Well, here they were.
After everything, they were together. Alive. And only too happy to be next to each other as the celebrations happened. The second they got back, Finn and Poe were swept in different directions- they were important men, after all, and unfortunately, other people needed their attention too. A quick gaze and a smirk from Poe told Finn that they'd see each other shortly. Finn didn't want to admit it, but his heart sped up at those devilish eyes and the creases that appeared in his face.
They made it through the pleasantries unscathed and found their way back to each other, Poe pointing at Finn with an overjoyed expression adorning his face, while Finn could feel his face splitting with joy. They hugged, hearts beating fast as Poe whispered, "Meet me behind the ship, Stormtrooper." With that, he disappeared again, and subtly Finn followed.
"We did it." The first words from Poe in that rendezvous. Finn smiled and tried to ignore the thoughts racing through his head. "Together." He managed to choke out. The word hung for a second, both understanding the weight of it and the potential in the air. "Listen, Finn… There's something I need to ask you." Finn nodded, watching him carefully as Poe turned his back to him.
"What were you going to say to Rey? I know this is a big joke 'Oh, let's keep secrets from the Spice Runner' and all but I need to know." His voice sounded different- wounded, almost. Like he wasn't the cocky piece of shit that Finn had come to lo- to respect and revere as a friend. "Why, you jealous?" Finn attempted to lighten the mood, but the silence that met his joke told him everything. "Wait, WERE you jealous?" Poe rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly.
"Do you love her?" A beat.
"No." A sigh of relief. He turned to face Finn once more and smiled tentatively.
"Do you love m- anyone?" Finn could finally see the blush that had made its way up Poe's neck, and the eyes that saw through him, and the beautiful expression that was on his face. Poe didn't get caught out like this, like a little boy with his hand in the treats at the market. Finn laughed, stepped closer to Poe and leaned in slightly. "Who would this 'anyone' is, runner?" He heard Poe's breath hitch and watched him roll his eyes, blowing a gust of air to lift his fringe.
"I don't really have to say it, do I, wise guy?"
Finn frowned, and took a step back, doubting everything and fearful of being exposed. The time they'd spent together had a big impact on Finn. Maybe it had less of an impact on Poe. Sure, they'd been touchier than other duos they'd met, sure they had a lot of chemistry but did Poe feel it too? He felt anxiety coarse through his body, worried that he was taking it too far. Maybe he'd got the wrong end of the stick, maybe Poe was actually trying to get Rey and that was why he-
Poe was kissing him.
Poe, the man he had grown to adore, the man he joked around with, his best friend, had literally put his lips on to Finn's and was grasping the side of his face like he had nothing else to hold in his entire life. Finn was freaking out, like freaking the fuck out- worse than when he was trying to escape a ship that was actually about to explode. His knees were basically non-existent, and he put his hands on Poe just to anchor himself to reality.
Poe pulled away first, giving a shit-eating grin and looking like himself again. "I could hear the cogs turning in your brain and decided to stop being coy. That's your job, babe." And just like that, Poe winked and walked away from Finn to re-join the celebrations, leaving him to catch his breath.
If Finn knew that winning the war meant a kiss from Poe, he would've single-handedly done it a long time ago. Maybe he would've worried less, too, but maybe Poe liked that about him. Shaking his head, Finn walked around the ship and found his place next to Poe, meeting his eyes. At that moment, they knew they'd be together for a very long time.
And in that realisation, they grasped each other's hands, holding on to the only constant in the galaxy.