Chapter Text
This was a mistake! Sylvia thought as she rushed towards the table. What was she thinking?! She arrived at the table expecting the worst, only to see Finn sitting across from her uncle, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Her uncle was unharmed, looking slightly confused and startled, but none the worse for wear. The few people who were around scattered when Finn slammed the table, leaving the three them in a bubble of personal space. Finn noticed her and their eyes locked for a moment. His smirk disappeared and Sylvia felt her stomach churn as he looked away.
"Don't worry about your uncle, I didn't do anything to him," he started to get up from the table.
"No- you two should talk," said Oswald. He got up and offered his chair to Sylvia. "Stay. I've got people to talk to, being social, not seeming like a mad man with a death wish."
"Blabbermouth with a death wish," Finn corrected as he slowly sat back down. Her uncle shot him a look, but didn't respond. Sylvia smoothed down her dress and sat awkwardly in the chair. As Oswald walked away, a palpable silence settled over the table. Finn picked at the shards of broken wood from his outburst, avoiding eye contact with her. Sylvia took a deep breath to steady herself and cleared her throat.
"You look nice tonight," she said.
"Thanks," he glanced at her between flicking pieces of wood off the table, "That's a pretty dress. Nice color on you."
"Thanks."
Finn gave a halfhearted shrug and shifted away from her, his arms loose at his sides. He seemed so down with his slumped shoulders and bent posture. It didn't feel right. She missed his toothy grin and goofy upbeat energy.
"Your uncle . . . told me where he was while you ran the shop," he looked at her, but his body language hadn't changed.
"That's what you two were talking about?" she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. "Hoot hoot?" she half whispered, just in case anyone was listening. That was subtle right?
Finn nodded and continued. "I don't know the details; it'd be dumb to talk about that here. But knowing he didn’t completely abandon you . . . well, maybe he's not all bad."
"He didn't," she looked down at her hands. She started playing with her fingers to relieve some of the stress. "Actually, he gave me advice throughout the competition. I wouldn't be where I am without him. Helped with my licensing, did all the boring paperwork and," she paused her fiddling and looked up at him, "you were right about him helping me when you were doing the patent trolling."
"I knew I was right about that," Finn turned toward her slightly as he smugly crossed his arms across his chest. "And I get why'd you keep that secret. If I didn't know you like I do, I wouldn't believe it." He seemed to be more his usual self now. Sitting up a little straighter and making eye contact with her.
"It was a lot for me to take in too when he finally told me." Sylvia felt Finn's full attention snap towards her.
"Finally told you?” his voice raised slightly, “You didn't know from the start?!" she saw his gills flare for a moment and a flash of anger in his eyes.
"Don't get angry, I already chewed him out for that. In fact, I kicked him out for a while," Sylvia thought back to that fight, and the rough week that followed it.
"Good," she could hear the pride in his voice. "When you came to me telling me your uncle was back and you weren't mad at him or anything, I figured he did something. Made some mind altering potion and slipped it to you."
"I'm starting to think people don't see me as a very forgiving person," Sylvia narrowed her eyes.
"You're forgiving, but people gotta have limits," Finn smiled, "And if sinking you with all that debt and then showing back out of the blue like that doesn't stir some kinda ill will, well, that's just fishy."
Sylvia never thought she’d miss those fish puns so much.
"Finn are we . . . ok now?" she tentatively reached her hand across the table.
"I dunno, you feel safe around me now? Could snap at you any moment," he said, turning away from her again. For all his grand standing, Finn was a lot more sensitive than he let on.
"I . . . I'm sorry. That was mean. You caught me off guard and you not trusting me-"
"When did I say I didn't trust you?" he cut her off.
"You didn't say it but investigating my uncle behind my back?" she scowled at him. As sorry as she was, she wasn't letting that go. "Telling me he was dangerous and to be careful around him? That says a lot of how you view my decisions."
"I was looking out for you!"
"I don't need to be looked after!"
"Maybe! But maybe I wanna look after you!” He huffed in his seat, casting his gaze towards the table. “Maybe I wanna make sure nothing bad happens to you! Maybe it’s not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust the people around you because maybe you're too sweet for your own good! I'm REAL good at spotting trouble. If I sense it, I'm not gonna back down," he took his eyes off the floor to meet her gaze, his blue eyes soft and a little watery. "Especially if it’s for you."
Sylvia felt her heart beat a little faster.
"You're . . . not wrong about the trouble part," she remembered her conversation with Xid and Mint. "Honestly, I didn't realize how a lot of people viewed my uncle. From the outside, I can see how . . . weird the whole thing looks. You were the only one brave enough to actually say something to me and I took it the wrong way."
Finn relaxed a little and placed a hand on the table.
"I . . . probably could've gotten to know him better before making assumptions. You know how that saying goes about assuming?" he smirked and inched his hand a little closer to hers. "I know you can take care of yourself. If you can handle me, you can handle anyone," he continued, and Sylvia lightly touched her fingertips to his. "I just don't want you to be in a situation where you have to if you don't need to." Their fingers were now interlaced. Finn pushed his hand up so their palms met, and gave a little squeeze.
"Even if I don't need it, it's nice knowing someone has my back," she smiled at him softly, "I missed you, Finn."
"I missed you too, Minnow."
Sylvia gazed into his clear blue eyes as they held hands. The table went silent again but it was comfortable. She wanted to bask in this feeling of peace forever, but she still had one last thing to talk with Finn about.
"Since we're having a heart to heart, can you talk with Mint?” Sylvia asked. “She's one of the bravest people I know, and she seemed a little shaken up after I asked her to talk to you."
"Kinda figured you were setting me up for a break up when she came my way,” Finn looked bashfully at the floor. “May have put it on a little thick."
"Finn, we had ONE fight!" Sylvia let go of his hand to rub her forehead. She loved him, but his tendencies for dramatics could be exasperating. "I wasn't going to break up with you because of one fight!"
"That's not usually how it goes for me." His eyes were still downcast, with a faraway look on his face. Sylvia remembered his line about moms not liking him. The conversation where she found out his "friends" abandoned him after losing the competition and the breakdown she helped him through with her potions. In some ways, he was just as alone as she was when she first came to the island. Sylvia felt her heart ache for a moment.
"Well," she put her hand back over his and squeezed hard, "I'm sorry to inform you, but it's going take a lot more than THAT to get rid of me."
"Oh really?" he looked up from the floor to her hand on top of his. "Messing with your uncle wasn't enough for you?"
"No and you're not the only one going after him," she sighed, "It's the only way I can keep him in check. And it’s not like he didn't deserve it! I can't believe he wasn't donating to the heroes guild and not being honest with me. AGAIN. I thought we were past that."
Finn leaned in and flashed a wide grin, putting his full razor-sharp teeth on display. "I can mess with him a little more," he lowered his voice to a playful, but dangerous growl, "you just say the word.”
"I'll handle him, don't you worry about that, and," Sylvia leaned in close as well, " . . . I love you too much to let you off the hook so easily."
"I-I love you too," Finn blushed and held her hand tightly.
"C'mon, let's go find Mint right now," she got up from the table, still holding his hand. He followed, and let go her hand so he could grab her by the waist.
“Rafta’s favorite power couple back together, and better than ever,” Finn grinned as he pulled her close. His familiar scent of smokey wood and warm sea water washed over her. She forgot how comforting that smell was. “We should head back to my place after all this so we can catch up on the past week.” Sylvia quivered slightly as he slid his hand down her waist to her lower back. She missed his touch.
“Catch up?” Sylvia said as she playfully hit his chest, “You think one night is going to be enough for what you put me through?”
“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Finn replied with mock reluctance, “but I’m willing to put in the effort.”
“Oh, I am going to make you work,” Sylvia smirked as she grabbed his tie. She noted his look of surprised before she pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He returned it, wrapping his arms around her along with his tail. For a moment, she forgot where they were, enveloped in the warmth of his embrace and the feel of his soft lips on hers. Sylvia finally felt the last swirls of stress leave her body. She barely noticed when he began moving his hand from her lower back to her butt.
“GET A ROOM!”
The two stopped making out to see Salt shouting at them from atop a table. Pepper, who was seated, said nothing as his face was deep in a saucer of milk. Seems Sylvia wouldn’t have to open a back door after all.