Sweet Dreams | Finn Mikaelson (book 2)

1. Oh You Poor Lost Sinner (Finn)

Finn Mikaelson was 12 years old when he kissed the wrong lips for the first time.

Elijah and Klaus were playing with Kol and Rebekah in front of their hut. It was some elaborate fantasy about dragons; Niklaus' long speeches proved great to entertain the twins. Elijah, being only a year younger than Finn, should have been mortified and bored with the whole thing. But as Finn watched them from their garden, it surprised him to see Elijah as invested in the "theatrics" as Niklaus. Still, with so little space for actual action, their "make believe" was more theater than a child's game. It was all Mikael's fault, really.

With Mikael away hunting, Esther told the children to stay close to the house. While Finn ripped off the few carrots from the ground, his eyes watched the three women sitting on their front porch, watching the children play. Ayanna sat beside Esther. Both of them had their youngest children sitting on their laps. Henrik was only a month younger than Ayanna's daughter Agatha, the only child with her blood. Aunt Dahlia had brought Freya for a visit. They had hoped to catch Mikael before he left, but the Viking was in a hurry to leave the house on that warm summer morning. Freya, of course, was disappointed, but her sadness all but disappeared when she saw Keelin, Ayanna's adopted daughter and eldest child.

Finn was sure he should had been heartbroken by the fact his sister was more interested in spending some girl than with him. The two of them sat together, a few feet away from their mothers, talking and laughing constantly. But in the end he could not help but be happy for his sister. Besides, Finn had other plans.

"Did you get them?" Asked Theo, Ayanna's adopted son and the middle child. He snicked behind Finn and now stared at him with his wide, dark eyes.

Finn Mikaelson never had many friends. Freya was always his confidant, but Theo was different. He was only a year younger than Finn and shared Finn's interest in nature. Although, whereas Finn was slowly becoming an expert in plants and their healing (and poisonous) properties, Theo grew everyday more knowledgeable of the animal life in the surrounding woods.

"Don't bloody scare me like that!" Finn replied with the most serious expression he could master. All seriousness disappeared from his face whenever he saw Theo, leaving behind a smile.

"Sorry." Theo laughed. "But did you get them?" he smiled, so eager.

Finn could hear the air leaving his lungs. Theo's laugh had the strange power to punch the air out of him.

"I got them." Finn muttered with a proud smile, raising his hand to show the carrots he had stolen from their garden.

Theo gave another easy-going laugh. "Let's go then!" he grabbed Finn by the hand and rushed into the woods.

Finn had to force his wobbly legs to move. But the feeling of Theo's warm hand in wrapped around his was enough of a motivation for Finn to run as fast as he could. They did not go far. Theo had found a small rabbit and asked Finn to help him feed it. The mission was simple and kind enough. Even if caught, both boys were sure their parents would not mind as long as they arrived safely at home.

Still... Finn's drumming heart almost crawled out of his mouth when, after they successfully fed the rabbit, Theo threw his arms around Finn's neck, pulling into a "thank you" hug.

It was the first time Finn could hear the mad butterflies rattling in his stomach. Slowly pulling out of the hug, he stared into Theo's eyes, wondering.... was that how his father felt when he came home and kissed their mother?

The movement was mutual, practically synchronized. They both stepped forward, letting the tip of their noses touch before their lips finally met.