"Are you gonna finish that?"

Rose raises an eyebrow at him and makes a point to finish her dinner rations with a flourish. Finn isn't sure what else he expected, really. But he's lost nearly ten pounds over the past three months because of the Resistance conserving food. And he just really, really hates feeling hungry.

He glances at his empty little plate and then across the small table at Rey, whose dinner is only half finished. Much more promising. "You gonna finish yours, Rey?" She doesn't answer, nor does she make any indication that she'd heard him. She's staring over his shoulder out into space.

Or, glaring out into space is more accurate.

"Rey?"

Her glare darkens and her hands, which are resting on the table next to her dinner, curl into fists.

"Erm. Rey?" Finn waves a hand in front of her face. This finally catches her attention and she jumps, startled. "What?"

Finn slowly points a finger at her rations. "Are you gonna finish that?"

His best friend looks like she's coming out of a trance. "Oh. Yeah, here." She pushes her half-eaten dinner across the table to him and then quickly stands. She gives him and Rose a strained smile and half-hearted wave before leaving the mess hall to do…to do who knows what.

Finn and Rose watch her leave with blank, vaguely confused faces before turning to each other at the same time.

"Is it just me," Rose says, touching her fingertips together contemplatively, "or is Rey acting weird lately?"

"Super weird," Finn agrees. "Did you see the way she was glaring over my shoulder? You'd think the Supreme Leader himself was standing behind me." And, just because, he glances behind himself quickly.

Rose is chewing on her full bottom lip, something Finn has noticed she does when she's nervous. "You don't think…" she pauses, sounding uncertain. "You're sure she likes me? Because if she doesn't you can be honest with me about it—"

"Rey likes you a lot, Rose." Finn can't help but smile down at her a little. "Everyone does." And it's true, of course. Rose's anxiety over Rey's opinion of her is completely unfounded. But Finn thinks it's kinda cute.

Rose looks like she doesn't quite believe him, but her jaw sets in determination. "Well, aright. But something is up." She leans forward a little, voice dropping in genuine concern. "But she's not eating much either, have you noticed?"

Finn looks down at Rey's unfinished rations, feeling slightly guilty. But not guilty enough to stop himself from picking up his utensil and diving in. He nods while he chews. "Somethin' is up."

"Maybe we should go talk to her," Rose suggests, gaze fixating on the door Rey had exited through. "She'll at least be honest with you, Finn. I know you two are close." She tucks a lock of black hair behind her ear and frowns, just a little. But he catches it. He catches just about everything that she does, nowadays.

He shovels the rest of Rey's dinner into his mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly. Then he jerks his head toward the exit. "Let's go." Finn stands, and Rose follows.

When Rose had finally woken up on the Falcon, Finn had felt so relieved he could've passed out. She'd blinked slowly up at him, grimacing and moving her hand to her head.

"Slowly," he had said, reaching out and grasping her hand. "You hit your head." He's in a half-seated, half-standing position, nervous energy thrumming throughout his body. "The med-droid said you'd feel a bit disoriented. And I bet you're hungry." He knows he would be.

"What happened? I remember saving you from…from being an idiot." Her other hand, the one that Finn isn't holding, gropes for the medallion around her neck. She relaxes when her fingers find it. "Nothing after that, though."

"Well, we escaped thanks to Rey and Chewie and Luke Skywalker—"

Rose's eyes go comically wide.

"Yeah. But before that I, uh, got you out of that speeder and brought you back to the base. You've been out since then."

It's not a lie. Not really. He's just simply leaving out specific information.

In truth, he's still processing it all. His stormtrooper training had never held a briefing on what to do when a girl kisses you. Or sort of professes her love.

Rose nods, accepting his answer. Her eyes flutter and she sighs, exhaling as he rubs his thumb across her knuckles.

"Thanks, by the way. Thanks for saving me," he says quietly. Rose's gaze focuses on him and she smiles and oh, it is sweet and kind and it makes Finn feel funny.

Stormtrooper training had definitely left him unprepared for this.

Finn and Rose leave the mess hall and dart to the right. There are only so many places for Rey to go in this tiny Resistance hide out, and Finn begins moving along the hallway that leads to the hanger when Rey's voice comes from around the corner. He freezes, flinging an arm out to halt Rose, forearm brushing against her chest. His arm jerks forward and he feels heat rushing to his cheeks. He risks a quick glance at Rose's face and finds her directly avoiding eye contact.

"—I told you that that's out of the question—"

Rey's voice is firm and strained, and Finn can practically picture the weary expression that's she's been carrying around lately. "I know. I know that you do but—" A pause. "That's not fair. I can't just leave—"

Finn and Rose grasp for each other's hands at the same time, sending the other alarmed looks.

There's a long moment of silence, and Finn begins to wonder if Rey and whoever she's talking to have realized that they're there when—

"I can't." Rey's voice is so soft that Finn has to strain to hear it. "I can't just yet. I can't." She sniffs and then, more firmly, "I'm sorry." And then Rey's footsteps begin to move sharply away. Finn moves to the end of the hallway in two long strides and peeks around the corner. Rey has nearly reached the doors leading to the hanger, shoulders a little slumped. And she is alone.

Finn looks down at Rose, who is of course leaning around him, and her eyes reflect his own confusion.

"Who could she have been talking to?" Rose wonders when the hanger doors shut.

Finn straightens, realization dawning on him. "This…this is Force stuff." As soon as he says it he knows it's true. He spends a moment replaying everything he'd heard Rey say. "Who could be trying to convince Rey to leave?" He feels his heartbeat speed up in his chest in anxiety. He'd already been separated from Rey before, and he'd hated not knowing what was happening to her. She's the second person he'd ever had love for. The first one is Poe, who had named him and swept him along into the freedom of his new life.

Finn glances down at the third person, who is chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"You don't think it's someone in the Resistance, do you?" Rose asks, head tilting up so she can look Finn in the eye.

He frowns. "That can communicate through the Force?"

Rose echoes his frown. "Right. You know, Finn, can I ask you something?"

He nods.

"How did Rey defeat Snoke?"

He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Don't know. She's never told me." This is actually a slight sore spot for Finn. He'd asked Rey to tell him about a billion times, and each time she had refused, claiming it was too hard to relive. And now that's not the only secret she's been keeping from him, apparently.

"She didn't tell you? I thought for sure she'd have told you." There's an awkward, but thankfully fleeting moment of silence between them.

"Do you think," Rose begins, "that maybe, maybe she didn't defeat Snoke? At least not by herself?" She looks ashamed of herself for even considering the concept.

"Why would she lie about that though?" But Finn can hear the doubt in his own voice.

"Rey is hiding something," Rose concludes. And Finn…

Finn can't help but be forced to agree.

"We can't tell Poe about this." Rose's voice is firm and unwavering. And Finn…

Finn can't help but be forced to agree. Although this time a little more begrudgingly. Poe is usually the first person he'd go to with a scenario like this, but Poe…he'd probably be Poe about it.

Besides, Finn kinda likes it when it's just him and Rose on a mission.

They turn and make their way toward the common area, heads bent together and whispering amongst the two of them, going over who Rey could possibly be talking to through the Force—

For a brief second the sensation of Kylo Ren slicing his lightsaber across his back burns through Finn's body, and he holds back a gasp, steps faltering a tad.

But Rose catches it. She seems to catch everything about him these days. "Are you alright?" she asks, immediately putting a hand on his shoulder and effectively stilling them both.

Finn reaches behind his back and brushes his hand where the phantom pain was and shakes his head, dazed. "Yeah, I just…"

Sometimes things like this happen: images and feelings flitting across his being that he never asks for, some of them memories, some of them he's never even experienced. When he'd told Rey about them she had eagerly showed him passages from the sacred Jedi texts she'd nicked from Ahch-To. Apparently he's force sensitive, which is very nice and all, but he can't lift stuff like Rey can. And that had been a bitter disappointment indeed.

"Force stuff," Rose concludes, giving him an empathetic smile. "Will you talk to Rey about it?"

And overwhelming feeling of no came over him. Don't talk to Rey about Kylo Ren.

Finn blinks, having no real desire for random Forcey things coming over him without him asking—

Don't talk to Rey about Kylo Ren. Don't talk to Rey about Kylo Ren. Not yet. Don't talk to Rey about Kylo Ren.

Huh.

Rose gives the hand that's still resting on his shoulder a gentle shake. "Finn?"

He purses his lips and lays his right hand hers, intending to pull it away and keep walking but…kinda just holding onto it and standing still instead.

"Okay, now hear me out but. I have a theory."

A/N:

This is my Finn/Rose with a side of Reylo cutesy fic. Expect shenanigans, precious babies being precious, and some angst thrown in because I'm trash and can't help myself. I hope y'all enjoyed this first part! If you did drop a review and let me know? :)