Look, there was no escaping the facts. No matter how much it bothered him, Finn was a very handsome and desirable man. He'd worked hard to get in the shape he was in, figuring the eye-pleasing aesthetic would catch the eye of promoters despite his smaller stature.

He didn't expect to become somewhat of a sex symbol out of it.

It was a tough industry to get noticed in; you could be talented as Hell in the ring but be passed over for the vainest of reasons. Times were changing…slowly, but changing nonetheless. The best example of that was with Kevin Owens, and Finn was so pleased his friend was getting this opportunity and was absolutely smashing it out of the park. Daniel Bryan's success had really paved the way for guys like himself, Kevin, Rollins, Neville, Sami….people chosen primarily for their talent, and if they happened to be desirable to some, that was just a bonus.

Then again, did they have to insist on Finn squeezing himself into the tightest of tights to perform? It seemed like the bosses at NXT didn't want anything left to the imagination when it came to Finn's wardrobe. Oh, here's a killer leather jacket, no don't zip it up, can't flash the abs as you walk to the ring that way. Honestly, getting the body paint out for TakeOver's was becoming less of a pain to sit through, 'cause at least that way people wouldn't be focusing on his body quite so much.

They weren't even subtle about how they stared! Carmella had pinched his arse the first time they met, and wasn't even slightly apologetic about it! Even Bayley, pure-hearted soul that she was, had been caught out glancing at Finn's butt on more than one occasion. Sometimes it felt like ogling Finn Bálor's body was the official pastime at the Performance Center. In some ways, that was actually a good thing…Finn wasn't used to crowds the size of NXT and the WWE, so getting somewhat used to the attention was quickly becoming a top priority…but mostly it just caused the introvert in him to want to find a quiet corner somewhere to hide away.

Sometimes Finn felt really envious of those who didn't receive all this attention. Or, at least, the only kind of attention Finn ever got. People would laugh and joke around with Sami or Bayley or Enzo, impromptu dance-offs would often break out between Carmella and her unwitting opponents. Everybody else seemed to be liked for their personality and attitude. Sami, in particular, was well-liked by just about everybody in the NXT locker room. You couldn't help but notice whenever Sami stepped into the room, the atmosphere just seemed to become more cheery and everybody became more determined to do well and try harder to attempt to match Sami's enthusiasm.

Sure, people respected Finn's in-ring work…but they never seemed to be inspired by it the same way Sami did…Finn couldn't even be mad at the Canadian native. Sami was the only person who never seemed to view Finn as just a piece of meat, one of the few people Finn really felt comfortable around. He was, perhaps, the only person Finn didn't mind regularly invading his personal space, they laughed and joked and hugged and everything seemed perfect whenever Sami was around. Sami treated Finn like a person, like a friend, like he meant something more to Sami than just a great set of abs.

So why was Finn so disappointed that Sami never seemed to look at him with the same lustful glares that he was accustomed to?

Finn had tried to be flirty with Sami, maybe bending and flexing at slightly inopportune moments whenever he passed by…but Sami never seemed to react in the way Finn was expecting. Finn kept sneaking looks to see how…Hell, IF Sami would react to his increasingly less subtle advances. Getting changed right next to each other in the locker room? Nope, Sami just went on his business, talking excitedly about one of his favourite bands or wondering who the next big signing to NXT would be. Standing next to each other in the showers? Sami remained polite, eyes never wandering, happy to just get the grime of the day all cleaned up. Finn was even tempted to knock the soap off the mini-dish to see if Sami would react to that, but Finn didn't quite feel he was that desperate quite yet. Maybe he could ask Sami to wash his back sometime…nobody could be innocent and pure enough to avoid staring in that situation. Or maybe he could wash Sami's back…who could resist a little not-on-purpose-but-totally-on-purpose touching.

Although that would probably excite Finn more than his intended target…and Sami would probably just assume it was a slip of the wrist. Soap is pretty slippy, after all. Why'd he have to be so gosh-darn nice?

Sami was rapidly becoming a huge distraction for Finn. He'd often find himself stealing glances over at whatever Sami was doing, temporarily forgetting that he was supposed to be working himself, and he was pretty sure Jason was tired of tapping him on the shoulder to get Finn's attention back to work. But, like, right now Sami's having a friendly practice match in the ring, and of course he's making everything look so effortless. Finn isn't sure whether to be envious or amazed…he's always loved watching Sami wrestle, he even mentioned Sami's matches in particular in one of his earlier interviews before he'd even debuted in NXT…before he'd even adopted the Finn Bálor name.

Finn risked another glance at the ring, seeing Sami ascend to the top rope. His top rope cross body was a thing of beauty, and Finn found himself eagerly awaiting Sami's graceful leap onto his unwitting victim and wait, was Sami looking over in his direction?

Fuck, did Sami catch me staring?!

A frown had settled on Sami's face, and he began to climb back down the turnbuckles. He had a quick word with his training partner in the ring, before jumping down off the apron and storming over towards Finn's direction.

Fuck, Sami did catch me staring!

"Okay, what is up with you lately?" Sami had demanded as soon as he had gotten within a respectful distance of Finn's general location, "Is there a reason you keep glaring at me all the time? Because it's making me hella paranoid! I mean, you're forever complaining about people always staring at your butt, I figured you of all people would know how uncomfortable that makes people feel."

Finn. Words. Speak them already.

"Sorry Sami…" Finn apologised, "I was…well, you know I love watching you in action…you were both putting on a good show…"

"Really, Finn?" Sami crossed his arms, "So…who was I in the ring with, then?"

Finn's eyes widened as he realised Sami had caught him out, and was more than willing to call Finn's bluff. Finn tried to sneak a peek at the ring behind Sami, but Sami simply moved in front of Finn's gaze.

"Thought so," Sami sighed, "Could you just tell me the real reason? It's not the first time I've caught you staring at me lately, y'know?"

"…it's not?" Finn gulped.

"Of course not!" Sami chided, beginning to count the instances on his fingers, "In the canteen at lunch-times, whenever we're doing interviews together, in the locker room whilst we're getting changed…"

Finn began to panic a little, "I mean, we are usually talking to each other whilst that's happening…I kinda have to look in your direction to do that?"

Sami's eyes narrowed, "So what's your excuse for when we're in the shower?"

Finn's jaw dropped…Sami had caught him staring at Sami in the shower? His brain refused to co-operate with him anymore and Finn had no choice but to hang his head in defeat, "Well…I mean…I…I look at you in the hope you might be looking at me too?"

Sami looked a little surprised at the admission, "…but you don't like people staring at you all the time?"

"I don't! I really don't!" Finn wailed, "But the one person I do want to notice me doesn't and I don't know what to do about it anymore!"

"Finn, just because I don't stare at your body doesn't mean I don't see you," Sami's voice had taken a soothing tone, "I see your passion for wrestling shine through every day, your efforts to become a better person, how hard you've worked to try and be more sociable with everybody in the locker room. I see a wonderful man who I can nerd out with on a daily basis, who can take on the best wrestlers on the planet with little difficulty yet can't admit out loud that he likes someone. Trust me; I know that situation all too well."

Finn looked up at Sami, astonishment all over his face. Internally, Finn found himself cringing. Of course Sami wouldn't have noticed his physical attempts at flirting. That's not who Sami was…he always saw the heart and soul of a person, the personality, the inner-being. Sami wasn't the superficial type, and Finn was tempted to kick himself for not realising the obvious sooner, "Yer saying that all I had to do to get your attention…was tell you I wanted it?"

"Well, yeah," Sami replied with a shrug, "Although I could have easily said something earlier myself. Guess I never imagined that you were looking at me because you…"

Finn licked his lips, "Find you attractive?"

"Well, yeah…" Sami grinned sheepishly, "Not used to that kind of attention."

"Well, you better get used to it," Finn grinned, standing up and cupping Sami's cheek with his hand, "Because I really like everything about you, and would like to have your full attention on a more regular basis."

"Oh, you've definitely got my attention now," Sami smiled, "Does this mean I don't have to fight the urge to look at you in the shower anymore? Because there's only so much self-control a guy can have."

Finn nodded enthusiastically, "Sami Zayn, you have my full permission to look at me anyplace, anywhere, anytime."

Sami wiggled his eyebrows, "Just look?"

"We may have to restrict touching to more private venues," Finn felt the heat rising to his face with the insinuation, "But otherwise, I have no objections."

"Fantastic!" Sami leaned in and gave Finn a quick kiss on the forehead, "Now that's settled, think you can get some work done before you get in trouble again?"

"Yep," Finn sighed happily, "I suddenly have a lot less worries on my mind, for some reason."

"Glad I could help."

NOTES: Prompt was for Finn Bálor/Sami Zayn - "I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice." Chosen by cherryheartswrasslin on Tumblr.