An Unlikely Ally
The Resistance cruiser is due back soon, and Finn knows he should be doing something instead of standing around and waiting for them to return. Meetings, paperwork, training—even catching up on sleep. Yet he is too distracted, almost restless. Poe is returning from Chandrila with the cruiser, and Finn is looking forward to it more than he will ever admit.
It's not like they haven't gone out on missions separately before. Poe had lead a small sortie to mop up First Order holdouts in the Akivan system not long after Exegol, while Finn had gone out with Jannah not long after that to make contact with a group of defectors. And then Poe had left for the Senate meeting on Chandrila. It has been a long month of staying in touch through holo-coms, and Finn is excited to see his co-General in person after so much time apart, when they were used to working together before they defeated the First Order.
But Finn knows it's more than catching up with one of his closest friends. He's missed Poe, only he doesn't want to think about how much—or why.
"Good morning, General Dameron," says a voice behind him, and he tries not to sigh with annoyance. Zorii Bliss has been calling him that for weeks, no matter how many times he's told her to stop.
"It's General Finn," he'd told her the first few times.
"You need a last name," she'd replied. "Sounds more commanding and general-like."
"General Finn is my name. General Dameron is Poe's name."
"Well, you're practically attached at the hip," she'd pointed out. "Why don't you take his name?"
"Because it's not like that," he'd insisted. And she'd rolled her eyes every time.
"Zorii," he acknowledges now, but does not say anything else, or even look at her. She steps up beside him, and though she's wearing her helmet, Finn imagines there's a smirk on her face whenever she's talking to him.
"Looking for the Tantive V?" she asks, and yes, he can practically hear the smirk in her voice.
He shrugs. "Not at all," he replies. "Plotting galactic domination."
"Seriously?" she asks. "Save the world only to take it for yourself? Doesn't seem like you."
"You don't know me, do you?" Finn replies.
"I know you're standing around waiting for Poe," she says. "What I don't understand is why you don't say something to him."
"Say something about what?" Finn asks, and he thinks he's doing a good job of sounding like he has no idea what she's talking about. He does, because Rose talked to him about the same thing two weeks ago. He'd brushed her off, but he's been thinking about it ever since.
He can feel Zorii studying him, and is surprised when she opens her helmet so he can see her eyes. "How you feel about him, of course. It's pretty obvious, you know." Her head tilts. "It's all right there in your eyes, General Finn."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he tells her. They are standing outside the cave on Ajan Kloss that has served as their base for so long. One of the things Poe hoped to speak to someone about on Chandrila was the need for something more permanent. Maybe that's what Finn is looking forward to, good news on his housing situation.
"Maybe," she replies. "Or maybe I'm right, and you don't know what to say other than to keep denying it. Like you have ever since I met you."
He turns and gives her a skeptical look. "You mean, on Kijimi? You think this goes back to Kijimi?"
"At least you're admitting it," she murmurs, and Finn curses under his breath.
"I'm not admitting anything, because there's nothing to admit."
"Well, we both know that's not true. I'm guessing it started before Kijimi," she continues as if he hadn't said anything. "Because there was some real tension there. Between you and Poe."
"We were in the middle of a difficult mission," Finn points out. "And we thought we'd lost Chewie."
She hums in reply, waits to say something as if she's thinking it over.
"I asked him to come with me, you know," she finally says, shocking him deeply. "When you were on Kijimi."
"What?" He doesn't know what else to say, so only single syllables come out. "Why?"
"Seemed as good an idea as any at the time," she replies, sounding…bitter? Regretful? "The First Order was taking over, and he shows up fighting the good fight, all hope and bravery. Figured I could use someone like that on my side."
Finn can't argue with that, because Poe is the one man he'd want by his side in a fight as well. He's lucky he's had him for so long. He does not say anything, however, and Zorii continues.
"But he said no, of course. Said he couldn't leave the war. Although, it was pretty obvious from the way you two looked at one another that he couldn't leave you."
"I still don't know what you're talking about," he tells her.
"You don't?" she asks in mock surprise. "How in the world did you become a general, then?"
"Funny."
"Not really, but you did win, so you're clearly not as ignorant as you seem."
Finn isn't sure whether he should be offended, amused, or even confused, so he shakes his head and admits it. "You know, sometimes I don't know what to make of you."
"I know," she replies. "Trust me, the feeling is mutual. What's holding you back? From Poe?"
Finn purses his lips together. Zorii Bliss is not the person he wants to talk to about this; he couldn't even talk to Rose about it. He doesn't know Zorii and doesn't trust her. So he throws it back at her instead. "Why did you give him that First Order captain's medallion?" he asks instead. From the tone of her voice, he imagines she's smiling under her helmet.
"Oh, are we having a mutual exchange of deep confessions?" she asks. "Is that how this works?"
"I have nothing to confess," Finn says.
"Everyone has something to confess," she replies, her voice slightly sharper. "I gave him that medallion because I believed in him. Because I wanted him to get off that planet and finish the First Order. I hadn't thought about Poe Dameron for years, but seeing him…seeing all of you…that gave me hope for the first time since the First Order moved in. I believed in him," she repeats, as if trying to drive home a point.
Finn is surprised once more. Honestly, he'd never stopped to think about why Zorii had given up something so incredibly valuable. He'd been thrown for a loop finding out about Poe's Spice Runner past, which was probably one reason he'd immediately disliked Zorii Bliss. Of course, she'd also been arrogant and rude and threatened to kill them, and she had outed Poe's secret (why had he kept that secret again?) with apparent glee.
And it was quickly apparent that Poe and Zorii had a past together. Poe had told him on the Falcon it had been years before, when he'd been young and foolish, and Finn knew Poe was a different person now. Yet at the time, he'd felt almost…jealous.
Now he looks at Zorii Bliss in a different way. Strangely enough, he feels a connection with her, because she had seen the same thing in Poe that he had, had felt that same hope, and almost as quickly. Finn had made the snap decision to trust a captured Resistance pilot for escape; Zorii had trusted Poe to save the galaxy. He wondered if they both had a thing for Poe Dameron now. Not that Finn did, of course…except when he did.
"Thank you," Finn says, surprising himself. "Thank you for believing in him. For the medallion, for fighting at Exegol, for sticking around."
"Huh," she says. "You're welcome." She sounds both surprised and touched at Finn's words. "See, that wasn't hard. Your turn."
"For what?"
"A confession."
"I have nothing to confess," he says, then quickly amends it. "That would interest you. Not when you're clearly looking for a certain answer."
"Then give me the answer I'm looking for," she says. "Tell me how you feel about him and why you won't say anything."
"I believe in him too," he replies immediately. "From the moment I met him."
"And?" She waits it out.
"And what?"
She narrows her eyes at him. The silence stretches between them, until he can practically feel her change directions before she speaks.
"He seems like a good man now," she says. "Though even when I knew him as a young and foolish Spice Runner, he was good." There is an inflection of innuendo to her voice he can't mistake.
"We can't possibly be talking about this," he says, even though a part of him wants to know more. It's not like he hasn't thought about it, after all. Far too often these days.
"He likes all sorts, you know," she continues. "Men, women, occasional other species. Spice Runners, bounty hunters, pilots. Stormtroopers." She lets that last hover between them, but Finn rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness of her approach.
"I do know him," he says. "I've seen him flirt." Though come to think of it, he's not seen much else from Poe aside from casual flirting, usually for a cause. The war seemed to keep most of them from pursuing any kind of relationship, although Finn had heard about Skip and Karè's wedding. It sounded nice.
"Have you seen him flirt with you, then?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest like she's chastising him. "Because he does. A lot."
"He flirts with a lot of people," Finn points out. "He flirts with you."
"It doesn't mean anything with me," she replies. "So don't let it bother you."
"It doesn't bother me." The defensive break in his voice betrays him, however, and she laughs. It is the purest sound he's heard from her, genuine and open, not cool and calculated. He likes it, and wonders what the real Zorii Bliss is like, the one who doesn't wear a mask and play the part of a heartless criminal overlord. He wonders if that was the person who Poe was once attracted to, and if Poe might be drawn to her again. He sighs. "It doesn't mean anything, either."
"Oh, I think you're wrong about that." She steps in front of him, puts back more of her helmet. She is older than him, maybe a few years older than Poe. Her eyes are deep, lined with experience, but also compassion. It is not the face of the hardened Spice Runner he expected. When she smiles, he can't help but smile back.
"Finn," she says, and her voice sounds different without the mask. "I know you don't know me, and you don't trust me. You may not even like me—"
"I do," he protests, because he does. Sometimes.
"But I like you. And I like Poe, even though I try very hard not to." She gives him a wry smile at that. "I can read people, Finn, and I don't need the Force to do it. I can see how you both care about each other. And I just met you."
Finn stares at her. "Exactly, you just met me. You have no idea."
"Well, then ask someone else. Anyone else. Ask your mechanic friend. Ask the Jedi. Hell, ask his droid." She takes a deep breath. "Look, what I think probably doesn't matter, but I think you're good for each other. I think you already make a hell of a team, and that you would be amazing together if you only realized it. Accepted it. You could be happy."
"I'm happy," Finn protests.
"You're happy you won," she says. "You're happy the First Order is gone. I am too. But what are you going to do next? I have no idea, Finn. My home is gone. Half the people I knew were blown to pieces on Kijimi. I have no idea what I'm going to do."
She holds up a hand when he opens his mouth to tell her she can stay, she can be a part of their team, that she'd be welcome and successful and happy. He's not sure if that last is true, but he feels like it could be. She shakes her head as if she knows what he's going to say. "But you…you have a chance to make a real home with him, a better life. To be happy with someone you love, and who loves you."
He stares at her, because it hits him hard, what she's saying, what she's suggesting. He wants it, but he never thought it was possible.
"He doesn't," Finn says softly, feeling defeated as he finally admits how he feels, however indirectly. "Not like that."
"Yes, he does," she insists. "Finn, he loves you like nothing I've seen. You're both so blind to it! It's like being trapped in some overdramatic holo-vid." She touches his arm; it may the first time she's ever touched him. It is both odd and comforting. "You said you believe in him. You should say something, tell him how you feel."
He shakes his head. "Why are you doing this? People don't usually do this, do they? I don't walk around sticking my nose into other people's love lives."
"Neither do I," she replies. "And yet ever since you people showed up in that alley, I find myself doing all sorts of things I don't usually do." She pauses. "Nice things. Helpful things. It feels wrong, sometimes."
"The price of having a heart," Finn murmurs.
"Guess so." She shrugs. They are interrupted by the sound of a ship approaching, and Finn feels his own heart leap—with excitement, and nerves, and a dozen other things. It must show on his face because Zorii flips her helmet back on and laughs.
"You're so pathetic," she says. "You should tell him before you turn into a tree."
"A tree?" he asks.
"You're pining, Finn. And you know what? So is he. Do something about it, because he's even more of a mess than you."
"Wait, how do you know he's pining?"
She cocks her head and turns to walk away. "Because I had the exact same talk with him before he left."
The cruiser lands not far from where they are talking. She walks away without another word, heading toward her own ship and leaving Finn standing there with his mouth hanging open. He thinks about what she's said, wonders what it means, what he should do. He is rooted to the spot for so long that instead of welcoming back the cruiser, Poe finds Finn first, still staring off into the trees.
"Hey there, General," he says, approaching slowly and sounding tentative, almost confused. Finn turns toward him in surprise. "Everything all right?"
Finn shakes his head. "Yeah, sorry. Got caught up in my head." He steps forward and embraces Poe, holding him tight. "Welcome back, it's so good to see you."
Poe seems surprised when they step apart. "It's good to see you too, buddy. You sure you're okay?" He is genuinely concerned, and Finn glances toward Zorii's ship, where she's talking to her co-pilot, but clearly looking their way.
"Oh," says Poe, and he steps back further, suddenly nervous. "Did she talk to you? Because I don't know what she told you, but—"
"She didn't tell me anything," Finn said. "Other than to get a grip."
"On what?" Poe asks, once again confused. "Are you sure you're okay? Did something happen while I was gone?"
He is flipping back and forth so quickly that Finn can't help but laugh. "Nothing happened. I'm fine, honestly."
Poe glances in Zorii's direction again, makes a face and crosses his arms over his chest. "She's a meddling busybody," he says, shaking his head. "Don't let her get to you. Forget about it."
Finn smiles. "Really? Because I think she talked to me about the same thing she did with you."
"Oh," Poe says again, and his eyes widen slightly before he looks away. "Um, well. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He winces at how awkward he sounds.
"Depends," Finn says, cocking his head. "On whether or not she was right."
"About…" Poe trails off when Finn gives him a knowing look. His jaw works, but nothing comes out. "About that." He clears his throat. Twice. Finn has rarely seen Poe Dameron so anxious, and it is maybe one of the most endearing sights he's ever witnessed. His normally calm and collected friend and co-General is standing before him, literally kicking his toe in the dirt trying to avoid Finn's eyes. Finn can practically hear Poe's heart thumping; strangely enough, Finn feels more settled than he has for weeks.
"About that," Poe says again. "The thing is, she doesn't know what's going on, does she? She doesn't understand things like—"
"Us?" Finn asks, and Poe's eyes widen again and Finn wants to laugh with how incredibly uncomfortable Poe is right now. Because that means something, something Finn can see now, and feel. It's been there all along, but he always looked the other way. Now he's looking right at it, and he wants it. He wants what Zorii said he could have. He moves closer. Poe looks like he wants to step away, but stops himself, looking wary as he holds up his hands.
"Finn, I don't know what to say."
"You look like you want the earth to swallow you right now," Finn can't help but point out. Poe runs a nervous hand through his hair.
"Yeah, that would be good," he half-laughs. "Look, I don't want to ruin anything here. You are my best friend, and my co-General, and I don't want to lose either. Whatever she said…it doesn't have to…well, we can still…but she shouldn't have…and I won't…" Finn almost wonders if Poe is going to have an anxiety attack and run off in panic. He moves closer, places his hand on Poe's arm to ground him, but Poe's face crumples and he looks away. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" Finn tries to get him to look up, but he looks past Finn, not into his eyes. "Poe, do you have any idea what you're trying to say?"
"Not really," he says. "Because I know I'll say the wrong thing."
"Try anyway," says Finn. "Because I promise there is nothing you could say that would drive me away."
"Oh, you have no idea," Poe murmurs, shaking his head and starting to pull away. Finn grips his arm so he doesn't try to back off. Poe takes a deep breath and finally meets Finn's eyes, only his own are filled with sadness, like he already regrets what he's going to say.
"Finn, if she said what I think she said, then she was right. I do feel that way. About you. But I am not going to say or do anything to jeopardize our friendship, or our leadership, if you don't. We walk away and pretend this never happened."
"Nothing happened," Finn points out. Poe frowns.
"I just told you she was right about me. And I kind of wish I hadn't because I don't think you—"
"You don't think she was right about me?" Finn asks. "Because she was."
"—and that's fine," Poe said. "I am perfectly capable of setting aside—wait, what?"
"She was right. I feel that way, too. About you."
"Wait, really?"
Finn shrugs. "Yeah, I do. But I didn't think it would be this awkward."
"I didn't think it would be real," says Poe. He glances down at Finn's hand on his arm, closes some of the distance between them and takes his other arm. "You're serious? You want this?"
"I think I've wanted it for a while now," Finn admits. "I just didn't know I did, or want to admit it, deep down."
"I've known for a long time," Poe murmurs. "You changed my life the moment I met you, Finn."
"I think it was mutual," Finn says. "Sorry it took me so long. So, what now?"
Poe glances around, a smile slowly growing on his face as he steps closer. "Maybe now we make it official?"
Finn's eyes go wide; that was not what he expected. "What? You don't mean…because I was kind of thinking…maybe we should, first, you know…"
Poe's smile drops. "Sorry, I didn't mean…that wasn't…kriff, why are we so bad at this?"
And this time Finn smiles, shakes his head. "Because we're a bunch of nervous space idiots?" he suggests.
"Speak for yourself," Poe says. "I am perfectly calm right now." He holds up a shaking hand to demonstrate and laughs.
"Brilliant." Finn laughs out loud, then surges forward and kisses him, long and hard, enjoying first the small squeak of surprise, and then the happy moan that Poe makes as he opens his lips and returns the kiss with enthusiasm.
Poe is the one to stop first, and Finn is pretty sure his eyes are glazed as he runs his fingers along Finn's jaw. "Thank you," he murmurs. "For saying something."
"I didn't say much," Finn replies. "We both kind of stuttered our way all over it."
"We really did, didn't we?" Poe laughs, kisses him again. "But it was worth it."
"We should probably thank—"
"Don't even say it," Poe interrupts. "In fact, maybe we shouldn't even tell her, because we'll never hear the end of it."
There is the sound of slow clapping from nearby as Zorii walks past them. Poe's eyes slip closed. "She saw."
"And she approves," Finn points out. He finds Poe's reaction highly amusing. Whoever thought Poe Dameron was suave and sophisticated was dead wrong; he can be a nervous wreck out of the cockpit. Finn loves him even more for it.
Oh. He loves Poe.
"Hey," he says, placing a gentle kiss on Poe's lips so he opens his eyes. "I love you, and I don't care what she says anymore. She can make fun of my name all she wants."
"She makes fun of your name?" Poe asks. "It's a good name!"
"I like it," Finn tells him. "She thinks I need another one."
Poe's eyes go wide this time. "Really? Because I love you too, and you could always—"
"That's a long way off," Finn interrupts. "If that's what you're thinking."
"'Course not," Poe laughs, taking his hand and leading him back toward the ship he'd returned on. "We should probably have dinner first, those kinds of things."
"Those kinds of things," Finn murmurs. He follows Poe, holding his hand tight and thinking of all those other things. He hopes Poe is thinking of the same ones he is at that moment. Dinner would be nice, too.
Zorii is leaning against a nearby tree. Finn turns to look at her as they hurry up the ramp to the cruiser. She gives him a small salute, and this time he imagines that she's smiling behind her mask. He smiles, and nods, and follows Poe inside, so glad he's back and they've finally figured this out—even if they did need a push from an unlikely ally.
Author's Note:
And there's another Finn and Poe get together story. What's my count for this now? I think this is number six in terms of Finn and Poe and that first kiss. We were so robbed of it in canon that I can't stop imagining it, sorry! I also really wanted to write something with Zorii and Finn because I thought that could be an interesting dynamic. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Let a girl know? Comments inspire us and keep our muses working happily. Thank you!