"Y-you mean you've never celebrated Christmas?!" The Resistance pilot demanded...
"Ex-Stormtrooper remember, Poe?" Finn said sarcastically...
Or, the one where Finn does not know what Christmas is and Poe is appalled - oh, and first kiss happens!
Poe sat on the edge of Finn's bed with his mouth open and eyes wide in disbelief.
"Y-you mean you've never celebrated Christmas?!" The Resistance pilot demanded, so shocked he forgot to keep his voice down and a nearby nurse shot him a warning glare.
Finn was still recovering from his encounter with Kylo Ren and the surgeon who had repaired the worst of the damage to his back and spine had insisted he stay in the recovery ward for two weeks for observation. Today was the eighth day and Finn was already climbing the walls with boredom - or at least he would be if he was able to get out of the bed without a nurse forcing him back down.
Poe spent pretty much all of his free time by Finn's bedside. When he wasn't on recon flight missions or in tactics meets with General Leia, he would either be found in his quarters catching up on some much need sleep or sitting with Finn in the recovery ward.
For both men the visits were the highlight of their day because both were completely and utterly smitten with one another. That had been the case since their first meeting, when Finn chose to turn his back on the Dark Side and help Poe escape, unfortunately neither of the men realised the other felt the same way.
It was three days till Christmas Day, a fact that Poe was extremely excited about and he had hoped Finn would share in his exuberant enthusiasm, but upon mentioning the occasion to the younger man he had been met with only blank confusion.
"Ex-Stormtrooper remember, Poe?" Finn said sarcastically, sitting up straighter in the bed and leaning back more comfortably on the small mountain of pillows Poe had stuffed behind him.
"I get that, Finn," Poe said quickly, this dark brows knitting together as he frowned, "but how can you not know what it is?"
"What's the big deal?" Finn sounded slightly hurt and Poe instantly felt kind of bad for overreacting. "It's not like it's a galactic celebration or anything."
"Sorry, buddy, you're right, it's not that important."
Finn sighed heavily, clearing reading the dark-haired man's expression of disappointment. Christmas Day may not be a significant day to the vast majority but it was important to Poe, and that was the only thing that matter to Finn really.
"Tell me about Christmas, Poe," Finn said, reaching out his hand to squeeze the older man's where it lay on the mattress. Poe looked down at their hands then back up to Finn's face and smiled his charismatic, trademark grin, the one that it was impossible not to return.
Poe fell into a whirlwind explanation of Christmas, about a tree decorated with all sorts of trinkets and lights which had to have a star perched on top, about a huge spread of food, the centrepiece being some kind of roast bird and small, green round vegetable, then about presents wrapped up in brightly coloured paper and tied with bows, of bells and snow and some man named Santa Clause dressed in red with a pointed hat...
It all sounded ludicrous, old-fashioned, so wasteful and (though Finn wouldn't say it aloud) pointless. Or at least he thought until Poe began to describe the true reason why the day meant so much to him. It was a day of happiness, Poe explained, of family and friends gathering together, of leaving behind the worries of everyday life to indulge themselves for just a few hours. It was a day to be thankful for what you had, and what Poe had had - something Finn had always longed for - had been a family, a childhood.
When Poe finally stopped talking and caught his breath, Finn found himself torn between tears and laughter. It made his stomach flutter and heart swell to see Poe so ecstatic, his eyes shining with the happy memories, but at the same time he was filled with sadness and regret because he had not had any of what Poe had described.
"Finn?" Poe was peering at him, looking concerned, "Are you alright, buddy?"
Finn blinked hard, feeling the wetness of tears and he ducked his head, hoping pointlessly that Poe hadn't seen. The pilot's hand found his and Finn's heart jumped as Poe's fingers slid between his own.
"I'm sorry, Finn," Poe spoke in a voice unnaturally tentative for him, "I didn't think - what you went through after the First Order took you...you have never known a family, have you?"
Finn looked up and met Poe's eyes. The pilot squeezed his fingers reassuringly and Finn decided in that split second to take a leap of faith, to follow his gut instinct, just as he had the first time he had seen the Resistance fighter. He quickly leaned in towards Poe and pressed his dry lips to his.
For a moment Poe thought Christmas had come early, then he realised that this was far better, Finn wasn't just for one day, he was never going to let him go now. The pilot lifted his free hand and slid it behind Finn's head, guiding him into the kiss.
Finn was clumsy and inexperienced; Poe realised with a jolt of possessiveness that this was probably Finn's first kiss - not much room for that in stormtrooper training either he assumed. Tilting his head ever so slightly to one side, Poe gently encouraged Finn to deepen the kiss. The younger man hesitated for a second but then opened his mouth slightly and Poe grinned wildly into their kiss.
Poe had believed that nothing was more exhilarating to him than flying but this, kissing Finn and Finn kissing him hungrily back, could be about to shake his faith in that.
His lungs burning, Finn broke the kiss and gasped for air. Poe's lopsided smile made his heart sing and he grinned foolishly back. Once again his instincts about Poe Dameron had been right, the man had just changed his life for a second time.
"I've been hoping you'd do that since we first met," Poe said, lifting their joint hands and kissing the back of Finn's.
Embarrassed, Finn asked shakily, "W-was that alright?"
"Buddy," Poe breathed, leaning back in close, "That kiss was like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day all rolled into one."
Finn frowned, "What's Boxing Day?"
Poe laughed, realising in a that moment that he was hopelessly in love with Finn "I'll tell you later, promise."
And Finn agreed wordlessly as Poe kissed him again. He may not have ever celebrated Christmas before, but something told Finn that his first was going to be spectacular and, three days later, Poe proved him right.
