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Poe had started noticing it a while back. Anytime he went anywhere or did anything remotely dangerous, Finn was on him like a hawk, reluctant to let him go, fussing when he returned, especially when he got injured. It was to be expected. They were at war, things were dangerous, and they were in love. They both worried over each other, it was natural.
But then they won. The war was over. And Finn still fussed and worried. Finn was a worrier, it was in his nature, Poe knew that. But there was something more to it than that, he could tell. Finn hated being separated from Poe, practically cried every time Poe had to go off-planet without him and looked like the weight of the galaxy had been lifted from his shoulders whenever Poe returned home safe. It was wonderful having someone care so much about his wellbeing, but at the same time, Poe was a little worried about him.
“I’m gonna have to leave for a few days this week,” Poe said one evening over dinner. “Senator Organa asked me to join a delegation to Tatooine.”
“Is that for the Abolition Bill negotiations?” Finn asked.
Poe could see him tense up a bit, staring pointedly at his plate.
“Yeah, I’m leading the security detail,” he replied.
“Will it be dangerous?”
Poe hesitated.
“Not really,” he said. “I mean, the Hutts probably won’t be too thrilled that we’re trying to do away with slavery, but this is politics. We’re fighting with words, not blasters.”
“But they need a security detail,’ said Finn, giving him a look.
“Yeah well, it’s Tatooine.”
Finn looked back down at his plate, clearly displeased.
“Look,” said Poe. “I know you don’t like it when I go away…”
“It’s a bit more than that.”
“I know it is. But I don’t understand it. We’re at peace, it’s not like I’m flying off into battle anymore.”
“I know, I just… I can’t lose you again,” said Finn.
Poe frowned.
“Again?”
“Jakku,” Finn said quietly. “I’d never really lost anyone before then. Thinking you were dead… it was the worst feeling I-”
He stopped, avoiding Poe’s gaze.
“Ah man,” Poe sighed as the realization sunk in. “Honey, I… jeez, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“No, it’s not your fault,” said Finn. “You’d think I’d have recovered from that by now, it’s okay.”
“No no, it’s not okay,” said Poe. “I should’ve known something was wrong.”
Finn looked up at him with a sad half smile.
“It’s fine, really,” he said. “You’re Senator Organa’s top pilot, you’re important to the Republic. That means you’ve gotta travel a lot. Doesn’t mean I’ve gotta like it, but hey, we’d have bigger problems if I didn’t miss you when you were away.”
“But this isn’t just missing me, I just keep leaving you here terrified that I’m never coming home. It’s not fair.”
Finn reached out and took his hand.
“Look, nothing’s gonna stop me from worrying about you. You’re a reckless adrenaline junkie with a bit of a hero complex, you’re never gonna be satisfied to just sit at home when there’s a galaxy to fix,” he said. “I’m not gonna let you stop doing that just because I get scared when I can’t keep you safe.”
“Then come with me,” said Poe, a burst of inspiration suddenly striking. “Who says you’ve gotta sit at home and wait for me to come back? You helped save the galaxy from the First Order, so why not help clean it up too?”
“Really?”
“Only if you want to, of course.”
“I’d love to,” said Finn, smiling.
Poe beamed.
“Good. I’ll talk to Senator Organa, I’m sure she’d be glad to let you come on the Tatooine trip,” he said.
“I bet she’ll be happy just to have someone on the trip who can actually keep your ass in line,” Finn teased.
“Good point. She’d probably rather avoid a repeat of the Geonosis fiasco, which considering the subject matter, is bound to happen…”
“Yeah,” said Finn adamantly. “I definitely should be there.”