if Finn will wanna talk to me, but come get me if he does. Otherwise, just… tell him I'm sorry, and that I said goodbye."
"You can tell me now." The dogs both jumped with surprise; Finn had appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing yesterday's rumpled clothes and holding BMO under his arm. The robot seemed to still be in sleep mode, and if Jermaine noticed them, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he stepped out of the way, letting Finn descend the stairs, and Jake watched him gulp as he struggled with what to say.
"Finn… last night, I-"
"You don't have to apologize again, man," Finn interrupted, "I heard you last night. And just now."
"Oh."
"And I get it, why you said that junk. When…" he squeezed BMO tighter, holding them in front of his chest like a teddy bear. "When Jake left, Mom and Dad were mad, 'cause Jake is stupid-"
"Hey!" Jake interjected, and Jermaine snorted, despite himself. Finn continued,
"- and they were worried about him being alone. But even if we're both stupid, Jake and I won't be alone, and we won't let each other get hurt, no matter what." Finn grinned at Jake, then at Jermaine. "So don't worry about us, alright?"
"...Yeah," Jermaine sighed, clearly not meaning it, "Alright. Just… promise you'll call me once you've found somewhere to settle down."
"We will," Jake said. Jermaine gave Finn an awkward hug, and then gave the same to Jake. They said goodbye, and he retreated to his room, presumably to get some sleep.
Jake was proud of Finn, and he told him so as they finished packing (with BMO's help, once they woke up). Finn shrugged. "I thought about it a lot last night, while me and BMO were playing," he said, trying to shove as many socks as he could fit into his backpack. "I feel kinda bad that we're leaving him alone."
The thought of Jermaine living with them while they tried to start their fun adventuring life made Jake shudder internally. "Jermaine's always been a loner, he'll be fine," he said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he's got other stuff to do, anyhow."
"Yeah, you're right." Finn zipped his backpack up, only struggling a bit, and Jake started putting the rest of Finn's stuff into his own bags.
By midday, they were almost ready to set out, and Finn stood at the front door while Jake finished up the sandwiches he was making for the road, taking one last look at his childhood home before leaving it behind.
"All done!" Jake came out from the kitchen carrying two overfilled paper bags, which he stuffed into one of their packs.
"Dude, now the food's gonna get squished!"
"So? It'll taste the same." Jake started gathering up all their bags, struggling under the weight of nearly everything he and Finn owned, but he would be fine once they got outside and he could grow to the size of a bus.
Finn opened the door. "Guess this is it. Just me and you, Jake."
"Me too!" BMO shouted, tugging on Finn's sock. Jake had given the robot a bag of their own to carry, fashioned from a handkerchief, and they seemed very pleased to be helping, even if it was empty.
"You too, BMO!" Finn said, picking them up and placing them atop his backpack. Jake grabbed them both as he grew, placing them atop him. BMO gasped and giggled at the view as they took one last look at their home.
"Goodbye, house!" BMO called, "It was fun to live in you for one day!"
Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad. Thanks for everything, Jake said silently, then turned his head behind him when he noticed Finn poking him, trying to get his attention.
"Hey, Jake! Do you know what time it is?"
"Uhh… probably around noon?"
"It is 1:16 p.m.!" BMO supplied, helpfully.
Finn smiled wide, then raised his sword above his head. "Nope! It's adventure time!"
Jake laughed, and Finn pointed the sword in a random direction, with a cry of "Onwards!" They knew that, eventually, they would have to stop and figure out exactly where they were going; Jake was already planning on asking Princess Bubblegum if she happened to know of any vacant houses where some heroes could take up residence. But for now, all that mattered was that they were moving, that Jake the dog and Finn the human were on their way to their first adventure.
