Bearing the Burden

The people of the Fire Kingdom cheered at Flame King and Don Jon's failure to reclaim the throne. Thanks to the efforts of Cinnamon Bun and Flame Princess, peace was restored in the kingdom. The fire subjects were no longer brainwashed from Don John's magic, and as a bonus no lives were lost. Unfortunately, Finn felt distraught and proceeded to leave the Fire Kingdom shortly after the celebration. No one noticed his departure as he trudged his way back to the tree fort.

"I sure blew it this time," he muttered. "I could have made myself look better with FP if I just helped! Sure we're not close anymore, but at least helping her would have been a good start. Now I know I've lost my chances with her." Tears began to form in his eyes. "All I've done was act stupid during the mission. I couldn't be serious just for once when she needed me the most."

Finn tightened his fists and then paused for a second to take a few deep breaths. "What's done is done, there's nothing I can do to fix it. She has CB by her side now. The one who acted responsibly like the hero I should have been." He chuckled briefly, "It's kinda funny how I can handle a bunch of bad guys in a fight, yet I'm a total chump when it comes to…love. I never would have thought it could bring such happiness as much as pain. I almost wonder if I'm better off having an actual wound right now rather than having this dreadful heartache."

Finn finished the rest of his trip in silence. As he approached his house, he noticed there was still a huge opening from the side created from Jake 2. "I better start fixing the wall, I don't want Jake to wonder why there's a mess and then I have to explain everything that's happened today."

He wasted no time with his repairs and managed to complete the wall in an hour. Jake was still away spending time with Lady Rainicorn which meant he wouldn't return home for at least a few hours considering it was still early in the afternoon. Although Finn had plenty of time to spare, he decided to eat a quick sandwich from the kitchen and head for the shower straight after. Once he finished, he dressed himself with his usual outfit except for his bear hat. As he made his way towards the bed, he rested himself on top of the sheets, lying flat on his back. When he struggled to dose off, he switched the radio on from his nightstand, which immediately played "Shadow on the Sun." Finn couldn't help but groan at that moment, but he made no move as he associated his angst behind the lyrics. When the song ended, he finally felt exhausted from today's events both physically and mentally and passed out into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Finn found himself groggily waking up. Although his body was physically rested, his emotional stress kept his subconscious restless. As a result, his head had a distinct numbing feeling. Nonetheless, Finn proceeded to head downstairs to the kitchen where he saw his canine brother cooking nothing other than bacon pancakes.

"Hey Finn good morning," Jake exclaimed. The two brothers hugged, patting each other's backs briefly before Jake resumed his cooking.

"It's nice to see you again, bro," Finn said then continued, "Did you have a great time with Lady and the others?"

Jake replied, "Yeah, I had a great time with them. When I got back, I noticed you were sleeping already. Everything alright?" He showed a look of concern.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I just got bored watching over the house for a long while, that's all," Finn lied while yawning.

Jake shrugged his shoulders, "Well, you could have done something else to pass the time like play video games or go dungeon-crawling."

"No, not really I didn't feel up for it this time," Finn said dismissively.

Jake narrowed his eyes at him, "You sure nothing's up? You can tell me, Finn if there's something bothering you."

Finn looked down at the floor and finally said, "…Alright, it's a long story though. Can we eat first because it will spoil my appetite if I tell you now."

"Of course, we'll do that. Let's just worry about it later, ok," Jake said while placing his paw on his bro's shoulder.

The two ate their breakfast meals in silence. Neither of them said a word because they were both busy indulging themselves. Once they finished, they leaned back on their chairs, belching every now and then. "That was great, bro. I'm not sure if I can eat another bite," Finn complimented.

"Thanks, man. You know I make the best bacon pancakes," Jake said with a big smile.

"Definitely," Finn nodded.

Jake finished his drink then said, "So, now that we ate. Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?"

Finn knew he couldn't stall any longer, "Ok, Jake. It all started yesterday when I was sitting over there at the living room…"

After Finn told Jake his story, Jake comforted him with a hug. "There, there. Love is a learning process and it's not perfect. I've had my share of mistakes when I acted without thinking. Besides, don't you think CB's love for Flame Princess could be expressed in a family way instead of a romantic point of view?"

Finn considered briefly then replied, "No, I was too caught up in the moment. And even if that were to be the case, I don't believe I deserve to be with her. I've placed her life in danger too many times and have done nothing beneficial to help her retake the throne."

"Maybe so, but in the end everyone made it out and you at least made the effort to assist her. It's not like she ended her friendship with you or even banished you for that matter," Jake countered.

"You may have a point Jake, but I would be lying to myself if I just wanted to be her friend. I love her so much that I'm willing to defy nature ten times over. Aside from that, I don't think seeing her right now will make things better for me. I've humiliated myself enough already that it'll just be awkward."

"Well, Finn I wish I could offer more advice. The least I could tell you right now is that you go on ahead and do what you gotta do. Hopefully, when the time is right you'll find it within yourself to return to her and work things out."

"Thanks, Jake. I feel a little better having this talk. Just give me a few days to cope with my stress. I'll be ok, I promise."

"I'm glad to help. Remember, we're family, we stick together and we watch each other's backs, alright?" Finn cheered up and nodded in response. "Great, let's go ahead and clean up these dishes and then we could visit Candy Kingdom and see if Princess Bubblegum needs anything."

"Sounds good, Jake. Let's do that," Finn smiled.