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It was only early days into Summer when the first of many heatwaves struck. Victoria had been having one unbearable hot day after another, and it was approaching a full week of 35 to 40 degree days. There was no cool change in sight and the whole state was on edge, hoping the heat would break soon and that they’d make it past this without incident. It was early morning when a storm rolled through, thunder waking up Poe from his peaceful dreams. He laid still in his bed and stared at his ceiling, a flash of lightening casting shadows through his vertical blinds. There was no rain, which wasn’t unusual for a summer storm, and it didn’t bode well. He pushed his sheet back from his naked body and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. The pedestal fan oscillating and whining in the corner blew cooler air towards him, cooling the sweat on his skin and forcing a shiver to run down his spine. Poe sighed and rubbed his hands down his face, wiping away the sleep that had dried in the corners of his eyes.
Under his bed he heard BB-8 whine, and he looked down at his feet in time to see a black nose poke out and a long pink tongue take a swipe at his ankle. He laughed and shook his head before grabbing his pajama bottoms off the floor and putting them on, getting up off his bed in the process.
“C’mon, Bee. S’just a storm.” Poe mumbled to his dog, kneeling down on the floor and peering into the darkness under his bed. “C’mon out, I’ll give you some brekky.” BB-8’s tail lazily thumped against the carpet, but she didn’t make any move to crawl out. How the mongrel even fit under there Poe would never know, but it was the little pest’s safe place. Who was he to judge? Another flash of lightening lit up the room, followed closely by thunder. It rumbled and the window vibrated, but still the clouds didn’t break. The dry heat of the Australian summer had continued on through the night. Poe stood up and grabbed his phone from his bedside table, pulling the charger out before swiping the screen to open it. His home screen showed him the temperature in Melbourne, a toasty 31. It was only 5am, his phone told him, and today it was going to be a top of 42 degrees.
“Fantastic. Great day for a storm.” Poe took his phone with him out of his room, walking down the hallway in his small townhouse towards the kitchen. He flicked his kettle on and reached up into the cupboard above it to pull out a mug, scooping a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee into it before leaning back on the kitchen bench. He looked down at his phone again, loading up the CFA website and checking the emergency page. There were a couple of small fires, but all were under control. Today was going to be busy, no doubt.
*
The storm had rolled on through Melbourne without any issue, but it didn’t show any sign of letting up as it passed over Eastern Victoria.
Rey was already at the station when Poe rocked up. Both of them weren’t technically due to start their shift until 8am, but with the state on high alert, and their nerves on edge, it was easier to just turn up early and wait it out. Rey and Poe worked for a division of the Country Fire Authority and the Police that dealt with Search and Rescue. Specifically, Poe piloted a Helicopter, and Rey was a paramedic. They were part of a team, of course, but since Rey had joined up around a year ago the two of them had been as thick as thieves.
Rey looked up from tying her boots when the door into the locker room opened, a smile already on her face when she nodded at Poe. She was just about ready for action, her brown hair tied up into a bun, loose strands falling around her ears, paramedic uniform pristine. Poe grinned at her as he tugged open his locker, pulling out his clean uniform.
“Good morning, Rey. Enjoy the storm this morning?” Poe asked as he pulled his t-shirt over his head, dumping it on the bench behind his friend. Rey picked it up and scrunched it up into a ball before lying back on the bench and using it as a pillow. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.
“I could do with a bit more sleep, to be honest.” Rey replied. She kept her eyes closed in an effort to give her friend a bit of privacy, but she showed no intention of leaving the room. “Hopefully the wind quits, and hopefully a cool change comes in soon.” Poe hummed in agreement as he hurriedly changed into his uniform. He kicked his dirty trainers off before undoing his pants and letting them drop to the ground. He kicked them out of the way before pulling on his dark navy blue uniform pants, with a bright strip of reflective material down each side. He pulled a white singlet over his head and tucked it into his pants before shrugging on the blue button down shirt that matched his pants. He sat down near her head and pulled his black boots on.
“I have a bad feeling that today’s gonna be rough, though.” He mumbled as he finished tying his laces. Rey sighed, opening her eyes and tilting her head back to look at him. She stared at him for a moment before shooting up.
“Y’know, I think it’s time for some coffee.” She tugged him up, Poe shoving his shoes and clothes into his locker before they both walked out of the locker room, down the hallway towards the staff kitchen. Inside, Jessika sat sipping at a coffee, looking as tired as they felt.
“G’morning.” Rey greeted her with a pat on the shoulder as she walked by. She flicked the kettle on and grabbed two clean mugs that were drying next to the sink. Poe sat down opposite Jessika and leaned on the table.
“How’s it going?” Poe grinned, resting his head on one of his hands. Jessika grunted, taking another sip of coffee. “Oh, same here.” Rey laughed as she leaned on the kitchen counter, the kettle gurgling behind her.
“Got any news yet about fires?” Rey asked, folding her arms across her chest. Jessika nodded.
“Yeh, apparently there have been a few lightening strikes out towards Warragul. A few that look worrying. A bit too close together, and the wind isn’t helping. No call for us yet.” Jessika took another sip of her coffee, looking over her shoulder at Rey. “Hopefully we won’t be needed.”
*
Poe had grown up down in the Baw Baw Shire. He spent his childhood on the river in summer and snow boarding in winter, and had grown up with the dangers of fire ever present. It was a beautiful part of Victoria, but it was also dangerous. Poe’s mother had been a firefighter. She had taught him how to be safe, to keep an eye out for signs of fire and to leave as soon as the warnings were issued. She had been his role model, but while he had an interest in fighting fires he had always been more interested in helping people more directly. So he had become a helicopter pilot, working mainly with the police, but he did rescue operations for the CFA and the State Emergency Services. He was a darn good pilot too, and he loved his job.
But all of this didn’t change the dread that always settled into his stomach when fire season started. There was hardly anything you could do to help people when it came to bushfires, as evidenced by the 2009 Black Saturday were 173 people lost their lives. If the circumstances were right, a bushfire was almost unstoppable. They were unpredictable, the direction of a blaze could change at any moment, and all the hard work that the dedicated firefighters did on one front would be for naught. Fires terrified Poe. But he would never let that stop him from saving anyone, if he could.
So when the call came, Poe was there. Rey, Jessika and himself hopped in the helicopter and flew down to were the SES and CFA were setting up their main camp. Elvis, a fondly named Helicopter, was already down there and dropping water on the fire, and fifty firefighters were already fighting the blaze. Soon that number would grow as the bushfire raged, growing in size as it consumed bushland and farms.
Poe and his team would survey the fire, keep an eye out for anyone in need of help, and let the CFA know about any hazards they might see. So they took to the air, avoiding Elvis, and circled the blaze. It was already huge, the tower of smoke dark against the now blue sky, the storm long gone.
The sun reflected off the nose of the helicopter, and Poe was glad the goggles on his helmet were tinted. Rey crackled in his headset.
“There are a lot of people on the road, heading away from the fire.” She pointed out. Rey and Jessika were strapped in behind him, both peering out of the windows. Rey was already in her harness, ready to be tied to the winch and lowered down should they need to rescue anyone. She looked over at Jessika, who was peering down at some farmland as they flew over. “You see anything yet?”
“No, nothing. Wait. Poe, fly a bit to the west. I think I see a new fire.” Poe banked to the west, and they flew over a river and closer to the main body of fire. Jessika watch out the window carefully. “Hm, no, nothing. Never mind.” The wind was roaring by and through the open section of the helicopter, carrying a bit of smoke and ash. Poe turned right, away from the main blaze and the smoke. Any closer and it would be far too hard to see. They circled back around the fire, towards the front. There were several smaller blazes starting up, caused by embers. The fire was going straight through farmland, the sheep and cows below panicked, but trapped.
They flew in silence for a while, Poe occasionally broadcasting to the ground updates from the sky, until Rey called out.
“Poe! To our left, in the paddock.” Poe out, seeing a man waving up at them. He was near a paddock, a farmhouse behind him and a car with it’s bonnet up next to him. Clearly stuck, with the fire front only a few kilometers behind him. There were no firetrucks in the area, or police, no one they could call in to help the lone man.
“Shit. Alright, get ready Rey, I’ll bring us in a bit closer and hold us steady for you.” Poe brought the helicopter down, away from trees and the farmhouse, and held them as still as possible. He watched the man get closer to them as Rey jumped out, Jessika lowering her steadily to the ground. The wind was rough, buffeting them hard, but he managed to keep them steady enough for Rey to clip the man in and for Jessika to winch them back up.
“Alright Poe, she’s back. I’ll strap— what’s your name?— I’ll strap Finn in.” Jessika relayed to Poe, who looked back over his shoulder at them. Jessika strapped the black man into the seat directly behind Poe’s chair, Rey unclipping herself from the winch before strapping herself in next to their new passenger.
“Hey, all good Poe! Get us outta here.” Rey grinned, thumping her fist on Poe’s seat. She turned to Finn, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? I know I asked you down there, but you all good?” She asked him, leaning closer to him to get a better look. “Let me know if you have any injuries, yeh?”
“Y-yeh I’m good. I’m good. Shit. Thank you. Thank you.” Poe could barely hear him over the wind. He grinned.
“Aw, buddy. S’all good!” Poe yelled over the wind as he pulled the helicopter up. He headed out for one last loop of the blaze, see if there were any changes to the front, and then he’d head over to the main CFA camp to drop their new passenger off.
“Here, have a water. You look thirsty.” Rey handed him a bottle of water, and Finn gulped it down like his life depended on it.
*
Back on the ground, Rey led Finn over to a tent set up in front of the firestation. She sat him down on the brick wall just before the tent flap, and then popped inside to grab him another bottle of water. She knelt down in front of him and spoke to him quietly, checking up to make sure he was all okay. He hadn’t been close enough to the fire to gain any burns or major injuries, but the smoke had been thicker there. Poe watched her and Finn for a moment, before turning back to the Deputy Chief.
“We’ll get back up there in five, anywhere you want us to stay close to?” Poe asked, cracking open a bottle of water and taking a gulp. The Deputy Chief shook her head.
“Just report if there are any spot fires popping up close to towns or houses. We have more firefighters coming from Melbourne to assist, we’ll be getting them to try and defend as much property as possible.” She shook his hand before heading back to the line of reporters on the nature strip, under the shade of a gum tree. Poe took another sip of his water as he turned back to look at Rey and Finn. Elvis roared in the sky, drowning out the cicadas briefly as he flew over. It was stifling on the ground, the heavy wind blowing hot air and ash, and the cockatoos squawked in indignation as another gust blew them from the trees. There were at least a hundred people rushing around this small town, set on top of the mountain ridge. Some of the people were local residents, unable to leave and doing what they could to help the firefighters and police stationed here. There were several large white tents set up by the SES, used for medics and resting for firefighters rotating out. The firestation was the main point for planning and organising the men and women fighting the blaze, and the town hall was overtaken by locals who had fled their homes. The smoke billowed in a huge tower to the north of them, down in the valley and roaring through the farmlands. It was heading farther east, skirting around their outpost.
Poe finished the rest of his water and headed over to Rey and Finn. He sat himself down on the brick wall next to the now tired man, patting him gently on the shoulder in a reassuring gesture.
“Finn, mate, how’re doing?” Poe asked, grinning at him. Finn scoffed before grinning back.
“Good, I’m good.” Finn looked down at Rey, who was kneeling in front of him still with a sly smile directed at Poe. “So I know two of my saviors names, she’s Rey and the other lady was Jessika, but I don’t know your’s.”
“I’m Poe.” They shook hands, grinning at each other. “And you’re one lucky fella.” Poe looked Finn up and down, slowly releasing the other man’s hand from the hand shake. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rey shake her head as she hid her face in her hand, no doubt still smiling at her ridiculous friend. But Poe didn’t take his eyes of Finn to check on Rey, his grin fading into a smirk. Finn became a little nervous, looking down at his hands in his lap.
“Y-yeh. Real lucky. Shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but yeh. Lucky.” Finn agreed, looking up at Poe shyly. There was the echoes of a blush that rose up his neck, and Poe’s eyes followed it down to Finn’s ash smudged shirt collar. He was a good looking man, younger than Poe, his hair cropped short and black eyes beautiful and deep. Poe drew his lower lip into his mouth, looking down at Finn’s lips before forcing himself to look back at his eyes.
“We have to get back up there… but I’m sure a local or a copper can get you out of town.” Poe reluctantly stood up, patting Finn on the shoulder twice before heading over to the large grocery parking lot they had turned into a temporary helipad. He looked back over his shoulder to see Finn turning back to Rey, who was looking a little too sly. Poe shook his head, opening the door to his helicopter and grabbing his helmet from inside. Jessika was sitting in the helicopter, her legs hanging out over the open side.
“He’s a cutey, ain’t he Boss?” She smirked, taking a sip of her iced tea through a straw. She swung her legs, looking back over at Rey and Finn. Poe followed her gaze and watched Rey stand up. She said something to Finn again and laughed, before bumping fists with him and heading over to the helicopter.
“Yeh, he’s pretty cute…” Poe agreed absentmindedly. Jessika raised her eyebrows before jumping down from the helicopter.
“Alright, you’ve obviously not drunk enough water. Hand me your bottle, I’ll chuck it out for ya.” Poe grunted, handing the bottle over to Jessika, who rolled her eyes and quickly made her way over to the front of the grocers and threw out their rubbish in a bin there. Rey winked at Poe before hopping into the helicopter, putting her helmet on and getting her harness ready again, should they need to make another rescue. Jessika followed suit, strapping herself into her seat and putting her helmet on.
“Ready when you are, Boss.” Rey mock saluted, a grin on her face.
“Shut up, you two.”
*
It was a week later when Poe was finally back at the station in Melbourne. He was out on the tarmac, dressed down to just his tank top and uniform pants, the legs of which were rolled up slightly and his feet were bare. The ground was hot, but the water from the hose as he washed off the ash and grime from the helicopter cooled him down. Behind him, a radio played Triple J. He sang along to a song as he wiped down the nose of his helicopter, oblivious to the intruder watching him from the back door of the station. The hose slipped from his hand and he laughed as it splashed across his face and chest. As he bent down to pick it back up, the man behind him called out.
“Need some help there?” Poe stood up so quickly he almost knocked himself out on the nose of the helicopter. He spun around and clutched at his chest, a look of abject horror on his face.
“Shit, buddy. You almost gave me a heart attack!” Finn laughed as he walked closer, his eyes crinkled in the corners.
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” He bent down and picked up the hose, pushing forward the lever that turned it off. He handed it over to Poe, a cheeky smile on his face. Poe rolled his eyes and took the hose from him, leading them back over to the station and the tap.
“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” Poe asked as he turned the tap off. He turned around and looked at Finn, who seemed to be distractedly looking down at Poe’s wet chest. Poe cleared his throat, catching Finn’s attention, and smirked. “You alright, buddy?”
“Oh. Uh. Y-yeh. Yeh I’m good. Uh. Rey, um, she invited be ‘round, said something about getting some lunch?” Finn blushed, looking anywhere but at Poe’s face. Poe raised his eyebrow and cross his arms over his chest.
“Rey, huh? How’d she find you?”
“She, um, she didn’t. She took my number before you guys headed back out um, you know, when you saved my life. Thanks again, by the way! But yeh, said something about wanting to be able to check up on her patient? But she’s cool, so we’ve been getting coffee and, um, yeh. Was suppose to get lunch today? She here?” Finn rambled, and Poe found it adorable. He shuffled his feet before raising his head and looking back at Poe, who had a small smile on his face.
“She’s a ratbag. But no, she isn’t in today… actually, she’s off until Monday.” Finn looked a little disappointed at that. “We could get lunch, though? Make up for her forgetfulness.” Finn grinned, nodding a little quick.
“Yeh, that would be cool!”
“Great. Uh… I’ll just quickly get changed then. I’m a bit… wet.” Poe grinned, winking at Finn, before patting him on the shoulder and leading them into the station. “You can wait out the front while I get dressed, yeh?” Poe looked over his shoulder at Finn, who nodded.
“Sure, no problem.” Finn headed back to the foyer and Poe took a moment to watch him walk away before grinning to himself and heading into the locker room. He peeled his wet singlet off and dumped it on the bench, before undoing his damp pants and letting them drop to the ground. From his locker he pulled out the clothes he wore to work that morning, a light pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt, and a pair of black thongs. He dressed quickly and slipped his feet into the thongs, shoving his wet clothes into the locker, and headed out to meet Finn. He felt a small jolt of anxiety, a bit of nervousness, maybe even what Jessika would classify as butterflies in his stomach, but even with this he couldn’t stop the grin from growing on his face.
Poe turned the corner into the foyer and spotted Finn, who was looking at a photo of Poe and his team on the wall. It wasn’t just Rey and Jessika with him, but all twenty of the rescue pilots and paramedics and administration officers that worked at the station. They were all in full uniform, grinning, and it was clear that they weren’t just a team, but a family. Poe walked up beside Finn and smiled at the photo.
“This was taken just after Rey started here.” Finn looked over at Poe. “She fit in well. Drove us all nuts with her optimism, but she quickly became family.” Poe turned away from the picture, clapping Finn on the shoulder and letting his hand linger a moment before sliding off.
“Let’s get some lunch. What d’you fancy? I know a good dumpling house.”
*
Two hours later found Finn and Poe drinking Chinese tea and laughing at each other’s stupid jokes. There had been a brief moment of awkwardness in the drive over, as well as during the first ten minutes in the restaurant, but Poe had broken the silence with his usual charm. Since then, there hadn’t been a break in conversation except when they had too many dumplings in their mouths, and that was only because it was impolite to talk with your mouth full. Now, they were well and truly finished eating, only sipping on their tea and sharing stories. Finn looked down at his watch.
“Shit, I can’t believe its almost three! I gotta get to a meeting at half past, think you can drop me back at my car?” Finn looked over the table at Poe, who quickly finished his tea.
“No problem! I’ll just quickly pay—”
“No way! This, this one’s on me, okay? Pay back for saving me and everything.” Finn cut him off, standing up quickly from the table and walking over to the till at the host counter.
“Finn!” Poe sighed, swearing under his breath as he rolled his eyes. “Finn, seriously.” He stood up and followed the other man, placing his hand on his shoulder.
“Poe, you can pay the next time, okay?” Finn replied, handing over his card to the young waitress. He grinned at her as she handed him back his card, and Poe shook his head as he lead them back outside and towards his car.
“Fine. Next one is definitely on me, okay?” The idea of a text time sent another jolt of butterflies into his stomach, and he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face. He looked over at Finn, who smiled as well. They hopped into the car and the drive back to the station was silent, but no awkwardness remained. They pulled into the car park and Poe put his car in park, looking over at Finn.
“Sorry I kept you away from work so long.” Finn told, undoing his seat belt.
“Don’t be.” Poe looked at Finn a moment longer before clearing his throat. “Uh, well. Do you think… do you think I could have your number? So I can pay you back for lunch.”
“Yeh, sure.” Finn grinned, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “What’s your’s? I’ll give you a call so you get mine.” Poe told him his number as he pulled his phone out of the centre console, saving Finn’s number after he called. They both hopped out of the car, Finn heading directly for his.
“It was good to see you. Thanks for lunch.” Poe waved as Finn hopped in his car. He slammed his door shut and waved through the window at Poe before turning his car on and leaving. “Definitely need to call Rey and thank her.”
*
Another week went by, full of text messages and no dates. It was getting to the stage where it was becoming harder and harder to initiate anything, their text message conversations full of random facts and stories and no invites to dinner. This was partially Poe’s fault. He had no courage, he enjoyed the flirting and odd conversations a little too much, and couldn’t help but feel anxious and tormented by the thought of inviting Finn out for dinner.
Poe was laying on his couch, his dog BB-8 on the ground next to him, and Rey sitting in the arm chair across the coffee table pouring their second glass of wine. Poe groaned, his arm across his face.
“Rey. Rey. What is wrong with me? What if he doesn’t like me? What if he isn’t gay? Or bi? What am going to do?” He groaned again and Rey rolled her eyes. She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of the red wine, contemplating her answer.
“You’re an idiot.” Poe sat up and stared at her, mouth open.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me! You’re an idiot. Seriously. Just bloody call the bloke. He likes you too.” Rey rolled her eyes again. “Men. Jesus Christ, I’m so glad I’m not interested in men.”
“You’re not interested in anybody.” Poe shot back, pouting. He shifted in his seat on the couch and placed his feet on the ground, on the other side of his dog. He picked up his wine glass and took a sip.
“True. But I’m particularly glad that men are definitely not my cup of tea. You’re all ridiculous.”
“Oh come on, we are not.” Poe scoffed, looking away from her.
“You are so. I mean seriously, you’re completely overlooking the fact that I just said that he. Likes. You. Too.” She punctuated each word, watching Poe’s face closely. “Ah, there you go! Finally clicked, did it?”
“What?! Why are you just telling me this now?” Rey rolled her eyes.
“Just call him, will you?” She pushed, pointing at his phone on the coffee table, next to the wine bottle. Poe paused for a beat before picking it up. He stared down at it in his hand before pushing the home button and swiping it open. He dialed Finn’s number and slowly lifted the phone to his ear, staring wide eyed at Rey. She grinned at him and gave him the thumbs up, sitting a bit further forward on her chair.
“Finn! Uh, hey. How are ya, buddy? Yeh, haha, I’m good, I’m good. Just uh… sitting at home, drinking with Rey. Yeh, pretty chill. Yourself?” Poe paused, pursing his lips. Rey rolled her eyes again, taking a sip of her wine. “Oh, sounds like a really relaxing time. Haha. Um. I was wondering… uh… did you want to go out for dinner? Like, Friday, maybe? Oh! Uh, cool! Yeh, awesome. Um, what about seven thirty, I’ll meet you at um, maybe Flinders Street? We can have a drink over in Transport, then grab a bite? Cool! Cool, um, see you then? Sweet, uh, bye!” Poe hung up and lowered his phone slowly, staring down at it with wide eyes.
“Sooooo, how’d it go?” Rey grinned knowingly, leaning back in her chair again.
“Oh, shut up.”
*
Poe spent the next few days until Friday freaking out a little bit too much. Rey and Jessika made fun of him constantly at work, and when he was home he’d be talking to BB-8 about Finn non-stop, reading his texts aloud to her and driving her to hide even more under the bed. At least there Poe wouldn’t be annoying her. It was hard for Poe to stop, though. He hadn’t been this excited to go on a date with someone in such a long time, and Finn, even though he had only met him in person twice, was already proving to be pretty special. He was funny, and kind, and he already had Rey’s approval. That was always the hardest part (his last three dates would know).
So when Friday rolled around, Poe spent all day gushing about Finn to Rey. She just about ran out of the station when five o’clock struck, and Poe couldn’t blame her. He knew how annoying he must sound, but hell, this was Finn. It had been over two weeks since they had first met and Poe was starting to wonder if this is what teenager felt like when they had a crush. He changed out of his uniform quickly, wanting to head home for a quick shower and to feed BB-8 before heading back into the city in time to meet Finn at 7.30pm. At home, he changed into a dark button down shirt and black jeans, with freshly polished leather shoes on his feet. He grabbed his leather jacket as well, since the cool change had arrived, and no doubt when the sun finally set at around 9pm he would need the extra warmth.
Poe drove into the city and parked his car in a 24 hour secure parking lot off Flinders St, and walked the short distance to the corners of Swanston and Flinders. He crossed the road to stand on the same side as Federation Square, where Transport was, and looked around at the crowd the crossed the road too and from the train station. Poe checked his phone, he was a little early, and waited for Finn.
It was always so nice in Melbourne when the hot weather let up, and the cool change settled in. People dressed a little warmer, and everyone seemed more happy. Poe definitely felt better in the cooler weather, the threat of fire abating (even just for a moment) and he could enjoy sitting outside a little more. The sun was lower in the sky, pink and purple as it slowly set. He smiled to himself, the breeze cool, and closed his eyes for a moment to listen to the sounds of Melbourne.
“Hey, Poe.” Poe jumped, spinning around to look at Finn. His smile grew on his face, and he looked the other man up and down. He was definitely gorgeous.
“Hey Finn, hows it going?” Poe wasn’t quite sure if he should offer a hug or his hand, so instead he opted to clap him on the shoulder and run his hand down his bicep as he lowered it. Finn grinned, shrugging.
“Good, yeh, it’s really good to see you again.” Finn’s eyes lowered to look at Poe’s lips, before meeting his eyes again. “Transport, yeh? It’s pretty popular with officers.”
“Oh, do you want to go somewhere else?” Poe offered. Finn shook his head.
“Nah, it’s cool.” The started walking away from the city, down towards Transport, a small bar opposite the train station and part of Federation Square. Inside it was loud, filled with people chatting and laughing and drinking together. They walked up to the bar and leaned against it, waiting to be served.
“I was thinking we could get a couple of drinks here, and then head on up to the Moat.” Poe leaned over and settled his hand on Finn’s shoulder blade, getting close to his ear so he could hear over the noise. “I’ve got a booking for 8, but I’m sure it’ll be fine if we’re a bit late.” Finn nodded in agreement.
“Sounds good. What do you want for a drink?”
“Hey, this is on me, remember?”
“I think I can buy you at least one drink and you’ll still be one upping me on dinner.” Poe rolled his eyes before catching the waiters attention.
“Could I have a pot of draught, and— Finn?”
“Same.”
“Make that two. Thanks.” Poe passed over a ten for the two pots and slid Finn’s drink over to him. “Cheers.” They clinked glasses, Poe smirking as he took a sip, Finn blushing, both not breaking eye contact.
“Cheers.” Poe directed them to an empty table with two stools, sitting down. Finn sat down opposite him, their knees touching under the table.
“So, Finn. I never did get the story about why you were at that farm.” Poe asked, leaning on the wooden table top. Finn blushed again, taking a long sip of his beer.
“Oh God, it’s really not much of a story. I was heading down the mountain, trying to get the hell away from the fire, when I ran out of fuel. I thought maybe I could find someone to help? But no, I’m an idiot, and I got stuck on an abandoned farm.” Finn shrugged, looking embarrassed. Poe shook his head.
“You’re not stupid. Fires are unpredictable, and I’m just glad we were there to get you out.” Poe looked down into his drink for a moment, chewing his lip in thought. “Rey… Rey said you liked me…” Finn looked at him sharply, another blush rising up his neck.
“Oh… uh…. Well, yeh. I do.” Finn dropped his eyes to his drink.
“Hey, look at me.” Poe nudged his foot under the table, and reluctantly Finn looked up. “I like you too, you idiot who doesn’t know how to keep a car properly fueled.” Poe grinned, and Finn rolled his eyes, but he too couldn’t stop the grin from taking over his face.
“Shut up.”
*
The rest of the night went really, really well, if Poe was to say so himself. Dinner at the Moat was delicious (thank you Rey for the suggestion), and afterward they walked through the city, appreciating the sights and sounds of beautiful Melbourne. They walked down through the city, back towards Flinders St, and made their way to the banks of the Yarra, where they sat down and watched the moon reflecting on the dark waters of the river.
“Thank you for tonight, Poe.” Finn broke their comfortable silence. He was looking up at the sky, the moon reflected in his black eyes, and small, beautiful smile on his face. Poe couldn’t help but stare at him, admire this handsome man who came into his life in the most unusual of circumstances. It had only been such a short time, but Poe was glad to have met him. Even if this fledgling relationship didn’t grow into something bigger, Poe would be lucky to have him as a friend. Poe smiled, sliding closer to Finn on the brick wall so their legs touched.
“My pleasure, Finn. I’m glad you had a good time.” Finn looked over at Poe, nudging his shoulder into the other mans. They stared at each other for a moment, the water lapping at the bank before them the only sound. Poe smiled, leaning closer to Finn, and reached up to touch the back of the other man’s neck. He drew him in closer and pressed their lips together, his eyes closing. Finn was warm, and he had a sweet taste on his lips from the coconut pannacotta they shared for desert. It was a tentative kiss, hesitant and sweet and new, and all too soon Poe pulled back. He licked his lip, pulling it into his mouth to relish the feeling of kissing Finn, and he quickly pulled him back in for another. Finn’s hands shot up, slinging around Poe’s neck and pulling him flush against him. He opened his mouth and softly licked Poe’s lower lip, tracing the line Poe’s own tongue had done moments before. Poe gasped, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss, his other hand steadying him on the wall while his right gripped tighter to Finn’s neck. It was slow and hungry, both unstated from longing looks across dinner, but all too soon, again, they had to part.
“Well, shit.” Poe gave a breathy laugh, his fingers slowly sliding down Finn’s neck to his shoulder. Finn kept his hands around Poe’s neck, but loosened his grip. He too laughed, breathy and easy, and rested his forehead on Poe’s.
“Yeh.” His voice was low, and a smile tugged his lips upward.
“Let’s do that again.” And Poe pulled him back in.