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Ahch-To didn’t have the same amount of green that she had seen on Takodana but Rey knew she’d never get tired of seeing it; especially seeing as how it was abundant in water, a novelty she hadn’t really had on Jakku either.
“I want to learn how to swim.” She told Finn one night, during their weekly holovid communications. She had fallen into the water when she lost her balance during Force training and Chewbacca had to drag her out, growling at Luke something about garbage chutes that Rey didn’t fully understand.
“When you do you’ll have to teach me,” Finn replied, “I never learned either.”
Had it been anyone else they might have scoffed at her inexperience with it, eyed her with a curiosity and questions she didn’t know how to answer but with Finn he knew the struggle just as well.
Life on a Star Destroyer prepared him just as well for things as life on Jakku had her.
“We’ll learn it together then,” Rey smiled, “Add it to the list of things.”
Finn nodded his head.
“That is if you’re there when I get back, are you healed enough to start going on missions yet?” Rey eyed him carefully, trying to distinguish if that was a wince she saw when Finn moved slightly to the left but the holovid made it hard to discern.
“Another week,” He sounded down, “I’ve been practicing my shots in the meanwhile.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard Finn,” She sighed, “You did more than anyone could have imagined going up against Kylo Ren.”
“Yeah but I’m not the one who won that fight.” Finn grinned widely at her, “Still wish I could have seen it. Next time.”
There was a growl from outside her room and the sound that could only be sparks flying in the air.
“I have to go, I think Chewie needs some help now.” Rey glanced at the door with worry.
“Try not to leak poisonous gas anywhere.” Finn replied cheerfully, waving one hand in goodbye, “And hey, Rey?”
“Yeah?”
Finn’s expression changed to something more serious, “I’ll be here when you get back. Count on it.”
Then just like that he blinked out of her view, leaving her staring at the empty space where Finn had been.
She might have sat there a little dumbfounded except that Chewbacca let out another annoyed growl and it pushed her to action, sprinting out the door to see what was going on.
~~
It was later that night when she thought about what Finn said, mentally looking back on all other holovid conversations they had had and each time Finn had always dropped in that he’d be there.
R2 found her looking into the fire and let out a low trill to alert her of his presence.
“Artoo.” She said, jumping slightly and looking around in hopes that Luke hadn’t noticed her not paying attention to things around her.
R2 beeped again, almost curiously.
“I was just thinking about something Finn said is all,” Rey leaned back to rest on her hands, smiling softly at the thought in her head, “There’s someone waiting for me, it’s…different.” She settled on, looking back at the fire. “I think I like it. But I don’t want to make him wait as long as I did. I know that isn’t the best way to live.”
Not that Finn’s situation had been the same as hers, living day after day and surviving in hopes that someone would just come back.
It was strange to be the person who was missed that time but it was undeniably heartwarming that there was someone out there who missed her.
“I think I’ll convince Master Skywalker it’s time to visit the Resistance.” Rey said, somewhat slyly to R2, “Maybe I’ll even try to use the Force.” She wiggled her fingers to show she was joking and laughed when R2 asked not to be picked up.
“There’s a story there I imagine.” She shifted so she was sitting to look directly at R2 and listen as he whistled and chirped about his experiences on a planet called Dagobah.
~~
Unfortunately the next day she never got the chance to, Luke gave her a pack and sent her to some caves to practice using the Force to guide herself out of the maze of them.
At night – or what she imagined it to be just by judging things around her since the cave was too dark to tell- she sat by herself and recalled her nights on Jakku alone far too much to sleep well.
“There’s someone there when I get out,” She reminded herself, talking both about Luke and Chewbacca and R2 waiting for her but also thinking of Finn, all the way back on D’Qar.
She imagined reaching out to him with the Force, holding her hand in front of herself and picturing Finn taking it as they propelled themselves off on another adventure together.
She liked to think that even though he was unaware of it, he was reaching back.
~~
She came out of the caves nearly three days later, stumbling into the light and blinking harshly at it and for several moments thought she was hallucinating when she saw Finn, Poe, and BB-8 standing next to Luke.
“Rey!” Finn yelled her name, whooping gleefully and stumbling on rocks as he raced towards her, slowing down when he noticed her dazed look, “Rey, you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need a medic because I never really took a course in that but Poe here is a decent one and-”
“What are you doing here?” She asked, cutting him off.
Finn grinned, “I was cleared for missions so I came to see you.”
“I was going to come back.” She said, grabbing Finn’s wrist and looking up at him, “I was going to come back.” She repeated, needing him to know that.
“I figured,” Finn kept smiling and Rey relaxed, slowly grinning back in time. “I just thought I could save you the trip. Wanted to see you.”
“Finn…” She ignored the prickling behind her eyes to lean in and wrap her arms around him. “Thank you.”
She felt a hesitant kiss pressed to the side of her head before Finn hugged her back in earnest, breathing a sigh of relief.
“So.” Finn said when she pulled back, “Swimming?”
Rey laughed and dragged him towards the shore.
~~
Later that night, after Chewbacca had grumbling stopped them both from drowning and then Poe had helped show them the actual way to swim, they sat pressed side by side at the fire.
“We have to leave in a few days for an actual mission,” Finn explained, scratching at the side of his neck a little embarrassed like visiting Rey didn’t count on the records but did to him. “But we’ll be back on base and I should be there when you get back.”
Rey leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheeks, “I know you will.”
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he meant it; like there wasn’t a doubt she’d return to him again on D’Qar one day too.
She’d been waiting a long time in her life. For Finn she could wait a bit more.