Rose kissed Finn. How does Finn feel about this?
Sort of an alternate chapter to chapter 4: "At War with My Heart (Finn)" , what if he reacted differently? This was Finn's first explicit experience with romantic affection, so he may be confused on how he feels. Does he like Rose the same way she likes him? Or does he feel differently? Like friends? Does it make him understand his own feelings better, or make him realize how he actually feels for those he cares about?
Rose had kissed him. Had actually kissed him.
That was definitely not what he was expecting her to do.
That's not to say it wasn't a good surprise, it wasn't a bad one either. But now that he had time to think, to process after getting her to safety, getting her the medical help she needed and they were safe on the Falcon, he felt confused, conflicted.
Did he like Rose the way she clearly liked him? She had kissed him after she said that they should fight to save what they love, that had to mean she loved him as more than a friend. They had been through much in trying to find the codebreaker and save the Resistance. In the end, they accomplished nothing more than a better understanding of each other and the world.
Gently he draped a blanket over her as she rested, watching her breathe softly.
He liked Rose, he really did.
But…
There was someone else he liked more.
His eyes roamed around the Falcon and found them. Two of the people he cared most about, his best friend Rey and his… Poe. He wasn't quite sure how to define their relationship, they were friends sure, but it wasn't like his friendship with Rey. He was certain now that it wasn't just friendship he felt for the pilot, Poe Dameron. They had only known each other a short time, yet there was something else, perhaps he cared for Poe as more than a friend.
He nodded as he rolled that thought around in his head. Yeah, perhaps that was what this feeling was.
There was so much to like about the expert pilot, that was for sure. Poe was tall and thin, his short dark hair slightly curled. To Finn, Poe was usually a pretty open book, his emotions displayed in his stormy eyes. He tended to clench his jaw when he was angry or upset about something, and Finn definitely preferred it when he smiled widely, the corners of his eyes crinkling especially so as he laughed. He was loyal to those he cared about, to the Resistance, to General Organa most of all, and it had surprised him at first, but Poe was loyal to Finn as well. His bond with BB8 was impressive, his droid was one of the most important things in his life. When they met he had been nothing but kind, had even refused to call him by a number, FN-2187, had given him his new name. Poe made him feel human, even as he left everything he knew behind and was thrown helplessly into the unknown, to Jakku. Finn had thought he lost Poe in that crash, and was surprised by how devastated he felt when he had only known the man for minutes really. It was the biggest relief to come face to face with Poe at the Resistance base, BB8 in tow. Yes, right from the start he had always liked Poe.
Rose stirred, and his eyes were drawn away from Poe down to his new friend. Reaching over he adjusted the blanket back up over her shoulders before settling back into his spot. When he looked back over his eyes connected with Poe's and the curly haired pilot's lips turned up in an infectious smile. Yes, there was just something special about Poe, Finn decided.
