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There was an unspoken agreement between Rey and Finn whenever they got called out to a fire: Rey always drove. No ifs, no buts—not that Finn would ever protest, he was well aware that Rey was the better driver between the two of them. The moment they got the call, they dove right into uniform and took to their sides of the truck, always making it out in record time.
Their tiny station was at the border between three other stations’ zones; they were a small team meant to give support to the bigger crews whenever and wherever needed. Their truck was small, and didn’t even have a ladder; but really, their hose and their gear was all they needed to make a difference. They were fast, thanks to their size and Rey’s excellent driving, so they sometimes ended up being the first responders on the scene.
Tonight was one of those nights: a single house fire, still small enough to get under control before it hopped over to the neighbouring houses, but still big enough to be dangerous to anyone inside. The second they screeched to a halt at the curb, Rey jumped out to get the hose going, and Finn grabbed an axe, secured his helmet and tank, and ran in, kicking down the front door.
Finn heard a cry for help, followed by a bout of rough coughing. He followed the sound to the kitchen where a man with dark curls was trapped against the wall by a heavy-looking oak table. From the charred remains of the oven, Finn guessed there had been some sort of gas leak that had triggered an explosion and blasted the table into the poor man, pinning him to the wall.
Finn quickly grabbed a dishcloth from the floor, soaked it in the still-running sink, and brought it to the man to cover his mouth. Finn’s breath momentarily caught when he realized just how ruggedly handsome the guy was, his looks in no way diminished by the trickle of blood down the side of his face or the soot that clung to everything in the room.
The guy squeezed his hand gratefully as he took the cloth, covering his mouth and nose. Finn nodded at him before grasping a leg of the table, bending his knees before lifting it a fraction of the ground.
Damn this thing is heavy! he thought, grunting at the effort, but continued to focus on moving it far enough from the wall so the man could escape.
One perfectly executed fireman’s carry later, the man was deposited outside on the grass a safe distance from the house. Finn could hear the other firetrucks arriving as he pulled off his helmet. The man was still coughing, though he was starting to breathe a lot easier than before.
“You alright?” asked Finn, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“My… cough! Cough! My… My cat!” he rasped, looking up and staring Finn in the eyes, a pleading expression on his face. “My cat! Bee Bee! She’s still inside!”
“Right,” said Finn, suddenly stoic with determination as he quickly put his helmet back on and raced back inside to save the handsome man’s cat.
He knew it was a stupid thing to do, as Rey certainly scolded him for later on. The upper floor was starting to catch and the floor was becoming unstable, but there was just something about that man’s eyes that Finn couldn’t say no to. That and Finn was a big softie and couldn’t bear the thought of any animal getting hurt, not when he could do something to prevent it.
He raced about, feeling desperate and a little lost, until he heard meowling from the laundry room, where he found an adorable white and orange kitten hiding under a leather jacket. The thing seemed too scared to understand that Finn was trying to help and kept hissing and clawing at him, so Finn just scooped the whole bundle in his arms, jacket and all, before racing out the side door, busting it open with a solid shoulder check.
“FINN!” Rey yelled at him as he jogged over. “Finn, you absolute idiot! What were you thinking, going back in there?” She smacked the side of his helmet, before removing the damn thing for him so she could smack him properly on the head.
“Rey, I’m sorry, I know, but I couldn’t just leave her,” he explained, lifting a corner of the jacket and revealing the tiny kitten underneath.
“Oh. My. GOD,” gasped Rey, and Finn couldn’t help but grin; seems like his friend also knew a little about love at first sight. “Come on, let’s get her to a vet, the other guys can take care of this.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
As always, there was no question that Rey would be driving, though the fact that Finn’s arms were still busy holding the cat, Bee Bee, just make the choice all the more obvious.
~~~
The next day, Rey and Finn found themselves driving from the vet’s to the hospital, a clean and officially healthy Bee Bee nestled in Finn’s lap as Rey busied herself behind the wheel.
They found the patient’s room with the help of a nurse, and Finn shyly knocked before letting himself in, Rey having suddenly decided to go buy herself a coffee and leaving Finn to return the kitten alone.
“Um, hi?” Finn said, sticking his head in the room. His eyes met those of the handsome man from yesterday, whose face broke into a wide smile when he recognized who was at his door.
“You! You’re alright!” he exclaimed, laughing while Finn returned his smiled and shuffled into the room, pulling the chair up close to the bed as he sat down.
“And you seem to be doing fine as well,” he replied.
“All thanks to you,” the man said with a wink. “I’m Poe, by the way. Poe Dameron.”
“I’m Finn.”
“Nice to meet you, Finn. And I’m serious, you know, about my thanks. You saved my life.”
“Don’t mention it,” Finn said, brushing it off as he fought the urge to blush. “Anyways, I brought something for you.” He reached into the back he had brought with him and pulled out Poe’s leather jacket, which he offered to him.
“You know what? Keep it,” Poe said, pushing it back towards Finn. “As a token of my gratitude, and because I feel like it would really, really suit you,” he added with a grin.
Finn smiled as he accepted the gift, shrugging on the jacket as Poe gave him an admiring once-over.
“See? What did I tell you? Absolutely perfect.”
“I have something else too, you know.”
“Oh now you’re just spoiling me.”
Finn laughed as he reached back into the back, pulling out a sleeping Bee Bee he had successfully managed to smuggle into the hospital.
“Oh my god! Bee Bee!” Poe exclaimed, gently taking her into his arms, tears threatening to spill from the corner of his eyes. “I had worried, when I never saw you again, but when you walked in, I had hoped… but I never thought you’d bring her to me here!”
“Vet gave her a clean bill of health, so I figured you might want to have company in here until you get cleared to leave.”
“Thank you Finn, again. Shit, I could kiss you right now,” Poe said, his cheeks reddening once he realized what he had just admitted.
“Hmmm, maybe you should,” teased Finn as he leaned his chin on one hand, smirking at Poe, who had started to fidget with his heartrate monitor clip.
“Well, um, I should say I would more than I could because I’m kinda hooked up to all these machines right now and can’t really lean over that far plus there’s a cat in my lap and UGH just get over here already!”
“With pleasure,” laughed Finn as he got up and leaned over Poe, propping himself up on an elbow beside his head as he brought their lips together, the kiss rather chaste but absolutely perfect. He absently played with Poe’s hair as he leaned back, Poe trying to chase his lips and then pouting at Finn’s teasing smile.
Finn sighed, gazing into Poe’s eyes.
This man and his beautiful eyes are going to be the end of me, he thought happily as he dove back in to show Poe just how good of a kisser he could really be.