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The closing ceremony had ended with a bang. Lots of bangs, actually. Rey stood atop the podium, gripping an overlarge trophy in one hand and her ubiquitous staff in the other, while fireworks of every shape and colour had lit up the sky above them. Marowak stood by her feet, proud but wary and utterly devoted to her trainer. Though Finn hadn’t made it to the podium himself (coming in at a respectable fourth), he’d grinned up at his friend. From the moment they’d collided in the Jakku desert he’d known she was destined for great things, and he’d been right.
Now, unfortunately, Rey was nowhere to be seen.
He should have seen it coming. The Pokemon Village was absolutely teeming with celebrating trainers and their families, and Rey had never been comfortable in any crowd, let alone a crowd hell-bent on congratulating her on her deserved victory whether she liked it or not. She hadn’t been able to move for the last day without a swarm of well-wishers traipsing around after her. She’d responded to all of them with good grace (with the exception of that one older gentleman with the wandering hands; Rey had sent him on his merry way with wounded pride and a possibly broken nose), but Finn could see that it was taking its toll on her. In retrospect, they should have skipped the after party.
The heat in the bar was oppressive and Finn collected up beads of condensation that dripped down his glass with the pads of his fingers. Five more minutes, he decided, and then he’d head back to his hotel room and see if he could find his absent companion. If nothing else, this wasn’t his idea of a good time either. It was dark, loud and unfamiliar music pulsed around him, and everyone was cresting over from fun drunk to sloppy drunk. But, he thought heavily, after he’d escaped the First Order at the age of eighteen with nothing but the clothes on his back and a couple of Pokeballs, Finn had decided that he was going to make it his mission in life to experience everything the world had to offer. This was at least something he could check off the list.
He took a quick swig of his drink, too warm now to be worth it, and put it down on the sticky table with a definitive thunk. Screw five minutes. He was done.
He rolled his shoulders, arms chafing beneath his brand new, slightly too-tight shirt. It had been an attempt to scrub up for the final tournament ceremony, but mostly he just felt restricted. Rey had made no such effort.
Then a man slid into Rey’s vacated chair opposite him. Finn paused, hovering awkwardly between standing and sitting.
“How much does a Beartic weigh?” he said, with a winning smile.
“Uh…” said Finn.
“Enough to break the ice,” said the man.
“Right,” said Finn. “I’m uh…”
“If you were a Torchic you’d be impeccable.” The man crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward. Dim light glinted off his dark, brown eyes in a way that Finn was finding it hard to look away from.
“That’s-”
“Was your father a Deoxys, because there’s nothing else on the planet like you.”
Finn pressed his hands down and stood up. “Look, mate, I’ve got to-”
“Wait!” The man huffed out a breath. “That not working for you? All right.”
He wasn’t sure what held him back, but Finn hesitated. The man opposite held out a hand.
“Hi, I’m Poe.” Thick hair fell over his forehead and with his free hand he brushed it back. Reflexively, Finn held his own hand out and they shook.
“Finn,” he said. Poe nodded with approval.
“Can I buy you a drink, Finn?”
When Poe laughed his entire face lit up with what Finn could only describe as mischief, like the two of them were co-conspirators among a sea of faceless partiers. Finn wasn’t always sure what they were laughing at, but Poe looked so delighted that he couldn’t help but smile back.
It was nice, Finn reflected, to spend a night relaxing. Not worrying that the region was at war. Not worrying what tomorrow would bring. Not sharing dour looks with Rey over breakfast while the latest terrible news blared across the Pokemon Centre. Just for once, he could sit back and enjoy everything he and his Pokemon had achieved over the last year without guilt. (Well, maybe with a little guilt.) Finn allowed himself to be distracted by Poe’s ruggedly handsome face.
He wasn’t clear on how much time had passed, but at some point during the evening, a little orange Rotom poked its head out from the top of Poe’s shirt.
“Hey, buddy!” said Poe. Finn raised an eyebrow. “I wondered where you’d got to.”
“Friend of yours?” asked Finn with interest. He’d never seen a Rotom in person before. The Pokemon looked at him, and though he struggled to hear anything over the thumping music, he thought he could hear a high pitched buzzing as it shot up to hover above the table. For a moment it held Finn’s gaze, and he had the unsettling feeling that he was being sized up. Then it looked away and a sheet of glowing electricity sparked across its body.
“This is BB-8,” said Poe. The Rotom chirped. “The best friend a guy could ask for.”
“Nice,” said Finn. He looked down at his empty glass and wondered if he should get them another round. “Are you a trainer?”
Poe blinked, a brief look of surprise crossing his face. Then it was gone and the ever present smirk was back in place. It suited him, Finn thought. “Something like that,” he said. “I already know you are,” he then added, before Finn could question him any further. “Good job in the tournament.”
Finn felt his whole body flush with pleasure. “Thanks. Shame I didn’t make it to the podium but-”
“There’s always next year,” said Poe.
“Yeah,” Finn agreed. “I’d never have beaten Rey anyway.”
Poe nodded. “She sure is something.”
“I can introduce you if you want,” said Finn. “She’s a friend.”
“Nah,” said Poe. His smile became enigmatic. “I’m sure I’ll meet her soon enough.”
He’d said it without thinking, and Finn was glad Poe had turned down his offer. His heart thudded in his chest. He wasn’t ready to share his new friend yet. Poe caught his eye and Finn’s stomach lurched. Maybe friend. Maybe not-friend. Maybe not-friend would be...good, he thought.
The music around them changed and Poe looked up as though the ceiling had somehow been responsible for it.
“I love this song!” he said. His cheeks were red and his forehead already shone with perspiration, but he rose to his feet and held out a hand. His brown leather jacket clung to his body. “Do you wanna dance?”
No. Absolutely not. I have never danced in my life. Dancing might actually be illegal in the First Order so… “Sure,” Finn yelled back.
The lights flashed off and on and the music dimmed to a stop. Poe looked regretfully towards the bar. “Time to go,” he said.
“What?” said Finn, having fallen into a sleepy (and likely alcohol induced) sort of stupor. In the middle of the table his and Poe’s fingers were linked together and next to that their drinks had long since been forgotten. “Oh, right.”
“The bar’s closing,” Poe confirmed. A woman stumbled past them, her pale face having taken on a tinge of green and her shirt half-hanging off her shoulder. Finn was sure he’d seen her battle in the first knockout rounds of the tournament. “Probably for the best.”
“Right,” Finn agreed, pushing down a surge of disappointment. “For the best.”
People around them began to stagger towards the exit. Gods knew what time it was, but when the door swung open Finn was sure he spotted a sliver of daylight.
“Is it morning already?” he asked.
“Time flies when you’re having a good time,” said Poe. Despite the late (early) hour, he looked no worse for wear. Finn doubted the same could be said about him. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Without releasing his hand, Poe stood up and pulled Finn along with him. BB-8 beeped and flitted around their heads, little electric arms (legs? wings?) moving at a speed that didn’t at all sit right with Finn’s slightly muddled brain. They joined the slowly vacating crowd until finally the two of them were outside. There’s wasn’t the only bar to have just closed, so despite the strange hour the streets of the Pokemon Village were filled with noisy revellers traipsing back to their sleeping quarters.
Finn sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and blinked against the dawning sunlight. Not so late then that he wouldn’t have time to catch a couple of hours sleep before he and Rey would have to leave their hotel room. He felt...lighter, somehow, than he had in a long time. He glanced at the man next to him, who seemed as content to watch the passing trainers as Finn was, and then down at their interlocked fingers.
“I had a good time tonight,” said Finn.
“Me too,” said Poe.
In the almost daylight, he was somehow even more attractive than in the flattering low bulbs of the bar. Finn shook his head in wonder.
The crowds began to thin and beside him Poe squared his shoulders. “Well I think this is my cue to leave.”
Finn’s heart sunk with disappointment, but he plastered on a smile. Of course tonight couldn’t last forever. He’d known that.
Poe looked at him and his smile softened. “Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sure of it,” said Poe.
For lack of anything else to do, Finn nodded. Poe turned to face him and then without warning tilted his head upwards and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. Finn’s heart rate skyrocketed, but Poe had already stepped back before he could respond.
“Catch you on the flip side, Finn,” said Poe with a wink. Then he turned and disappeared into the dispersing crowd.
“Later,” Finn called after him, but he couldn’t be sure if he’d heard him.