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Finn's experience on Canto Bight was... interesting. The place was flashy and beautiful, for sure, and his curiosity was absolutely burning with the desire to explore the city. The man he was there with, though, not so much.
Kylo hadn't stopped scowling since they landed; irritated to be separated from Rey, irritated to have to step foot on “such an unsavory planet,” and irritated by the man they were there to meet.
“Why not send someone on your behalf?” Finn had asked him, earning him a huff and a scowl from the Supreme Leader.
“Because I don't trust anyone not to get fucked over by this asshole. Nenn Cato has resources that are valuable to us, but he'll do anything he can to give us as little of it as possible for the most profit in return.”
After meeting the man, Finn had to agree; Cato practically oozed that disarming kind of sleaze that made your skin crawl. Finn had no doubt that everything Kylo said about him was true, but the result, unfortunately, was that Kylo's mood was sure not to improve for the duration of their stay. It definitely made him wish Rey was there.
It wasn't the first time the Supreme Leader and the Empress had needed to attend to different matters on different ends of the galaxy, but it was the first time Finn had accompanied Kylo all alone.
“Finn’s going with you to Canto Bight.”
“I don’t need him.”
“Kylo, I'm not leaving the Finalizer, I'll be perfectly safe here overlooking the fleet in the Hutt system, but you need someone at your back.”
The resignation in Kylo’s features was proof he knew he would be caving to Rey’s request, but still the Supreme Leader huffed and crossed his arms.
Finn, meanwhile, remained silent. He knew better than to get between the leaders of the First Order, but it didn't change the fact that he was uneasy being witness to this particular conversation, especially with Kylo looking so displeased by the prospect of having Finn accompany him.
This was still new to him, officially being promoted to their personal security; an excuse to have him at their side whenever they desired, but by no means an empty position. He still trained with the Troopers, he still had many of the same responsibilities, but now he was likely to be pulled away at a moment's notice; either to pleasure the Empress or to accompany them across the galaxy.
Then Kylo’s gaze turned to him, piercing stare always feeling like it was cutting right through Finn, before he sighed and shook his head. “Very well. Finn will accompany me, if it will make you feel better.”
“It will.”
Which left him standing over Kylo’s shoulder, doing his best to look intimidating as Nenn Cato’s men stood against the opposite wall, all of them watching the terse negotiation unfold.
“I’m not a fool, Cato, you can’t inflate the price of that shit and think I won’t notice.”
It was not going as smoothly as Finn had hoped; Kylo’s icy, efficient rebuttals to Cato’s various offers clearly starting to tick the other man off.
“My dear man-” Cato was giving him a smile as fake as the gold decor, “-perhaps you’ve just been a bit too busy to keep up with the current rate? Leading such a victorious enterprise as you do-”
“False flattery will not sway me, Cato.”
Cato leaned back in his chair, his eyes flat and cold. It made Finn uneasy.
“No, I daresay it won’t,” Cato murmured quietly, stroking a finger over his lips as he regarded Kylo for a long moment.
Finn shifted, glancing from Cato to his guards, who looked just as annoyed as their boss as Kylo dryly continued to criticize Cato's contract.
“Tell you what, Chief,” Cato had the daring to eventually interrupt, and the stiffness of Kylo's shoulders told Finn exactly how much the Supreme Leader did not appreciate it, “take some time in the casino. Have some drinks, play at a table, let a call girl chat you up, whatever strikes your fancy. I'll look over the contract again, see what better deals I might be able to cut you. We both want to walk away satisfied, don’t we?”
“I'm not interested in gambling, I'm here to talk business with you.”
“Indeed, indeed, my friend, but the business is not going, is it? You're not happy with the contract, I'm not happy with the contract, and now that I've seen what you want I think we can come back with something better tomorrow, no?”
“Tomorrow?” Kylo scoffed, folding his arms and shaking his head. “I think not.”
“Come now, come now. We are both reasonable men, are we not? You will do me the professional courtesy of allowing me proper time to draw you a new contract, won’t you, Supreme Leader Ren? It's what good business partners do; that’s important in our line of work.”
Even Finn could sense the subtle threat in Cato's words; play nice, or I'll make sure no one plays with you at all.
Clearly Kylo did too, seething with frustration but giving a curt nod anyway, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he stood.
“Tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow. Thank you, Supreme Leader Ren, most generous of you.”
Cato's voice was so oily Finn was sure you could use it to grease a droid’s joints, and his overly cheerful platitude just another dig he clearly enjoyed twisting into Kylo's side.
Finn hurriedly moved to open the door so they could make their exit from the private room, Kylo’s cape swishing past his side as they stepped into the hall.
“Slimy bastard,” Kylo murmured angrily once the door whooshed shut behind them, Finn moving quickly to keep up with his long strides. “He doesn’t need until tomorrow to draw a new contract, he’s just trying to sweat me out, make me hasty. Kriffing swindler.”
Finn didn’t reply, letting Kylo lead them in the direction of the suite he had been given for the duration of their stay, however long that ended up being.
“What do you want to do in the meantime?” Finn asked him, pulling the key card from his belt and swiping it over the entry pad beside the door to let them in.
Kylo scoffed as he stepped through, taking the key card from Finn's fingers before turning to look at him, taking up the doorway rather obviously. “I have work to do. You, however, are free to go. I will call you if I need anything, just keep your comm on.”
With that, he closed the door, leaving Finn alone in the hallway.
“Oh... okay then.” Finn murmured to himself. Guess he'd have time to explore Canto Bight's various entertainment options after all.
***
He was a little drunk. Just a little. He felt entitled to it, honestly, after the day he'd had. Cato, Kylo, the terse hours of negotiation and fake pleasantries.
So he wandered; he had a couple drinks (something called a “Purple Ice,” which the bartender recommended to him), he learned a dice game, he watched a haunting performance by a singer called Diva Plavalaguna, he cheered on a fathier race.
The whole place was so strange and busy, teeming with life, and it was funny to think of how Canto Bight was so similar to the Finalizer and yet so different. Both busy around the clock, both bright with constant light; but where the First Order ship was black and white, sharp lights, sharp corners, sleek floors—here it was warm, soft light and swooping, flowing decor, the sound of laughter and tinkling glasses instead of hard boots on durasteel floors and clanking machinery.
His exploration took up several hours, and he returned to his room pleasantly buzzed and full of good food, and he thought that would be the end of his evening. That he’d shower and change, maybe spend a little time on the balcony looking out at the city scenery, then go to sleep.
Instead, at Rey’s behest, he found himself at Kylo’s door shortly thereafter.
“Please check on him,” she had asked him over a comm call, “He’s frustrated, but he won’t talk to me. Says he doesn’t want to distract me with his troubles. Idiot.”
Finn had had to hold back a snicker at that, but ultimately agreed. He had a feeling there was very little he would not do if she requested it, though in this particular instance he wasn’t sure how much use he could be.
Still, he found himself before the Supreme Leader’s door, and balked when it opened before he could even touch the entry pad.
“I sensed you coming this way,” Kylo informed him as he stepped into the suite, the Supreme Leader slouched down in a plush chair in casual clothes, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, and a short drink glass in his hand. It was half-filled with an amber liquid, and Kylo took a sip from it as the door slid shut behind Finn.
“Have you just been in here drinking all night?” Finn asked him, and Kylo snorted.
“Of course not. This is only my second.”
That was good, at least. Finn would have been a hypocrite to criticize him for having a couple drinks, as he was still pleasantly warm himself from the ones he had consumed, but there was definitely a difference between a “couple drinks” and nursing a bottle of hard liquor all night. (Something he had witnessed unpleasantly for himself on one of his trips off ship with them to meet with several planet leaders.)
“What do you want?” Kylo wasn’t one for beating around the bush.
“Just... checking in.”
Kylo snorted again, giving Finn a look. “More like checking on. I know my wife, FN.”
Finn felt his neck get warm at being called out on his true purpose there, and he shifted his weight, clasping his hands behind his back.
“I just do what I’m told, sir.”
Kylo finished his drink with a grimace, getting up to pour himself another. “Yes, Finn, I know.”
Finn wasn’t sure how to interpret that, and he shifted his weight again. Something felt off. It wasn’t unusual in the slightest that Kylo was being aloof and uninterested in him, that happened all the time, so he wasn’t sure what it was that was tugging on his instincts.
“You may go,” Kylo threw over his shoulder. “As you can see, I haven’t been murdered or kidnapped, so your duties have been fulfilled.”
“I don’t really think kidnapping was on Rey’s mind when she asked me to check on you,” Finn found himself murmuring. Kylo turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You already know my frustrations, Finn. Cato is testing my very last nerve with this contract; I’d tell him to go fuck himself if I didn’t think he’d take it as an opportunity to turn around and sell to the fucking Resistance,” Kylo growled, looking out the glass of the balcony to Canto Bight’s skyline. “Hell, he’s probably doing that already, slimey low-life that he is. And I’m concerned about Rey handling the situation in the Hutt System. I know she’s capable but I still prefer us tackling situations like that as a team.”
He scowled as he sighed, returning to his chair before taking a mouthful of his drink. “Fuck, I just want to go home, I hate this place.”
His scowl darkened, and Finn shifted his weight from one foot to the other again.
He wasn’t entirely sure how to handle this conversation. He and Kylo didn’t really talk; not on their own, anyway. Rey was always there, always a conduit between them. He found, suddenly, that though he had spent months in their bed, sharing Rey between them, he didn’t really know Kylo very well.
Unexpectedly, Finn found himself wanting to help, but he was at a loss as to how. Were it Rey, he would offer to take her to bed, but with Kylo...
“Wanna beat the crap out of me for a bit?”
The alcohol he had drank earlier must have gone to his head more than he first thought, if he was dumb enough to make such an offer. Kylo seemed to think so too, his brow knit in confusion as he stared at Finn for a long moment.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well... you like to fight when you're worked up, don't you? We could spar or something, if it'll make you feel better.”
Still Kylo stared at him, a puzzled little crease between his eyebrows.
“We don’t have to,” Finn added after a moment. “It was just... you know, a suggestion.”
The tiniest of smirks quirked at the corner of Kylo’s mouth. “You want to fight me?”
“I never said that,” Finn said hastily. “I really think both me and Rey would prefer it if you didn’t kill me.”
Kylo slowly stood up, taking another mouthful of his drink as he stared contemplatively at Finn for a long moment.
“Alright,” he said simply. Then with a flick of his hand the furniture was being pushed back, clearing a space in the center of the room for them.
Finn was suddenly nervous. He had sparred with Kylo before—getting upgraded to “personal security” for the Supreme Leader and Empress demanded him to be able to fight on the same level they could—but that had been with padding and a mat under their feet, and definitely not with alcohol in their bloodstreams.
Still, he had made the offer, and they weren’t too drunk, plus this place had to have first aid kits, if need be, surely?
Finn bent down to remove his boots, then shrugged out of his jacket as Kylo knocked back the rest of his drink and returned the glass to the table before stepping forward, rolling his shoulders.
“I’d, uh... appreciate it if you didn’t try to break my bones,” Finn said apprehensively, the both of them readying themselves, loosening muscles as they started a slow circle around each other.
Kylo actually chortled. “You’re making it sound like I’ve tried in the past. If you recall, it was Rey who broke your nose last time.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want you taking inspiration from her.”
Another tiny smile, and Kylo put his hands up, knees bent slightly, ready to go, and Finn mirrored him. Then quiet, both of them concentrating as they took light swings and jabs at each other, blocking and dodging.
Finn felt an undeniable thrill of victory when Kylo blocked Finn’s fist only for Finn to manage to clip his cheek with an elbow, getting a grunt out of him as he stumbled back. Finn took Kylo’s surprise to his advantage, rushing forward and getting an ankle behind his knee to take him to the floor. It was a short-lived victory, of course, Kylo using Finn’s momentum against him to roll him off and under him, following through to pin one of Finn’s wrists while he pressed a forearm against Finn’s throat, along with digging one knee into Finn’s thigh.
“Fuck,” Finn cursed, struggling against the hold, infuriated by Kylo’s haughty smirk above him.
“Gotta do better than that, soldier,” Kylo murmured, almost sing-song—the asshole—and it motivated Finn to get his free leg up, nailing Kylo in the side with his knee before hooking his heel against Kylo’s hip, using the leverage to push him up and to the side.
Instead of following, Finn scrambled to his feet, twisting his wrist out of Kylo’s grasp and shaking his head a little at the slight headrush. He should not have had those drinks.
Kylo hurriedly followed his lead, getting back on his feet, panting as he gave Finn another little grin. “Not bad.”
Finn huffed, keeping his hands up defensively. “Gee, thanks.”
A few more swings and swipes, trying to stay out of each other’s reach while still ducking in to land a hit, and Finn was starting to tire. It wasn’t surprising, considering the hour and alcohol, but he refused to be the one to concede. At least he could take comfort in the fact that Kylo was looking run down too, panting and sweating as he blocked another swing of Finn’s arm.
Finn grimaced as he finally let Kylo get close, using the opening provided to him by the taller man taking a swing at his cheek—and landing it, the impact smartly stinging despite the clear restraint they were both using to not actually hurt each other—to grab hold of him tightly, grunting as he twisted to throw Kylo over his hip. The sound of him hitting the floor with a thud was a short victory, however, when Kylo pulled him down too.
Somehow Finn still managed to stay on top, using his entire weight and strength to pin the Supreme Leader down until the taller man went limp with a snarl and a huff.
“Fine, fine, I yield.” Kylo blew a stray lock of hair out of his face, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back against the floor. “Fuck, I shouldn't have had that third drink.”
“Mm-hm, keep using that as your excuse,” Finn retorted, rolling off to the side ungracefully to land on his back, starting up at the ceiling as they caught their breath. Kylo chortled in answer, resting his hands on his abdomen and taking a long, slow breath in and out.
Finn was already a bit sore, a few bruises sure to bloom over his skin in the next hour or so, but nothing too bad. He was pleasantly surprised; he had expected at least one bloody nose or split lip, but apparently they were better at pulling their punches than he first thought they would be.
“Alright?” Finn asked in a mumble a few minutes later, eyes closed.
Kylo hummed affirmatively in answer. “You?”
“Nothing’s broken or bleeding, so I can’t complain.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am surprised. You didn’t even want me here, I figured you’d take the opportunity to kick my ass and make it look like an accident.”
Finn could feel Kylo’s eyes on him, and reactively clenched his jaw tight. He probably shouldn’t have said that; that was a little too candid of a way to speak to someone who was still technically his ruler, despite the fact that Finn got to see him orgasm on a regular basis.
“It’s not personal, Finn,” Kylo murmured. “I just didn’t see the need for you to come; Canto Bight might be a magnet to all the galaxy’s slimiest criminals, but there are strict rules here. You can’t have a paradise planet if you let the patrons assassinate each other.”
“Plus the fact that you don’t actually need me.” He wasn’t stupid; he knew that his “promotion” to their personal security was for show. They didn’t need personal security; they could kill anyone they wanted to six different ways before Finn could even pull the trigger on his blaster. He was for the Empress’s pleasure, and his new position was simply a means to allow her easier access to him. Which is why he really didn’t know why she had been so insistent that he go with Kylo to Canto Bight.
Kylo was quiet, just breathing for a few moments. Finn was mentally preparing himself for the task of getting up; he was tired and starting to get sore, he needed to get off the floor and get to bed, and so did Kylo.
“Thank you, Finn,” Kylo’s voice was quiet, and Finn kept his eyes closed as he listened. “For suggesting that we spar. It has been quite useful to me this evening.”
Finn opened his eyes, finally pushing himself to sit up, then stand up, reaching a hand down and offering it to the Supreme Leader, who was watching him from where he was still laying on the floor.
“It’s been my pleasure, sir.” Kylo took his hand, gripping it tight as Finn pulled, the grip lingering for a moment once Kylo was on his feet. He was just watching Finn, a contemplative look in his eyes, and Finn felt uncomfortable heat creep up his neck at being analyzed so intently.
“Good evening, Finn.”
“Good evening, sir.”