Work Text:
Out of all things that could happen on Finn’s part time job, meeting a cute guy wasn’t one he anticipated.
Of course, he meets people here all the time. There’s a steady stream of new students coming and going, working for a few months and quitting because of stress, or because they quit their studies altogether.
Finn’s been here for almost half a year now, though, and found it a comforting place, as sleep deprived as he may be on his shifts.
He mostly works alongside Rey, who became his best friend in less than a week of the two meeting, and Rose, who was more quiet but utterly charming once they opened up to each other.
So work can’t be that bad with them around, is his point.
But when it comes to the customers, it’s unusual that he’ll talk this much to any of them, even fellow students, really.
Obvious pleasantries are always exchanged when his classmates happen to stop by, but again, when Finn’s working, his mind usually stays behind the counter.
He can’t possibly pinpoint the reason why this guy is special.
Well, okay, that’s a lie, because the curly haired stranger who walks in that morning looks like a Disney prince, thick brows and calloused knuckles once he grabs the cappuccino Finn made him.
That’s probably why. Truth be told, this person also seemed interested in much more conversation than the usual lot, and his subjects of conversation are probably also a factor in what drew him towards him.
It’s when Finn writes his order down on the cup, as one does, and the handsome man on the other side of the counter says, “Woah, buddy! You drew that?”
Typical of him to leave his notepad laying around for everyone to see.
Finn blushed, because it’s such a rare, personal thing for him to show his art, pretty much the only ones outside his teacher and fellow art students who’s seen it is Rey. And even that took a lot of begging on her part.
But he nods, the other man having to move aside for customers, but soon enough, this stranger approaches him when he’s finally free, at least for five minutes, and they may accidently talk longer than allowed when Finn is, you know, working.
“You study art?” is what he asks next, and suddenly, he’s complimenting him on the way he drew the features on the face of Taylor Swift, and telling Finn about music, the one he’s studying himself.
Of course, he looks taken out of an indie band, Finn ponders.
Also, yes, he likes Taylor Swift. The stranger laughs warmly, which might’ve been a bad sign, only he’s asking for his favorite album.
This conversation takes him out of everything he was thinking about.
Finn comes back to that thought when Rey calls him a nerd and urges him to help her out with the machine, so sadly, he’ll excuse himself.
Something inside his head makes him watch whoever this man is. Small peeks.
He’s typing away, headphones in, wearing bracelets on the right hand, tapping his chin, presumably when he’s thinking.
Alright, maybe that’s quite enough observation.
He’s wearing a red scarf, though, and a jacket that has definitely seen better days, and Finn might feel funny about all the times this guy fixes his hair, blowing strands out of his face.
He finds himself hoping he never gets a haircut, because God , there’s something about it.
The man almost looks golden in the morning light.
And he even catches Finn glancing over one time, which, embarrassing, if he didn’t wink back at him.
Okay, that definitely sparked something under his skin. In his brain, or his heart, or something.
Finn is far from a poet, clearly.
This chance encounter can’t possibly stir up something like a crush in him, he tells himself, someone he’s met for approximately half an hour, and yet, his attention keeps going back to him.
He’s captivating, and not just because Finn thinks he could definitely be a heartthrob folksinger if he wanted to. Maybe he’s already working on that, who knows.
So imagine the halt when he turns his gaze towards this mystery, who he definitely felt the eyes of when his back was turn, not that he can confirm it or anything, and finds an ever so empty chair staring back.
Oh well, business as usual.
Rey’s rants of her history professor, and discussions of their visit to Han and Leia’s next week easily take his mind off it.
Maybe he just imagined this too beautiful to be true stranger, Finn reasons, although Rey definitely told him to “Quit staring at the customers!”
He’s got a suspicion she definitely knows there was only one customer, in this scenario, she laughs at him like it, anyway.
It’s by 4pm, end of Finn’s shift and time for him to press some sketching in before a late dinner, his usual Sunday night, that he finds it.
A remnant of whatever happened this morning, and proof that no, he definitely didn’t imagine a dreamy customer admiring a simple doodle he left unsupervised.
Red patches on lapels and sleeves practically points the jacket out for him, still placed neatly over the back of the dark leather armchair.
The mystery man forgot his jacket.
Well, Finn can’t just leave it here, can he?
So maybe he reluctantly places it in their shit yall forgot box, title proudly credited to Rey, strangely hoping he’ll be there when it gets picked up.
Rose’s obsession with romantic novels might be rubbing off on him, he assumes.
Only explanation.
…
Finn solely drinks iced latte, but for some reason, he surprises Rose and himself by trying out that cappuccino they sell so many of.
It’s alright. He’s been accustomed to cold coffee for forever, now.
The stranger who was here last week is not a cause of this random change, of course. It’s not wrong to expand your horizons, after all, like his professor’s told them.
But speaking of that stranger, his jacket’s still in the box.
He would find it strange, someone not urging to get their stuff back, but at the same time, Finn doesn’t know if he’s studying at the same university, or area.
Probably not.
He’s got to admit to himself that he would have noticed. Or he thinks so, at least.
Thinking of this guy somehow makes him fidget with his notes, and furrow his brow, just slightly, when thinking about their meeting.
Not something repeated to Rose, albeit she’ll love a story like this.
It’s like this, Finn thinks, some love stories start. He’s being kind of cheesy right now. But they have that intimacy of the other seeing his art already, not on purpose, but he can’t find the annoyance he’d usually feel.
Instead, the compliments rack up everything else inside his brain.
Rey will definitely bug him about this if he tells her. Demand an extended version of the tale, or possibly sigh at the tragedy of her girlfriend and best friend both being hopeless romantics.
Might as well call it what it is.
The Disney prince, that’s what he names him in his head, he doesn’t return this weekend.
It’s a stupid thing to focus on, Finn knows.
But the jacket’s still lying there, which is honestly too bad. He’s got a feeling about those patches, the thread, the rainbow pin on the chest pocket.
Some kind of secret history.
Maybe he’s hyperfixating, but he’d like to know more.
Or maybe Finn just wants the damn jacket to be picked up.
…
Another week passes by until Finn lets his thoughts slip to Rey.
She’s amused and thrilled, which is just about what he expected. Told him to “Check the damn jacket for a label of ownership, a phone number, something.” but he’s almost scared to break his fantasy if he touches it.
Very similar observation he’s doing to when they met.
Rose asks him about it, of course, it was only a matter of time.
“Weird he hasn’t come back for it?”
Echoing his thoughts. This prince Charming figure he has in head keeps expanding, Finn making up theories of what he could be doing.
Is this fantasizing normal?
Rey just laughs when he asks, Rose wholeheartedly approves, exactly like it’s done in Hollywood films, Han mumbles about something about the youth.
Leia tells him Han was exactly the same, so that’s some relief.
Finn’s thinks he’s got whatever this streak of thought is under control, figuring it’ll pass, figuring he’ll find the jacket gone one morning, that this obsession doesn’t mean anything. Couldn’t mean anything.
Only he decides to sketch a new face, one he recognizes as a man he’s only met once, and Finn just has to finish it once he started.
Okay, now it might be getting embarrassing.
Also, hot coffee might not be too bad, he confirms. Rey’s shocked, to say the least, even the boss bats an eye.
It’s significantly less sweet than his usual, which is huge minus in his mind, but somehow, there’s still a charm about it.
Finn is scared he might be consumed with the idea of this guy. He’s really not a damsel in distress, as much as he feels like one.
He wonders what the man’s voice sounds like, when he sings that is.
And why he doesn’t get his jacket back, already.
Is Finn getting impatient?
Rey even asks him, after three weeks with no sign, “Your eye candy’s still not back?”
He can’t quite glare at her, but a pout she should see, it’s what she deserves, because he can’t really help it.
Finn doesn’t dare to touch the jacket, no, because it’s personal property, and he’ll feel gross about it.
Is this anticipation the same as in those fairytales? Like, did Cinderella feel this after meeting a prince? Prickling hands, a knot in the stomach, biting the bottom lip?
What a silly thing. But he can’t pretend he doesn’t enjoy it, a little bit. This isn’t like the first date he was on, in any way, weirdly.
A tad more magical.
The drawing is almost finished, though.
It doesn’t have a name. That’s another thing Finn’s missing, a name.
…
And suddenly, Finn’s fantasy gets thrown out the window, for something more real.
That is, after those three weeks without a clue, his thoughts straying towards things he’s never thought of before, mind buzzing for almost anything, the proclaimed Disney prince finally shows up.
Thoroughly unexpected, by now, he was starting to make peace with the scenario of the jacket being forgotten.
Yet, here the perfect stranger with the perfect hair is.
Okay, perfect might be a strong word, he’s only seen him twice, after all. But Finn’s running out of words.
The guy’s standing there in all his glory, seemingly recognizing him, with eyebrows shooting up and a smile spreading on his features.
That made him feel something too, because of course it did.
This is why Rose nudges his shoulder, telling him she’ll handle the next couple of orders. That’s just a lot.
Finn doesn’t get time to think it over, because cute guy’s here, and before he can even ask for it, the jacket’s handed to him.
He laughs. Almost a glorious sound, Finn scolds himself since it’s just a laugh, but somehow, he’s feeling deprived of this sound.
Whatever this total stranger did to him, it’s clearly not going away anytime soon.
Good thing cute guy seems just as hesitant to leave as Finn feels about turning his back to this.
He thanks him, sincerely, and he replies with no problem, because it really wasn’t a problem, except this new thing in his mind that won’t go away is kind of a problem.
Now, he gets a name. Poe.
Finn doesn’t really know how he imagined the name to sound, but this is, also, perfect. He didn’t make up any names prior, because not many seemed to fit.
To be honest, the words glide off the tongue of real life Disney prince in front of him, telling Finn he was out of state and would have picked it up sooner.
That explains it.
Doesn’t explain Finn’s, uh, pining , as Rose called it. Seems irrational to himself.
This new acquaintance, Poe, does ask about that drawing he saw, if he’s finished it.
Well that’s embarrassing, because he’s worked on that portrait of a certain someone, instead.
Finn hates his brain.
That is, until, “I’ve kind of been thinking about you, so.”
He swears to his heart, to his whole body not to blush. He probably does, anyway.
They don’t really know what to do with each other, at this point, least of all since Rose calls for his help, but her voice sounds like she probably wants him to hurry and make a move, like they do on screen.
Finn’s not a Disney princess, he’s never tried this before.
Not in this way, where he feels like this is once in a lifetime, a crush , he knows now, that might grow inside him to something more.
Poe does get the last word, telling him he has a concert coming up this Friday. Just as surprising as their previous encounter.
“I can play some Taylor Swift, if you want to come?”
Okay, how can he turn that down, though?
That’s maybe going to settle this warm feeling in gut. The words in his throat. Who knows.
Rose makes him promise to tell him everything, and she wants to come to the concert for support, and Rey too, and the giddiness is all over her face.
You know what? Finn’s pretty excited, too.