Ice & Shadows

-|WARMTH|-

Simon smiled warmly at Lucy before shifting his gaze towards Finn.

"Are you okay? Your back seems to be..." Simon gestured towards Finn's back, trying to find the right words.

"Huh?" Finn reached behind and tousled his hair, revealing a large scratch from the grass bear. "Does it look cool?"

Upon seeing Finn's wound, Lucy's expression tightened with concern. Simon glanced at her horns and noticed that they had only grown slightly.

"Cool? Finn, it looks infected!" Lucy exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency. She quickly began searching for her supplies and bandages. "Where did my supplies go? Where are the bandages?!"

Simon swallowed nervously, realizing the seriousness of the situation. He gathered his courage and responded to Finn's question.

"I've seen worse."

Finn smiled gratefully at Simon. "How about you? Are your bad feelings gone?"

Simon returned the smile, albeit weakly. "Uh, yeah. Much better. But I think I'm ready to go back now."

Finn nodded understandingly. "Cool, cool, cool. I'll walk you both part of the way."

He retrieved a blindfold from his bag, put it on, and began leading the way, with Simon following closely behind and a worried Lucy trailing behind, clutching the bandages.

As they walked, Simon couldn't help but notice Lucy's horns growing and shrinking, a clear reflection of her attempt to calm herself down amidst the tension.

Simon's eyes lit up as an idea struck him. He snapped his fingers and turned to Lucy, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"So, a girl scout, huh?"

Lucy turned towards him, her horns visibly shortening. "Oh, y-yeah. I wasn't very good at the whole camping thing."

Simon's smile grew wider as he chuckled at her statement. "I'm sure you had fun though?"

Lucy nodded, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. "Yeah, I used to go camping in my backyard when I was a kid. I had these two tiny trees, and I would tie a blanket between them and hang out underneath it." She shrugged, reminiscing about the good times before the Mushroom War.

Simon's smile turned even warmer. "Aw, that's nice."

Lucy laughed, the sound echoing through the air. "Haha, it was."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a weed wacker. Up ahead, Finn was cutting through a bush, his determination evident.

Once Finn finished cutting through the bramble, he paused to sniff the air, a satisfied and confident expression on his face. Lucy and Simon stood behind him, their faces blank with curiosity.

"Oh, yeah," Finn sighed contentedly. He motioned towards the path ahead and began jogging, leaving Simon and Lucy to follow. Eventually, they reached a fork in the road next to a river.

"Looks like here is where we have to part. I'm gonna stop off and see Huntress Wizard," Finn announced, his robotic arm pointing in a specific direction.

Simon looked in the direction Finn was pointing before turning back to him. "Where do I go?"

Finn removed his blindfold and crouched by the river, placing his hand into the water. "Just follow the river from here. It'll take you back to where you want to be."

Simon approached the river and gazed at his reflection. "Yeah, right. Where I want to be."

Finn moved his hand as if it were a puppet. "No, for real. The human city is that way." He pointed towards the floating city up ahead. The two of them stared at it for a moment before Simon spoke again.

"Well, thanks, Finn, for... everything." Simon's gaze shifted to the bandage on his arm.

Finn smiled and patted Simon on the back. "No prob, Bob. I love fixing people. Later!" With that, Finn walked off, leaving Simon alone by the river.

Or so it seemed until Simon noticed a familiar face walking along the riverbank towards the Human City.

Lucy was currently attempting to call Princess Bubblegum, Lucy had been left in Finn's care because Bonnie and Marcy had a tattoo appointment. But that should have been over ages ago. Her phone stopped ringing, bringing her to a voicemail.

"Hey Bonnie, it's me, Lucy. You said you would call me after your appointment and you...never did. So, I'm just checking in," she spoke softly before hanging up.

Lucy heard soft footsteps approach her. Turning, she saw Simon standing there confused.

"You're heading to the human city too, huh?" he chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh! Yeah, Bonnie hasn't called me like she was supposed to so I'm going back to my apartment in the Human City."

Simon's face lit up at her sentence.

"I was just about to head there myself," he said softly. "Need someone to walk with you?"

Lucy gave a smile.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that. Gives me someone to talk to."

They walked for a bit, awkwardness filled the air like a fog.

"So, you mentioned back a while ago that you were an outdoorsman when you were younger?" Lucy's voice cut through that awkwardness like warm butter.

Simon felt his face heat up a smidge, chuckling.

It's the awkwardness, that's why I feel hot.

"Y-Yeah, as an antiquarian I had to go on expeditions. Make's you learn a thing or two."

Lucy gave a giggle at his words and felt her face get warm. Not like the fevers she got as a kid, it was something else...but what?

They continued talking, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Human City.

"Oh! I didn't even realize we made it," Simon laughed softly. "You're just so good to talk to."

"You too, Simon. We should hang out again sometime," Lucy suggested, extending her hand for a shake. "And hopefully, there are no grass-bears next time." She gave him a playful wink and walked towards her apartment complex.

Simon felt something in one of his hands and pulled it out to find a small piece of paper. Unfolding it, he saw a string of numbers and some flowy writing. It read: "If you ever want to hang out sometime. Xxx-xxx-xxxx - Lucy T."

A soft smile formed on Simon's face as he looked at the paper. "Yeah," he whispered to himself. "I agree." With that, he made his way to his "apartment," which was actually a museum exhibit showcasing 20th-century artifacts.