AN: Written as a fluffy pick-me-up for amberleighkoch over on tumblr!
The best thing about having a pilot as a boyfriend, Finn thinks as Poe messes with a few buttons on the console and their starship jumps into hyperdrive, is the potential for really awesome dates anywhere in the galaxy.
The worst thing about having a Jedi as a best friend, though, is the recently-affixed tumor of a former-Sithlord-wannabe that has attached himself to said best friend. And speak of the devil, just as Finn thinks the words, Rey's coming into the main space of the ship with Kylo Ren trailing behind her.
"We in the clear?" she calls out to Poe, and the echoing response of, "Well on our way to
Naron!" rings out in the metallic shell of the ship.
Finn's caught between smiling at the chipper tone of Poe as he does what he loves best and scowling fiercely as he makes eye contact with Ren.
As though to spite him, a quick smirk flits past his lips and he moves to embrace Rey, who relaxes into his arms and tips her head up to murmur something quietly into his ear.
The display makes him uncomfortable, if only because the image of Rey ensnared in Ren's arms reminds him of the man's interrogations. Thinking of how he'd tortured Poe and then kidnapped her never fails to sour his mood, and he turns away to go sit with Poe up in the pilot's cabin.
"Hey, buddy," Poe says happily as he steps into the smaller room.
"How are we doing?" Finn asks as he relaxes into the copilot's chair. The sky around them is beautiful, dark and twinkling with stars in the distance, and even though he's spent his entire life in space, or maybe because of it, the grand expanse is calming.
Poe turns to face him, a beautiful smile on his gorgeous features as he rolls his shoulders in an effort to release the tension held in them. "Smooth flying from here on out, now that we've made it out of the solar system."
While traveling typically brings a thrilling spike of adrenaline through his system at the thought of finally escaping the Stormtrooper base and exploring the universe, this time Finn thinks his excitement is falling flat.
And it sucks, because he really was delighted at the thought of going to Naron with Poe, and even inviting Rey sounded lovely until she mentioned bringing him along.
Finn exhales on a sigh and tries to dispel his ruined mood. He sees that Poe is idly drumming the fingers of his right hand on the control panel of the ship, and even though casual affection is still brand new and makes his face heat up significantly, he reaches for the man's hand.
Poe's face brightens, but he doesn't say a word as he interweaves their fingers together and gives Finn's hand a comforting squeeze.
It helps significantly, feeling the warmth and deceptively soft skin of the pilot's hand.
They do make it to Naron without any actual conflict, which is always a plus considering the First Order has sort of made it their sole mission to hunt down the traitor Kylo Ren and execute him publicly, but Finn thinks that going on a double-date with his best friend and said traitor-slash-torturer-slash-mass-murderer lost its appeal before their ship even left the Resistance base.
And stars, he can't even believe that's what he and Rey are. Rey's berated him before, insisting he's Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren any longer, but Finn's known the man much longer than she has, and while he does adore her, he absolutely cannot trust Ren as far as he can throw him.
Naron's a coastal island planet, with beautiful beaches and clear waters full of fantastically-colored marine life, and it would be a lovely place to spend some time with Poe if only Ren was left behind.
It's very difficult for the former Stormtrooper to reconcile the murderous, dangerous actions of Kylo Ren with the supposedly gentle, caring Ben Solo who has managed to gain Rey's affections, and Finn isn't exactly quiet about it.
Their landing is beautifully smooth, as to be expected from Poe's effortless skill at piloting, and they embark onto the land while both of the planet's twin suns hang high in the air.
"We'll catch up to you guys in a bit," Poe says upon their disembark. Rey looks inquisitively at him, but he flashes her a confident grin and she nods before wrapping her body around one of Ren's arms as they walk ahead. Even from behind, Finn can see how much she adores him by how closely she holds herself in relation to his personage, and the thought makes him feel even worse.
When they've made it inside the resort building, his boyfriend turns to him and says casually,"You feeling up to talking about it?"
It's just an inquiry, not an invasive demand for information or a taunting jab at his compromised emotions, and fuck, Poe is just too incredible to be real. How does he even look at Finn and see something valuable enough to keep?
He knows that all it would take is a simple no to get Poe to drop it, he's so respectful in the ways that were never possible in the First Order base, where he was treated like an emotionless weapon of war.
"Ren's a pile of bantha shit," Finn swears after a moment of silence, and if he has to instinctively tamp down on the tensing and fear of pain that accompanies insulting a superior officer, then at least Poe's clever enough not to mention it aloud. "I don't trust him at all."
"I know," Poe sighs as he leans against the outer shell of their ship. It certainly isn't the first time he's mentioned it to the pilot, but he's also never been in such close quarters with Ren since he defected from the First Order. Back on the Resistance base, his arguments were mostly along the lines of, Rey, has he tricked you with the Force? Is he taking advantage of you? And despite all of the reassurances in the world from her, he still can't believe how quickly they went from mortal enemies to lovers.
"It doesn't make sense," he continues. "And Rey looks so damned happy all the time, now, and that's the worst part."
"That she's happy?"
"No, I'm ecstatic about that, but she talked to me back on Jakku about never having anyone and now she has someone who she says cares and even just touches her, and of course it's the worst person in the entire system." He knows he's rambling a bit, but the overflow of emotion seems so potent now, and anyway he never can manage to shut up around Poe.
"I get it," the pilot says. "I ain't about to forgive him for what he did to my head, Finn, you know that, but it seems like this is the real deal. He's given the Resistance ridiculous amounts of information about Snoke and the Order..."
The worst part is that Finn knows all of this and the feeling still won't go away. "But what if that's part of his plan? Get us to trust him and then, when nobody expects it, he kills us?" It's one of his darkest fears, waking up in the night to find Rey bleeding on the floor and Poe in a similar state. He's only just learning about the universe, only barely beginning to forge lasting bonds with other people, and it's terrifying to contemplate how easily his former commander could destroy all of that.
"Aw, Finn, come 'ere," Poe's saying, and Finn doesn't realize how tense he really is until the man's wrapping his arms around him and encasing him in a bone-tight hug. "Hey, none of us are going anywhere, okay?"
The words are soft, spoken against the inner curve of his neck, and Finn tries to nod and prevent the tears from falling.
"Look, I have an idea. After this, we can ask General Organa about going out to mine some cortosis, alright?"
He's heard of the metal before, legends of its ability to repel the strikes of lightsabers. "We can make weapons of it?"
"Definitely," Poe replies. "Won't really help with the whole Force thing, but that's what Rey and Luke are for, right?"
And really, the thought helps immensely. He'll feel better knowing he has the ability to defend himself and his friends if Ren does decide to turn sides for the trillionth time, and a rush of gratitude fills him quickly at how well Poe knows him. He moves his head until their lips are sliding against each other, and the pilot kisses him back passionately.
Finn wants to consume him here and now in an expression of gratitude, but even though his lips already feel swollen from the bruising pressure of Poe's kiss, the other man is backing away and panting lightly from their ministrations.
"Calm down," Poe laughs, though he's pressed tightly against Finn as though he can fuse them together simply by maintaining contact. "There'll be plenty of time for that later."
And then Poe's winking at him and Finn can't help the relieving peals of laughter that bubble out of his throat.
"That better be a promise," he says once he regains his composure.
Poe looks faux-shocked as he gasps, "Would I lie to you?"
"I sure hope not," Finn responds, and then he grabs at his boyfriend's hand to pull them further onto the island. "Now, show me around, Mr. Adventurous Pilot."
They spend the next few hours enjoying the heat of the sun and the relaxing coolness of the water's waves, before Poe's stomach releases a fierce growl and he sheepishly mentions searching for Rey to see if they'd like to go to dinner.
The restaurant they end up finding after reuniting with Rey and Kylo Ren is nice, lights dimmed and ambiance filled with the potential of a romantic outing.
Finn still doesn't trust Ren one bit, but he tries to observe them together from an unbiased point of view as Poe slides a hand soothingly over his leg underneath the table. He really is trying hard to be happy for his best friend, even if her taste in men is absolutely terrible, so he keeps an eye on them as they peruse for a potential meal.
Rey has a furrow between her eyebrows as she points at random items on the menu and demands that Ren explain what they are. It's almost cute, especially considering how captivated by her Ren looks. He's feigning complete seriousness and describing the foods entirely wrong – honestly, even Finn knows that shuuras are a fruit and not eggs from fynocks – but she's laughing and he's getting even more ridiculous with his explanations, and Finn doesn't realize how closely he's watching them until Poe's murmuring into his ear, "Figured out what you want, yet?"
Finn nods, opting for a Hoska steak as Poe chooses some kind of vegemeat stir fry.
The meal is delicious in its extravagance, and he knows that both him and Rey have never had a meal this expensive before n their entire lives. He relishes it, attempting to fully relax in the vacation that General Organa had forced onto her hardest-working Resistance soldiers, and the rest of dinner passes with nary a hitch.
When they separate into their respective hotel rooms for the night, Rey moves away from Ren to give Finn a hug. "I know you don't like Ben much," she confesses quietly. "We're not perfect, but I promise that I've been in every corner of his mind and he has no evil plans to betray the Light again. I do appreciate how hard you're trying."
His best friend is far too perceptive for her own good, but Finn pats her on the shoulder. "Thanks," he offers genuinely. "Have a good night, okay?"
And alright, he definitely doesn't need to see how fiercely Rey blushes at his words, because now he'll never get that mental picture out of his mind. He forces an awkward chuckle and drawls, "Oookay, going over here now with my mental scarring."
Rey laughs and releases him from the embrace. "Have a good night, yourselves!"
When they've gone into their room, Finn enters his own and sees Poe lounging on the nearby bed. He smiles at the pilot's sprawling form and nudges him aside so that he can lie on the bed as well. Staring up at the ceiling, he muses, "I don't think I can ever believe he's entirely Light, not with what he did to you and so many others, but he does seem... good for Rey."
Poe rolls off of his back and onto his side before grabbing at Finn, who settles in against the curve of his body. "It's war, buddy. We're all doing things we don't like, but he's trying to make the right decision, just like you are now. I think we'll all be okay."
And Finn smiles. He has Poe, and even if he doesn't like it much, Rey does have Re – Ben. It's possible that between the four of them, they can take on anything.
It's certainly a far cry from where he imagined himself to be, but he's certainly pleased with the outcome.