A/N - Hello again! So, I was listening to the song "Seeing You There" by Josh Young, and this idea for a modern FinnRey story suddenly planted itself in my brain. After that, it snowballed from there and became a story that I am really loving. It is goofy and maybe a little stupid, but it is fluffy and happy, which is what we need this time of year. So, please sit back, relax, and enjoy this multi-chapter fic called "Seeing You There".
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any recognizable characters. I do not own the song "Seeing You There" either – it's from a musical. I only own my oc Eve Antiles and I have the permission to use my friend's oc Xyva Coral
Seeing You There - A Finnrey Story
Chapter 1 – An Unusual Sunday Morning
Finn's POV
New York City definitely is… well, an acquired taste. Many people live here all their lives, content with the hectic life, and then there are some that live here because they have to. I am, rather unfortunately, one of the latter. I do like the city with all of its hidden gems, but I am not a fan of all the noise. I prefer a nice, quiet place in the country where I don't have to worry about taxi drivers yelling at me for walking on the crosswalk even though the light says "walk".
I open my eyes one Sunday morning to smell the strong scent of coffee brewing in the kitchen. I look over at the clock and see that it is a little before nine. I frown a little in confusion. Poe Dameron, my best friend and roommate, must already be up, which is odd. Sunday is the only day of the week that Poe has off, so he never likes getting up early unless he absolutely has to. I, on the other hand, am usually the early riser and the one who puts the coffee on. I quickly get out of bed and get dressed before I open my door and walk out into the living area. If Poe is up already on a Sunday morning, then something must be wrong.
To my surprise, Poe is not alone out in the kitchen. Poe is sitting on a barstool at the island, grumbling about something as Eve Antilles, Poe's girlfriend, pours him a cup of coffee and slides it across the island to him. Eve is an actress, but she worked as a mechanic before her acting career took off. And yet, she has never really left the mechanic world behind as she still fixes things for people all the time. Eve is a genius at solving any problems that have to do with machines or electronics. She was the most popular mechanic at the shop she used to work at, which is where Poe and Eve actually met.
Poe has never gone easy on his vehicles, so his car often needs to be fixed. One morning, he was out driving when his car's engine suddenly died. Luckily, his car happened to die right outside an auto shop, which happened to be the shop where Eve worked. Poe's first impression of her was that she was an angel, covered in grease and all. Eve's first impression was that Poe was a vain, reckless idiot. Personally, I don't think she was that far off and I honestly question her sanity now that she is dating him, but she seems to love him. She's also a great friend, so I'm glad that she's going to be around for a long time.
Anyways, Eve looks up at me and smiles, grabbing another mug out of the cabinet to pour me some coffee. I gratefully take the mug from her and drink some of the coffee. It is the perfect thing to wake me up for the day. Now that I am once again aware of my surroundings, I remember that it is a Sunday morning and I look over at Eve with a frown on my face.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Eve, but what are you doing here?" I ask and she chuckles.
"Well good morning to you too!" She says far too cheerily for a weekend morning and Poe groans.
"I am so sorry, Finn. This is all my fault. I promised to take her to the market before our lunch today and now I really regret it!" He groans again, letting his head drop on the table as Eve smiles triumphantly.
"And I'm not going to let you talk your way out of your promise today, Poe. I really need to get down there." Poe lets out an anguished cry and Eve shoves another mug of coffee at him, taking his first cup, which is now empty. I laugh at the pair.
"Eve, if you don't mind me asking, why do we have to go down to the market so early? Surely if we head down to the market by 11:00 you would have loads of time before we go to eat?" I ask, hopefully, and Eve shakes her head.
"I'm sorry Finn, really I am, but I need to be down there by 10:00 at the latest. Maz Kanata contacted me about some problems she has been having with her favourite car and she only trusts me to fix it. She needs it done before noon and, since I don't know how long it will take, I need to get down there early."
"Why noon? I thought her stall was open all day." I ask and she shrugs.
"Apparently Maz has a lunch date with Chewie. You know, the guy who sells all the fur pelts and coats?" I nod and Poe, finally having enough caffeine in his system, looks up and starts laughing.
"Maz, the clutter bug, and Chewie, the walking carpet? Hilarious!" I shake my head at the nicknames Maz and Chewie have picked up. Maz is known as the "clutter bug" because she refuses to get rid of anything that she feels could be used again. And Chewie… well, his nickname is kind of obvious, considering what he sells for a living. After a minute, Eve speaks up again.
"So, are we going to head out now? Or are we going to wait ten more minutes so that you can complain and I can yell at you?" At her playful words, Poe lets out a dramatic sigh.
"All right, all right! We'll go now. Just remember, I expect payment for this great sacrifice on my part!" I roll my eyes. Poe really should consider a career in acting. He could just banter with Eve for a living! Eve, however, barely blinks as she smiles, pulling a McDonald's gift card out of her wallet.
"I figured you'd say that, so how about I pay for the McDonald's breakfast run this morning?" Eve barely finishes her question before Poe jumps off the barstool, grabs his keys from the counter, and is standing by the door, jacket slung over his shoulder.
"Well? What are we waiting for? Those Golden Arches are calling me!"
Not bothering to wait for a response, Poe opens the door and races down the hallway. I look over at Eve, who simply shakes her head. We both walk over to the door and slip on our shoes before we step out into the hallway. I lock the door to our apartment and I notice Eve pull the doorknob on her apartment across the hall to ensure that it is locked.
Conveniently enough, Eve lives in the apartment right across from Poe and myself. We first found this out when Poe accidentally went over other door by mistake. The apartment owners, stupidly, decided to give all the apartments on one side of each hall a set of numbers and all the apartments on the other side the same numbers with some letters added onto the front. Poe and I live in apartment 2187 and Eve lives in apartment AA2187. Eve's best friend Xyva lives in the apartment with her and, apparently Eve's sister moved in with them recently as well. They both say that her sister moved in six months ago, but we have yet to meet her. Sometimes I think that I see a blur, but I am starting to wonder if it is all my imagination.
"So… how is your sister, Eve?" I ask and she sighs.
"I know what you're thinking, Finn, but Rey really does exist." We start walking down the hallway towards the stairs and I raise my eyebrows a little.
"It's just a little hard to believe that someone else lives with you when she has been here for what, six months now? And we still haven't even seen her. It seems a little hard to believe that we always just miss seeing her."
"Just give her some more time. One of these days, she will be home when you come visit. She does want to meet you – she's just a little shy of strangers." Eve says carefully and I frown.
"She is shy? I thought you said she's in the show business industry. How does that work out?" I ask and Eve looks down, sadly.
"She grew up in a rough place and had to mature at an early age. She just doesn't trust easily."
"I thought you said that she was your sister? Didn't you grow up together?" I ask raising an eyebrow at her and she shakes her head, sighing.
"Actually, no. My parents adopted her when she was five - she had ran away from an abusive home and ended up with us. When she first arrived in our house, she hid away in her room for hours on end. And then, she suddenly burst into my room one day and latched onto me, not wanting to let go. We have been really close ever since. She has opened up a lot since then - she used to only talk to my family - but she still is a little shy around total strangers. Just be patient - it shouldn't be too much longer."
We reach the bottom of the stairs and I hold open the door for her to walk through. I walk towards the car and get in the backseat, thinking about Eve just told me about this Rey. I totally understand what it is like to be in her shoes. I spent my childhood being moved between foster homes until I ended up at the Dameron household. Kes and Shara Dameron always treated me like their own son and I still go visit them often. I was lucky to end up with such a good family, but most kids weren't as lucky. From what Eve just told me, it sounds like Rey had just as rough a time as I did until she ended up with Eve's family. Well, if we ever get to meet her, maybe I can help her by being able to relate to her in a way no one else can. After the Damerons took all that time to help me, I want to be able to help someone else.
