After the sun had set, Finn decided to head home as he'd promised. Strangely, saying goodbye was the most uncomfortable part of his shared day with Bubblegum and Marceline. The women seemed to think so as well. All three stood at the castle entrance, clean and re-dressed.

"So…" Marcy tried.

"So…" Bubblegum reciprocated. "When do you guys wanna...I mean—do you wanna…"

"Of course."

"Play it by ear?"

"Sure."

The Vampire Queen kissed Finn softly on the cheek, waved goodbye to the Princess, and departed swiftly into the night. The hero lingered.

"Peebles," he said. "When is FP scheduled for release?"

She considered the question, then said, "In a couple days, I suppose. There's a protocol for observing offenders; if I'm not mistaken, 100 hours is the minimum. But she's been compliant, so I doubt we'll keep her any longer. If you want, you can visit tomorrow."

"I'd like that."

Bubblegum stepped forward and kissed her champion. Despite their shared intimacy earlier, the small gesture left him speechless. He wasn't sure he'd ever be used to such flagrant affection from the Princess—but he surely liked it.

"Goodnight, hero."

"Good—" his voice cracked. "—night, PB."

A delicious, familiar smell wafted from the Tree Fort. Upon catching the scent, Finn sprinted the rest of the way home. Jake's meatloaf was easily his favorite meal. Climbing into the kitchen, he found the dog and Beemo already sat at the table. The meal was still steaming and remained uncut, as though they'd been waiting for him to arrive.

"Just in time," Jake said.

He sounded uneasy. The hero couldn't tell whether his brother felt guilty or was preparing to lay into him. Beemo squirmed in his high-chair, impatient to dig in despite his inability to enjoy the food.

"Dude, this looks great," the man said, taking his seat.

"Yeah, well I made it special." Jake smiled. "Someone reached a milestone today."

"What did Finn do today?" Beemo questioned.

The two looked at one another, unsure of what to say. Ooo was brimming with juvenile and naive individuals, yet the little robot was still the most innocent person they knew.

"Uh...Finn became a man today," the dog said, a glimmer of pride in his expression.

The human's remaining concerns dissipated; undoubtedly, Jake had come around.

"But it's not Finn's birthday?"

"Beemo...why don't you let us talk alone for a while? Eat your meat upstairs, 'kay?"

Without a response, he grabbed a clean plate, filled it with a fresh slice of meatloaf, handed it off to Beemo, then lifted the robot to an upper level all in quick succession. He prepared a second plate and set it in front of his brother, then grabbed one for himself too.

"So," he began. "How're you feelin'?"

The mood suddenly shifted. It didn't feel hostile though. Rather, the dog seemed to display genuine interest if not mild concern.

"Oh, uh…" Finn was unprepared for the question. "Hungry."

Faced with his favorite food, the hero realized he was ravenous. He began to devour the portion set in front of him.

"C'mon, you know what I mean—you feel any different?"

Mouth full, he shrugged.

"So...Peebles and Marcy, huh?" Jake continued, starting to eat as well. "What happened to FP?"

"We broke up," he stated shortly.

"Whoa! What happened?"

"I still...I still had feelings for PB. Phoebe got upset—attacked the castle. She said we're done." He was careful to steer any blame away from Bubblegum.

Jake gawked in disbelief, piecing things together. The accident in the Candy Kingdom was Flame Princess. Surely, she must have caught his little bro in the act.

"Marcy and PB said they'd show me Tier 15, an'...yeah." He grinned sheepishly.

The dog struggled to tame his robust imagination, trying to keep his head clear of any images. He shuddered as brief flashes of the vampire slipped through.

"Well I'm proud of you, dude. You're really growin' up. But...I think you need to patch things up with FP. I know love is twisty and tricky—an' you can't help wantin' who you want—but she deserves a healthy break."

"I know," he admitted. "I'm gonna see her tomorrow."

"Sir Finn," Peppermint Butler said, swinging open the castle door.

The title was new—Bubblegum wasn't joking about his knighthood.

The servant ushered him into the foyer. "I suppose you're here to see Flame Princess. Of course. Follow me, please."

Back at the Execution Chamber, Peps dismissed a Banana Guard and granted the hero entry. The butler followed him into the room and manned the control terminal. Flame Princess sat as she had before, still watching the monitor. With a push of a button, the lights above them brightened, negating the effect of the one-way glass. Phoebe looked over inquisitively and, spotting Finn, turned away sharply. She didn't appear resentful—it was as though she couldn't bear to see him.

"Sir, would you like to speak through the intercom?"

"No Peps, I wanna talk face-to-face."

"As you wish. However, policy states that the door must remain closed—I can let you enter her cell, but I'll have to close you in until you're finished. And...if she has an outburst, I cannot jeopardize the safety of the Kingdom. The door will remain shut and I will enable countermeasures—your wellbeing is not guaranteed."

Finn nodded, his gaze not breaking from Phoebe.

"I will need verbal confirmation—"

"Yeah Peps, lock me in with her."

The butler re-diverted his attention to the console. With skillful fluidity, he navigated the interface. The door to the hall swung shut and, with a disconcerting hiss, sealed. The cell door gave off a similar noise, then opened before the hero. He considered asking her permission to enter, but knew she'd deny him. So without speaking, he crossed the threshold into the chamber.

Peppermint Butler worked quickly; as soon as Finn was past its path, the door returned to its former state. He approached the girl, who still sat facing the corner, and tried to speak. Words escaped him. Not to mention, he found the servant's audience awkward. He looked to Peps through the glass. After a moment, the butler seemed to understand—the lights within the cell dimmed, reversing the one-way mirror. Assuming he didn't listen in, the couple had their privacy.

"FP?"

No response.

"Phoebe, please. I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't mean to hurt you. Things just happened really quick…"

He recalled the exact sequence of events, wanting to explain how he'd reached this point, and realized just how selfishly he'd acted. When he asked Marceline to show him Tier 15, he told himself it was for FP's benefit. But truly, he'd just wanted the Queen. And the very next day, he accepted Bubblegum's invitation, hoping she'd try to outcompete the vampire. Though his affection for Flame Princess had wilted, they were still a couple at the time.

"...I donked up," he finished.

"I know," she said.

"PB arrested me that night and asked me what we were doing. I told her. She said it wasn't really Tier 15…"

Phoebe flinched, caught in a lie. She had been falsely confident with Finn at the time, claiming she was an expert on the subject.

"An' I thought, since you didn't know—I mean, not that it was your fault—I just figured you'd wanna know the real thing—I asked her to show me so I could show you and...yeah." Jake's advice lingered in his mind; he reminded himself to tell the whole truth. "But I do still like Bubblegum. And I think we should stay broken up. Things weren't working...I don't think we're compatible, er…"

Finally, Flame Princess turned back around. She still didn't seem upset, but she did appear expectant.

"I'm sorry," Finn said.

"Me too," she admitted. "I shouldn't have lied about Tier 15. I knew we weren't right for each other but I kept pushing. And...I shouldn't have tried to...y'know...kill you."

The couple shared a half-hearted laugh at the absurdity of their situation. Then Phoebe stood and reached out, attempting to hug the hero.

"Whoa," he exclaimed, retreating. "I don't have Flame Shield right now."

She looked puzzled.

"You didn't cast it before you came in here? Wow...I didn't think you'd trust me that much after all this."

Now Finn looked confused.

"I, uh...don't know how to cast Flame Shield," he said.

"But you always showed up at my house with it and you—"

"Oh, no—I'd get Flambo to hook me up before stopping by."

She smirked.

"Dude, you know I can do that spell, right? Most fire peeps can. It's pretty common."

Finn stared at her, baffled. Cumulatively, he'd spent whole days going on detours to find Flambo. Not to mention the time spent on favors. Eventually, the little fire guy started asking for something in return, so the human would find himself going on short quests before making his way to Phoebe's house.

Flame Princess giggled then approached him once more. Her face contorted into a rigid, pointed expression. She waved her hands around her, producing fiery ruins, as she recited the spell. The incantation complete, she kissed him on the cheek, assigning the shield to his person. Finn's skin was singed where she'd made contact, but the process worked: he was now blue. He could no longer feel her radiant heat; he was protected.

Again, she reached out for a hug. He gladly reciprocated, and the two held one another close. Phoebe was reminded of why she found herself so attracted to the hero. In his arms, she felt secure. She could feel his toned muscles, hidden beneath his squishy exterior. His embrace was strong, yet he was careful to treat her gently. And, pressed against her thigh, she could feel his member through their clothing. The contact—though it was little—seemed to excite him, and his length swelled.

She regretted never having gone further with him—she'd only ever held him in her hand. He'd only explored her breasts—and just barely, at that. The Banana Guards had interrupted them when they'd reached that point. Truly, she had rushed their lovemaking to infuriate the candy monarch. But the thrill was equally incentivising.

"So Finn," she whispered. "You did learn how to do Tier 15, right?"

Author's Note:

These chapters seem to be averaging around 2000 words and it just works better that way. Sorry if you find them short.

Please review and offer criticism. I'm trying to improve my writing, and it genuinely helps. Thank you for reading!

Feel free to PM me or leave a review with any ideas for future stories. Character match-ups, plot ideas, etc. My readership is limited, so there's a good chance I'll use your suggestions!