"C'mon Finn!" Rey huffs crossing her arms. "Please?" It's a late Saturday afternoon, and the skies are already starting to darken with nightfall. Rey has been begging all day for Finn to go with her to see some indie band at a local club.
Finn groans. "Rey, you know I don't care that much for indie music, or clubs for that matter. All those drunk people make me nervous."
Rey's usual glare and hard set face melts away to reveal puppy dog eyes and a pout. "Please? Do it for me?"
This might work on some people but Finn and Rey have known each too long for him to still be susceptible to her ways.
With a shake of his head, he replies. "That's not going to work on me Rey."
Dropping the act, she goes back to her usual self and glares at her friend. "You," She points a finger very close to his face. "owe me."
"For what?" Finn exclaims.
"Two weeks ago you made me drive all the way across town to save you from a shitty date because the guy had a spitting problem." Okay maybe she did have a point.
With a sigh Finn gives in. "After this we are even. Do you hear me Rey? Even." She just grins in response before disappearing into her bedroom of their shared apartment to get ready.
Half an hour later Finn is sitting in the passenger seat of Rey's dark grey dodge challenger. As she pulls out of the parking lot Finn asks, "So what is this band called again?"
"The Blinking Underdogs." Rey replies.
Finn side eyes her. "You have got to be kidding me."
"I know it sounds bad but I honestly think you'll like them."
"I don't see how I could like anything called the Blinking Underdogs but okay Rey if you say so."
Rey rolls her eyes. "The lead singer is gay." Rey wiggles her eyebrows as she turns a corner.
"And?" Finn asks, glaring resentfully at her.
"Even if you don't like the music I think you'll like him." Rey replies.
Finn rolls his eyes. "Rey, you better not be trying to set me up with some rockstar you don't even know." Let's just say the last time Rey had tried to "help" Finn out with his love life it hadn't ended well. All you need to know is it involved a very scary looking hot topic employee and him almost getting eaten by the dudes cats.
Rey grins sheepishly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mhmm." Finn crosses his arms and leans his head back on the headrest. This is going to be a long night.
A few minutes later they pull into the parking lot and climb out of the car into the chilly October air. Finn notices there's hardly any parking spaces left and turns to Rey. "How popular are these guys?" He had been to this particular place a few times before and it had never been quite this busy.
"They're not like world famous or anything but they're getting really big for a local band." Rey replies as they walk up to the bouncer. They show their IDs and get in with no problems.
Inside the club there are people everywhere, but they're gathering at the front of a small stage. Luckily for Rey, the band hadn't started their set yet and hadn't even come on stage.
She quickly hooked Finn's arm with hers and dragged him through the crowd. She stopped when they got midway through the crowd and had a decent view of the stage. Someone directly to their right was smoking something that didn't smell like a cigarette and the guy behind them was asking a couple if they wanted to buy some coke.
Finn gives Rey a concerned look.
"What?" She shrugs. "I can't help it. Just don't take anything."
Finn decides to just keep his mouth shut and let Rey enjoy her night from there on out even if he does hate every minute of it.
After a few minutes Rey tugs on his sweater and points to the stage. He sees a a pretty girl with dark brown hair, and a big guy with a beard walk on stage. The girl picks up an acoustic guitar and the man sits down at the drums.
And then he walks out. He being the most beautiful man Finn had ever seen in his life. His hair is black and curly, and he has these brown eyes that'll just make you melt. He's wearing an old beat up leather jacket, and a pair of black jeans. Maybe Rey didn't fuck up this time.
Finn doesn't realize his mouth is hanging open until he manages to tear his eyes away from the man and glance at Rey who's grinning like a Cheshire cat.
He quickly closes his mouth as Rey says, "Did I mention he's kind of hot too?" There's a certain twinkle in her eyes.
"You should have led with that." Finn mutters. "What's his name?"
"Poe Dameron." Then she points at the girl. "And that's Jess." Then the other man. "And Snap."
"Hey guys." Poe says into the mic with a heart stopping smile on his face.
Finn nearly dies for the first time that night.
"How are y'all doin' tonight?" He asks, taking a seat on the stool in front of the mic.
The crowd cheers in response and surprisingly so does Finn.
Poe almost looks offended. "Oh c'mon, I know you can do better than that." This time the crowd cheers even louder and Poe smiles again. "That's more like it."
He picks up an acoustic guitar and slings the strap around his neck. "This is a new one. It's called Not Changing Pops Seeking." He starts to strum his guitar and as Jess and Snap join in he starts to sing.
Finn honestly thought this man couldn't be anymore mesmerizing but he has the voice of an angel. Finn gets completely lost in brunette's voice, even closing his eyes.
That's the second time Finn nearly dies, and all within the span of five minutes.
They play a few more songs and Finn doesn't tear his eyes away from Poe for the whole time. Even if he doesn't care much for the songs themselves he is really enjoying it. He's actually really glad he came and decides to thank Rey for it later.
"This is going to be our last song." Poe says. "Give a hand for Jess and Snap." They both take a theatrical bow before making their way off the stage.
Rey nearly whimpers as they leave. Finn might not be the only one with the hots for a member of the band.
"If you know this one feel free to sing along." There's that smile again, the one Finn is starting to love.
He starts to strum the guitar.
Oh lover don't turn away
The futures bangin' on your door
Wont you just let it in
With teeth sinkin' in
Beggin' you to sin
The sirens sing so say it now
Before the candles out
Before the clocks tick off their arms
And our memories are sold
When hope was still afloat
Now we make love by rote
For the first time that night Finn just falls in love with the music and not just the man singing it. He lets the soft melody wash over him while he revels in the sweet lyrics.
We could make it right
We'd save our souls tonight
And with a word I'd take back all the shit I've done
And if you think its fine
Will you lay your head next to mine
And breathe out the sickness trapped inside your lungs
Finn can hear Rey's sweet voice chime in during the chorus, and that's when he notices all the other voices surrounding him. If anything this just makes Poe's voice sound even sweeter as he enters the second verse.
Oh lover with world aflame
This winters freezin' up your charms
In cold I have not known
It drags us into snow
This heavy load we tow
Our tripping tongues take time to moan
The spells we used to speak
The push and pull and do it now
Of boiling summer days
Why do you look that way
Your eyes never were so grey
As Poe's eyes scan through the crowd Finn could have sworn he looked right at him but only for a moment before moving on. That's the third time Finn almost died that night. He really needs to calm down.
Poe sings through the chorus one more time before bringing the song to a close.
The crowd goes wild and he calls out over their roar. "Thanks for having us! Make sure to swing by the merch table and grab our new album. Have a good night." He walks off the stage with that charming smile on his face and Finn's stomach drops. Well seeing someone that amazing couldn't last forever could it?
At least that's what Finn thought.
Rey grabs his arms and drags him off toward the merch table Poe had mentioned. "Two CDs please." She says to the man working. Then she turns to Finn. "I need ten dollars."
"What why?" He exclaims even though he can already feel himself reaching for his wallet.
Rey just snatches the wallet out of his hand and grabs two five dollar bills out. She hands them to the man behind the table along with money of her own. After quickly snatching the CDs out of the man's hand she hands one to Finn along with his wallet before dragging him to a door that leads out to an alleyway behind the club.
"Rey, what the hell are we doing?" Finn asks as she finally stops. The night air is cold and pierces Finn's thin sweater like ice.
"I heard from someone that the artists always come out here after their shows." She replies pulling her coat around her small body even tighter.
Finn groans. "I'm going to freeze to death before they get out here... If they get out here." He mutters the last part under his breath so as not to get punched by Rey.
While they're waiting a few more people show up and soon the alleyway is full of people chatting away.
It takes only about thirty minutes before Slip makes an appearance even thought it feels like much longer to Finn who's freezing.
The crowd in the Alley goes nuts as Slip embraces a girl at the front of the pack. He signs her CD handing it back to her with a smile and a "Thanks for coming."
Slowly but surely he makes his way back to Rey and Finn. "Hi." He says taking each of their CDs to sign.
"You guys were amazing tonight." Rey says enthusiastically. Finn thinks this is the only time she's been this cheerful in her life.
"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Rey pulls out her phone and he leans forward and wraps an arm around her shoulders so they can get a selfie.
Before he moves away Finn asks "Poe and Jess are coming out right?"
Slip nods. "Shouldn't be long." Ironically, as soon as he says this someone at the front of the crowd screams. "Yep, there's Poe." He moves on to the next person.
Finn raises up on tip toe to try and get a look at the singer. Just barely he can see the curly head of hair at the front of the pack.
There's a nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach. What do you say to someone who looks like that? Who sounds like that? God, Finn is going to make a fool of himself.
And then, the handsome singer is right in front of them, shaking hands with a man wearing a Blinking Underdogs shirt.
He takes Finn's breath away.
Poe is still listening intently to what the other man is saying when he reaches out to take Finn's CD. While signing it he quickly looks up at Finn but does a double take. He smiles at Finn before turning back to the other guy to reply to something he's said. He pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and writes something on it before shoving it back inside and turning his full attention to Finn, handing the CD back.
"Sorry about that." He's got that damn smile back on his face and Finn's stomach does flips.
"Nah man it's okay." Finn somehow manages to spit out even though his mouth doesn't seem to want to work. He's not sure whether it's from his nerves or how cold he is.
"Did you enjoy the show?" Poe asks as he raises his arms for a hug that Finn willingly accepts.
As Finn wraps his arms around the singer he says "Yeah you were great."
Poe quickly pulls away and leaves only his hands resting on Finn's elbows. He looks concerned. "Holy shit you're freezing."
"I'm fine." Finn tries to wave him off but it's obvious his hands are shaking in the dim light.
"No you're definitely not buddy. Here..." He shrugs off the same brown and red leather jacket he'd been wearing during the show and hands it to Finn.
"No way, I can't except that!" Finn exclaims. Is this seriously happening right now? Luckily this is the last time he nearly dies. He's had far too many near death experiences in one night.
"No man, I insist." He holds it out even further and with a sigh Finn gives in and slides it over his cold arms. It smells like a brand of men's cologne Finn can't seem to place and the faintest scent of motor oil.
Poe lays a hand on shoulder. "It was really great meeting you. I hope you enjoyed the show."
He starts to walk off but before he can say anything to the next person Finn calls after him. "Poe wait!" The singer turns back to him with a smirk on his face. "How do I get the jacket back to you?"
"Just give it to me in the morning." He calls back and with a wink he becomes enveloped in the crowd of fans.
The morning? What? Finn is confused and he turns to say this to Rey but she's gone. 'Oh great.' He thinks to himself. This is just what he needs right now. He wraps Poe's jacket closer to his body and starts shoving his way through the crowd.
After making his way to the edge he finally spots her up towards the front chatting animatedly with Jess who's laughing at something she had just said.
He starts to make his way towards her but before he can get there she and Jess are hugging and she starts walking his way. She smirks when she sees what he's wearing. The first thing she says is "Nice jacket, where'd it come from?"
"Shut up and come on." He glares and she laughs as he takes her hand and leads the way out into the open sidewalk. Finally, he's not surrounded by people.
As they make their way over to Rey's car she says, "And to think you didn't even want to come tonight."
Finn climbs into the passenger seat and as he sits down he hears something in the jacket's pocket crinkle. He reaches his hand in and says, "Well at least now I know why you wanted to come so bad. You just wanted to see Jess." He pulls a piece of paper out and unfolds it before looking over at Rey whose face is bright red.
"Shut up."
Finn flattens the paper and reads the messy handwriting on it.
Meet at that little cafe on Jakku street for a breakfast date at 9:00? ;)
Sneaky little bastard, that one is. The winky face tells Finn all he needs to know. "So that's what he meant by 'in the morning.'" Finn mutters.
Rey looks over. "What?"
Finn grins and waves the piece of paper at her. "I got asked out on a date by a guy that's hot enough to be a greek god."
"No way!" Rey yells. When they pull up to a red light Rey snatches the note out of his hand.
"That was in the jacket pocket and he winked at me right before walking away." Finn can't get the grin off his face no matter how hard he tries.
Rey shakes her head and hands the note back to him. "Unbelievable."
"What?" Finn questions, shooting her a strange look.
Rey sighs. "I've met her three times and Jess hasn't asked me out. It's even gotten to the point where she recognizes me and everything."
"Why don't you just ask her out then?"
"That's not how it works Finn."
"If you say so."
The next morning Finn is up bright and early at eight o'clock. He drowsily sifts through his closet before finding the perfect outfit and slipping it on along with Poe's jacket. He brushes his teeth before writing a note to leave for Rey, in case she wakes up and forgets where is, before leaving the apartment.
Luckily the cafe Poe had wanted to meet was only a few blocks away from the apartment and he could just walk there instead of having to borrow Rey's car.
He makes it to the cafe twenty minutes early but decides to head in anyway and get a booth. Much to his surprise, Poe is already sitting in the booth in the back corner. He's got a cup of coffee sitting in front of him and his arm is resting on the back of the booth.
As soon as he notices Finn he motions him over.
Finn sits down across from him.
They just stare at each other for a moment.
"So I talk first? You talk first?" Poe finally asks, pointing between the two of them.
Finn chuckles and replies, "You can go ahead."
"Well for starters I'm really glad you found the note and actually showed up." Poe says, almost sheepishly.
"Did you really think I wouldn't?" Finn asks, dumbfounded.
Poe shrugs. "Yeah I mean I wasn't sure if I had a chance with a cute guy like you."
Finn blushes. "Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you yesterday." Now it's Poe's turn to blush. He reaches across the table and grabs Finn's hand. "Could've just asked me out though." Finn says.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Poe grins and Finn grins right back.
"Were you planning on giving me the jacket the whole time?"
Poe bites his lip. "Well there was no way I could just let someone as attractive as you freeze to death now could I?"
Finn's blush gets even worse if that's possible. "You didn't answer my question." Poe's cocky grin is response enough.
A pretty, blonde waitress approaches their table. "Is there anything I can get you boys?"
"I'll take a coffee and bagel please." Finn replies and she turns to Poe.
"Just a refill." Poe motions at his coffee and she walks away to grab the coffee pot.
"Oh," Finn suddenly remembers what he wanted to ask the singer. "So my friend Rey has this huge crush on..."
Poe cuts him off. "Let me guess... Jess?" Finn nods and Poe rolls his eyes. "Jess has gone on about a girl named Rey nonstop for three weeks."
Finn laughs. "I told Rey she just needed to ask her out already."
"I said the same thing to Jess and she told me..."
"It doesn't work that way?"
"Exactly." They both laugh. Finn notices the way Poe's eyes crinkle when he laughs and just how adorable that is. As they sit there and chat about nothing and everything all at once, that Finn finds himself making a list of all the things he loves about Poe. That list is getting pretty long by the time Poe checks his watch and declare's that he needs to go, much to Finn's misfortune.
Apparently they had been talking and holding hands across the table for almost three hours. Wow. That had to be the longest (and most successful) first date Finn had ever been on.
They make their way out of the cafe and stop on the sidewalk outside.
"That was fun. We should go out again." Poe says.
"Oh definitely." Finn agrees. Then he remembers the whole reason either of them are there in the first place. "Oh your jacket." He gets it halfway off before Poe stops him.
"Keep it." He bites his lip and gives Finn a once over. "It suits you." Finn's stomach does back flips as he slides the jacket back up on his shoulders.
"I guess I'll see you then." Finn says.
"Yeah don't forget to call me." Poe replies just as Finn starts to walk away.
He gets to the corner when he feels a hand on his arm. He gets spun around to come face-to-face with Poe.
Poe uses his hand to cup Finn's cheek, before placing a soft kiss on his lips. It's short and sweet, and once the pull away Poe says "Sorry, I just couldn't walk away without doing that at least once."
Finn just grins and grabs the other man's face, and brings their lips crashing together once again.
