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Ah, druk, his head hurt. Finn moved his left arm, stretching out to turn the little chronometer to a better angle. The clock read around three in the morning, wherever the hell he was. He was in a room, that was for sure. It was dark and almost quiet, but not quite. First of all, outside of the small room Finn could hear low chattering voices, beeping from machines and the humming of starships, and then inside the room he could hear deep breathing.
At first Finn thought of Kylo Ren and his apparatus of a mask, but then he recognised the sound. Someone was asleep near him. Slowly but surely Finn leveled himself up to a sitting position and hissed. His back was sore and smarting. He flicked the small switch on the bedside next to the clock and a dim light flickered on. Groggily and still heavily medicated, Finn rubbed his eyes with his hand. As soon as he swung his legs over the bed, the other person in the room moved.
“Finn?” the speaker had a familiar, comforting voice.
“Hey, Poe,” Finn managed to croak. His mouth was drier than he’d realised. “Water?”
Poe rushed to his side from the padded crevice on the wall where he'd been sleeping. He handed a plastic cup to Finn. “Not cold anymore, sorry… Goodness, you’re awake! It’s so nice to see you, Finn.”
Finn gulped down the water in one go and beamed. “I missed you too, Poe Dameron. What happened to Kylo Ren?”
Poe looked relieved as he enveloped Finn into a careful hug and rather than clapping his back like before, Poe gingerly ran his right hand down Finn’s back. “Rey told me you tried facing Ren on your own, but he hurt you with his lightsaber. Rey picked up the saber and continued the fight, leaving him injured. Then I’m not sure what happened but Chewbacca flew in with the Falcon to rescue you both and now you’re back here in D’Qar. You’ve been out like a light for weeks, kid. Scared the hell out of me.”
Yeah, Finn remembered something like that happening. He remembered the searing pain caused by the red, crackling saber. The uncomfortable memory brought back the ache in his body - both in his back and in the spot on his right shoulder where the crossguard’s plasma had scorched him. He rubbed his shoulder, discomfort visible on his face. Poe’s dark eyes studied his face and his hand came to hover over Finn’s.
“Is Rey okay? Where is she?” Finn asked. He was constantly worried about Rey, because she was always such a scoundrel, getting into trouble. Deep inside Finn knew somehow - knew that she was alright. She was always alright, but he had to be sure.
“Rey? She’s kicking ass, saving the Galaxy,” Poe said nonchalantly. “I’m so glad you’re still alive, Finn,” he continued quietly, resting his hand on Finn’s and squeezing gently before letting go and turning around. He gathered something in his arms and presented it to Finn. It was Poe’s jacket, now stitched back together at the back where Kylo Ren had torn it with his lightsaber. The gesture was the kindest Finn had ever experienced.
He reached out to the jacket with both hands, bringing it close to his chest and choked out a thank you before pulling the jacket on. “I’ve never had anything else to really call my own. Thank you, Poe.”
Poe’s worried frown melted into a tiny smile, his eyes glimmering sadly as he laid his hand yet again on Finn’s shoulder. “Anytime, Finn. Anything you want.”
Finn pulled Poe into another hug, crushing himself against Poe’s chest, wishing to disappear for just a second. Poe’d been there for him since the beginning; he’d given Finn his name, he’d given Finn something to hold onto, something to call his own. Much like Rey, Poe had looked at him like no one else had. With gentle, understanding eyes.
“I owe you big time,” Finn mumbled against Poe’s chest. “I owe you everything.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Poe said silently, lips moving close to Finn’s ear. “Just stay safe, stay alive.”
Finn rumbled with laughter, shaking his head, still pressed against Poe. He locked his arms and squeezed tighter, trying his hardest to convey his gratitude. They stayed like that for a while, Poe humming in contentment.
“I care about you, Finn,” he said, one hand in Finn’s hair, the other wrapped around his shoulders.
“Yeah, I care about you too, Poe,” Finn said and removed his face from Poe’s shirt. He faced Poe smiling. Finn carefully brushed his fingers against Poe’s cheek, before gently kissing his forehead. He felt Poe’s skin get hot under his fingertips, but he stubbornly and selfishly kept his lips on his friend’s brow just for a second longer. When he pulled off, Poe smiled sheepishly, shuffling around in a very un-Poe like manner.
Finn couldn't help but to grin, “That good, eh? I’ve never seen you that silent before.”
Poe smiled lopsidedly, then worried his bottom lip into his mouth like he’d done earlier on the shipyard before taking off to destroy Starkiller Base. “That good,” he confirmed and cheekily continued, “Come on, kiss me properly now.”
“What?” Finn asked. “Properly? On the lips?”
Poe didn’t seem fazed, “Yeah, on the lips, Finn.”
He didn’t pressure him, just stood there willing and waiting until Finn gathered up enough courage to press his lips briefly on Poe’s. It felt nice, sort of warm. Finn blushed and averted his eyes from Poe’s.
“Hey,” Poe said, his fingers hooked under Finn’s chin. “Something wrong?” He looked so sincere, so worried that Finn’s heart broke. No one had ever looked at him like Poe had, with such care and adoration. Finn shook his head no, but Poe wasn’t having it: “Are you sure? You don’t have to kiss me, Finn. You don’t owe me anything, especially not kisses. I’m just a greedy man.”
Again Finn shook his head no, this time braving to meet Poe’s eyes again. “I - I want to kiss you, I really do. But I’ve never really kissed anyone before, Poe, I’m sorry.”
“Ah, little details, you’re doing great!” Poe exclaimed and took Finn’s head between his hands. “Okay, now, I’m going to plant a big one on you, just follow my lead.” He leaned in for a kiss again, lips moving fluidly against Finn’s. Finn felt a flutter in his stomach, his hands grabbing onto Poe’s shirt. Breaking apart filled Finn with a sense of longing, his guts churning with a hot mixture of yearning and hope. Poe patted his warm cheek and laughed out loud, relieved.
How could Poe Dameron be relieved that he wanted to kiss back, Finn pondered. They were both still learning their worth, it seemed.
“You’re so beautiful, Finn,” Poe said bluntly. “How are you real? Are you even real? You’re an Angel.”
“You’re not too shabby yourself, Dameron,” Finn teased. Yet his heart kept pounding, because Poe Dameron had just called him an Angel. He’d never heard of the Angels, but sure they must’ve been beautiful creatures, because Poe Dameron never lied. Finn knew in his heart that Poe would never deceive him.
“That’s all that matters to me,” Poe said. He wrapped his arms around Finn again, and Finn buried his face against the juncture where Poe’s shoulder and neck met. For the first time in forever Finn felt calm, in his newly made home inside Poe’s arms.