Work Text:
Finn tapped his spoon against the side of his water glass, closely watching the thin lines he made in the condensation as he did so. He sighed, dropping his chin in one hand and trying to avoid checking his watch or his phone. He gave in almost immediately, tipping his head to check his watch and dropping his spoon as he did so. He ducked under the table to grab it, and a throat clearing above him made him jump and slam his head into the underside of the wood. Emerging, rubbing at the back of his head, he met the sympathetic eyes of the waitress.
“Are you ready to order?” she asked, her voice too soft and gentle to not be pitying, and Finn’s eyes skimmed the room quickly before he shook his head.
“No, not yet,” he said, for what was probably the seventh or eighth time, and she offered him an overly kind smile before leaving him alone. He bit back another sigh and checked his phone, hoping for a voicemail or a text, even a Snapchat, an emoji, anything would do. Instead, he saw the time - 8:45, almost an hour and a half after they were supposed to meet - and a text from Rey - Nothing yet? That son of a bitch - and he just locked his phone again. He was supposed to meet up with his blind date at 7:30, and still nothing, and he was starting to get embarrassed.
The guy was probably just late ; yeah, that definitely had to be it, and the pitying, humiliating looks that other restaurant patrons had taken to shooting him were completely unnecessary, thank you very much. He ignored his phone for another fifteen minutes, choosing to spend the time feeling sorry for himself as he started coming to terms with the fact that he just got stood up and was going to have to walk out alone. He was getting ready to stand and make his great escape before the waitress could come over again, since she looked like she was gearing up to come and ask him for the ninth time if he was ready to order, even though he was clearly still alone. Just as he had gathered the remains of his pride, however, someone took the seat opposite him at the table. It seemed like the whole restaurant breathed a collective sigh of relief. Finn, however, was confused.
The man across from him looked absolutely nothing like the pictures Rey had showed him of the guy she set him up with. This new guy was Guatemalan, maybe, or Cuban, with stunning penny-tan skin, deep laughter lines by his dark eyes, handsome waves of ink-black hair, and a charming, winsome smile that he was currently aiming Finn’s way. Finn could only make his face appear how he felt - baffled - until the guy leaned across the table to kiss his cheek.
“My name is Poe,” the guy whispered near his ear, and Finn just stared dumbly. “Just go with it.”
The stranger - Poe , Finn reminded himself - sat back in his chair and grinned at Finn again. Finn just blinked.
“Sorry I’m so late, mi cariño,” Poe said, just loudly enough to make it seem like he might just have a loud speaking voice, but not so loud as to be obvious. It also sounded really happy, like his voice was smiling all the time. Finn could not stop staring at him. “We had an issue at the airport, I had to circle a few times before I could land, you know how it gets sometimes, and then traffic was crazy.” He picked up Finn’s hand across the table and squeezed it. “I am just so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Finn replied, feeling like an idiot as he did so, even as relief flooded his chest when people started to look satisfied that Finn finally had a date and returned their attention to their meals. Poe kissed the back of Finn’s hand and winked at him before releasing him.
“Whoever didn’t bother to show up is a dick,” Poe said, more softly this time, and Finn frowned, then smiled a little without even thinking to do so. “I’m sorry. I never would have stood up a guy like you.”
The waitress interrupted their conversation - if you could call it that, which Finn certainly did not think he could by this point, since he had said barely two words to the guy. She had a big ol’ grin on her face as she held her notepad and pen in her hands.
“Are you ready to order?” she inquired sweetly, much happier than she had sounded any other time she had asked, and Poe smiled right back up at her.
“I was thinking we might just get dessert,” Poe told her, turning back to Finn. “Is that okay, mi cariño?”
“Uhm,” Finn said, endlessly eloquent, as always. “Yeah. Yes, that’s good. Fine. Absolutely.”
“Of course,” Poe added, hopelessly smooth. Finn found himself staring at the side of Poe’s face as his new date returned his attention to their waitress. “Is there anything you’d recommend?”
“I really like the milk chocolate malted mousse,” she offered, pulling out the dessert menu and handing it over to him. She pointed out the mousse on the menu and he grinned up at her. She seemed to swoon a little. Finn understood; he felt like he, personally, was swooning a lot .
“That sounds great,” Poe said, surrendering the menu again. He turned back to Finn, and Finn found himself caught off guard by his eyes, deep and dark-chocolate brown, almost black. They sparkled, even more so when he smiled. “How’s that sound to you?”
“Great,” Finn answered on auto-pilot. “Nothing better.”
Poe beamed at him, and Finn drowned a little in his own head. Poe’s eyes darted down to something under the table before returning back up to the waitress.
“Can we have wine, as well?” Poe asked, picking up the wine list and appearing to skim it. Finn watched him intently, studying his face. The waitress nodded. Poe looked at his lap again, then back to the menu. “How about a bottle of this, the 2005 Le Ragose Amarone della Valpolicella?”
His pronunciation was flawless and sexy and Finn wondered if he might have to fight the waitress out at the flagpole at midnight for Poe’s hand in marriage. The waitress scribbled down their order and seemingly vanished. Seemingly , because Finn could still see her hovering by the kitchen, watching the back of Poe’s head intently.
“I could just pretend I’m very suave and dashing and know perfectly how to properly wine and dine someone,” Poe said, grinning and settling his elbows on the table, leaning forward like he wanted to be closer to Finn. Finn wiped his palms on his thighs. “I’m not, though, and I actually have no clue.” He put his phone on the table and turned it so Finn could see. “I just Googled what wine to order.”
“That’s smart,” Finn commented, skimming over the article open on Poe’s phone, before he could think of something more charming and witty to say. Poe laughed anyways, and Finn wanted to make him laugh always.
“I thought you deserved something nice,” Poe said, “since you seem like a nice guy. You waited, what, two hours for someone who never showed up?”
“Yeah,” Finn muttered, feeling his cheeks get hot. He swirled his straw in his glass, and Poe touched his wrist, gently. Finn stopped. He looked up at Poe, who smiled right at him, laugh lines crinkling deep around his eyes.
“You’re a really nice guy,” Poe repeated. “What’s your name, buddy?”
“Finn.” Finn picked up his glass and took a sip of water. Poe beamed at him, and Finn noticed that he had dimples. Damn it.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Finn,” Poe replied, and Finn wondered if this guy ever stopped smiling, or if he would ever stop making Finn smile. He hoped not. “I’m sorry if me being a guy isn’t something-”
“No,” Finn interrupted. “No, you being a guy is fine, I’m- Yeah, I was waiting for a guy. Guys are good. I like guys.”
Poe laughed. “That’s the most words you’ve said since I sat down. No, don’t apologize,” Poe said, when Finn opened his mouth to do just that, “I like it. I like you, Finn.”
“I like you, too,” Finn answered, and Poe reached across the table to take his hand again. “Wanna be my new blind date?”
Poe’s smile got that much brighter. “I’d love that, Finn, thank you.”
Finn was about to actually talk to him, start a conversation or something, but the waitress came back with the bottle on ice and two glasses, a waiter behind her with their dessert. They set their dishes down and vanished to continue watching them from the kitchen. Finn looked down to discover they had been given one plate with two spoons. When he looked up, Poe seemed delighted.
“Looks like we’re sharing,” Poe said, handing Finn one of the spoons. Finn took it, and Poe started pouring them wine. He held up his wine glass, and Finn scrambled to do the same. Poe clinked their glasses together and took a sip.
“So, you’re a pilot?” Finn asked, taking a sip of his own wine before the both of them turned their attention to the mousse. Poe nodded and instantly, easily launched into a story. Their conversation flowed more naturally than Finn had ever experienced on a first date before - not that first dates happened to him very often - and ended up with Finn sharing much more of his life than he had ever intended to. By ten o’clock, when the waitstaff was starting to clean the empty tables near them, Finn leaned back and rubbed at his face.
“I think we’re about to get kicked out,” Poe noted, twisting in his seat to watch a busboy scrub a table behind him, and Finn took advantage of the opportunity to openly stare at him. They made solid eye contact when Poe turned back around. “You wanna head out?”
“Yeah, sure,” Finn agreed, stretching his arms above his head and popping his shoulders. He did not miss the way Poe’s eyes tracked over him as he did so, and he felt a surge of prideful pleasure that this damn vision of a guy thought that he was attractive, too. By the time they were outside the restaurant, Finn felt drunk on Poe’s smile and eyes and, you know, maybe a little bit on the nice wine, but mostly just on Poe.
Poe stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket and turned his face up to look at the sky. Finn followed suit, and he watched as the smoke of their breath puffed up towards the clear night sky and tangled together before evaporating completely. The sky itself was dotted with sparkling stars that seemed to pale in comparison to the guy standing next to him, and, oh, God , if Rey ever heard him say anything like that she’d either scream in joy or kick his ass, and he probably deserved both. Poe was openly staring at him when he dragged himself back to reality, and Finn smiled, just for him.
“Maybe we could do this again,” Poe suggested, and Finn nodded.
“That sounds great,” Finn agreed, and Poe handed his phone over for Finn to put his number in. Finn messed up his own name three times in his haste to get it in before Poe changed his mind or something.
“I’ll text you,” Poe said. He leaned back towards the street and stuck a hand out for a taxi. “My motorcycle’s in the back, but I probably shouldn’t ride tonight.”
“Maybe we can meet back here tomorrow night,” Finn proposed. “So, you know. You can get your bike.”
“So I can get my bike,” Poe laughed. “Yes, that sounds perfect.” A taxi pulled up to the curb, tires grinding in the slush and snow. He turned back to Finn and smiled. “I can meet you at seven, maybe? We can have dinner, take my bike home, maybe have some wine there instead?”
Finn smiled. “Forward.”
“Too forward?”
“No, I like it,” Finn assured him. “A date we actually planned would be nice, instead of a pity date.”
“I promise,” Poe said, edging closer to him, “that this was not a pity date. This was a ‘I can’t believe how lucky I am that I’m getting this chance’ date. This was a ‘I better get him before somebody else does’ date.” Poe smiled at him. “I am sorry you got stood up, but I don’t feel sorry for you, and I definitely don’t feel sorry for me.”
“Oh,” Finn said, bringing out that old classic eloquence again. “Awesome.”
“Very awesome.” Poe’s eyes darted down to his mouth, and Finn leaned in and kissed him before he could think it through. Poe smiled against his lips, and Finn had to resist the urge to make the kiss any deeper, what with the taxicab right there and the waitstaff definitely watching them from the windows. When Poe pulled back, grinning, Finn licked his lips and nodded.
“Very awesome,” Finn echoed, and Poe kissed him quick again before leaning away. He took one step towards the taxi, then stopped and turned back to him.
“I’m sorry, I totally didn’t even- Did you want to share a cab?” Poe offered, and Finn shook his head, waving his phone.
“I’ve got a ride coming,” Finn told him. “No worries.”
Poe hesitated, then shrugged out of his jacket. He ignored Finn’s protests as he settled the jacket over Finn’s shoulders.
“If you missed our date tomorrow because of a cold, I’d never forgive myself,” Poe eventually argued, interrupting Finn’s objections, and Finn just smiled, his grievances dying on his tongue.
“Yeah, okay,” Finn agreed. “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow, then.”
“No, keep it,” Poe said, eyes raking over Finn’s body. He seemed like he liked what he saw. Finn beamed. “It suits you.” The unspoken It’d look even better on my floor seemed obvious to Finn. “If it bothers you so much, bring it back to my place when you come.”
Finn snorted a laugh, and Poe raised an eyebrow, grinning. Finn just kissed him, one last time, before he said, “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, mi cariño.” Poe offered him a bright closing smile before he slid into the cab. Finn watched the taxi drive away, and kept watching until it turned at the end of the street and dissolved into the darkness. Rey showed up to pick him up only a handful of minutes later, and she looked confused as Finn slid into the passenger seat of her shitty old car.
“Did he show up? You stayed so late! Was he nice? I bet he was nice,” Rey said, bubbling over with enthusiasm as Finn buckled his seatbelt.
“Your blind date never showed up,” Finn told her. She seemed comically offended by that as she drove off back towards their apartment. “But this guy came over and sat with me so I wouldn’t be embarrassed.” Finn was quiet for a second too long, because Rey jumped back in.
“So? Was he cute? Was he nice? How long did you wait?” Rey looked over at him, smiling and looking like her heart and lungs were working a mile a minute, her brain even faster than that.
“I waited for about an hour and a half before Poe came over,” Finn told her, ignoring how she sighed Poe’s name after he said it. “He was cute and he was nice and we’re meeting for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Poe!” Rey exclaimed. “Finn! Poe sounds so great! I’m so happy for you, I’m glad your blind date worked out.”
“It didn’t really,” Finn reminded her, but Rey just waved him off. She glanced at him, then did a double-take, a furrow digging in between her eyebrows.
“Hey, whose jacket is that?” she asked, and Finn just laughed.