Hello, everyone! In this chapter, Marceline and Bubblegum go on a date…sort of.

Enjoy!

I do not own 'Adventure Time.'

Chapter 34

Just Friends

It was a pleasant day as Bubblegum and Marceline walked and floated along the shores of Lake Butterscotch. The sun was warm, the clouds were decorative, and the sounds of the Kingdom provided a satisfying ambiance. The Princess wore a more casual attire than her regular pink dress. Jeans shorts and a white, button-up shirt. A pair of red sunglasses sat on her hair, which had been braided into a gummy ponytail. Marceline was sporting a pair of brown cowgirl boots and jeans with a black leather jacket with matching gloves and a gray tank top. She had on her large sunhat and a pair of big, teashade sunglasses to further protect her from the sunlight.

Neither of them spoke a single word to each other for the past hour and a half.

"...I…really like your sunglasses." PB finally said.

"Thanks," Marcy replied. "I like your sunglasses also."

"Thanks," said PB. "Um…your hat is…really big. Are you worried it might blow away or something? Like, if a big gust of wind were to send it away?"

"Nah, it's got the little ropes here, see?" Marcy pointed to the bow under her chin where she tied the hat's straps together. "Can't afford to let the wind get away with my hat. Or else I'd probably die."

"Ah," said Bubblegum. "Good thing you have it tied, then."

"Yup," said Marcy. "Really good thing."

More silence.

"So how's your science stuff going?" Marceline quickly asked before the silence could sink in. "Anything cool?"

"Oh, well, I was reluctant to continue with any of my scientific experiments ever since the Gross debacle," Bubblegum admitted. "However, I have resumed one of my more recent projects. I've been studying the paleomagnetism within the Candy Kingdom's vicinity. I've been researching if it's at all possible to harness the energy of those magnetic fields in order to be siphoned into reusable energy."

"...So…magnets? And…batteries…?"

More silence followed. Marcy and PB arrived at the spot where they had begun their walk around the lake. They stopped at the spot and awkwardly stood there by the lakeside.

"...You wanna go hang out with Finn?" PB asked after several minutes of silence.

"Yes, let's go see what Finn's up to," Marcy replied.

"Okay, hear me out, Finn. I've been doing a lot of research on this, and I need your cooperation in making a final decision," said Shoko.

"Shoko, I really don't want to do this," Finn replied. He sat on the couch in the Finn Cave with a tired look on his face. Shoko stood in front of him on the other side of the wooden coffee table, kneeling down to point at all of the perfect carvings she had made on the table with Nothung.

"Finn, this is important. I need you to pay attention." Shoko pointed to the carving of Engagement Ring Princess. "Now, Engagement Ring Princess is pretty, but not necessarily hot. Definitely pretty, though. However, the fact that she's the Engagement Ring Princess may suggest she follows the 'not before marriage' rule. And, I think we can both agree that ain't gonna fly."

Finn sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Now Jungle Princess definitely has it going on." Shoko continued, pointing her mechanical claw at the carving of JP. "She only wears fur underwear and the body paint is super hot." Shoko wagged her eyebrows. "I bet she's a total animal on dates. We might have to worry about where she stands on basic hygiene, though, given that she lives out in the jungle, but I'm willing to roll those dice if you are."

"Shoko."

"And then there's Jake's recommendation. The yummy and scrumptious Breakfast Princess." Shoko continued. "Glob, I bet she tastes like a continental breakfast. Although, I feel like we would quickly wear out the 'two eggs and a sausage' joke. I mean, yeah, she's the Breakfast Princess. That joke will probably come up almost every time we enjoyed her breakfast buffet."

"Oh, forget this. I'm gonna go look for some paint to cover up the carvings you left on my table." Finn grumbled as he stood up and walked away.

"Wait! I'm not done yet!" Shoko pointed to the carving of Princess Bubblegum. "Bubblegum! Bubblegum! Quickly, before Marceline gets to her first! Or maybe that'll be a good thing! We both know Marcy is into some wild stuff! Or how about Doctor Princess if it's the smarty type you're looking for?!"

Finn walked over to the corner of the cave where he parked his motorcycle and kept most of his maintenance equipment. He started looking around for a can of paint or at least a thing of spray paint.

"I really should stop coming here without Jake," Finn said to himself. "It's a shame Lady is mad at him for ditching his family to hang out in this cave."

Finn's phone rang and he took it out of his pocket to answer it. "Hello. Finn Campbell speaking. New phone, who dis?"

"Hey, Finn. It's Marcy."

"Oh, hey, Marceline," Finn said. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Me and Bonnie were just hanging out and we thought we'd stop by your place to chill with you, Susan, and the bots. Because, you know, it's technically my place."

"You and PB are hanging out?" Finn asked. "Like…on a date?"

"No, it's not a date," Marcy replied in an annoyed tone. "We're just hanging out as friends."

"Great! Good for the both of you!" Finn cheered. "I'm glad you guys are finally being friends again!"

"Thanks, man. Anyway, we knocked and the front door, and the robot that isn't BMO answered. Said you weren't home. You, uh, you on your way back, or, heading back soon, or…?"

"Well, actually, Jake and I made this really sweet man cave to chill in," Finn said. "It's just me here, hanging out with my dead, past incarnate, Shoko."

"Oh, cool, cool," said Marcy. "Do you, uh…do you think Bonnie and I could swing by your new hangout zone?"

"Yes. Yes. Say yes. Tell her yes." Shoko demanded. "Tell her yes. Tell her now. What are you waiting for? Tell her yes."

"Ah, gee, Marceline, I don't know. This place is sort of my sanctuary." Finn said. "My safe place, I guess."

"Do you know where he is?" Finn heard PB call to Marcy in the background.

"Yeah, hold on." When Marcy spoke into the phone again, she sounded a little desperate, and she kept her voice down like she didn't want PB to overhear her. "Listen, man. It's literally been centuries since me and Bonnie actually hung out together. We have nothing to connect over anymore. All freaking day it's been long, awkward silence after long, awkward silence. It's been painful. We've been trying to get this to work but so far, we've barely spoken to each other."

"Geesh," said Finn. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Just let us hang out with you, maybe we can invite Jake over too. We just really need something to help us find common ground again. You're a mutual friend. We need you to freaking help us break the tension and the unbearable awkward silences."

"Um…well…" Finn moved around to avoid Shoko jumping up and down and screaming at him. "That…sounds…"

"Dude, I get it's an awkward position, I know," said Marcy. "But please, I'm begging you. I'm not sure how much more of this we can take. Princess Day was boring with a capital 'B', and now Bonnie and I can barely say anything to each other."

"I'd love to help you out, Marceline, I really would, but I, uh…" Finn looked down at one of the princess carvings Shoko had left on the table. "I-I promised Flame Princess I'd help her out with some trouble going on in the Fire Kingdom."

"For real?" Marcy asked. "Didn't think you'd hop back in the saddle so quickly."

"It's not a date," Finn said, blushing a little. "Um…someone's been…pouring ice into people's ears down in the Fire Kingdom, so Flame Princess wants me to go down there and put a stop to it."

"What's the reward? A night of cranking up the heat with Flame Princess?" Marceline asked.

"Enjoy your silent, awkward, friend date with Bubblegum."

"No, wait-"

Finn hung up.

"Dangit!" Marcy shouted as she glared at her phone.

PB walked up to Marceline, returning from circling around Finn's treehouse to see if he was home. "Well?"

"He's ditching us to go stoke FP's fire," said Marcy.

"Seriously?" PB asked. "That was a quick rebound."

"Yeah, no kidding." Marceline put her phone away. "Since we're here, you wanna go raid Finn's fridge?"

"Sure." Bubblegum replied. "I need to take some of his treasure for tax purposes anyway."

"Good idea. I'll take some for rent money since we're not sleeping together anymore."

"What the hell, man?!" Shoko demanded. "We could have had Marceline and Bubblegum over here, which could have led to Glob knows what! I mean, yeah, Flame Princess is smoking hot, no pun intended, but come on!"

"Shoko, for the last time, I'm not looking for a relationship right now," Finn said.

"Who said anything about a relationship?"

Finn sighed and pinched his brow. "Look, I just want to go back to doing hero stuff. After everything that's happened, I just want to go back to square one, you know? Taking down bad guys, beating up monsters, being a hero. Is that too much to ask?"

Shoko sighed. "Listen, Finn… During my lifetime, I never actually had a steady relationship. All I ever had was a fling with some chick I trained with back in my dojo. An actually healthy and steady relationship would have been really nice. I want that for you, Finn. I want you to get out there and…find someone that makes you happy."

"Shoko, I abandoned my mom and my home, I watched as my sister got a lightning bolt to the head and I had to ice the woman who helped my mom raise me." Finn breathed in and out. "...I need time, okay?"

Shoko stared sadly at Finn, then nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Thank you." Finn pulled out his phone. "Now, let's see if Flame Princess actually has any work for me so it's not a complete lie I told Marcy."

"Yeah, there's nothing girls appreciate more in a guy than competent lying," Shoko remarked. "Then again, if you're good enough at it, it's not like they would know."

Finn typed in Flame Princess's number and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello. This is the Flame Princess."

"Hey, Flame Princess," said Finn. "It's me, Finn."

"Oh, Finn! Hey!" FP greeted. "I'm happy to finally hear from you! I haven't seen you since that whole thing with the Evolutionist. What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you had any work for me," Finn said. "I'm getting kind of bored and I'm looking for some hero stuff to do."

"Oh, perfect timing. I actually have an important job for you." Flame Princess said.

"Oh, thank Glob," Finn said. "I can't tell you how much I need the work. What's the job?"

"Someone in the Fire Kingdom has been murdering my people. He's already killed four of my citizens." Flame Princess said gravely. "Whoever it is has been pouring ice into their ears and the area where the ear would be if they had ears."

"...Are…are you serious right now?" Finn asked.

"I'm afraid so," FP replied. "How fast can you get to the Fire Kingdom?"

"I can take off right now. It's about an hour's ride from where I am right now."

"Good. See you then. Report to my castle as soon as you get here. The guards will be expecting you."

"Alright. See you soon." Finn hung up and pocketed his phone. "Wow, talk about a stroke of luck."

"There's a serial killer on the loose and your reaction is positive?" Shoko asked.

"Don't worry, I'll catch him," Finn said.

"Or her," Shoko said pointedly. "It's equally possible it's a lady serial killer."

"Fine, whatever." Finn took out his sapphire necklace and put it on so the Fire Kingdom wouldn't instantly kill him.

"Look, I get that you're not really looking for a relationship right now, but are you really not gonna try anything with Flame Princess?" Shoko asked. "Come on. It's obvious she likes you."

"I mean, I wouldn't say obvious."

"Yeah, but everyone else would."

Finn groaned and rolled his eyes before walking over to his bike. "You coming?"

"Take a moment to realize how stupid that question is and then you'll get your answer," Shoko replied bitterly. "Sorry, sorry, I'm still upset that Marceline and Bubblegum aren't coming over, that's all."

(one motorcycle ride later)

"Ah, the Fire Kingdom," Shoko commented. "Ranked number 'dear Glob, no' for best vacation spots."

"Come on, this place ain't that bad," Finn said as he and Shoko walked down the streets of the Fire Kingdom. Just like the last time Finn was here, the entire place was covered in flames and lakes of lava and held the same temperature found in the core of a volcano. The sky was a blanket of smoke and Finn found it a little hard to breathe. The sapphire necklace that Flame Princess had given him was the only thing keeping Finn from bursting into flames on the spot and crumbling into a pile of blackened bones.

But still, the place was beautiful in its own right. Looking around, Finn could understand why pyromania was a thing. Fire was a beautiful, albeit dangerous thing. The place wasn't just a fiery wasteland, though. It was a bustling community of Fire Folk. Finn and Shoko, or just Finn, rather, were walking down the streets of the Fire Town. The Fire People went about their lives, walking by or tending to their lawns or whatnot. Finn got a few friendly head nods as he walked by and a few people even waved at him as if they knew him personally.

"So, we find the person who's been literally icing people, and then we just leave?" Shoko asked. "Not even gonna hang out with the poor, lonely Fire Princess."

"She's not lonely, she has her family and Cinnamon Bun," said Finn.

"Her family is a mess. Her dad agreed to lock her in a lamp since she was a baby and her brother ran a flaming sword through your stomach."

"She still has Cinnamon Bun."

"Just hang out with her, ya donk," Shoko begged. "Seclusion is not gonna make you feel better."

"I'm not having this argument again," Finn said. "I'm here on a job, so let's go do that job."

Finn arrived at the front entrance of the castle, which was a giant, multi-vented volcano that dominated every other structure in the Fire Kingdom. Guarding the entrance was a pair of tall knights wearing black, fiery, volcanic armor and wielding flame-tipped halberds. They both looked like the guards of Hell's front gates.

"Halt. State your business." one of the knights said. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Campbell."

"Yeah, the Princess is expecting me," Finn said.

"Go right in." The guards moved out of the way for him. "She should be on the throne right now. You remember the way?"

"Yeah, I got it," Finn replied before walking inside. True to his word, Finn remembered how to get to the throne room. Cinnamon Bun was standing at attention in front of the doors. The blue pastry lit up when he saw Finn.

"Hi, Finn!" CB greeted. "You're just in time. Come on in."

Cinnamon Bun pushed the doors open for Finn and the both of them walked inside. Flame Princess was sitting on her volcano throne wearing her formal, black and red armor with her crown set in her red, fiery hair and her gem set in her forehead below her bangs. Surrounding her were a few of her subjects, and FP rested her head against her propped-up hand with a tired look on her face as her subjects kept on shouting at her.

"Princess! Finn's here!" Cinnamon Bun announced.

"Oh, thank goodness." FP stood up from her throne. "Alright! Everyone out!"

All of her royal subjects headed out of the throne room, leaving the Princess with Finn and Cinnamon Bun.

"Hey, Phoebe." Finn greeted.

"Hey, Finn!" Flame Princess greeted with a smile. "I'm so glad you made it."

"So, you have a guy that likes to pour ice into people's ears?"

"Or girl," said Shoko.

"Indeed." Flame Princess said gravely. "I need you to find whoever it is and bring them in."

"Do you have any idea who it might be?" Finn asked.

FP grimaced. "I…have my suspicions, but nothing that can be proven. But I have a plan to catch the murderer, and I need your help."

"Sure, what do you need?" Finn asked.

"With the pattern of fatalities, I have reason to believe the murderer's next victim will be someone in the east part of the kingdom, in the area near the barber shop."

"You guys have a barber shop?"

"Yeah, the people thought it would be a good idea if we got one. Needless to say, it soon became obvious why it was a stupid and terrible idea to begin with." Flame Princess sighed. "Look, just scout around the area and see what you can find. I'm praying you can nab this sicko before any more of my people die."

"Don't worry, Princess, I'll catch whoever's doing this," Finn promised.

"Thank you, Finn," said Flame Princess. "Take Flambo with you. He knows his way around the kingdom."

"Got it," said Finn.

"Finn. whoever is doing this is killing innocent Flame People." Flame Princess's eyes burned with white fire. "When you find him. End him."

Finn gulped in fear at the sight of FP's anger. "Uh…I understand this is serious, but…could I just bring him in instead? I'm not really into the idea of having to smoke someone ever since I had to…you know…Gross."

Phoebe's gaze lost its intensity. "Okay, fine." she relented. "Do not let him escape you."

"Understood." Finn saluted. "I won't let you down."

"Personally, I liked goin' to the barbershop." Flambo was saying as he led Finn through the town. "I mean, yeah, I don't got no hair, and applying shaving cream was agonizingly painful. But the place had a great atmosphere. Good music, comfy seats, great magazines to read, it really was a nice place."

"How long did it take for the Barber Shop to tank?" Finn asked.

"Less than a week," said Flambo. "Alright, we're here."

Finn looked around, peering down alleys and examining the buildings. "Okay, so, what now?"

"Dat's what you're here for," said Flambo. "Do your thing. You found all of us what got kidnapped by that Evolutionist psycho babe."

"Yeah, by getting kidnapped along with you guys," said Finn.

Flambo sighed. "Alright, listen, brudda. The Princess is kinda desperate to catch this guy. She was even desperate enough to call you in."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked.

"She knows you're still a little shaken from havin' to off your aunt for all of us," Flambo explained. "Real sorry about that by the way, brudda. None of us actually wanted to call you up, but the Princess really wants this murderer off the streets."

"Oh," Finn said. "Well, I-"

They both heard a scream.

"Let's go!" Finn said before taking off.

"Aw, cool. Looks like I gets to be the new Jake." Flambo commented before scampering after Finn.

Finn and Flambo ran down an alley toward the sound of the scream. They ran until they found the scream's source, a Flame woman being held down by a Flame Person wearing round, bruise-purple armor while another Flame Person wearing red, magma armor of a similar fashion held a scoop of melted ice near above the poor victim.

"Hey, stop!" Finn commanded.

The assaulters both turned their fiery heads toward Finn. The one holding the ice stuck his long, forked tongue out and let out a snake hiss. He tossed the ice aside and made a run for it. The one in the purple armor tossed the innocent civilian aside and ran after his partner.

"Oh, no you don't." Finn summoned a barrage of icicles and sent them flying at the two escaping criminals. It was a simple fridjitzu spell, and the icicles melted mid-flight. It was enough, though. The water splashed onto both of the murderers and they cried in pain as they sunk to their knees. Their color dimmed and they both seemed down for the count.

Finn ran up and grabbed ahold of both of the weakened Fire People. "You're both coming with me."

"Cousin Furnius. Cousin Torcho."

Flame Princess's voice held not an ounce of friendliness but was filled to the brim with authority. Seated upon her throne and wearing that armor, Finn could tell she was meant for that role. He stood off to the side next to Cinnamon Bun and Flambo. Furnius and Torcho, as FP called them, were on their knees before the Princess with their hands cuffed.

"I had a feeling it was you two." Flame Princess continued. "Ice in the ear. Again. Not very good at coming up with new ideas, are you?"

"Little Phoebe." Furnius, the one in red armor, hissed. "You really think sitting on that throne makes you in charge?"

"I do. Because it does." FP reminded them.

"It should be me sitting upon that throne!" Furnius shouted. "Your father murdered our father so he could take the throne for himself!"

"Yes, I know," said Flame Princess. "And to get even, you attempted to pour ice in my father's ear, then in my ear, and then because you're really bad at this, you went out and iced four innocent Fire People."

"To make you look bad!" Torcho cried. "You shouldn't be on that throne! You should be back in that lamp where you belong!"

The lamp was apparently a sore spot for Flame Princess, because her eyes lit with white flame and her hair fire intensified. She managed to calm herself back down and took a breath.

"...For the crimes of both attempted and successful murder, I am having the both of you executed." Flame Princess announced. "Throw them both in the pool."

A pair of knights came up and dragged both of them away.

"This proves you are just as evil as your father!" Torcho screamed.

"I will not be sentenced to death by a child like you!" Furnius shouted. "I will kill you all! And I will use ice!"

Once the knights had taken away Furnius and Torcho, Flame Princess let out a heavy sigh and rested her head on her palm. She seemed to deflate and her glow almost appeared dim.

Finn looked over at Cinnamon Bun and Flambo, who both nodded towards the Princess in a pointed silence message.

Finn walked up to Flame Princess's side and, for a moment, just stood there awkwardly and twiddled his fingers both flesh and mechanical.

"...So…that was a…whole thing," Finn said. "Boy, you do not have a healthy family dynamic."

"Thanks for helping me out. I'm sorry for bothering you with this." Flame Princess said without even opening her eyes. "You can go now."

Finn looked at FP sadly. "...Do…do you maybe wanna hang out?"

FP took her head off her palm to look at Finn. "Huh?"

"If you're not busy." Finn quickly put in. "Me and Jake recently got done with a really sweet man cave I like to call the Finn Cave. We can go there, get you out of the Kingdom and away from work, and just, you know, hang out."

Flame Princess stared at Finn for a minute, then smiled. "I'd love to," she said. "Let me change, and we can get going." She hopped out of her throne and hurried away to change.

Shoko suddenly appeared next to Finn with a grin on her face. "There we go."

"This isn't a date," Finn said. "She seems really bummed and I'm just doing what any good friend would do."

"Who is he talking to?" Cinnamon Bun whispered to Flambo.

"I dunno. I think the guy's a little nuts." Flambo whispered back. "His ex-girlfriend was an undead chick. Damn necrophile."

Finn pulled up to the cave's entrance on Billy's old motorcycle with Flame Princess sitting behind him, arms wrapped around his waist. Finn put the kickstand up and he and Phoebe got off the bike.

"That was fun," said FP. She had changed out of her armor and into a pair of red-hot pants and a fire-orange, sleeveless shirt with a ring of volcanic stone around each shoulder. She ditched her crown, deciding she wouldn't need it.

"Yeah, this thing is fun to ride." Finn drew Nothung from its sheath and stepped up to the cliff face. "Give me a second."

Finn pointed Nothung at the spot where the ground met the cliff wall and then raised the sword up. As he did, the cliff face split apart and the entrance to the cave opened up.

"Woah. Not easy to break into, huh?" Flame Princess asked.

"And there's only one key." Finn sheathed his sword and grabbed the motorcycle by the handles. "Come on in."

FP followed Finn inside as he pushed the bike into the cave. Once they were in, the Princess marveled at the interior.

"Dang, you and Jake put a lot of work into this place." Flame Princess commented. "I like the ceiling lights."

"Make yourself at home," Finn said as he pushed his motorcycle to its spot.

Flame Princess moved over to the couch and almost sat down, but stopped herself in time. "Um…"

"Oh, wait. Hold on." Finn moved to the kitchen and grabbed a roll of tin foil. He then went to the Princess and laid down a thick sheet of tin foil on the couch.

FP blinked at the coffee table. "...Why are there a bunch of carvings of us Princesses on your table? They're creepily good."

"That wasn't me." Finn quickly said. "That was a friend of mine that wouldn't leave me alone about...something we were talking about."

Finn went to go find a tablecloth. He found one and tossed the white sheet over the coffee table. "Okay, go ahead."

Flame Princess sat down. To Finn's relief, she didn't light the couch on fire. He then went over back to the kitchen area and brought out some lighter fluid and a red solo cup. Finn filled up the cup with fluid. He came back to the couch and handed the cup to Flame Princess.

"Thanks for having me over," FP took a drink from her cup and let out a content sigh as her flames rose. "You were right, I really needed to get out of the castle."

"Yeah, having to execute your cousins must have been tough," Finn said softly.

"Not that tough." Flame Princess admitted. "We were relatives, yeah, but we were hardly family. They were not good people. And they murdered four of my citizens just to make me look bad."

"Oh." Finn bit his lip. "Well…still, though. Execution is pretty…final."

"It's not always a matter of choice." Flame Princess said coldly. She chugged down her drink, emptying the cup. "How much of a choice did you have when you killed Dr. Gross?"

Finn flinched and looked away.

FP blinked. "I…I'm sorry. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"But it needed to be done." Finn nodded. "Yeah, I know."

The Princess let out a sigh and rested her head down on her palms. "I try so hard to be a good Princess, and I try even harder to prove I'm nothing like my dad. But that is such a chore. Especially when I have to execute someone."

"Come on, you're nothing like your dad," Finn said. "You are way better at running the kingdom than that jerk. Look, I get it, my dad sucks too. You really can't imagine anything scarier than becoming your dad."

"Well, I am a literal force of destruction," said FP. "I think I might be halfway there."

"No, you're not." Finn placed his hand on the Princess's shoulder. His sapphire pendant kept his hand from being burnt to a crisp but he could still feel the warmth she emitted. "Listen, Phoebe. We do our best to do what's right, and it's not always easy. It can leave you feeling like…a failure. Like there was something you could've done differently and things would have been better if you had done it."

Finn let out a breath. "But, what's done is done. There's no point in feeling bad about it. All we can do now is keep moving forward and keep trying to do better. I think...I think maybe we've been too hard on ourselves. I killed Dr. Gross because I was trying to protect the people I care about. You use execution as a last resort for the worst of your criminals. That hardly makes us villainous. You're a good person, Pheobe, I know you are. And I know I'm not a bad person either. When it comes to protecting everything and everyone you care about...you do what you gotta do, you know?"

The Princess took her head off her hands and stared at Finn. She smiled and scooted over to lay her head on Finn's shoulder. Finn's face lit with a blush.

"I feel better now." Flame Princess said. Phoebe's warmth was incredibly comfortable and Finn felt a similar sensation to having an electric blanket laid over him.

The Princess's fire brightened and developed a more gentle simmer. She looked up at Finn and leaned in for a kiss.

As soon as their lips met, the Princess erupted as if someone had poured a bunch of gasoline on her. The sudden explosion of fire startled the both of them and left a few scorch marks on the couch. They both reeled away from other. Finn looked frightened and Phoebe looked embarrassed.

"...Sorry." Flame Princess apologized with a bright blush. "I've...never actually kissed a boy before."

"My ex-girlfriend was a lot less warm than you, anatomy-wise. You definitely took me by surprise." Finn said. "I'm pretty sure the pendant you gave me just saved my life."

Phoebe tilted her head and brought her hands together. "Do you…wanna try it again?"

"Uh, I mean," Finn rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Listen, Phoebe. I-I'm not really looking for anything serious right now. Do you think maybe we could take it slow? Like, really slow?"

(Later that evening)

"That was…that was not what I meant by taking it slow," Finn said as he stared up at the ceiling.

Phoebe, as unclothed as Finn was, snuggled up even closer to Finn. "I am not complaining," she purred.

"Neither am I, hot stuff." Finn heard Shoko comment in his head. "Neither am I."

"Glob, Finn, that was amazing," Phoebe said. "So that's how non-fire people show intimacy?"

Finn coughed up some smoke. "I think I might have asthma now."

The Princess let out a content hum and began playing with the sapphire necklace laying on Finn's chest, keeping him from getting third-degree burns. "So…do you want to…make this a regular thing for us?"

"I…" Finn sighed. "Oh, what the heck. I would love to, Phoebe."

Phoebe grinned and cuddled a little closer. "I probably won't be free very often, what with me having a kingdom to run and all."

"That's fine," Finn said. "I guess we'll have to schedule ahead for dates."

"Sorry again about your couch."

Finn looked around at the pile of ash that used to be the couch, which covered up both of their shame.

"I'll get another one," said Finn. "I'll get a fireproof one."

Thank you for reading my story. More to come! And more exciting stuff will happen in the next three chapters, I promise.

Next, I'll be continuing on my 'Ace of Spades' fanfiction. If you haven't yet, please give it a read as well as my other stories.

Until next time, everyone!