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Poe leaned back, laughing, as Finn finished telling the story of a grown man dressed as Kylo Ren two Halloweens ago who’d managed to get his head stuck in a bike rack.
Finn couldn’t help but pause a moment and take in the crinkles next to Poe’s eyes. He shook his head. “All the guy’s friends ran off the second they saw us coming, and he is stuck there, thrashing around and beating that poor bike rack with his fake plastic lightsaber and screaming his head off.”
“Just like the character,” Poe giggled out.
“Yeah! I know!”
Poe wiped the tears from his eyes, sucking in a breath. “How’d you get him out?”
Finn laughed even harder. “Jaws of life. We had to shut down the entire street!”
“Seriously! How do some people survive into adulthood?”
“I really don’t know.”
Their eyes met.
All throughout the date, that had been happening, and all throughout the date, Finn had been trying to tell himself that there was no such thing as a “spark.” There was no inexplicable chemistry that meant you just instantly fit with someone. That’s just an excuse that duchey guys use when they want to dump you, he kept telling himself. Except…
Except all night, he kept feeling this spark.
For his part, Poe was feeling lightheaded and warm and excited and nervous and…you can’t be in love with a guy after one date, Dameron.
Calm the hell down.
But then, he’d look over at Finn’s big brown eyes or he’d hear Finn talk about volunteering at the animal shelter, and all he wanted to do was sigh and ask if Finn preferred a summer or a winter wedding.
Keep it together!
Next, Poe told a story about the time his dachshund, Bee, had gotten loose at the air field and they’d had to ground everyone for an hour while they looked for him. “And it turns out, Bee was curled up in my leather jacket in my office the whole time.” Poe shook his head. “I think Jess wanted to be mad, but honestly,” Poe said, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his pictures until he found the right one, “could anyone be mad at this?”
Finn took the phone and actually heard himself coo, “Awwwwww.” He handed the phone back. “Uh, so Jess? As in?”
“As in my best friend who is,” Poe looked at his watch, “out on a date with your partner as we speak.”
Finn smiled. “I’ve never seen Rey get so flummoxed in all her life as when your friend opened the door in that Morticia Addams costume.”
Poe smiled. “Jess spent half the day texting me about Rey and the other half screaming into my ear about her.” He shook his head. “That’s a rough way to get over a hangover, let me tell you.”
“Not a heavy drinker, I take it?”
“Not anymore,” Poe said. “Of course, I guess I should thank Pava and whatever she put in that disgusting punch. I never would’ve had the guts to talk to you otherwise.”
Finn raised an eyebrow and then studied the guy sitting across from him. “See, I don’t get that. You’re a pilot and you’re…” he blushed just a bit, “gorgeous. How aren’t you the cockiest son-of-a-gun to ever walk the planet?”
GORGEOUS? GORGEOUS? Poe’s heart was thumping wildly in his chest. He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He looked over at Finn. “I mean, if I ever get you up in a plane, well, then, I’ll probably be so cocky you’ll want to toss me out a window. There, I’ve never had any issues. It’s just on the ground that I’m…” He shrugged again and then licked his lips.
Finn felt that spark again and fought against the urge to reach over and take Poe’s hand.
“It’s not like you,” Poe said.
“Me?”
“Yeah. I mean, look at you! Plus, you’re this smart, genuinely nice guy and…”
Finn ducked his head, hoping that Poe couldn’t see the way his whole face went hot. “It’s mostly an act, you know.” He looked back over at Poe. “You train yourself to seem calm, cool, and collected, and it’s your job to take charge of situations.”
Poe nodded at that, trying hard not to think about how Finn saying take charge of situations had made his toes curl a bit.
The check came and Finn put his hand on it.
“No,” Poe said, putting his hand on Finn’s and trying not to squeal at the feeling of Finn’s hand in his—even if they were, technically, fighting over the check. “I’m the one who made the drunken pass, so I should pay.”
“But I’m the one who asked you out,” Finn said.
“After I made the drunken pass.”
Finn lifted an eyebrow.
Poe cocked his head to the side.
They stared at each other for one beat. Then two. Then three.
“Finn,” Poe started.
“Poe,” Finn answered.
Poe licked his lips and then pushed them together. “Okay, how about this?” He smiled. “I get dinner and you get dessert?”
“Dessert?” Finn pretended to consider it. “Okay,” he said, pulling back his hand. “But just so we’re clear, the next date is on me.”
Next date, Poe screamed inside his head. NEXT DATE! NEXT DATE! “Sure,” he just barely managed to say. “Sounds good.”
Poe paid and then they walked outside toward Finn’s car. “Oh,” Poe said. “I almost forgot.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket. “I bought you a little something. As a reminder of how we met.”
“As if I could forget,” Finn said.
Poe pulled out a pair of pink fur-lined novelty handcuffs. He ducked his head and bit his lip as he handed them over.
Finn looked from Poe’s blushing cheeks to the hot pink fur and shivered as the image of Poe wearing the cuffs—and nothing else—popped into his head. I am so freaking kriffed.
Years of being a police officer meant Finn was very good at schooling his face into what Rey dubbed the “Serious Look.” Finn wore that look now as he took the cuffs and turned them over in his hands. “Hmmmmmmm…”
Oh kriff! Oh kriff! Oh kriff! I’ve offended him. NOOOOOOOOO! “I mean, I just,” Poe started stumbling over his words.
Finn looked up, managing to keep his face straight, as he let the cuffs dangle off his finger. “Not really standard issue.” He worked the mechanism. “Kind of flimsy. But…”
“But?” Poe’s mouth went dry.
Finn’s mouth spread into a sly smile. “I do seem to recall you saying you had some ideas for things we could do with my cuffs last night. And you know what they say…”
“What they say,” Poe squeaked.
Finn leaned in, whispering into Poe’s ear, “Anything you say can and will be used against you.”
Poe’s breath caught as his eyes fell closed. “Kriff,” he whispered.
Finn leaned back chuckling. “You can dish it out, but you really can’t take it, can you?”
Poe slowly shook his head. “Not when…Kriff, Finn, not when you get all sultry like that.”
It was Finn’s turn to blush. “Sultry?”
“You heard me,” Poe said. He leaned back against Finn’s car, running both hands through his hair. “I am in so over my head here.”
Finn chuckled, turning and leaning against the car next to Poe. “You’re the one who brought me pink fuzzy handcuffs.”
“As a joke!”
Finn bumped his shoulder into Poe’s. “You really are cute, you know that?”
“I’m a kriffing mess,” Poe said. “You’re amazing, and every single time I’m around you, I try to flirt and it backfires so bad.”
Finn frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s backfired yet. I’m still here, aren’t I?”
“Well…”
“And there’s still dessert. Not to mention our next date.”
“So you actually like the awkward flirting?”
Finn laughed. “I actually do, Dameron.” He then got a mischievous glint in his eye. He took the cuffs and promptly cuffed Poe’s wrist and then cuffed his own. “Come on. I know a place around the corner with great pies.”
As Finn tugged, Poe sputtered, “Did you just…” He looked down at their joined hands. “Did you…”
“Yep.” Finn smiled as he started walking up the sidewalk.
Poe’s mouth hung open for about ten feet before he worked his cuffed hand into Finn’s. Finn leaned over, “But just for the record, if—in about three or four dates—you wanted to talk about all the things we could do with these cuffs, well…”
Poe’s entire being went bright red as he stumbled.
Finn caught him, chuckling. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”
“You just enjoy torturing me,” Poe managed.
“I do,” Finn said, laughing even harder. “I really do.”
“Well,” Poe said, stopping and suddenly finding a bravado he never knew he had, “in that case…” He reached up with his free hand, brushing his fingers across Finn’s cheek. “I guess I’ll have to figure out effective methods of retaliation.” He leaned forward, ghosting his lips across Finn’s. “What do you think would work best, officer,” he whispered.
Finn groaned, his eyes falling shut as his free hand grabbed up Poe’s shirt and he pulled him closer.
“What was that, officer,” Poe asked in a way too innocent voice.
“You have the right to remain silent, Dameron,” Finn growled. “Use it.” He captured Poe’s mouth in a searing kiss.
They never did make it to dessert that night…
…but eighteen months later, the guests at their wedding reception were greeted by the strange sight of a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs sitting atop their wedding cake.