Bound To You

Chapter 6

The sun shone brightly through the window. The beams danced on Flame Princess's face until the warmth awoke her from her sleep. She looked around the room, for a moment forgetting where she was. It was then she noticed a sleeping Finn next to her-his arm limply gathered around her waist.

Suddenly her high from last night was destroyed. She had stayed the night at Finn's. She hadn't even established if she wanted to date him yet and already she had conquered tier 15. An inescapable sense of guilt dropped in her gut.

She slowly inched her way from out of Finn's grip. She nabbed her dress from the floor and slipped it on, removing the foil from her hair, allowing her locks to float towards the ceiling. She crumpled the foil and left it on the bedside table, almost as a reminder that she was there, just in case Finn was as taken back as she was. She quietly tip toed down and out of the bedroom and to the front door. But as she walked out, a perky Jake was just walking in.

"Flame Princess? What are you doing here so early?" Jake jumped from surprise.

"Nothing I was just stopping by, now I'm leaving and I'm in a hurry so, um, bye." She maneuvered around Jake awkwardly.

"Don't you want some breakfast?" Jake called after her as she basically sprinted away.

"No thanks! Bye!" She barked.

Jake, confused, simply shrugged and walked into his house. He walked up to his room to find Finn sitting at the side of his bed, clenching the foil in his hand.

"So...did Flame Princess..?" Jake sat next to his buddy.

"She just left. She didn't even bother to wake me up. Jake, I'm really confused. I thought I sealed the deal. But after all that she just runs away from me? Do you think she maybe just didn't want to disturb me?" Finn looked at Jake, eyes hopeful, "Maybe she'll call."

Jake was unsure what to say. He could put two and two together and was well aware of what happened that night. But why Flame Princess would leave without saying a word was beyond him. It didn't look good, though.

Jake wrapped a loose arm around Finn's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it, man. Just don't let it get you down. Just act like everything's normal and maybe it'll BE normal. Maybe she's just embarrassed."

Maybe. Maybe she WAS embarrassed. She was royalty, after all, and her behavior last night was less-than-polite. He decided he'd give it a day and then call her, ask her on another date. He wasn't ready to give up, yet.

Across Ooo, Flame Princess arrived in the Fire Kingdom. Without a beat, Cinnamon Bun was at her side.

"What. Happened." He grabbed her shoulders, then pushed her into a hard hug. "I thought you were in trouble! I was about to call Finn in case you needed rescued!"

"No, no I'm fine, CB. I just fell asleep at Finn's. It's not a big deal." She lied to herself. It was a huge deal. She couldn't seem to decide if the night before was love or lust. Was she using Finn for the sensation of skin on skin? Or did she fall in love with him all over again? She knew it was unfair for her to leave him like she did. But she couldn't face him. Not after the inappropriate way she acted.

"No, CB, it is a big deal. I don't know what came over me. But our date was so intimate, and it was the first date I've been on. I feel confused. Am I falling for Finn by default? Am I just being gluttonous? How do I know if what I feel for him is real? We just...took things to a new level"

Cinnamon Bun stopped and stared at her wide-eyed. "You mean you...? PRINCESS!" He slurred, "You can't act before you know! Does that even make sense?"

"Yes, I know what you mean," she whined, "I can't help myself. It's like there's a monster inside of me and I-"

"Lalalala I don't want to hear this!" CB covered his ears.

"Cinnamon Bun, I need someone to talk to! You're really all I have."

"Why don't you contact another princess? Why not Bubblegum? She's a girl. And she's familiar with your emotions. Maybe she can run some tests." CB thought.

It wasn't a bad idea. Flame Princess was never known for having an abundance of female friends. Or really any friends at all. Perhaps it was time for her to reach out to another girl. She didn't really trust Bubblegum, but she knew how close she and Finn were. Maybe she'd have some insight.

"CB, call up Bubblegum. Tell her I request a royal meeting with her." Flame Princess commanded. She was already collecting firsts, why not add another to her list?

CB hung up the phone, "Princess Bubblegum will meet you at the Candy Kingdom at noon. I told her it was really important."

Flame Princess felt nervous. She didn't want anyone to think badly of her. But as she thought of her night, she began to feel the beast within her roar. She smiled to herself, blushing hard and she remembered every moment. She couldn't deny that she was happy that it happened with Finn. She honestly couldn't imagine herself fulfilling her needs with anyone else. Does that equal love?

Before long she was on her way to the Candy Kingdom. Princess Bubblegum greeted her at the front door and led her into a large hall, usually the meeting place for political venues.

"Please take a seat, Phoebe." The Princess sat down across from Flame Princess at a long table.

"Bubblegum...I need to talk...girl talk."

PB stared blankly. "You called a royal meeting to talk "girl talk"? Really, Flame Princess? Really?" She cocked her head, confused. But she had an intuition about what was coming

Flame Princess looked at her hands shamefully.

Bubblegum sighed, "It's about Finn, right? What happened?"

"I kind of sort of maybe have taken things a bit too far..."

"How far?"

"As far as it goes?"

"Flame Princess!" Bonnibel shrieked, "Do you understand how dangerous your elemental matrix is? You're lucky you didn't explode! Your emotions are UNSTABLE. You have zero control over the way you feel. Haven't we been through all of this years ago?"

She sort of forgot about her emotional instability. Maybe that's the reason she'd been so out of control. That must be why she behaved the way she did. She sunk in her chair as Bubblegum ranted.

"You gotta get yourself together, girl. What you're feeling is years of pent up emotions finally bubbling to the surface in a firey explosion! We're dealing with our sensitive Finn here. You can't toy with him, FP. You have to be sure of what you're doing or you'll never get control. And you'll make some enemies along the way." Bubblegum reached a hand on top of Flame Princess's. "You need to talk to Finn on a different level. On a personal level. Get to know how he's grown up, as you have. And whatever you do, stay away from the physical stuff! At least until you can pin your emotions down." PB rubbed the corners of her eyes and sighed again.

Flame Princess knew she was right. She needed to give Finn a real chance. She liked him and she couldn't see herself with anyone else. But she knew that wasn't enough. She had to cut out the physical intimacy until they could figure out their relationship.

"Thank you, Bonnibel. I know you're right. I think I know what I need to do now." Flame Princess stood up.

"Good. Remember: all mental, nothing physical!" PB reiterated.

On her way back to the Fire Kingdom, FP pulled out her phone.

"Finn? Let's meet up tonight. At the lake where my old house used to be."

"I'll be there."