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THIS WAS CUTE AS FUCK OH MY GOD
Finn Balor x Reader
content warning: just a lil airport romance if thats your sort of thing
summary: you just needed to stay awake until your connecting flight
With a small sigh, you collapsed into a less than comfortable seat, facing out towards the tarmac. You gripped a cheap styrofoam cup filled with fast food restaurant coffee like it was the last thing that separated you from delirium. Planes landed and planes took off. People came and people left.
The gate was almost completely desolate. A man in a suit was sleeping a few seats away from you, his newspaper neatly resting against his chest. For a moment, you wondered if he had the right idea.
But you couldn’t sleep. You could rest your eyes once you were back on the plane. You plugged your charger into the wall outlet and opened your laptop, pressing “play” on whatever episode of whatever baking show you had last watched.
You felt your eyes grow heavier and heavier as you tried to reason with your internal clock. Maybe you could close your eyes for just a few minutes. Maybe you could even set an alarm, take a half hour nap. You had at least an hour left of your layover so what’s thirty minutes of sleep while you wait?
Before you knew it you were waking up to the sensation of someone gently nudging your arm. You sat upright in a panic, assuming you had missed the boarding for your flight but, when you looked around, the gate was still nearly devoid of people. In front of you, however, stood a man with cropped brown hair, a beard and eyes that seemed concerned that he may have sent you into cardiac arrest.
“Sorry.” He spoke softly but you could catch a hint of an accent in spite of his volume. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just wondering if I could plug my phone into this outlet.”
He pointed towards the sockets in question and you realized your laptop charger had consumed both available openings.
“Shit, yeah. Sorry about that.”
You leaned over and, in a less than graceful fashion, balancing your laptop on your legs, you pulled your charger free and relocated it so it was taking up less room.
“Thanks. This flight is going to be hours and I’d rather not end up without my phone.” A little laugh followed his words, causing you to smile a sleepy sort of grin. “I really didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No, no. It’s okay. I needed a wake up call anyways.”
The man sat on the ground where his phone charged, his legs criss crossed, his arms stretched out behind him. He looked out the windows towards the planes, his cold blue eyes almost wistful as he followed the winged metal tubes as they ascended into the sky and descended towards the ground.
The silence was strangely peaceful as you looked on in the same direction as him. A sense of calm awakeness filled the air as you got used to your new neighbor.
“So, where are you going?” You asked.
It took him a moment to register your voice in his head and you worried that maybe he wasn’t waiting for more conversation.
“Uh, I’m headed to Dublin for a little vacation.”
“Oh! Were you on the flight from Miami?”
His eyes lit up as if that flight hadn’t been filled with hundreds of passengers.
“Yeah! That turbulence at the end. I thought we were going down.”
He laughed again as he looked at his feet and you felt your heart flutter slightly. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the jet lag but there was something about the way his smile lingered on his face, as if he were still replaying his words in his head, that threatened to make you feel like a blushing schoolgirl.
He looked up to you, his eyes studying you before he finally spoke.
“So are you headed to Dublin too?”
You nodded. “For a week.”
“Anything special planned?”
“Uh, well, I’ve got family out there that I haven’t seen since I was young.”
You had planned this trip for a year and, while it was partially to see the relatives you had been separated from for so long, you had also hoped to do some sort of soul searching. Life back in Florida had become something akin to a mess and you felt it was time for a hard reset.
You looked at him and he looked up at you. A small grin crossed his face, his eyes turning into slivers behind his cheeks. A hot blush burned over your cheeks as you looked away.
“I’m Finn, by the way.”
He held out his hand to you and you shook it. A spark danced over your skin and you hoped he felt it too. When his eyes ran down your arm to where your palms met you thought maybe he had.
“It’s nice to meet you, Finn.”
He held on for just a moment too long before drawing his arm back in and shaking his head.
“Sorry, I feel bad that I’ve kind of intruded on your morning.”
He moved to stand and your brain panicked, suddenly desperate to keep him by your side.
“Oh, no!” You placed your hand on his shoulder, a warm smile greeting his suddenly shy face. “You’re fine. I’m enjoying your company. It’s keeping me awake, which is more than I can say for this coffee.”
“You sure? I can sit somewhere else while I wait.”
“I promise. If you annoy me I’ll tell you.”
He paused as if he had to think hard about your words before sitting back down.
“Here,” you slid over a seat, dragging your laptop’s charging cord with you. “I’ll even let you have a seat of your own. God only knows what’s been on these floors.”
Finn sat himself down as if he were experiencing chairs for the first time. The sun was beginning to rise past the horizon and a ray caught onto his face, illuminating his features, the way his beard moved as he dragged his fingers through it nervously.
He then turned to you, a warm expression drifting over his face.
“What’re you watching?” He pointed to your laptop, the screen dim now but still vaguely discernible.
“I’m not sure. I fell asleep on the plane and woke up to this baking competition.” You traced your finger down the side of your laptop, unsure what to say next. “Would you… would you want to watch with me? We still have time before boarding is supposed to begin.”
He hesitated before nodding slowly, as though he wasn’t aware what the correct answer was.
And so that’s exactly what you did. You played the episode and he laughed at the dramatic editing and you thought about how he smelled like September leaves and crisp air and that feeling you get when you walk inside after a cold day.
Eventually, much to your embarrassment, you felt that same gentle hand nudging you awake.
You had fallen asleep on his shoulder and when you woke the gate was brimming with patiently waiting passengers, ready to board. You squinted past the rays of sun that had risen up past the horizon and the skyline. When you turned to Finn you saw him looking down at you, an amused grin on his face.
“Good morning.” He chimed
“Sorry.” You replied sheepishly. “Guess I had that on on the plane for a reason.”
The flight attendant announced the first boarding class and you quickly took your laptop back, coiling the charging cord up into a neat circle. Finn took his phone and stood, stretching his arms over his head. As he returned to a normal posture he held a hand out to you, helping you from your seat.
“So, I don’t know if you’ll have a lot of time but I’d be happy to show you around while you’re over in Dublin.” He offered, his hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders lifted towards his ears.
You considered his words carefully. You had only just met him but something drew you closer and closer with every passing moment. And so you nodded, agreeing to the suggestion.
They called the next class to board and Finn grabbed his belongings. Before taking the first step towards the boarding area, he faced you, his body close enough for you to feel his aura prickling your skin.
“It was nice to meet you.” He spoke quietly.
“I hope I’ll see you again.”
He gave your arm a quick squeeze before finally beginning to walk away. Something stopped him though. He paused in his tracks and stood still before turning back to you.
“I don’t think I got your name.” He called out.
“I’ll tell you when the plane lands.”