Work Text:
1.
Finn has no memory of the first flight he ever took. He was just a baby, stolen from his parents, ripped from their arms. The First Order called them ‘Nursery Ships’, as if there was something gentle or good about them. In reality, they were just large, cold ships, repurposed with rows and rows of holding boxes for snatched babies. After the children were seized, they were wrapped in thin blankets and placed in the rectangular holding boxes. They all cried and screamed in fear, unable to understand what was happening but knowing there was something terrible going on.
Finn was one of many, who left his devastated parents behind, destined for a life of cruelty and forced into becoming a stormtrooper. Tiny and alone, he wept and shivered in the uncomfortable box. As the engines hummed ominously and the vessel began to move, his cries increased in volume. The ship took off, soaring into the sky and into space, and Finn began to scream as his ears popped painfully. He had no way to know that he would never see his home again.
Eventually the ship would dock on a cruiser and the babies would be taken to be raised as stormtroopers. Finn never knew why flying made him so nervous and unhappy, he could never make the connection with the first flight he ever took, but if he had, he would have realised that all his negative feelings about flying stemmed from that horrible trip.
2.
It is their first mission. The blue lights flicker, the engines hum steadily, and the ship heads towards its destination. It is everything they have been training and preparing for, they are about to fight for the first time. It is no longer a simulation or a test, this is real. Finn feels tense and afraid, his heart pounds in his chest, and he clenches his hands into fists. He’s one of the best in his class, he especially excelled at using a blaster and at tactical practices. He’s on the fast track to becoming a Captain, but there is something holding him back. It seems logical that he should be wary of his first mission, however he’s never felt so apprehensive.
They are about to land, the flight has gone quicker than he had realised. Simulations are one thing, real fighting is another. Finn is suddenly overcome by the idea that he won’t be able to do this, that he will freeze up. He realises that his life is about to change drastically. He can’t pinpoint exactly why or how, nevertheless there is an overwhelming feeling that this mission will be important in ways he can’t imagine.
The vessel shudders to a sudden halt, they have landed. Adrenaline flows through Finn’s body and for a tiny moment, his vision swims. He takes a deep breath, willing himself to be as strong as he can for whatever is about to happen.
3.
Finn had never enjoyed flying but he has never experienced a flight like this. The exhiliaration is incredible, making him feel as light as air. Poe is a great pilot, and, as they soar through space, Finn thinks this is the best flight he has ever taken. Perhaps it is the fact that he has finally escaped the horror of the First Order, maybe that’s what is letting him enjoy this flight. But he sense that is not the only reason, it is also the fact that he feels freedom for the first time.
Everything is happening so fast that Finn can’t quite take it all in. However, as they weave and dart through space so quickly and smoothly, Finn finally gets why a person could like....no, love flying. He feels as though nothing can touch him and like he can do anything. At the very back of his mind, there is still that small sense of unease at taking a flight but it is more muted than it has ever been in his life.
Poe shouts something at him and Finn has to ask him to repeat it, he’s become so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear. They talk excitedly as they fly, and Finn thinks that, maybe, he will start to appreciate flying and that, one day, he could become a great pilot like Poe. Finn knows, as they glide through the air, that has the natural skills to do it. He wonders why he never noticed before.
4.
It's down to him. He needs to hit the target, the Resistance are counting on him to shoot carefully and quickly enough so as to destroy the weakness they have found. He weaves through the air, he knows he can fly but he's sort of in awe at how easy he's finding it. Finn smiles to himself, briefly enjoying his piloting talents before returning his concentration to his task.
There are First Order ships right behind him, they are shooting at him, however, they keep missing. They are fast and deadly, but he has an edge that they don’t have, an edge than no-one in the Resistance has either. He knows exactly how the First Order ships are going to act before they do because of his training. They have no tricks they can pull because Finn knows them all, he knows their orders, how they think, and what they are trained to do. He will always be one step ahead of them because they cannot know what he will do, while he can always tell what they will do.
He is closer than ever to the target and he swerves, seemingly randomly, just to confuse the enemy a bit more. Circling back swiftly, he finds himself seconds away from the weakness, a tiny port which, if he hits, will bring down the terrible weapon. He stifles a laugh as the ships behind him try to catch him but are unable to. Focusing on the target, he closes his eyes, momentarily, to keep his concentration, and fires. There is a large explosion and Finn speeds away, giving a shout in satisfaction at his success.
5.
He's going home, to the person he loves. There's a sentence he never thought he'd be able to say, or, rather, think to himself in his head. He has a home and a person who is in love with him. It’s going to special, this homecoming, because he will be asking a question, one that he hopes they will say yes to. He pats his pocket, which holds the small box containing the ring, checking one more time that it safely there before he takes off. He can’t stop smiling, he’s so excited and genuinely happy, he can’t wait to get home.
It’s going to be a long flight and he doesn’t know how he will stand it, as he’s absolutely brimming with anticipation. He wishes that the ship could fly faster, that he could get home sooner. As he stares out at the millions of twinkling stars, he can’t help but feel lucky that he has finally got to a place in his life where he feels so content. The future is no longer uncertain or frightening, it is filled with nothing but untroubled potential. He has love, a home, and hopefully, soon, they will be a little family.
Flying wasn’t always something he found fun, but now, as he travels back home, he revels in the fact he’s become a talented pilot and that he can travel across the galaxy so swiftly. Soon, he’s almost at his destination and his stomach flutters with expectation. Life is finally sweet.