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TDM

[hatejakku]

ft. Annie, Star Lord, & Rufus

ft. Jim

action;

[winscenario]

[ It's not like Finn's avoiding him. Honestly, it has only been a few days, so the fact he has neither seen nor heard of Finn since their mermaid adventures in those special hot springs could be easily chalked up to being busy or mismatching schedules that could mean they keep missing each other in the hallways, or around the pathways at the springs.

But then— what schedules? Busy with what, exactly? It's not like there's a whole lot to do, here. Still, Jim tries hard to tell himself that Finn's not consciously avoiding him, even despite the fact that their two last meetings weren't exactly free from some outside influence.

Instead he makes his way to Finn's room at the resort one afternoon, knocking on the door and waiting to be let in, should he be there. ]

im a little awol this weekend but \o/

[hatejakku]

[ No no no no no no no, Finn's not avoiding Jim, no never. Except that's exactly what he's been doing, yes.

In reality, it's more like he's been avoiding everything but it's in the hopes that he doesn't run into James. Not that he doesn't want to see him again, he does, but he has no idea what to say to make any of it better. They have to talk, but... what is he supposed to say? That he hadn't-... Stars, the fact that he did like it makes everything so much worse.

So much for not being ready to take that intimate step again. So much for not taking advantage... And now, so much for hiding. He knows who's at the door, feels guilty that he knows, too. And worse that he wasn't the one to initiate this conversation, fuck, this is going to be bad, he can still jump out the window and escape-

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Finn opened the door. For all his efforts, he probably still looked nervous as hell and, despite knowing and feeling that it was James outside his door, he still looked a little surprised to see him. Also, guilty as hell. ]

Hi.

[ He has to physically force himself to not immediately start apologizing. Instead, he steps aside and holds the door open. ] You want to come in?

I shall be here when you return... waiting...

[winscenario]

[ It's not going to be bad, no. At least, not so far as Jim is concerned. He's not mad, not upset, not even sad; if anything he's more wondering how Finn is doing, and thus his visit, but he absolutely isn't planning on starting a whole argument, nor is he expecting that to happen.

Which is why, as soon as Finn opens the door, Jim greets him with a genuine smile. ]

Hey.

[ He peers into the room briefly, then chuckles at the question. ]

I do, yes. Provided you're on your own?

[ He just wants to speak to Finn, not intrude on... whatever else he might be doing with someone else. But seen as Finn did invite him in, Jim's assuming there's no one else there, so he probably steps inside, looking around. Doesn't look all that different from the room he shares with Spock, so quickly he turns his attention back to Finn. ]

How are you? You kinda vanished on me for a bit, there.

excellent

[hatejakku]

[ His roomie isn't around, no. Poor guy's probably around somewhere overly exhausted at the next thing to happen on this planet. Anyway, he nods and lets Jim in before shutting the door behind him.

The easy smile and relaxed attitude makes him feel a little better about the whole thing. James isn't angry, so that's... okay. That's great, really. But Finn still frowns a little, his shoulders dipping lower, when his poor avoiding techniques are brought to light. ]

Yeah, I- I'm sorry.

[ He glances at the door, glances at the floor, sighs, and looks back up to James. ]

I'm sorry about everything. I know there was... other stuff going on that affected us, but I still sort of just... didn't question it, and the abilities I have don't allow me to excuse it. I'm sorry.

[ Yeah, he was under some influences, too, though he doesn't think the drinks hit him as hard. The point is, he should have been able to sense that something was wrong and hadn't because, in his mind, nothing was wrong. He had everything he wanted. How could anything be wrong?

Jim deserves better than willful ignorance. ]

Action-ish

[spacedisaster]

[ As soon as Finn steps outside his apartment in the morning, he will find a small present on his doorstep: a small bucket of peach colored roses in a glass/metal vase, and an extra yellow rose with it's thorns removed. Next to them, there's a small card that reads: ]

I can't thank you enough for all the help, please accept this gift as a token of my appreciation.

-P.Q.

!!!!!!!!!!!!! Text-ish

[hatejakku]

[ Finn loves his gift. He loves it, loves it, loves it. So much so that he even forgets where he'd been headed. Instead, he went straight back inside to put the roses somewhere perfect.

It takes him a bit (goofy smiles taking up a lot of time) then he sends a text: ]

You don't have to thank me for anything, but I love them. Thank you.

:> ♥

[spacedisaster]

[ Finn, you're always too cute for words. Peter only regrets not being there in person to see his face but he wanted this to be a total surprise. It's his turn to smile like a fool after he gets the text. ]

Ey, Finn. But I wanted to! You really helped me out there, you always do. I'm glad you like the flowers. I cashed a reward and I wanted to give you something nice.

[hatejakku]

[ It was a reward, too? From the cards, Finn assumes, but gosh. That's so sweet. ]

Well, I'll remember this. ;)

late december; christmas gifts & other sappy stuff

[winscenario]

[ Everything's been set up. Jim's never been one for decorations, but he's found a few things to hang around the apartment just for the mood; he's collected a few flowers that he knows to be harmless and made a couple of simple arrangements on jars, one of which rests on the small dining table that he's set for two, with a couple of lit candles. There are a few more candles around the place too, the lights otherwise still on but Jim's tried to dim them a little more to create a more romantic atmosphere.

He's made sure to let Finn know of the dinner in advance, of course, and made sure he had his night completely free. With the certainty Finn would be there, he set out to gathering food to cook, and he's just now letting that food finish cooking while he goes over the last details like some obsessive control freak (which he is, but only very rarely... okay, sometimes).

There's a chime on the doorbell, and he straightens, looking himself over. Shit, still wearing the dirty apron. He gets it off in a rush, hangs it haphazardly (it falls to the floor in the process), then makes sure his clothes are looking alright. New jeans: check. Button-up navy blue shirt tucked in: check. Comfortable yet elegant indoor slippers: check. Hair: impeccable. Perfume... probably lost some of the intensity now that he's been cooking for like two hours or something. Ah, screw it.

He rushes to the door, then opens it, trying and probably failing to look like his heart isn't about to leap up his throat when he sees Finn. ]

Hi. Just in time.

[hatejakku]

[ Before their little beach getaway, Finn had been a little nervous but mostly excited. Tonight, it was the same mix but leaning more in the opposite direction. This time there are gifts involved that he really hopes James will like (genuinely, really like), plus there's an actual dinner going on. One that James is making himself! Which would imply that this is important to him, right? More important than usual?

Instead of staring at the ceiling while contemplating these things, Finn used the other half of his brain to fret over what to wear. It ended in a white button-up with dark jeans that James seemed to like on him before maybe probably, along with something that would make him smell better than stress.

But, honestly, he really is excited about the evening. Anytime they do something romantic like this, Finn overflows with joy and love. Jim wants this sort of thing with him, after all. It's a fantastic way to live.

After ringing the bell and getting his hands behind his back again, he doesn't have to stand there biting his lip like a dork for long. The door opens and there's his lover... looking a little nervous, too. He's laughing before he can catch himself, absolutely delighted. ]

Hi. You look beautiful. [ Always, but he really does tonight. (Wow, Finn hopes James never thinks that's getting old or something.) Anyway, once he comes back to himself, maybe he'll show Jim what he's hiding behind his back... ]

[winscenario]

[ It is more important than usual, yes. Not just because of the exchanging of gifts, obviously, this isn't the first time they've gifted each other things or shared little gestures. But as for what else he's got planned for the evening, he's keeping to himself for the time being. He doesn't think that Finn will suspect for a moment what Jim has on his mind, but that may just be for the best. Not that he thinks he'll chicken out of it, not when he's been entertaining the thought for a while.

His smile softens and his cheeks get a little warm at Finn's compliment. He chuckles, reaching out to pull Finn into the flat, leaning in for a soft kiss. ]

So are you. Come on in— make yourself comfortable. I've got a pair of slippers for you, hold on.

[ He goes to a shoe rack near the door, pulling out a brand new pair, setting them down for Finn to wear. ]

It's— a new thing I'm trying. No shoes indoors. Makes it feel cozier.

[hatejakku]

[ No shoes inside. That's so domestic, it hurts. In fact, Finn's smile is big enough to hurt while he toes out of his shoes and into the offered slippers, done a little awkwardly since he's not moving his arms yet. ]

I love it. [ There's a little laugh beneath his voice as he takes another kiss while he's in reach. ] I brought part of your present.

[ And with that, he reveals some of his gift. It's a pad of textured paper with charcoal and fancy markers for that sort of artsy thing. ] I hope you like it because there's a lot more where that came from. I think the Augur loves you almost as much as I do.

Text

[spacedisaster]

Ey Finn, do you have a moment? I wanted to talk to you about an initiative that Dorothy Catalonia is organizing, I don't know if you ever talked to her. She posted about it the other day.

Long story short, the blizzard made it obvious that we all need some reliable food resources, and Dorothy suggested working on starting some proper agriculture here as well as other community projects. I already had those ideas in mind myself but I was waiting to build up my rewards so I could ask Augur for some crops and specific vegetables.

She's talking about establishing a council, not to impose laws but to have people supervising some of the projects. [ Peter will give Finn's username access and unlock his thread with Dorothy for him to see. ] I wanted to know what you think about it.

Text

[hatejakku]

[ Finn, absolutely ridiculously touched that Peter wants his opinion, takes his time to read over everything carefully. There is a mention of a law against murder that his lips thin over, understanding the idea (obviously) but still finding himself hesitant to support any laws here unless necessary.

But that's clearly not the point of this whole thing. He just doesn't like a power grab. ]

I think some organizing could do everyone a lot of good, and preparation for another emergency like the blizzard is necessary, in my opinion. Personally, I haven't gone to the Augur about anything large like that. I don't really know what to ask for, but I have started looking after the local wildlife, volunteering where I can, and searching for buildings that could be repaired without the Augur's help.

[ He's also been looking for bunkers and the like from the previous civilization. Considering the state of how things appeared to be, he can't understand why nothing seems to be popping up. But anyway- ]

I'll be at her meeting. For the most part, though, I like where she's going with this so far.

You would be great on this council, too, by the way. People trust you, I trust you. You have everyone's best interest at heart and have proven it more than once. Not to mention how well you keep up with the community.

[ He also wants to thank Peter for wanting to hear his thoughts on the matter but doesn't really know how. So he just... smiles at the message instead, as if that conveys it. ]

Text

[spacedisaster]

[ Of course, he wants Finn's opinion, it matters a lot to him, and Peter trusts his judgment. He's also questioning that law because installing it leads to decide what to do when someone breaks it, if they need trials, a jail...it's messy, so Peter would rather focus on ways to improve their lives instead. ]

We're in agreement about the food. More options also mean that those who are very young or just not interested all that much in sex can have somewhere to go to get food. Not everyone has an easy time building up rewards.

I didn't consider the local wildlife! Have you been taming the goose? [ Are you secretly a Disney prince, Finn? Please say yes. ]

I'll see you there, then. It can't hurt to see what ideas are discussed in detail and what projects we can work on.

[ On his end, Peter looks a bit sheepish when he reads Finn's words of encouragement. He's used to everyone questioning his leadership abilities, and he's been his worst critic lately, so this means a lot to him. ]

Now, now, you're going to make me blush. [ Finn already did. ] I want to help as much as possible and make sure you and others are safe. So if you also think it's a good idea, I'll look deeper into this.

Text

[hatejakku]

Maybe we can look into storing food for the long haul, place cache's around for emergencies, things like that. It's something for more extreme cases rather than the day-to-day, but you never when we'll need something like that.

I'm working at the stables now! They have chocobos and some other things, I think? I've been playing with chocobo chicks a lot, honestly. It's fun work! But do you mean Horatio? You don't tame geese. You just hope they tolerate you, and I think he even kind of likes me. Probably because James likes me or something.

[ He absolutely is a Disney princess, though. Canon hasn't shot down that one yet! ]

I think that's a good idea. And I think those reasons are exactly why you'd make a great fit.

action; after the week of lovemaking

[winscenario]

[ It's been a weird... hell, Jim doesn't even know. A week, supposedly? But that dream, or illusion, whatever they were trapped in, felt like a whole lot longer than that. It must've been, at least in his head, for he and Finn to get to the stage in their relationship they had in that dream. At least on his end, he knows he'd need time— a lot of time to even think about marriage with anyone.

And now here he is, thinking about it, hating that the dream forced him to do that whether he likes it or not. Jim's managed to slink himself out of bed without waking up Finn, and it's still a little dark, the first light of the sun beyond the horizon still not robbing the stars of their glow.

He's sitting on the windowsill, awake but looking almost hypnotized by the speckled sky. He's not sure what exactly this will help him with, he doubts it will help in any way, and the longer he sits there the more at a loss he is about how he'll deal with the whole aftermath of this, the mess it will cause, or how he'll face Finn when he wakes up. He's got a feeling Finn will probably be happy and absolutely delighted about their shared experience, and that thought both warms his heart and petrifies him to no end. Not to mention that he feels horribly guilty that it took some stupid illusion for him to admit to his feelings for Finn, as well as mad for having been robbed of that experience in a way. It's probably stupid, that much. As though it won't be as special when he does say it now.

He's... probably thinking way too much about all of it. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Finn wakes up slowly, taking in a deep breath while his hand glides across the sheet. It's when he doesn't find that warmth he's looking for that his eyes open and memories flood back in.

They had been married... It wasn't real, of course. Some sort of mind trick this planet put them through, a lot more intense than what those hot springs had done. That had just lowered his inhibitions. This had manipulated his memories and made him believe things that hadn't happened. Sure, they were good things, but that's still worrying.

Or, it should be worrying. Finn can't help the flutter of happiness he feels about what happened. With his abilities, he should have been able to see through the veil. There were certainly signs that he willingly chose to ignore due to what the illusion had been. By all rights, he should be freaking out about it, but he's not. There was nothing wrong or malevolent about it, nothing that may indicate it was even a distraction for something worse. It was just... them. It felt so right at the time.

They're not married anymore, were never actually married in the first place, but it was nice to pretend. At any rate, it's another memory he can tuck away and hope that he can keep when this planet abandons him, too.

As for the present, Finn tilts his head over to James' side of the bed and finds it empty. It's still pretty dark, a bit too early for the guy that's usually trying to make Finn stay in bed for cuddling. He also doesn't hear anything even though he knows James is still home somewhere, so Finn quietly rises out of bed, too.

There's something in there with them, some sort of feeling of disquiet that follows him from the bedroom and just becomes more obvious when Finn finds him... Instead of saying anything and disturbing the morning, Finn continues to quietly approach, every intention of gently brushing his hand over Jim's arm as if to ask him what's wrong. ]

[winscenario]

[ In the quiet of the flat, it's easy to tell that Finn's up too, even when he doesn't speak up at all. Probably for the best, or else Jim might've jumped out of his own skin with Finn sneaking up on him like that. He does tense when he realizes he's no longer alone, mostly because it's still the middle of the night, he still hasn't processed all that, and he still has no idea how he's going to deal with it.

Still, he doesn't brush off Finn's touch, doesn't think he could reject it even if he tried. He glances up at him with a faint smile, and an even fainter hope that somehow Finn doesn't remember any of that, and it was all just some extremely elaborate and vivid dream that only he experienced. ]

I woke you up. Sorry.

[hatejakku]

[ Finn shakes his head, unclear if it's to brush off the apology or claim that's not what happened. It could have been coming out of that dream or realizing he was alone or this feeling following him around- Anything. Whatever it was, James obviously didn't do it on purpose if it was his fault. There's no need for an apology.

There's a tension in Jim when Finn approaches, and his thumb makes slow circles over his skin to try dispelling it. He presses a kiss to his temple before speaking quietly- ] Are you all right?

[ Maybe whatever's happening is fleeting, the outcome of too little sleep or something. But a part of Finn believes this has something to do with the last week. He just doesn't know what yet. ]

action; space brothel au

[winscenario]

[ He's brought to a room without much explanation as to why, or who he's being presented to, and he knows better than to ask too many questions. As a slave, he's had a number of different jobs, and despite the fact that at the end of the day he may not have much of a choice, at least he did ask for this specific post, and his looks have worked in his favor in that regard.

Pretty workers for the brothels are always in high demand, in this corner of the galaxy. It helps that there's not much Jim's unwilling to do, and he knows that in a weird way, he's lucky to have landed on a more high-end brothel, where he's decently looked after, and the people running the place don't tend to go around punishing the workers so severely, lest they might damage the— merchandise, for lack of a better word.

Still, he is immensely curious, and admittedly dreading it a little too. All he knows is that it's some Sith Lord that he's being handed off to, and while the Empire's presence around these parts isn't any news, Jim's never really serviced one of them. He's not sure what to expect, and he's not sure either if he'll be able to keep his intense dislike for the Empire in check.

He's made comfortable in the room where he's supposed to wait; handed a nice set of seductive lingerie, made up of little more than lace trimmings, pearls and sheer fabric, but at least he gets to wear a long robe with an elaborate pattern covering it all. He's tied it around his waist while looking around the room, each toy or supply he finds making his heart rush a little, wondering exactly what of all these things this Sith Lord might want to use on him. Eventually he'll slink to one of the comfortable seats on offer, looking out the window and out to the stars, not realizing how long he's been waiting and how distracted he's gotten until he hears the door being opened, immediately sitting up to see who's coming in. ]

[hatejakku]

[ He's not the kind of person to visit a place like this, but he thought he wasn't the kind of person to do a lot of things he's done. Considering that the Empire is waiting for the... enemy to make the next move and this planet had been taken not too long ago, he doesn't see any reason not to try losing himself for a little while. The desire for company is kind of new, though.

He was having second thoughts as soon as he requested it. At least his demands weren't questioned by anyone else. People just scrambled to get it done, to please him. People did that a lot these days. He didn't much care for it.

So by the time he entered the room with a nearly empty tumbler in his hand, he'd already decided to maybe just let this person have a mini-vacation, too. Let them sleep in a nice bed while he stared at the skyline or something. He knew how the slaves back here were treated, even at the seemingly nicer places like this one.

What he didn't entirely expect was to... recognize anyone. He's only just inside the door after taking a few steps, tumbler against his lips when he freezes and just looks. Problem is, he can't place the face. But he knows this man. The Force hums with it.

But where as Jim is recognizable, the man who used to be Finn is not so much. His hair is closely shaven again, his fashion sense has gotten much darker, and his scars are a lot more prominent now. One spreads out from one of his eyes, a deep purple glow beneath the surface, but if there's any pain, it's not apparent.

He lowers the tumbler without draining the rest, reaching over and placing the glass on the first available surface his hand finds. ]

You have a name?

[ Aside from the initial look of surprise, he's back to being much more aloof and almost relaxed. So long as this man doesn't recognize him, this night might go easily. ]

[winscenario]

[ The man that steps through the door is both surprising and not. The whole feel of him, the darkness that seems to surround him, that doesn't shock him in the least. There's something vaguely nagging at the back of his mind about it, though, whether it's a physical trait or just his voice, but Jim can't place, and he doesn't waste time trying to.

He does look surprised, though, looking at Jim like that. But he doesn't ask about that either, just fixing his robe slightly and getting to his feet, standing as upright as he can. The question makes his jaw clench, his lips press into a thin line, but his tone is soft when he answers. ]

It's James.

[ Of course he has a name; he's not some wild creature, some pet being kept. Except in these circumstances, he kind of is. For all that this man cares, Jim doesn't really need to have a name, does he? He's just here for his personal enjoyment, so why does he care if Jim has a name?

And yet, defiantly, he shoots the question right back at him, not even thinking that there might be consequences to talking back. ]

Do you?

[hatejakku]

[ It would be nice to say that he hadn't meant the question like that, but he had. It's an honest question as far as he's concerned. After all, having a name is still kind of new to him, no matter which name it is.

So he sees the flicker of annoyance in the other's eyes but says nothing about it. Besides, the name's familiar, too. The Force might as well be trying to punch him in the face for all the impact and clarity it provides. Which is a lot and none, respectively.

The question coming back at him is only surprising because he thought the other man would already know, that someone would have told him. It's unfortunate that they hadn't, because he finds himself unprepared to answer. His eyes flit to the wall then the floor. This is supposed to be a time to get away, to try forgetting for awhile, and he's not going to forget if it keeps getting mentioned.

His eyes flick back up to his. ]

Call me Finn. [ And just for transparency's sake. ] They call me Darth Martis.