Chapter Text
Two Years Earlier
Finn fidgeted, glancing around the small room he’d been left in and told to wait for someone named Karé. But that had been twenty minutes ago and ten was getting closer and closer and he didn’t even know what studio he was in and he had to set up and what if he hadn’t saved the sets he’d spent literally a day on and was this room always this hot or was he about to faint…
“Hey, can I help you,” asked a voice suddenly and Finn could have collapsed in relief because that was the first voice he’d heard since the abrupt lady had abandoned him. Finn looked up at the slightly taller man, dark smooth skin and a concerned expression.
“I’m new,” Finn blurted out, thrusting out a hand in offering.
“Yeah, I figured,” the man replied, shaking Finn’s hand briskly before returning his hand to the pocket of his jacket. “Did you get lost or something?”
“I’m—Karé is supposed to meet me and help me set up. It’s my first night.”
The other man’s face twitched at that before settling into a tight smile. “You’re taking over the overnight slot.”
“Yeah. I’m Finn, by the way.”
“Bastian. Well, judging by the time, Karé probably got caught up with something.” And even though Finn kinda knew that already, it hurt. “So I’ll show you the ropes,” Bastian finished with a shrug.
“Seriously? That—thank you,” Finn rushed, barely restraining the need to embrace the man in front of him. “Thank you so much.”
“Least I can do,” Bastian shrugged again and then jerked his head towards the door. “You’ll be in studio four most nights. It’s the closest to the bathrooms so it’s practical, ya know?”
“Right,” Finn nodded, following Bastian down the hall, passing a few dark offices before Bastian pushed the door open to a small studio.
“You’ve got your sets on your laptop,” Bastian asked, flicking on the light switch.
“I fucking hope so,” Finn mumbled, pulling his laptop out of his bag and opening it, balancing it against his forearm as he typed in his password one-handed.
“The connector is right over here,” Bastian continued as he powered up the sound board. “And I’m guessing you had orientation at some point about working this little beauty?”
“What? Oh,” Finn blinked down at the knobs and slides Bastian was quickly adjusting and testing. “Yeah, uh, I’ve got the hang of that at least.”
“Great,” Bastian praised idly before stepping back. “Go ahead.”
Finn swallowed drily before approaching. His fingers fumbled the connector twice before he managed to hook up his laptop. Then he tripped into the rolling office seat, skidding backwards and bumping into the back wall. “Shit.”
“Nervous,” Bastian asked. Finn shook his head, not looking up, and a warm hand clapped down on his shoulder. “Listen, Lando has a nose for talent. If he hired you, it’s because he sees potential. You’re here because you’re good. So take a deep breath, relax before you break your teeth, and I’ll finish setting you up.”
“Thanks,” Finn whispered, trying to breathe away the tightness in his chest.
“It’s no problem. Not like I haven’t done this all before,” Bastian joked, flashing Finn a genuine smile over his shoulder before he turned back and tested the playback—‘Shut Up and Dance with Me’ echoed through the room and Bastian leaned over and slid the bass down slightly. “Good choice.”
“Well, I figured I’d start off upbeat and tone it down around one,” Finn said as Bastian paused the song and reset.
“For a Wednesday, that’s solid,” Bastian agreed, straightened and turned back to face Finn. “Well, you should be all set. The news will wrap at 9:56 and then commercials. Did you sign in when you got here?”
“What?”
“Okay, don’t panic,” Bastian reassured, turning back to Finn’s laptop. “They set you up with an office email and all that shit, right?”
“Yeah,” Finn drew out, standing and moving to hover at Bastian’s shoulder. Bastian opened Finn’s Outlook and clicked over to his Lync.
“So, when you arrive, send a quick message with your timeslot and the studio you’re in. There’s a schedule, obviously, but this is easier for whoever you’re taking over for. So, here’s the ‘Late News’ group. I’ll just let them know you’re set in Studio Four,” Bastian explained as he typed and Finn watched, “and that you’re taking the overnight shift. That way they know who to throw it to. And when you’re starting to wrap up, keep an eye for a message from ‘Traffic and Weather.’ They’re usually in Studio Two. There you go,” he finished, sending the message with a flourish.
“Seriously, you’re a fucking angel,” Finn informed Bastian, who snorted and shook his head.
“It’s all good, Finn. Welcome to DC105. Do you want me to stick around for your first couple sets or will that make you more nervous?”
“Uh,” Finn blinked. “You probably have better places to be.”
“Funnily enough, I just found out I’ve got some spare time,” Bastian answered, moseying over and sitting in the worn wooden chair in the corner of the studio. “I’ll stay for the first hour. That’s the roughest.”
*****
“Ah, Finn, come in,” Lando smiled charmingly even at five in the morning. Finn beamed, practically bouncing into Lando’s office with adrenaline and caffeine.
“Morning, Lando. Are you always in this early?”
“No, but I wanted to check in after your first night,” Lando said, leaning back in his seat, eyes curved up happily. “I take it there was no disasters?”
“Nope,” Finn answered. “I was pretty nervous at the beginning, but Bastian helped me out. He’s really great.”
“Bastian,” Lando repeated, face falling. “You mean Karé.”
“No, she was a no-show,” Finn shrugged. “But Bastian found me and helped me set up. And then he stayed for the first hour. He had some really good tips for transitions. Why are you looking at me like that,” he asked while Lando frowned up at him.
“Lando, we’ve got Yvonne filling in for Karé this morning,” announced a freckle-faced man with Ray-Bans and short reddish-blond hair who leaned against Lando’s office doorframe. “She’s having a full panic attack about this wedding shit so I told her to take the day. I’ll call around and see who can cover her evening slot.”
“Thanks, Iolo,” Lando said as Finn cut it with,
“Maybe Bastian could take it. He sounded like he had some time.”
“Who the hell is Bastian,” Iolo asked, looking Finn over. “And who are you?”
“Bastian is the tech I fired two days ago,” Lando sighed and Finn’s head snapped around to gap at his boss. “And this is the new guy, Finn Walker.”
“Fired? You fired him,” Finn snapped, placing his hands on the edge of Lando’s desk. “Why? He’s amazing!”
“Finn,” Lando started kindly, getting to his feet. “Sometimes these things happen.”
“But—but,” Finn stammered, “he knows his stuff and he’s so nice--,”
“Kid, ‘nice’ doesn’t help ratings,” Iolo said blandly, looking down at the clipboard in his hand. “And if he’s been working here and I haven’t heard of him, it was probably time for him to move on.”
“What, are you the radio god,” Finn glared, crossing his arms and Iolo slowly raised his eyes to look over Finn again. “Lando, can’t you give him another chance? Why’d you fire him anyway?” Lando cleared his throat, shuffling some paper around on his desk and Finn’s stomach dropped. “You fired him to make space for me.”
“I think you’ve got a future here,” Lando replied blandly. “And that’s the end of it, Finn.”
“But--,”
“Go get some sleep,” Lando said, sounding like the uncle Finn remembered from his childhood. It was infuriating. “Be back here by 4:30. I want you to cover the evening slot.”
“You sure,” Iolo asked behind Finn.
“He can do it,” Lando answered, keeping his eyes trained on Finn’s face. Finn scowled but nodded, turning to leave before turning back abruptly.
“You better pay him for last night,” Finn shot at Lando, pointing. “Because he had no reason to stay and help me but he did anyway. And maybe being nice doesn’t matter here, but he’s a good person and deserves at least that much.” Then Finn spun on his heel and marched out, shrugging his bag higher onto his shoulder.
“Wait, kid! Hold on a sec.”
Finn’s arm was grabbed and he was pulled to a halt. “I’m gonna go home,” Finn grumbled and Iolo sighed.
“Yeah, and I’ve got an actual job to do. But listen: what you said back there was—stupid and naïve as fuck but, it’s cool that you’re looking out for your friend.”
“He’s not my friend,” Finn mumbled. “Met him last night and he helped me.”
“Okay,” Iolo said, stepping to the side to let a woman pass. “How about you have him send me his portfolio and I’ll shop it around. I’ve got some contacts at other stations.”
“I don’t know his number. Or last name,” Finn admitted softly. “I just—I thought I’d see him around. I even said that and he didn’t—didn’t say anything.”
“God, kid, you’re breaking my heart here,” Iolo groaned, casting his eyes to the ceiling. “Look, just—go home. I’ll see what I can do.”
Finn knew that probably didn’t mean anything. The man hadn’t even known Bastian—he didn’t have any reason to care if Bastian got a new job or not. “Sure. See you later—unless Lando fires you too,” Finn grumbled, starting off down the hall as Iolo’s laugh echoed off the walls.
*****
He had half a mind not to show up for the evening slot, but Finn wasn’t an idiot. He needed the job, and Lando wouldn’t stand for anyone screwing with his precious station. Already feeling a sense of familiarity about the low building, Finn made his way up the stairs and pulled open the glass door. The blast of AC hit him and he was thankful he remembered to bring a sweater this time. He headed for the break room to fill his water bottle and then to check in with the sports show he was taking over for. He was sitting at the small table in the break room when a familiar form strolled by the open door and kept moving. Finn slammed his laptop shut and rushed out, opening his mouth to call out when another voice beat him to it.
“You must be Bastian,” Iolo said, stepping out of one of the offices and Bastian stopped, back to Finn. “I’m Iolo.”
“Uh, yeah, I know,” Bastian answered, sounding less confident than the man Finn met last night. “I heard there was some mix-up? But I filled out all the papers HR gave me and I dropped them off last night…”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Iolo nodded, catching Finn’s eye over Bastian’s shoulder briefly. “I have your overtime pay for last night.”
“Oh. No, that’s not necessary,” Bastian shook his head. “I’ve already got my severance check so…it’s fine.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna need that back,” Iolo said carelessly. “I hope you didn’t spend it already.”
“What? No, I—you can’t take it back,” Bastian said somewhat frantically and Finn took a step forward. “My contract states that I get two weeks in case of termination. I know because the HR lady was very clear--,”
“Yes, ‘in case of termination,’” Iolo smirked. “I have your new contract here too. Read it over, but try to get back to me by tomorrow afternoon. We’re gonna need you back in your Friday night slot.”
“New--? I don’t—what’s going on here,” Bastian asked, sounding completely lost and Finn felt the same way.
“We need a sound tech to cover Karé’s slots while she takes some time off. We’re also planning on expanding our content, and we’ll need a tech for that. Plus, late-night shifts are notorious for burning DJs out, so we’re going to limit how many someone can take per month.”
“You just got a new guy,” Bastian stated. “I—look, if this is a joke, it’s really not funny. So I’m going to keep my severance and you can keep—that and we can go back to our regularly scheduled lives.”
“You spent twenty minutes on the line with a man with what sounded like severe depression,” Iolo said, his eyes catching Finn’s again while Bastian fidgeted.
“Yeah,” Bastian sighed, Finn barely catching it as he took another step closer, “I did.”
“That’s why you didn’t cut to commercials, right? Because you didn’t want put the guy on hold. You just clicked to your next set and kept talking to him, right,” Iolo pressed and Bastian nodded slowly. “Why didn’t you say that when Lando chewed you out?”
“Not my story to tell,” Bastian shrugged, sounding painfully sincere. “Besides, every call to the booths get recorded. If Lando cared, he could’ve looked it up. Like you clearly did.”
“I only looked it up because I was told you were a nice guy who was good at his job,” Iolo said with a slight smile. “And that didn’t gel with the image of a guy who didn’t give a damn about sponsors.”
“Well, I don’t know who you’ve been talking to,” Bastian grumbled. “I’m pretty sure no one here knows me like that.”
“I beg to differ,” Iolo smirked before glancing down at something Finn couldn’t see. “So, understandably, the station doesn’t want to be sued for firing a guy who was doing a good deed.”
“Yeah, you really don’t have to worry about that. No hard feelings. Plus, what would I pay a lawyer with: magic beans?”
“Bastian, you sure aren’t making this easy,” Iolo said, more firmly. “We screwed up. We need people like you here: people who do a good job and are decent people. Take the damn contract, make me wait until tomorrow for your counteroffer. I’m going to come back fair and you’re going to take it unless you have a better offer already lined up. Okay?”
Finn missed Bastian’s reply because someone’s back bumped into him, sending his stumbling forward. “Oh, sorry about that, buddy,” came a bright cheerful voice and a strong hand reached out to steady Finn’s arm.
“It’s—fine,” Finn finished lamed, blinking up at the most attractive man he’d ever seen. There was no way someone’s hair could look like that. And those eyes. What the hell?
“I wasn’t looking where I was going. I always get lost in this place,” the man explained, still smiling in a frozen sort of way.
“Hey, man. Sorry for the wait,” Iolo said, suddenly at Finn’s side. “See you’ve met the station’s new vanguard for justice.”
“What,” the man asked confused.
“Thank you. Seriously,” Finn told Iolo, voice hushed as he noticed Bastian was leaning against the wall, skimming through tri-folded pages. “I—I kinda figured you’d forget about it…”
“Jeez, thanks, kid,” Iolo rolled his eyes. “Give me some credit. Besides, you saved us a good tech.”
“You’re not as much of a hardnose as you pretend,” Finn smiled. Iolo’s jaw dropped and the other man barked a surprised laugh.
“Iolo the hardnose?! When the fuck did that happen?”
“Shut up, Poe. I hate you,” Iolo snapped, starting off down the hall. Poe, still chuckling, turned to follow before glancing back at Finn.
“Don’t let him fool ya, buddy. Iolo’s just a teddy bear with an attitude.”
“I’m kinda figuring that out,” Finn smiled back and the man blinked at him before shaking his head and moving to catch up with Iolo. Finn slumped back against the wall, casting his eyes up to ceiling as he exhaled heavily.
“Probably out of our leagues,” Bastian mentioned from his similar position, winking when Finn rolled his head to look at him.
“Yeah,” Finn agreed with a sigh, hugging his laptop to his chest as he crossed his arms. “Still, a guy can dream.”
“And keep dreaming,” Bastian teased, tucking his folded packet of papers into the back pocket of his jeans casually. “They have you doing double shifts?”
“There was some mix-up,” Finn said, slightly stretching the truth, “so I’m filling in for Karé until they sort it out. You?”
“Picking up some paperwork,” Bastian answered easily. “Feel like I’m drowning in it this week.”
“Well, since you’re here,” Finn drew out and Bastian tilted his head curiously, “maybe you could stay for my first set? In case I feel like I’m about to vomit again?”
Bastian laughed but shrugged. “Sure, why not? Just aim away from the soundboard. You don’t want to know how hard those are to clean.”