Oblivious
The best part is how absolutely oblivious they are about it.
Everyone else sees it. Sees how intently Finn watches Poe, how Poe's eyes soften whenever he watches Finn. How close they sit, even when the whole bench is empty, or how tight they embrace, even when half the base is watching for something more to finally happen. Everyone sees it but them: the looks, the touches, the laughs. The fierce loyalty. Hands on the neck, the knee, and lower back. Catches in the voice, smiles brighter than the sun.
It's ridiculous how much they're in love and don't know it.
So naturally they all place their bets.
Jess is the first to say something, working late on the ships with Poe one night. Everyone else has gone already, even Finn, leaving them to finish some repairs before flying out the next day, and allowing Jess a chance to finally give her friend and commander a hard time.
"So, what's going on between you two anyway?" she asks, going straight to the point. No use dancing around it, after all—not if she wants to win all those credits.
"Who?" says Poe, hands deep in the guts of his ship. He motions for a tool and Jess hands him a hydrospanner, watches him grunt and fiddle before answering. She decides to have some fun first.
"General Organa," she says in a suggestive way, and Poe stands up so fast he knocks his head on a wing and swears.
"What?" Poe stutters. The expression on his face is priceless; Jess laughs and takes pity on him.
"I'm kidding! I meant Rey." She didn't, but sometimes it's so easy to mess with him. Plus, she's skirting the edge of the rules; she's not supposed to come right out and ask.
"Rey?" Poe scrunches up his nose in that cute way he has, the one that makes Jess want to punch him most of the time. It's an interesting reaction, sort of like she's asked about his little sister and he's appalled. "Nothing going on there, if this is going where I think it's going."
"Oh, it definitely is," Jess says, and starts her final run, even if it's not strictly allowed; at least she tried. "So what about Finn?"
"What about Finn?" Poe is back in the engine. He sounds completely relaxed, like Jess isn't asking about his love life, and certainly not his love life with Finn.
"You sure spend a lot of time together," she points out. He pops his head out and grins.
"Jealous? Because Black Squadron will always be first in my heart, Pava."
"Is Finn there too, in your heart?"
"What?" he asks, but this time he sounds confused. "I was making a joke."
"I'm not," she replies. "What's going on with you two? You and Finn?"
Bless him, he still looks confused. "Nothing. We make a good team, so the General has us working together a lot."
"Would that be an exclusive team?" she asks, completely breaking the rules since that's what Black Squadron does. At least she didn't ask if it was a horizontal team, though maybe that would actually get through to him. He rolls his eyes as he takes out some hoses.
"Jess, I don't know what you're getting at, but you don't have to worry. He's a great guy, a fierce fighter, smart and loyal and strong. But I'm not leaving Black Squadron."
Which hadn't even occurred to her, because of course Poe Dameron isn't going to leave Black Squadron, even for Finn. They wouldn't let him. But she suspects that eventually, they might have to stage an intervention if he doesn't figure things out soon.
"I'm not worried," she tells him with a fond sigh. Poe is so very gone. Maybe Rey will have better luck with Finn.
Rey is not very good at this. She wants to come right out and ask. Finn is her friend, after all, and she can sense that there's something he wants to tell her. But Jess had said that wasn't how it was done, and for the win to count, the two men have to admit it themselves, with only a little prodding allowed. So she has to talk around it. Prod him.
"How's Poe?" she asks. They're on the Falcon, helping Chewbacca with a few things the Porgs had got into. Too many nests mess up the ship, and they can't have Porglets falling from the panels in the middle of a battle. Not to mention, it's starting to smell.
"He's good, why?" asks Finn.
"Oh," says Rey. "I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while, it seems."
"We all had dinner together last night," Finn reminds her. She tries not to blush with embarrassment; she's really not good at this.
"Right. He seems busy."
"The life of a Resistance hero." Finn grins at her, leans close. "We're all busy."
And that's why Rey loves him, though not in the same way that Poe does. Finn is so open, so honest, so funny. He always makes her smile.
"You seem to be spending a lot of time together," she says. "Even if you're busy being heroes."
"We make a good team," Finn says. He's got that look on his face he gets every time he looks at Poe, or talks about Poe, or thinks about Poe. Rey finds it cute even if Jess makes a gagging sound every time.
"Why?" she asks, then winces at how completely stupid that sounds.
"Why what?" he asks, and she has no idea how to respond.
"Never mind," she says. "Do you like working with him?"
There is a quiet rumble from behind her, where Chewie is standing with a large pile of Porg feathers he's pulled out of the gun wells. Finn doesn't seem to notice.
"'Course I do, he's a great pilot, a natural leader," says Finn, then frowns. "But I like going out on missions with you, too," he says earnestly, as if he's worried she's jealous, and this time Chewie laughs. He knows exactly what's going on, and Rey tries to ignore him, but he's a seven-foot tall Wookie with an attitude, and it's hard.
"Oh, I wasn't worried about that," she says. "I was only curious about you and Poe."
"What about me and Poe?" Finn pulls another Porg nest from under a console and shakes his head. "These things should have never left that planet."
"Are you…well, I mean…do you ever…have you…" She can't think of any way to ask without actually coming out and asking. Chewie rumbles at her again. Watch the rules.
"What rules?" asks Finn, and Rey sighs. There went her chance, not that she was close anyway. She gives Chewbacca an annoyed look.
"Thanks for that," she murmurs, and he laughs once more. She didn't need the credits anyway.
Maybe Snap can do better, man to man.
"Where's Finn?" asks Snap at lunch a few days later. Poe glances up with a shrug.
"I think he's with Rey, said he had something to talk to her about."
Snap notices the way Poe's eyes go distant as he thinks about Finn, and being a good friend, he runs with it in the opposite direction.
"Does it bother you?" he asks as casually as he can. "How much time they spend together?"
And there's that other look they all love: despite his brilliance in the cockpit, Poe doesn't have a clue what Snap's getting at right then. "No. Should it?"
"You seem to spend a lot of time with Finn," Snap points out.
"I spend a lot of time with you," Poe replies, waving his fork at Snap. "Or I did, until you went and married one of my other pilots."
Given another opening, Snap takes it. "And it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Do you ever think about it?"
"About what?" Poe asks, mouth full. He washes it down with a glass of very non-regulation ale.
"Getting married?" Snap watches him closely. Poe gets that smile on his face that everyone recognizes: the one where he's thinking about Finn. Snap could practically see the stars in Poe's eyes.
"Sometimes," Poe admits. "Maybe when this is all over."
"Anyone in mind?" This is it. Snap is going to win.
"Not really," Poe says, and damn if he doesn't sound like he means it and there is no one, not even Finn. "Don't know if I've met the right person yet. Kind of hard in the middle of a war."
"Your parents managed it," Snap points out, and watches as Poe subconsciously touches the ring around his neck.
"Yeah, they were lucky," Poe murmurs. "Don't know if I am."
"Oh, I don't know," says Snap "There's a lot of people around here who might be worth that ring. Who might even want it."
Poe tucks the ring back into his shirt, making a face at Snap for having been caught. "Like who?"
"What about Rey?" asks Snap, starting with the one he knows will get the best reaction. Sure enough, Poe stabs his meat, points it at Snap, and makes another face as he takes a large bite.
"She's like a little sister to me, Snap. You know that. An annoying little sister."
"Jess?"
"Too dangerous."
"Kin?"
"Too safe."
"Connix?"
"Too nice."
"Finn?"
There's the pause. The look. The dopey smile. And a head shake. "Not interested."
"You or him?" Snap is so close to victory he can feel it, but Poe might be catching on, because he narrows his eyes and sets down his fork.
"Why are you so interested? Did Jess put you up to this? Because it sounds a lot like the conversation we had working on the ships a few nights ago."
"You know I don't gossip with Jess," Snap says, going for his most innocent look. "Karè doesn't like it."
"Karè would join you if she was here." Snap nods in agreement, because Poe is perfectly right about his wife; they talk about Poe all the time. "Anyway, I'm not sure I need all this sudden interest in my life. We're getting reports of a spy in the First Order, a mole, and I think the General wants us to try and make contact."
He keeps talking, the subject lost and changed, but Snap only half listens, disappointed to have lost all those credits.
Sometimes Rose doesn't know what to make of Finn. On the one hand, he is one of the best people she knows, a close friend who always believes in her, supports her. He's also one of the most frustrating, insanely stubborn people she knows. It's part of what makes him so important to the Resistance, but sometimes it leaves him a bit blinded. Like when it comes to Poe.
Of course Finn likes Poe, everyone likes Poe. Even Rey, and she complains about him all the time—the way he flies the Falcon, the way he improvises, his arrogance, his hair. Deep down, Rey likes Poe, but Finn—Finn clearly loves the pilot. And Rose wishes more than anything he could see that, but he's completely unaware of it.
The bet is for Finn and Poe, more than anything. Sure, the pot is getting larger and everyone wants those kinds of credits, but Rose wants Finn and Poe to be happy together. So while they are setting up a new secure communications channel on the Falcon before they head out to track down the Sith Wayfinder, she brings it up, as casually as she can.
"You and Poe, together again," she remarks, and Finn grins at her.
"Just like old times," he says.
"What old times? You're always out on missions together. You got back from one yesterday!"
He shrugs happily. "It's what we do best."
She frowns, thinking about what to say. "Have you ever…" No, that's breaking the rules, but then she's sure everyone else has ignored them, and no one's got them to talk, so why not? She's not worried about the bet, she's worried about her friends.
"Have you ever done anything else together?" she asks in a rush.
He frowns at the question, like it's strange. Which it is. "We work around here, too. And Poe's been teaching me how to fly a little."
"That's great," she says. "But do you ever do anything that's not work, not for the Resistance?"
"Like what?" He's clearly confused.
"I don't know," Rose half stutters, since she has no idea where she's going with this anymore. "Like a nice dinner, maybe watch a holo-vid together, or…or…" A date? she wants to ask. A kiss? Undying declarations of love under the stars? "Sabaac?"
Finn rolls his eyes. Either it's too ridiculous to reply (of course they play cards together, everyone on the base does), or he doesn't know what she's hinting at. It's likely the latter, because when it comes to this thing with Poe, he has no idea. Just like Poe. And Rose wouldn't have them any other way, except together.
Chewbacca wasn't going to take the bet, but sometimes it's so obvious when he's flying with Finn and Poe that he couldn't resist. He may not be human, but even he can see signs of the mating rituals they demonstrate when they're out on a mission. Both men try to impress the other, and both try to protect the other. Both men watch one another when the other isn't looking, and the touching almost makes Chewbacca uncomfortable at times.
In some ways, the two men remind him of Han and Leia. The hotshot pilot, the loyal idealist. The teamwork. The bickering. It took Han and Leia the better part of three years to figure it out, though, and Chewbacca isn't sure Finn and Poe have that long. Or will figure it out if they do. They definitely need a push.
Chewbacca is good at dejarik. Humans sometimes think he doesn't play well, or is cheating, but he likes to plan his moves carefully. He may be slow, but It gives him time to think, and in this case, to talk to the two men across from him, sitting so close together one was practically in the other's lap.
He asks them how many times they've gone out on missions together over the last several months (Chewbacca's gone with them at least a dozen times.) He asks them if they like working together (They joke about it with more looks and touches.) He asks them if they miss Rey or if they like working on their own (They don't quite answer. Chewbacca misses her.) He asks them if they've ever had a nice dinner alone together and if they'd like to stop at Procopia for a romantic seven-course meal at Chandler's Royale, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the sector, but before they can reply, BB-8 rolls over, bumps him in the leg, and whistles at him.
"No cheating?" Finn asks, looking at the board. "Are you cheating?"
"I knew it!" exclaims Poe. "Thanks for looking out for us, buddy."
Chewbacca pushes the droid away with a rumble. He didn't know what he was doing anyway, and he doesn't particularly care what Finn and Poe get up to in their free time. He leans back, studying the board. The droid can win the bet for all he cares; he's going to win the dejarik game.
"Poe, can I see you for a minute?" Poe turns and nods at Leia, then sends BB-8 off with Finn to get ready for their mission. He watches them leave with a smile on his face before he joins her.
"Yes, General?"
"Walk with me?" she suggests. He holds out an elbow, and she slaps it playfully. She may be getting old, but she gave up the cane months ago and can walk perfectly well on her own. They are silent for a moment, something she appreciates. It's also something she knows can be hard for Poe, but he's grown so much over the last year he manages to wait several minutes before speaking.
"What can I do for you, General?"
"How are you, Poe?" she asks.
"I'm doing okay," he replies. "Not happy about this Palpatine thing, I've got to admit. It doesn't sound good."
"Poe," she said, softly admonishing him. "We defeated him once before, we can defeat him again. We just have to find him." She glances at him slyly. "Finn is joining you, I see."
Poe smiles at her. "Of course he is, we're a team."
"And Rey?"
"Honorary member," he laughs, and she laughs with him, because he has no idea what she's thinking about that statement.
"Look after him," she tells him. "We can't afford to lose him after all he's done for us. Especially after Batuu."
Poe's face hardens slightly at the mention, but he nods. "I will, General. I am in complete agreement on protecting our best assets."
"Look after him, but not too close," she says.
Now he's confused, bless him. "Of course not, General."
"I know he means a lot to you." She's known Poe longer than most of them, and so she sees the closeness between the two men. She sees how much they mean to one another, how well they work together. And she knows about the ring Poe wears around his neck. Will he ever give it away? Because something tells her it was meant for Finn.
"He's a good man," Poe says. He says that a lot.
"And you've been good for him, helped him grown into the man he is, Poe. He cares about you."
"I care about him too, General. I won't let anything happen."
She can feel the love that Poe has for Finn, but he is not hiding anything. She wants to ask him why he's not with Finn, why they're not more than friends, but that's against the rules of the bet. She's never quite played by the rules, but she's also learned the hard way not to get involved in other people's love lives, even two people who were clearly meant to be together.
"Thank you, Poe," she says, holding back a sigh. She pulls him to a stop. "Take care of yourself, too," she tells him. "We need you. You still have so much to do." She tempers the serious words with one last attempt. "And Finn would never forgive me if something happened to you."
"I'll try my best not to make him mad at you, General," he says in that flippant way he has. Sometimes it's a defense system, but this time it is more genuine, Poe being playfully defiant in the face of danger. And there is no guile: Poe has no idea about his feelings for Finn, how Finn looks at him, and the fact that the entire base knows it.
She hopes they make it back to realize it.
In the end, it is BB-8 who gets the job done. Never underestimate a droid, Leia always said. Turns out she was right.
The battle is three days over, the allies who'd come to fight at Exegol ready to head back to their own homes, to their own lives. Somehow, they've managed to cobble together a ceremony to commend the heroes and honor the dead, and even a feast to celebrate. It's as formal as they can get in a jungle clearing on Ajan Kloss, and there is probably more alcohol than food, but it is something. The sense of loss mingles with a feeling of hope, and the mood is both festive and restrained.
Poe stands off to the side, next to the dais they'd erected for the ceremony, so everyone could see him and Finn presiding in their pieced-together dress uniforms and give pretty speeches. God, Poe hates making formal speeches. Off-the-cuff inspiration he can do, but he'd agonized for hours over what to say to the hundreds gathered that day.
He is glad it's over, and leans against the dais with a smile, watching the crowd talk and eat and dance and drink. There is a lot of drinking, and Poe takes another sip of his Chandrilan raava, enjoying the rare taste of something he hasn't had for a long time. He might even have a few more, let himself relax for one night. Commander D'acy said she'd hold back and keep an eye on things. He finishes his drink and grabs another, returning to his secluded position, enjoying being out of the spotlight for once.
Someone comes up behind him and places a hand on his shoulder, startling him. It's Finn, drinking a mug of fizzbrew a ship from Rhuvia contributed to the party. He looks tired, but relaxed and happy, and Poe is glad he is there. Together they've defeated the First Order, and together they can celebrate all they went through to reach this moment.
"What brings you to the edge of the party?" Poe asks. "You should be drinking, dancing, celebrating." He waves his drink around the clearing and smiles again, his heart full.
"So should you," Finn replies. "What are you doing standing over here by yourself?"
"Being a general," laughs Poe. "And watching."
"Sounds boring," Finn remarks, but Poe shrugs.
"No, I'm fine, buddy. I like it. Because we did this, Finn. We helped make this happen."
BB-8 comes rolling up then and beeps a greeting. Poe leans down and gives him a quick pat before standing up, and BB-8 bumps into Finn for attention as well.
"It's pretty amazing," Finn says after a moment. "That we did it. Still can't believe it."
"You and me both, pal," says Poe. They are standing close, shoulder to shoulder, comfortable and relaxed. BB-8 rolls between them, his head swiveling back and forth, watching them. Suddenly, he's playing an old love song Poe remembers his parents dancing to, bumping into Poe's leg as if he's trying to dance with him.
"Hey, hey," he says with a laugh. "We've got music, keep it down." The music from the other side of the clearing is loud and raucous, but probably more appropriate for the occasion. BB-8 offers a frustrated whorp and tries a different song, this one even slower. He extends his arc welder this time as well, lighting a small flame, and beeps a demand at them.
"Did I hear him right?" Finn asks. "Did he just tell us to dance?"
"We're fine, buddy," Poe tells his droid. "We want to watch. You can go dance with D-O if you want to, or Rey." Rey, who is trying hard to dance on the other side of the clearing, but failing. At least she's laughing about it. She looks up and sees them watching her and starts to make her way toward them. Jess is nearby talking to Zorii Bliss, Rose and Kin are standing with Connix, and Chewie is with Lando and Wedge. And they all seem to be watching Poe and Finn.
BB-8 makes another frustrated whorp and spins around them.
"So what now?" Finn asks softly. "We won. We threw a party." He gestures to the celebration. "What happens next?"
"We—" BB-8 squawks loudly, two tiny arms reaching out to grab Finn and Poe at the knees and pull on their pants. They are forced to step closer together. He looks up at them again and whistles.
"What?" exclaims Poe.
"Did he just say what I think he said?" asks Finn.
"He did," says Rey, suddenly appearing beside them. Behind her stand all the others, including C3-PO and R2-D2. "And we think it's a good idea."
"What?" asks Poe again, looking between Rey and his droid. "What are you talking about? Kiss Finn? Why?"
"Because you both want to," says Jess, stepping forward. "It's pretty obvious, Dameron."
"Jess, it's not like that," Poe starts, and Finn nods fervently in agreement.
"Totally not like that." BB-8 trills something, loud and insistent, and Rey grins as C3-PO steps forward this time.
"Excuse me, sirs, but BB-8 says that your pulse, perspiration, and oxygen levels all increase when you are both together."
"Traitor," Poe mumbles to his droid, who bumps into him and tries to push him closer to Finn again.
"Finn, I can feel how much you like him," says Rey. Chewie rumbles behind her and Lando laughs, murmuring something about love and war. "I can feel it from both of you."
"We can all see it," says Rose in her quiet, honest way. "Why can't you?"
Poe stares wide-eyed at Finn, who stares right back, his face equally stunned. Poe's not sure whether to be more shocked at the suggestion, or the fact that his closest friends and advisors are staging some kind of intervention into his love life. His and Finn's love life—their very nonexistent love life, because it's not like that. At all.
"Look," he says, since it was his droid that started it and he feels like he should take responsibility. "I appreciate all your…er, concern…for, um…the both of us, but it's really not necessary…" Hardest speech ever, and he winces. He glances up at Finn for help, but Finn looks…thoughtful. Intrigued. Oh. Poe turns his back on the others, gives Finn another wild-eyed look.
"What's wrong?" he whispers.
"Nothing," Finn says, shaking himself out of a daze. "Thinking."
"Finn," says Rey, and he glances at her. She smiles. He nods. Why is Finn nodding?
Finn steps closer, without BB-8 pushing him this time. The droid rolls back, starts his music again, lights the flame. Poe glances around at the others, who find somewhere else to look. He turns back to Finn, and the look on his face is overwhelming.
"They're right, aren't they," Poe breathes, finally getting it.
"Yeah, I think they might be," says Finn, and he steps forward and pulls Poe into a toe-curling kiss. Poe gasps, his eyes still open in shock, until Finn's hand comes up to his face and he melts. His eyes close and his arms wrap around Finn's waist and yes, they were right, all of them. This was what they all saw, what he and Finn never realized. This was what they were supposed to do next.
"Wow," says Poe when they pull apart, slightly breathless. He rests his forehead on Finn's, runs a hand along his jaw. "Did you ever-?"
"Not really," Finn laughs. "But that was—"
"Wow," says Poe again, feeling incredibly inarticulate. He kisses Finn again, and this time there are whistles, claps, and cheers behind them. Which is when he remembers that they have an audience. "What do we do now?" he whispers.
Poe rarely gets embarrassed, but right now he wouldn't mind if the earth opened up and swallowed them both. Finn looks much calmer than Poe feels. He straightens up, takes Poe's hand (and doesn't that feel different now) and squeezes it, then turns toward the others.
"All right," he says, waving his other hand. "Break it up. Back to the party, nothing to see here."
"I think we definitely saw something," Rey says, and everyone laughs. "Let's see some more!" calls someone else, and Poe is pretty sure it's Zorii. He wants so badly to laugh with them, but he also wants to escape. This is so unexpected, and so new, that he feels ready to burst with it and needs to get away, to be with Finn, alone.
"Look," he says, then clears his voice when it barely comes out and everyone laughs again. "You've given us something to think about, so we're going to go…think about it," he finishes lamely. Finn smirks at him, actually smirks, and Poe shakes his head, joining in the laughter this time, because what else can he do? He feels a warmth in his heart that he can't deny, surrounded by all of these people, people he loves. Like Finn.
Because he loves Finn. He knows that now, even if his droid had to point it out.
"Come on," he says to Finn, trying to regain some measure of control over his love life. "Let's go. I don't want to keep giving them a show."
"Your quarters or mine?" murmurs Finn, and Poe squeezes his hand.
"Mine." He turns to leave and almost trips over BB-8.
"Oh no, you're staying here," he tells the droid. "And then you're going to Tatooine with Rey, so we can have a little privacy." The droid boops in surprise, sounding sad. Poe stoops down, places his hand on BB-8's head. "But thank you," he tells him quietly. "If it hadn't been for you, buddy, we'd still be wondering what everyone was talking about."
BB-8 trills at him fondly, and Poe laughs. "Yes, you're still the best thing that ever happened to me, pal," he says. "Now, go have some fun." A questioning beep. "Yes, I will too. Just be sure to knock when you come back to the room." BB-8 rolls back in apparent surprise, and Poe could swear the droid huffs before he rolls away. He lets his head fall into his hands and laughs quietly until he feels a hand on his shoulder.
"Ready?" asks Finn. "Because they're still watching us, and I'd really rather not talk about this in front of everyone."
Poe feels more settled now, whereas only minutes ago he had no idea what was happening and was mortified by whatever it is was. Now he knows, and he can't wait any longer. He stands and gives their friends a mock salute before taking Finn's hand and leading him away. Yes, they have some things to talk about, but that's not all. He has many other things in mind as well.
BB-8 watches them walk toward Poe's quarters together. He trills a comment to C3-PO and R2, who beeps back. "Yes," says C3-PO. "They do make a handsome pair. And yes, I suppose you did win the bet."
Author's Note:
I had such fun writing this, I hope it was as enjoyable to read! Do I really see them as this oblivious? Of course not, but I tried to keep them in character and make it plausible. Thank you for reading - Happy Valentine's Day!