Falling for Finch

The Road to 58th

Brian's POV---

I woke up to the familiar thump of Mike tapping on my forehead and the unfamiliar feeling of a girl lying on my chest. I put my finger to my mouth in a 'shhh' motion hoping Mike would take the hint and leave, the FBI is tiring and I could use a day off anyways only trouble was, last time I tried that our friends from the CIA took so Mike wasn't having it. I pointed to Sam who was asleep on my chest and mouthed 'she can't know' over exaggerating every syllable. Mike pointed to the watch on his wrist and I whispered "all right, all right, just....get out of here for a second." Sam moved her head a little bit then and made a soft whimpering noise which apparently scared Mike because he hid faster than Waldo at the circus...I always hated those stupid books. Anyways, Sam moved a bit and I tried to casually slip out from under her except her arm and my...sensitive areas, collided somewhere in my escape. "Sweet mother of Jesus" I said in a high pitched whimper causing Sam to wake up fully. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Did I just, Jesus, Brian are you ok? Here, lemme get some ice for that!" Sam jumped up as I cradled myself trying not to look like a major sissy in front of her and also trying not to lose my manhood...Especially not while Mike was- "Ahhh! Oh my god, Brian!" Sam screamed cutting off my thoughts and pain momentarily as I ran to the other room. When I got there Sam had Mike pinned to the ground and all I could do was laugh as he struggled under her grip. "Sam," I said through suppressed laughter, "meet Mike, my co-worker." "Your....I'm so sorry" she said getting up and helping Mike off the floor, "I had no idea." Mike wiped himself up and said "don't worry about it" as he walked passed Sam and I grumbling, "I'll see you downstairs, five minutes." I smirked, "no problem Mike. Oh, and, I'm totally telling Ike about this." He gave me a dirty look as he left Sam and I alone to talk before I had to go. Somehow I had to talk my way through this, the only problem was, I wasn't on NZT...and I don't do mornings, so what I had planned and what I actually said didn't exactly line up. It went something like this:

Sam's POV---

"Sorry I woke you up," he said as scratched the back of his head.

"It's ok, I did kind of hit you in some sensitive places....Sorry about that by the way."

"It's ok."

It was quiet for a while as we both recovered from our embarrassment and I looked at the ground somewhat dumbfounded by the fact that I'd fallen asleep on a stranger's chest in the middle of an unplanned Star Wars marathon at 1am.

"So uh, I guess I better get going" I said as I walked to the living room to get my stuff.

"Wait," Brian said, "Mike's just a guy I work with. I, uh, well I can't really talk about my job right now, but I can talk about how I'd like to see you again. Maybe I could take you to lunch sometime or something?" He was scratching his head again and looking at the ground, a nervous habit I assumed, but cute nonetheless and I smiled at the thought of lunch with him. "Sure," I said, "I'd like that. And, don't worry about explaining everything just yet, there's still plenty about me that you don't know too yknow." I wrote my phone number down on a piece of paper lying on the coffee table and said "next time you're out for lunch gimme a call." Brian smiled as I handed him the paper and said "will do." I grabbed my things then and walked over to the door saying "Brian, I had a great time last night."

Brian's POV---

"Me too" I told her as she closed the door behind her and I stood staring at the paper in my hands. Mike must have heard the door close behind her because he came in from the other room then saying "Finch has a girlfriend." Childish. "Do not!" I pouted back, "not yet anyways...If you tell anyone about this I'm telling Ike that she pinned you!" What? Who said I couldn't be childish too? Mike handed me my NZT with a look that could kill on his face. I dangled the pill above my mouth and then, my day began.

When we walked in to the FBI Rebecca was waiting for me, "where have you been?" She asked, "you're almost an hour late." "Am I?" I asked as I looked at my watch, "hm, guess time flies when you're making fun of Mike." "What?" She asked as we stopped walking for a moment. "Oh, uh, nothing. What's the big deal about me being late today?" Rebecca opened her mouth to speak but before she could get any words out Naz came from around the corner saying "Brian, you're late, my office, now." She kept walking as if it were routine and Rebecca just looked at me saying, "you heard her." Hesitantly I walked toward Naz's office where she was waiting for me. "What's up Naz?" I said twirling a pen between my fingers and jumping into a chair. "Brian," she said, "have you considered the consequences of telling others about NZT?" I gave Naz a funny look then because I knew I hadn't said anything to Sam and besides, how would she know if I did anyways, it's not like the FBI has me under surveillance right? Right. So then..."dad." I said under my breath and Naz said "that's right Brian. You have fun figuring that out because I've been risking my job to keep this operation alive, if you can even call it that. I put my neck on the line for you Brian and now you need to figure out how to keep your father out of this now that you've told him, do you understand me? Because Brian, as much as I don't hate you, I'd rather keep my job here at the FBI. Am I clear?" "Naz, I-" "I don't want to hear it Brian! Am I clear?" She looked cold. Rebecca was wrong about my dad, he couldn't just let me make my own decisions and now look at the mess he got me into. Dammit. "We're clear" I said standing up to dismiss myself from Naz's office. "Brian?" She said. I turned around and said "yeah Naz?" "Why don't you take the day off. That's an order understand?" I nodded as I reached for the door handle and let myself out.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Rebecca asked but I continued walking without saying a word. "Brian" she said, "what happened?" I turned and said "Oh nothing, just being relieved of my duties for the day because atourney- client privilege means nothing to some people." I got in the elevator and pushed the button but Rebecca made her way in between the sliding doors, "Brian, what are you talking about?" "I did what you told me Rebecca! I told my dad, I even paid him as my atorney, and now he wants me to sue the CJS." Rebecca touched my arm and said "Brian, I'm so sorry. You have to tell him that's not what you want...it's not what you want, is it?" The question hung thick in the air with my frustration even though the NZT told me immediately that no, that wasn't what I wanted. I opened my mouth to tell Rebecca when my phone began to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that it was Sam. "No, that's not what I want" I said as I pressed the phone to my face answering the call. "Hey" I said walking out of the elevator. "Brian!" Rebecca called after me, "Brian, I'm really sorry. Call me if you need anything ok? If it's beer o'clock..." I looked back at her for a moment telling Sam to hold on a second, "thanks" I told Rebecca. Besides, it wasn't her fault. "Try to have some fun today," she said as she walked toward me, "you may not be getting this day off as a reward, but you earned it." I smiled a bit and then watched her walk back to the elevator. Maybe she was right, I thought, I could use a day off.

Sam's POV---

"Hey, sorry about that" he said as his voice returned to my ear. "Oh, it's ok I said back, "I was just wondering what time you go on lunch and if you'd wanna go out with me? I mean, uh, out to lunch of course, not with me. I mean, not like a date or anything, just casually, as friends yknow? Like-" "Actually" he said, cutting me off mid-sentence to save me from falling further, "actually, my boss just told me to take the day off. I can meet you at the hot dog stand on 58th if you're up for it?" I took this as an opportunity to recover from my embarrassing fumbles and said "yeah, I'd like that. I'm actually pretty close to there now, see you in fifteen?" Brian replied cheerfully saying "fifteen it is! Oh, and Sam?" "Yeah?" I asked a bit nervous because of his tone. "It's definitely a date. I mean, unless you don't want it to be." I laughed and said "Brian Finch, now you're just teasing me!" I could hear him laugh a bit too from the other line and then he said "Oh yeah well, give me a reason why I shouldn't." I smirked as we said goodbye and hung up the phone beginning my journey to the hot dog stand on 58th.