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It’s a very complicated process and Poe’s never understood the science behind it. In fact, truth be told, he doesn’t believe there is any science behind it—it’s magic. Poe knows that deep in his bones. Soulmates are magic, the best kind of magic, and he can’t wait until he finally gets to experience it.
But the thing is, to see it happen is a bit unnerving—at least the first time.
Well, if Poe’s being honest, every time is a bit unnerving. Two beings are just sitting there and then POOF! Suddenly, they are both something else. The two transformed creatures then run, walk, crawl, fly, or flounder over to each other and the moment they touch, they change back.
It sounds cute, but it’s usually distressing for all involved.
Changing into your were-self for the first time is disorienting, Poe’s been told. And he has to believe it. Watching it is unsettling. He was there for Karé and Snap, after all, and while Karé becoming a kiro’s bird made sense, seeing Snap transform into a mogo had been… Well, okay, it had been hilarious, but it also made Poe wonder, What if I become something equally ridiculous?
Poe liked the idea of being some sort of winged creature, of finally being able to fly without needing a ship, but just because he was a pilot, that wasn’t guaranteed. Your were-creature—the creature that would finally present itself in the presence of your soulmate and then, after that, the creature you’d be able to change into at will—was usually tied to your personality as much as anything. For kriff’s sake, Leia’s were-creature was a jaguar! Cunning, sleek, deadly, beautiful—if that didn’t describe the General, Poe didn’t know what did.
The other thing that was troubling was that the initial transformation didn’t happen right away. It wasn’t like the first time you met your soulmate, you both instantly transformed. No, that would be too easy. It was something that happened later—once the two of you knew each other well, had built a relationship—as the elders back on Yavin IV had said, the transformation only happened when both of you were ready.
Poe hated that. He was not a patient man, especially when it came to discovering his soulmate. Especially when he had a very good idea who he wanted that soulmate to be.
He had been waiting every day since the moof-milker had gotten released from med bay for the two of them to lock eyes and transform. It was his only wish these days (well, aside from ending the First Order and saving the galaxy, of course). He and Finn were going to run into each other one day and change into their were-selves, and it would be magnificent. Next, they’d run into each other’s arms (paws? hooves? whatever) and transform back. Then, they were going to spend two whole days in Poe’s room doing truly debauched things to one another before settling into a life of soulmate bliss. That was the dream.
Poe just needed the universe to catch up and make it happen.
Of course, there was also the nagging doubt. What if he was crazy about Finn but Finn belonged with someone else? What if Rey was Finn’s soulmate? Poe knew that was a possibility, and kriff, he couldn’t even be mad about it. She was wonderful.
So, he sulked and was jealous and he kept begging the universe to just give him this please. And all the while, he tried to be a good friend to Finn and he never pressed the issue, never told Finn how he felt (because that would just complicate things should Finn’s soulmate be someone else). And with each passing day, he grew more impatient and more sure he was setting himself up for heartbreak.
I mean, come on, how long does it take for us to be ready, he thought. I was ready the moment I saw him on the tarmac on D’Qar, for crying the kriff out loud!
# # # #
Finn sat on the examining table, swinging his legs back and forth. It wasn’t that he didn’t like this place. Well, actually, after having to spend a month in here healing after Starkiller, it was exactly that: he hated medical. He dreaded his periodic check-ups because he always secretly feared this was going to be the time that they decided to keep him. The idea of being stuck in here for one more day… Finn gripped the edge of the table a bit tighter.
Dr. Kalonia came back in the room, staring at her datapad, frowning.
Finn’s chest got tight. Oh kriff, they really are going to keep me in here. “Dr. Kalonia, what is it?”
She looked up and her expression softened. She sighed. “We’ve been monitoring your blood since Starkiller, and as you know, we suspect that the Order had you on a strange cocktail of different things. Some to suppress appetite and sexual urges, some to keep you alert and awake…” She trailed off for a moment, flicking through pages on the datapad. “And we’ve been able to identify most of what they were giving you and help flush it from your system. But…”
She just left it hanging there.
“But,” Finn repeated, anxiously.
“We just discovered something else. Something that was probably masked by the other drugs.”
“And?”
“They had you on suppressants that blocked the soulmate transformation.”
That’s it, Finn thought. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s all. I thought you were going to tell me something bad.”
Dr. Kalonia frowned. “Well, it isn’t great,” she said. “Besides the fact that any tampering with the natural running of your body is bound to cause problems, and setting aside for a moment the ethical dimensions of keeping millions of beings from discovering their soulmates, there’s the fact that this could have some less-than-desirable side effects when it comes to you and your mate.”
Finn blinked at that. In the four months he’d been with the Resistance, he’d learned about soulmates and the transformation into your were-selves, but to be honest, it all sounded a bit strange to him. It was something all of these beings had grown up with, but it had never been a part of the Stormtrooper reality, so he was having a hard time wrapping his head around it.
The soulmate part sounded nice, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about being a were-something.
Finn shrugged as he realized that Dr. Kalonia was staring at him. “I… It’s just that…”
She put a hand on his shoulder. “I understand that it isn’t something that was part of your upbringing, Finn, but while there are several beings on base who make the mating process sound magical, I need you to be aware that it is biological, and because the Order meddled with your biology, it might have some unintended side effects on you and your mate.”
“Assuming I have a mate,” Finn said.
Dr. Kalonia nodded. “True.” She stared back down at her datapad. “I’d like to do some more tests. Monitor the levels of the suppressant in your system. I haven’t figured out yet how long the effects of the drug are meant to last.”
Finn nodded. “So?”
“So, in three weeks, we’ll take some more blood and see where we’re at.” She smiled at him. “Otherwise, you’re doing well?”
Finn smiled. “Yes. No problems.”
Dr. Kalonia fought not to roll her eyes. “Finn, it’s okay if there’s a bit of pain or if you are having trouble adjusting. That’s to be expected.” She put her hand on his arm. “We aren’t going to make you stay in here again. Unless it’s medically necessary.”
He nodded. “It’s not that bad, Doctor. I promise.”
“Okay,” she said, flicking through her datapad again. “Three weeks, Finn.”
“Three weeks.”
# # # #
“Hey!” Everyone at the table, heck everyone within a twenty-foot radius—with the apparent exception of Finn—could see how Poe’s eyes lit up as he motioned Finn over to join them. “So, how did it go?”
“Just more bloodwork,” Finn said, setting his tray down and settling in across from Poe.
Snap, who had a notorious aversion to needles, winced, asking, “How much longer do you have to do that?”
Finn shrugged. Snap put a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, man.”
“It’s okay,” Finn said. Can we please talk about anything other than me now? He looked up at Poe, who seemed to understand the sentiment.
“So,” Poe started, “I heard that Jojo finally had zir soulmate transformation.”
“Which one’s Jojo,” Jess asked.
“You know, big… Snap what species is Jojo again?”
Snap shrugged.
“Anyway, ze is a radar tech. Oh, I know you’ve met Jojo before. Big, blue, with the…” Poe’s hands were now doing an intricate dance above his head.
Jessica snorted, failing to contain her laughter. “Yeah, I know Jojo. I just wanted to see how far you’d go with the description. I guess I know—full on tentacle hands.”
Poe blushed and put his hands down.
“So what’s zir were-creature,” Karé asked.
“A barghest,” Poe said.
Half the table shivered.
“No, thank you,” said Iolo.
“So what would you want, then,” Snap asked.
“Dog, cat,” Iolo shrugged. “Something that gets to sleep all day.”
The group laughed.
“What about the rest of you,” Iolo asked.
“Bearded Jax,” Jessika answered quickly.
Everyone groaned.
“But they’re so cute!”
“Yeah, what good is cute going to do you in a fight,” Snap asked.
“Says the mogo,” Poe muttered.
Snap shot him an evil look.
Karé attempted to defuse the situation. “What about you Finn? Any ideas on what your were-creature will be?”
Finn shrugged. “Never gave it much thought, really. The Order doesn’t teach you about soulmates or were-creatures, so all of this is still a bit new.”
“Kriff,” Jess said quietly.
Before the mood at the table could get too somber, Poe said, “I think Finn will be something powerful and smart. Something noble. You know, like how the General is a jaguar?”
Snap was trying hard not to laugh. “Given Finn’s were-creature a lot of thought, have you, Poe?”
Poe blushed but kept going. “Well, it gets boring just fixating on what I want to be.”
The whole table—minus Finn—said, “Some sort of flying creature.”
“Yeah, we’re all well aware of what you want to be,” Jess said.
“Yes we are, Miss Bearded Jax,” Poe answered sweetly.
“So what do you have us pegged as,” Iolo asked.
Poe pointed to Iolo, “Sloth.”
Everyone chuckled. Iolo nodded. “Sounds good.”
To Jess, “Bearded Jax.” She smiled. “But only ‘cause I know that’s what you want.”
To Finn, “I don’t know…a tuareg?”
Finn laughed. “A tuareg? Really?”
“I don’t know,” Poe said, his whole face going red. “They’re majestic and kinda pretty and…” I’m gonna die now. He looked up at the chrono on the far end of the mess. “Kriff, I should…” He stood up.
“You going,” Finn asked. “Can I come too?”
“Sure,” Poe said, smiling.
They walked away together, and when they were far enough away, Jess said, “Okay, when are those two going to transform already?”
Snap was still chuckling about Poe’s latest bout of blushing. “I don’t know, but it better happen soon. Dameron’s a mess around that kid. Finn knows, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Karé said. “And I don’t think Poe’s caught on about Finn yet, either.”
“You can’t be serious,” Jess said. “Have you seen the way Finn looks at him?”
“Have you seen the way Poe looks at Finn,” Snap countered.
“They’re both idiots,” Iolo said. “Sooner or later, they’ll both realize it and then, we will get the supreme joy of seeing what they both turn into.”
“You don’t think Poe will be a bird or something,” Karé asked.
Iolo shook his head. “If there was ever a being that was more of a golden retriever than Poe Dameron, it would be an actual golden retriever.”
The whole table erupted into laughter.
# # # #
As soon as they were out of the mess, Finn broke into a huge grin. “So something majestic, huh?”
“I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”
“Probably not,” Finn said. He bumped his shoulder into Poe’s. “But thanks.”
“Thanks?”
Finn shrugged. “No one has ever thought I was majestic before.”
“Well, I also imagined you as a glorified horse, so…”
“Ruping,” Finn said.
“What?”
“If I had to pick a were-creature for you, I’d pick a ruping.”
“That may be the most bad-ass creature anyone has ever supposed I would be,” Poe said. “I may steal that the next time anyone asks what I think I’ll be.”
Finn laughed. “Glad I could help.”
They came to an intersection. Poe pointed to a corridor leading out to the hangar. “I’m going this way.”
Finn pointed in the opposite direction. “And I’m headed this way.”
They stood there for an awkward moment.
“Uh, wanna hang out after dinner tonight? Maybe watch a holo,” Poe asked.
“Sure,” Finn said. “Meet you in the mess after shift?”
“Sounds good.”
They both started off in their respective directions.
Finn turned around to get one last look at Poe as he walked down the hall and was pleasantly surprised to see that Poe had turned to stare back at him as well. He raised his hand in a quick wave. Poe did the same.
# # # #
Poe stared down at his datapad without really seeing it. A ruping. A kriffing ruping. That has to mean something, right?
It had been a week since Finn had mentioned the ruping as a possible were-creature for Poe, and in that time, Poe had become painfully aware of how hard it was to be a “good friend” to Finn. Because all he really wanted to do was kiss Finn and hold Finn’s hand and take Finn back to Yavin IV to meet his dad…
Whoah, slow down there, solider! For all I know, Finn is stuck on Rey, and he’s just being friendly.
Poe frowned. He was suddenly stuck in a horrible little daydream about Finn and Rey and their eleven children and creepy Uncle Poe, who lived by himself and never shaved. He shuddered.
“Where the kriff are you,” Jess asked.
“Huh?” Poe startled.
“I’ve been standing here for over a minute while you’ve stared at that datapad and made horrible little whimpering sounds. What gives?”
Poe shook his head. “Just drifted off for a minute there.”
“Right,” Jess said. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really,” Poe said.
“Okay, then can you tell me about the drills we’re doing with the new recruits tomorrow?” She pointed to Poe’s datapad, where he’d pulled up a list of things he wanted to cover.
“Yeah, right,” Poe said. Eleven beautiful force-sensitive children. And creepy Uncle Poe.
# # # #
Finn stared up at the ceiling of his room and did the math. I’ve been with the Resistance for five months now, and I’ve been awake for four months and three weeks of that time. And in those four months and three weeks—except for when one of us was out on assignment—I have had at least two meals a day with Poe Dameron every day I’ve been here.
That has to mean something, right?
Right?
Finn frowned, wishing he hadn’t dredged all this up before trying to fall asleep.
Maybe he’s just being friendly. I mean, look at the way he’s always hanging all over Pava or the way he jokes around with Snap and Iolo. Poe’s a friendly guy. That’s all it is.
Maybe I should just tell him.
Ugh! Finn punched his pillow. Why can’t this be easier?
Poe, I’m pretty sure that I’m…
Finn rolled over, grabbing his pillow and bunching it under his head. Poe, I’m pretty sure that I’m a kriffing idiot, Finn thought. But if this soulmate stuff is for real…
If…
Maker, I hope it’s for real.
Finn understood attraction. Hell, he’d had a few crushes on some of his fellow Stormtroopers over the years. But this was something different. With Poe, well, with Poe, Finn wanted a future. And it wasn’t just about sex. It was about laughing and holding hands and sitting next to each other and sharing long, comfortable silences and…
…I hope it’s you.
# # # #
I’m just gonna tell him, Finn thought as he made his way to the hangar. I’ll tell him and then, it will be out in the open.
And then things will be awkward. Finn abruptly stopped walking.
But I can handle awkward. Finn squared his shoulders and started forward again. What I can’t handle are any more sleepless nights spent agonizing over my best friend.
Finn entered the hangar and scanned the space. In the far corner, Poe and the pilots were sitting on a bunch of crates joking around. Iolo was in the middle of the story about the time he got thrown out of a bar on Coruscant. Finn had heard it before. Several times.
He smiled at the scene. They were all so relaxed and easy-going and yet, he knew if an alarm sounded, they were the people he wanted on his six. Thank goodness for the Resistance, he thought.
Then, he caught sight of Poe, laughing at something Iolo had said. Poe’s eyes were extra-crinkly as he leaned back guffawing while Iolo described being manhandled by a group of Twi’leks. Finn felt something in his chest tighten. Damn those eye crinkles.
At that moment Poe looked up and spotted Finn. His grin got even wider and his eyes twinkled. He raised his hand to wave and he started to shout Finn when it happened.
One moment, Poe Dameron was sitting on a crate, joking with the pilots. The next, his body was contorting, and it looked like he was shrinking.
Finn ran over.
All of the pilots stood. They were all staring at Poe’s orange flight suit, which was now bunched—seemingly empty—on the ground.
“What in the kriffing hell,” Finn yelled.
Jess looked around.
Karé barked, “Did anyone turn?”
The pilots looked from one to the next, everyone shaking their heads or shrugging.
Suddenly, there was a very pronounced squeak coming from under Poe’s flight suit.
Snap looked at Karé and raised an eyebrow.
“Careful,” she said.
He stepped over and gingerly nudged the suit with his foot.
There was another squeak and then they could all see a small shape trying to dislodge itself from the material.
Snap looked to Karé. She nodded.
He reached down and picked up Poe’s flight suit.
There, sitting on the ground was a tiny, cream-colored squirrel.
It looked up at the group and cocked its head.
The group stared at it in a stunned silence.
Finally, Jess whispered, “Poe?”
The squirrel began chittering, and it was clear that it was not happy. It scampered up onto one of the crates, still chittering. It looked around at all of the pilots and then climbed up to a higher crate, still turning its neck back and forth. It was clearly looking for something.
And whatever it was looking for, it wasn’t finding it.
Its chirps got louder and more annoyed. It began jumping across the hangar from crate to crate.
The group stood in shock for a moment.
“That was Poe, right,” Jess asked Iolo.
Iolo nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“He’s a kriffing squirrel,” Snap said in disbelief.
“So where’s his mate,” Jess asked.
Iolo shrugged.
As the squirrel jumped up onto a ship and started darting from one ship to the next, Finn got over the shock of what he’d just seen. “Poe! Stop!” He started running.
The others followed.
Snap laughed. “Did you see his bushy little tail?”
“Oh my goodness, I bet he’s so soft,” Jess said. “Poe, wait up!”
Finn rolled his eyes. Yeah, he’s really going to appreciate you guys wanting to pet him.
# # # #
Poe scampered up the nose of Black One, “Help,” he screamed, but he could hear it, and it came out as an angry kind of chitter-chatter. “I’m a fucking squirrel.” Yep, that sounded like squirrel-speak too.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Chitter. Chitter. Chitter. Chitter.
This is because I made fun of Snap being a mogo, isn’t it?
He looked down off the nose of the ship and realized that it was one thing being up here when you’re 5’9” but quite another when you’re all of… Poe stood up on his little squirrel haunches and tried to figure it out. Five inches? Six? Oh Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Down below, Finn, Jess, Karé, Snap, and Iolo came into view. Only Finn looked concerned. The others were trying hard not to laugh. “Really? Really, guys? That’s what I get for all our years of friendship?” Angry chitter, chitter, chitter. Dammit, I sound way too cute in this form.
“Poe,” Jess said, giggling. “You know we can’t understand you like that, right?”
“Fuck you, Pava.” Angriest of squirrel barks.
The whole group—minus Finn—roared with laughter.
“Guys,” Finn said.
“Oh come on, Finn, this is pretty funny. Dameron’s a rodent,” Snap said.
“I may be a rodent but I can still kick your ass, Wexley,” Poe said. Chitter, chitter, chitter.
Jess giggled. “He’s so cute!”
Kriffing hell, Poe thought. Just end me now.
“I take it this isn’t normal,” Finn asked, hoping to get them back on track.
“No,” Karé said, suddenly sobering.
Finn turned to the others. “Then, why don’t you guys go find someone to help us figure it out, okay?”
“We didn’t mean anything by it,” Jess said. She looked up at squirrel Poe. “We didn’t mean anything, Poe. Honest.”
Poe tried to cross his arms in front of him and failed. He settled for an undignified squirrely hrumph, which sounded far too adorable.
Karé said, “Come on. Let’s go find Dr. Kalonia and the General while Finn works his magic.” They walked away.
Finn looked up. “Okay, they’re gone now. So, first things first, are you okay?”
Poe sighed a little squirrely sigh. “I don’t know.”
Finn frowned. “Was that a yes or a no?”
Poe attempted a shrug.
Finn laughed. “I don’t know?”
Poe nodded his head.
“Hey, see? This isn’t so bad. We’ve already worked out yes and I don’t know.” Finn frowned. “I’m pretty sure the top of Black One isn’t the safest spot for you right now. So, you want to come down or am I going to have to come up?”
Poe looked around. The ladder looked a bit dicey, but he didn’t relish having to be rescued by Finn. How did I even get up here?
He looked down at Finn. “I’m gonna jump, so catch me okay?” Chitter, chitter, chitter. Dammit!
Finn smiled. “You wanna jump? I’ll catch you.”
Thank the maker for you, Finn. He nodded his tiny squirrel head.
Poe sprang from the nose of Black One, extending his limbs, but when he did, he suddenly realized there was some sort of membrane extending from his ankles and wrists to his body and he was…FLYING!
Okay, maybe he was gliding, but it was the kriffing best thing that he’d ever done in his entire life. “WOOOOOO-HOOOOO,” he yelled out in a squirrel bark.
Finn started laughing and chasing after him as he drifted towards the ground.
He landed in Finn’s hands and looked up. “I wanna do that again!”
Finn looked down at him. “Let me guess, you just said you want to do that again?”
Squirrel-Poe nodded.
“Okay,” Finn chuckled, “but how about we move somewhere safer? Say, to the edge of base near the trees, okay?”
Poe nodded and scampered up to sit on Finn’s shoulder, chittering and chattering away. Finn laughed. “You know I can’t understand a single damn thing you’re saying, Poe?”
“I don’t care,” Poe said in squirrel speak. “That was amazing, Finn. One minute I’m falling and the next, I’m…it was…Oh man, I wish you coulda felt it. This is…I don’t care that I’m a five-inch rodent. This is amazing!”
# # # #
About fifteen minutes later, Karé, the General, and Dr. Kalonia found Finn standing next to a set of trees near the tarmac staring up.
“Where is he,” Dr. Kalonia asked.
Finn pointed up into one of the trees. “There,” he said. “He’s been scampering up and gliding down for the past ten minutes.”
“He’s a flying squirrel,” Karé asked.
Finn nodded. “And from what I can figure out, he would be completely freaked out right now except he’s getting to fly.”
“Typical Dameron,” the General muttered. “Poe,” she yelled. “You think you can come down here so we can figure out what’s going on?”
There was a squawking in the tree and suddenly, a small, tan squirrel was slowly gliding down. It landed on a branch about two-thirds of the way down, repositioned and then jumped again. This time, Finn ran out to catch it.
He laughed as he caught the squirrel. “You’re getting better at that.”
The squirrel began chattering happily and ran to sit on Finn’s shoulder.
Finn turned to the three women and saw not quite terrified looks, but certainly distressed ones.
Dr. Kalonia stepped forward and leaned in to look at the squirrel. “Commander Dameron?”
The squirrel turned to face her and nodded.
“Other than being a squirrel, do you feel well?”
Squirrel-Poe nodded again.
“Any idea why this happened?”
Squirrel-Poe shrugged. Dr. Kalonia smiled and tried hard not to laugh. It was about the cutest thing she’d ever seen. She turned to the General. “I don’t know what to tell you, ma’am.”
The General stepped forward and examined Poe. She frowned. “Karé, until further notice, I’m going to put you in charge of all squadrons.”
The squirrel squeaked defiantly.
Leia raised an eyebrow. “You want to explain to me how you’re going to command our ships as a squirrel, Dameron?”
The squirrel was clearly displeased.
Karé said, “Sorry, Poe.”
The General said, “Dr. Kalonia, I’d like you to come up with any possible reasons this could’ve happened. Have you ever heard of a one-sided transformation before, or a soulmate transformation triggering early?”
“No,” Dr. Kalonia said. Then, she looked at Finn. “But I think I might have some ideas.”
Finn didn’t miss that. “Wait! You think this could be…” He was suddenly hyper-aware of the squirrel sitting on his shoulder. He turned to the General. “General, would you take Poe for a few minutes? I’d like to talk to the doctor alone.”
It was clear something was up, but Leia simply nodded. She held out her hand. “Come on, Dameron. I’ll let you ride on my head if you promise to be good.”
The squirrel happily jumped from Finn’s shoulder to Leia’s head. She laughed as he scampered into position. “This is not something I thought would be happening today.” She shook her head, and she and Karé left.
As soon as they were gone, Finn turned to the doctor. “You think it’s me?”
Dr. Kalonia raised an eyebrow.
“But…but…but…” Finn stuttered. Oh kriffing hell. “He’s gonna hate me,” Finn muttered, closing his eyes.
“I don’t think so,” Dr. Kalonia said.
“So you think Poe’s going to be okay with the fact that he’s stuck as a squirrel until the suppressants are out of my system?”
“Well...” Dr. Kalonia started.
“Assuming they ever get out of my system,” he added.
“Let’s run some more tests,” she said, starting for the base.
# # # #
After his trip to med bay, Finn went to find a suitable habitat for Poe. He’d decided he would house Poe in his room and try to explain to him what probably happened. And then hope he doesn’t run away, Finn thought.
After he’d set up Poe’s new cage (Ugh, Finn thought, Snap is never going to let him hear the end of that), he went to command.
Poe was still sitting atop the General’s head, silently watching as she held a debriefing. Finn leaned back for a second and chuckled. Everyone in the room—except for the General—was trying very hard to pretend that there wasn’t a squirrel on her head. And they were all failing miserably.
“Hi General. Hi Poe,” he said, moving forward. “I’ve set up a…space for Poe in my room, and I brainstormed some ideas about what’s happened with Dr. Kalonia.”
Leia lifted an eyebrow. “Anything you feel like sharing?”
“Uh, I think the doctor will fill you in,” Finn said, holding out a hand to Poe, who happily jumped from the General’s head to Finn’s arm.
“Fine,” Leia said. “Once you and Poe are settled, I think you and I should have a chat, Finn. Say tomorrow morning, oh-seven-hundred?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Finn said.
Poe scampered up to his shoulder as they left command. Finn reached up and stroked Poe’s fur. “Just promise me that whatever happens, you won’t be mad. Okay, Poe?”
Squirrel-Poe squeaked what Finn could only assume was a yes.
# # # #
Poe figured that once he changed back to his human form, he was going to have to endure months of jokes at his expense. But, he figured, it will all have been worth it. I got to fly and I got to sit on the General’s head. He smiled. Wait. That sounded creepy. He crouched down on Finn’s shoulder. Ah, kriff. I don’t care. That was cool. And her hair smells marvelous.
As they entered Finn’s room, Poe went back up on his hind feet. You can’t be serious.
There was a glass aquarium with a mesh lid sitting on Finn’s desk. It had some shredded material in the bottom and what looked like a pillow in it. Finn began reaching for Poe, and Poe scampered away. “There is no way I’m living in that.”
“Poe, come on. Wait, stop. Where are you going? Poe? Poe!”
Poe kept moving and dodging Finn’s hands until he felt safe to jump. He hit the ground and ran under Finn’s bed.
“Poe,” Finn sounded tired. “Please? It was the best I could do on such short notice. I’ll find you something better, but for now, we can’t have you running around base. You might get hurt.”
“You can’t be serious,” Poe yelled. “I am not going to be kept in a cage!” Angry barks and squeaks.
“Poe.” Finn was on his hands and knees, peering under the bed.
“No,” Poe barked defiantly. He backed up into the furthest corner under the bed.
“Poe, you’re small enough right now that even BeeBee could hurt you. We can’t take that risk.”
“I’m not staying in a cage!”
Finn sighed. To him, it was a bunch of angry chittering, but he got the gist of it. He got up off the floor and sighed as he slumped onto his bed. “Poe, please. I’m trying my best here.”
The squirrel remained silent.
“Well, as long as you’re already pissed at me, you should probably know that the most likely explanation for your condition is that it’s my fault.”
There was definite movement under the bed.
Finn waited and a moment later, Squirrel-Poe came crawling out. It eyed Finn suspiciously and Finn knew he should continue. “The Order give Stormtroopers a lot of drugs to keep us…them in line. And over the past few months, Dr. Kalonia has been working to get all of that stuff out of my system. But a few weeks ago, she noticed that there was a drug she had missed before. It’s a suppressant. Specifically, it suppresses the ability to transform into your were-self.”
The squirrel cocked its head and seemed to ponder what Finn was saying, but it remained uncharacteristically quiet.
“What I’m saying is, in all likelihood, I’m your soulmate, but because of the drugs the Order gave me, I wasn’t able to transform this afternoon. And it may be some time before I can transform.”
The squirrel looked down for a moment. When it looked up at Finn, its eyes were full of tears. He leaned forward. “I’m so sorry, Poe. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
The squirrel ran towards him, chattering. It jumped onto the bed and onto Finn’s arm, running up and nuzzling his cheek. Finn laughed. “Slow down there, buddy. It’s okay. It’s okay.” He ran a finger over Squirrel-Poe’s fur. “I take it this means I’m forgiven?”
Poe closed his eyes and leaned into Finn’s cheek. “Of course you’re forgiven! I love you. I’m so glad you’re my soulmate. Kriff, Finn, this is the best…”
Poe realized he was going to have to totally re-evaluate the day. Becoming a squirrel had been disquieting to say the least, but learning he could glide was amazing. And riding around on Leia’s head had been a highlight. But this? Finding out that Finn was his soulmate beat them both. In fact, they paled in comparison. This is the best day of my life, he thought.
Now, if I could just find a way to say all of this to Finn.
“WOO-HOO,” he barked.
Finn laughed and scratched Squirrel-Poe’s head. “Me too, buddy.”
# # # #
The first night, Poe whined so much from his cage, that Finn gave up. Getting up and walking over to the cage, Finn reached in and held the rodent so they were face to face. “Fine. You can sleep with me, but you’re gonna have to be careful. I don’t want to roll over and crush you.”
Squirrel-Poe nodded and squeaked a happy squeak.
Finn settled them in bed and Poe moved until he was resting on Finn’s pillow at the top of Finn’s head.
Finn said, “I’m guessing this isn’t how you imagined spending your first night with your soulmate, huh?”
The squirrel let out a sound that Finn knew was a no.
Squirrel-Poe crawled down and looked in Finn’s eye, seeming to ask, What about you?
Finn smiled a sad smile. “Never gave it much thought. They didn’t tell us about soulmates in the Order.”
The squirrel huffed and resettled at the top of Finn’s head.
Finn continued, “Honestly, all of this sounded a bit strange to me when everyone started talking about it, but I see how happy people like Karé and Snap are and…” He sighed. “We’ll get you fixed, Poe. I promise. And then,” Finn smiled. “And then, we’ll do all of the truly filthy things you had planned for our first night together.”
“You knew?” Squeak, squeak?
Finn chuckled. “I’m just guessing, Dameron, but I’ve got a feeling I’ve hit pretty close to the target. Now, go to sleep. We’ve both got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
# # # #
“I take it Dr. Kalonia filled you in on her suspicions,” Finn said, sliding into the seat the General had offered him.
“Yes,” Leia said. “How did Poe take it?”
“Surprisingly well,” Finn said. “He isn’t thrilled about his cage. I’m probably just going to have to let him run around my room if I don’t want him complaining all the time.”
Leia didn’t even bother to hide her smile.
“But otherwise, I think he’s handling it as well as can be expected.”
“Good,” she said. Then, she turned serious. “As I see it, we have two main concerns. One, how long is Commander Dameron going to be stuck in his were-form, and two, when are you going to transform? The normal rules don’t seem to apply to the two of you, so we have no guarantee that it will even happen in his presence. Now, that his transformation has happened, that means that yours could happen at any time.”
“Let’s hope sooner rather than later,” Finn said.
“Yes, but until it happens, we can’t risk you transforming while on a mission. It might jeopardize you or your fellow soldiers.”
“Oh,” Finn said.
“Yes,” Leia said. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to restrict you to base until we figure all of this out.”
# # # #
For the first few days, it was okay. They abandoned the cage and Finn let Poe wander his room while he was busy with his duties and couldn’t take Poe with him. However, most of the time, Poe would ride around on Finn’s shoulder, and he loved being able to get out and about, even if it was strange seeing the base from this perspective.
Poe was also trying to get used to the strange looks everyone shot him: a mixture of amusement and pity. And everyone seemed afraid to touch him—they seemed to think he was going to break. It was strange having people react that way to him, and Poe had started nuzzling into Finn’s neck when it got to be too much. Finn grounded him.
In the evenings, Squirrel-Poe would curl up in Finn’s lap while Finn read or watched holos. Finn found that stroking Poe’s fur was just about the most relaxing activity he’d ever done, and Poe? Well, Poe discovered that there were few things that felt as truly marvelous as having someone pet your fur.
At night, Squirrel-Poe would sleep on Finn’s pillow. And usually, Finn would spend the first fifteen to twenty minutes after they got into bed just talking to Poe: telling him his hopes and his dreams, his fears, what he liked and what he didn’t. They had talked before, but now, it was as if all barriers were removed. Poe knew that most people thought he was incapable of keeping his mouth shut for more than a minute at a time, but this sleepytime ritual with Finn, where he just laid on the pillow and listened to Finn talk, was quickly becoming his favorite time of day.
Poe felt guilty that Finn was confined to base, but with each passing day, he also felt more and more anxious about his own situation. Not being able to talk to his friends, not being able to fly, heck, not being able to walk around freely—it was all starting to take its toll.
And it wasn’t too long before he started trying to sneak out of Finn’s room.
He knew it was a bad idea. He knew it was dangerous, but… Dammit, I’m going crazy.
The first few times, it wasn’t so bad. As Finn would open the door, he’d dart out and then he’d bounce down the hall and into the hangar. He’d find a nice perch to sit upon and watch the pilots and technicians do their work.
Sure, Finn had been mad. And yeah, the fourth time he did it, Finn called the General out to make Poe come down and go back to Finn’s room, but… Well, Poe would remember to apologize once he was back in human form.
It was the sixth time that caused all of the issues. He bolted and ran down the hall and straight into a droid that apparently hadn’t been informed that there was a 5”-tall rodent Commander running around. Two seconds before the droid crushed him, Finn’s hands snatched him up.
“See,” Finn yelled. “That’s why you don’t do this!” He started marching towards command. “You’re going to get yourself killed, Dameron, and why? Because you can’t sit still long enough for us to figure something out?”
Poe started squirming. Finn’s tone scared him. I’ve gone too far this time, he thought. He contemplated biting Finn’s hand and then running away and just living in the trees until this thing was over. But what if it never ends?
By the time they arrived in command, Poe had gone limp. Finn was still seething mad, but he was also a bit scared. Did I hold him too tightly? He looked down at Squirrel-Poe and he saw it. Poe was starting to give up. “Hey, buddy,” he pulled Poe up to look him in the eye, “we’re gonna figure this out.”
The General walked up to them. “How is he,” she asked.
Finn frowned. “Stir crazy. Starting to give up.” He let out a long breath. “I don’t know that I blame him.”
Leia put a hand on Finn’s arm. “Don’t lose faith just yet. Dr. Kalonia has been in touch with scientists across the galaxy. It’s only a matter of time.” She looked down at Poe. “However, I think a change of scenery might do Poe some good. Kaydel,” she called out.
The small woman ran over. “Captain Finn is going to go on a mission the day after tomorrow, so I’m going to need you to take care of Commander Dameron while he’s gone.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll stop by later to tell you about feeding him and everything,” Finn said.
Kaydel nodded and bent down to smile at Poe. “Don’t worry, Commander. You’ll like my quarters.”
"Thanks, Kaydel," Poe squeaked.
She wrinkled her nose. “He said thank you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, you’ll pick up squirrel-talk fast. Trust me, Poe will make his feelings known.”
Kaydel left, and Finn turned to the General. “I thought it was too dangerous to send me into the field.”
“It is, but as it turns out, we have some allies at a settlement on Vaal who have run across something we’d like you to take a look at.”
“Oh,” Finn said. Finn, the First Order expert.
“Jess and Iolo will be accompanying you, so you should probably check in with them. Why don’t you leave Poe here with me while you do that?”
Finn nodded and smiled. He looked down at the squirrel in his hands. Poe had curled up. His eyes were open but he wasn’t his usual chattering self. It was as if all the fire had gone out of him. Finn looked back up at Leia.
“Don’t worry, Finn.” She reached over and took Poe from him.
After Finn left, she leaned in, whispering to Squirrel-Poe in her most motherly tone, “Poe, we will find a way to bring you back, okay?” She then reverted to her General’s voice, “And, while he is gone you are not to give Kaydel any trouble. Is that understood?”
Poe looked at her.
“I said, is that understood, Commander?”
Poe nodded and then curled back up. She placed him on the command console next to her and began stroking his fur. She sighed. “Kaydel, tell Dr. Kalonia I’d like a briefing on what progress they’ve made on this squirrel situation as soon as possible.”
# # # #
Poe had every intention of following the General’s orders, really he did. He sat quietly as Finn carried him to Kaydel’s quarters. He nestled into one of her pillows while Finn told her how to feed him and take care of his needs. He'd sat around quietly for what felt like hours after Finn left.
But then, she left her door open and… He couldn’t just let that opportunity pass him by.
The next thing he knew, he was in the hangar, but today, he didn’t head for his usual perch. No, instead he was headed for a ship—a very particular transport ship.
It was crazy, and Finn was going to be mad, but well… Poe shrugged his squirrely shoulders. Maybe they won’t notice.
# # # #
Poe tried hard not to laugh. He figured that squirrely laughter would definitely alert Jess, Iolo, and Finn to his presence. But he was so happy. Finally, to be on a ship again!
He looked around the lounge area of the transport. Jess and Iolo were up front piloting the ship, and Finn was in the cargo hold, fiddling with some equipment. With any luck, they’ll never even realize I was here. Poe found a warm little corner under the main seating area, and tucked himself in.
He awoke with a jolt. Dammit, Iolo. Learn how to land a kriffing ship!
He heard Jess’s voice, “Dammit, Iolo. Could you make that any bumpier?”
“I could try,” Iolo quipped back.
“Everything okay,” Finn asked over the comm.
“We’re fine. Jess here is just overly sensitive,” Iolo said. “We’ll be touching down at the settlement in about two minutes.”
About ten minutes later, Poe waited for Jess and Iolo to leave the cockpit. Finally, it sounded like they were all in the cargo bay. Now is my time to—
Poe dashed out from under the seats and almost got stepped on by Finn.
“What the kriff?” Finn stumbled backward. “Poe?”
Poe glanced up and hoped that his little squirrely face looked innocent and sweet.
“Fucking hell,” Finn said, reaching for him. Poe dashed away towards the cargo bay.
“Poe!”
No way, Finn. I am not going to spend the rest of this trip in a cage. He jumped into the cargo bay. Jess screamed, causing Iolo to drop a box of supplies. It nearly landed on Poe. Poe stopped and scrambled back in the other direction—right into Finn’s waiting hands. “Gotcha!”
“Poe,” Jess said. “What in the kriff are you doing here?”
“Seems we have a stowaway,” Iolo said. “Damn near had a flattened stowaway,” he murmured, looking at the box at his feet.
“Guys, would you mind if I…Could you finish unloading? I’m going to take Poe to my room here and have a little talk with him, okay?”
“That’s fine, Finn,” Iolo said.
Finn walked down the cargo ramp and met with their contact at the settlement, L’odoro, who showed Finn to his room and tried not to stare too much at the rodent the soldier was carrying with him.
Once L’odoro left, Finn deposited Squirrel-Poe on the floor of his room. He kneeled down and took a deep breath. Need to be calm when I say this. “You know, I understand that it’s frustrating, being stuck as a squirrel and all, Poe, but there is more than you to think about here.”
The squirrel leaned back on its haunches and cocked its head. “Like you, I suppose,” he said. “And how this is inconveniencing you?” Chitter, chitter.
Finn frowned. “I’m gonna assume that was some smart ass remark.” He took a deep breath. He’s a squirrel. That can’t be easy. “Look, all I’m saying is, you are gonna have to stop doing stupid things like sneaking out of my room and trying to hitch rides with Jess, Iolo, and me.”
“Stupid? Stupid?” Squeak. Squeak. Dammit. Could I sound any cuter?
“Yeah, stupid, Poe. You nearly got yourself killed today. Twice.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? Sit in my cage and just wait around until I die a dignified squirrely death?” Now, he was barking.
Finn sighed. “I really wish I could understand you.”
“Not right now, you don’t.”
“Poe, you understand that this comes from a place of love, right?”
“And you understand that this comes from a place of frustration?” I’m never gonna get to tell you I love you, Finn.
“Finn,” Iolo’s voice crackled over the comm link. “The artifact they want us to look at is out past the eastern perimeter. Could you come take a look now?”
Finn huffed out a breath. “Sure, Iolo, I’ll be right there.” He looked down at Poe. “I’m sorry. But I have to go check this out.”
Not without me, Poe thought.
Finn walked to the door and as soon as it was cracked, Poe bolted, running past Finn’s feet and out into the hall.
“Kriffing hell, Poe!” Finn ran after the squirrel.
Finn yelled into his comm link, “Iolo, I’m having some…squirrel-related issues at the moment. I’m gonna be a bit delayed.”
“Copy. Let us know if you need any help with him.”
“Will do,” Finn said. Yeah, help wringing his cute squirrely neck.
He caught up with Poe at the edge of the settlement near the tree line. “Poe,” he screamed. “Don’t go in there! You are so far down the food chain on this planet…”
Poe had already scrambled up a tree and was gliding to the next.
Finn ran after him. “Poe, what in the name of the galaxy are you—”
There was a massive explosion at the settlement. The force of it shook the forest. Poe clung to the tree he was in.
When he looked down to see if Finn was all right, he felt his stomach drop. Finn was gone. Instead, there was a huge grey Fenwolf on its side just under his tree. It was unconscious. Poe couldn’t tell if it was breathing.
“Finn?”
“Finn is that you?”
“Oh fuck, Finn, did you transform?”
Poe looked around. He could hear blaster fire and yelling at the settlement. There was no sign of Finn anywhere. It has to be him.
Poe cautiously climbed down the tree.
“Finn?” He slowly moved forward. The Fenwolf was huge. One of its paws could cover Poe’s whole being. Of course, you get to be something cool like a Fenwolf, he thought. Then, as he heard screaming in the distance, So not the time, Dameron. Focus!
He stopped a few inches away from the massive wolf. It was breathing, but it was definitely knocked out. “Please, please, please, wake up, Finn,” Squirrel-Poe begged. He nudged his head into the Fenwolf’s fur. “Please,” he squeaked. “The blaster fire is getting closer.”
The wolf growled and started to stir.
“Oh, thank the maker!”
The wolf opened its eyes. Squirrel-Poe scampered around the wolf’s enormous body so that it could look it in the eyes. “Finn?”
“Yeah,” came a low growl.
“Oh baby, don’t scare me like that again,” Poe squeaked.
The wolf groaned and tried to stand.
“Easy. Easy,” Squirrel-Poe yelled.
“I know what I’m doing,” the wolf snapped.
“Yeah, but it can take a minute to get used to it,” the squirrel said.
An explosion rocked the forest.
“Damn,” said the wolf. “They’re getting closer. We need to move.” It looked down at the squirrel. “Get on my back,” the wolf barked.
Poe started up when something occurred to him. “Wait, you can understand me like this,” Poe asked, scampering up Fenwolf-Finn. Finn-wolf, he thought to himself.
“Yes, I can understand you,” Finn-wolf growled. “And when this is all over, you and I are going to have a nice long chat about being responsible and not being stupid, but for right now, you might want to shut up.” The wolf took off at a trot.
“But that’s, that’s…Oh my goodness, Finn, I just…You have no idea how frustrating it is to not be able to talk to anyone and—”
“I know how frustrating that would be for you,” Finn said, a chuckle evident in the wolfy bark. “But like I said, perhaps less talking now so that we don’t die. Okay, Poe?”
“Fine,” Poe let out a depressed squirrely squeak. “But later, I’m gonna talk so much,” he said. He then crawled as close to the wolf’s ear as he could get and whispered, “I love you, Finn, and I’m sorry.”
“Me too, Poe. Me too.”
# # # #
Finn-wolf made his way to the edge of the tree line and tried to get a sense of what was going on. He could see the beings from the settlement fighting against what he guessed were about eighty Stormtroopers. Let’s hope they don’t call for reinforcements.
Poe was right next to his ear. “Any ideas,” he whispered to Finn.
Finn shook his head. “Don’t really know how we could help…wait,” Finn said. “What’s that over there,” he indicated with his snout. “Behind those Stormtroopers?”
It took Poe a moment. “That’s a backup generator, and if you get me over there, I can rig it to blow.”
Finn smiled, which to be honest, to anyone passing by would’ve looked like a Fenwolf baring his teeth, but it was a smile all the same. He started for the generator.
None of the Stormtroopers paid them any attention. Finn deposited Poe at the base of the generator and Poe scampered up.
“Be careful,” Finn barked.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Poe said. “It’s just nice to be doing something for a change.”
Poe found the wires and then cursed his tiny squirrel hands. “I really hope I don’t electrocute myself here.”
“Don’t joke about that,” Finn growled.
“Yeah. Joke,” Poe said. He closed his eyes and said a tiny prayer. He yanked on the wires.
They came out and he wasn’t fried. “Thank the maker!”
He crossed them and then pulled out two more wires and did the same. He jumped down to Finn’s back. “GO!”
Finn took off towards the trees and when they were about halfway there, the generator blew, taking out at least ten Stormtroopers.
Now, the others seemed to catch on that the giant wolf and the tiny squirrel were somehow working for the Resistance. Four of them broke off and started chasing Finn and Poe.
“Kriffing hell,” Poe screamed. “They’re coming for us.”
Fenwolfs were typically used as mounts, but Poe figured it was one thing to be riding one as a human and quite another as a 5” squirrel. He had a death grip in the light grey fur of Finn’s neck and he was pretty sure he was screaming as Finn dipped and dodged and ran through the trees.
Finn skidded to a halt in a clearing and barked, “Get off and get to a tree.”
“But what about yo—”
“Get off and get to a tree, Poe. Now!”
Poe scrambled off the wolf and climbed up the first tree he saw.
Just as Poe made it to a branch so he could stare back down into the clearing, one of the Stormtroopers burst forth. “He’s here,” the trooper yelled.
Finn lunged at him before he could aim his blaster, and Poe shrank back. Fenwolves were huge creatures and quite honestly, Finn’s size, coupled with his razor-sharp claws and teeth, meant that the trooper didn’t stand a chance.
As the second Stormtrooper arrived, Finn jumped, dodging a blast and hitting the trooper square in the chest. As he and the trooper grappled, a third Stormtrooper burst into the clearing.
From his position on the branch, Poe saw the third Stormtrooper get a good vantage on the Fenwolf. “Finn,” he squeaked out, screaming out a bark as he jumped toward the trooper.
The trooper turned at the noise and Poe landed, gracelessly, on the trooper’s helmet. The Stormtrooper started violently shaking his head, trying to get the rodent off. Finally, he reached up, grabbed the squirrel and yanked it off. He then threw it at the nearest tree.
Finn heard Squirrel-Poe’s body hit the trunk with a nauseating thwack. He turned from the now-motionless trooper on the ground and bared his teeth in a growl, springing at the third trooper.
It was over in an instant. The trooper never even managed to get off a shot.
Finn-wolf turned from the carnage and moved to find Poe.
But something was wrong. His body felt…different. Strangely heavy. He raised his paw to investigate and startled. It wasn’t a paw. It was a hand. His hand. Finn’s hand. He picked up the other paw… It’s a hand! Finn looked down and realized he’d transformed back into his human form. He stood up on shaky legs.
“Kriffing hell, Poe. I’m back.” His throat felt raw, but it was definitely his voice.
Just as he started to take a step forward, the fourth Stormtrooper entered the clearing. He had Finn dead to rights, but he stopped and froze, trying to take the scene in: a naked man next to three dead Stormtroopers. Finn lunged for the blaster of one of the downed troopers and scooped it up just as the fourth one regained his senses and took aim. Finn twisted and fired just as the trooper did.
Thankfully, Finn’s aim was better.
He sat there on the ground, panting and shaking for a moment. Then, he remembered Poe. “Poe! Poe? Oh no…” He started running towards the tree the trooper had smashed the squirrel against, dreading what he was going to find.
What he found there on the ground, naked and bloody, was Poe Dameron in his human form. “Poe!” Finn ran and knelt next to him. “Poe, can you hear me?”
Poe groaned.
“YES,” Finn said. “That’s it, Poe. Come back to me!”
Poe’s eyes fluttered open as he groaned again. He blinked, taking in Finn’s form. “Oh buddy. You turned back. I’m so happy for you.” His voice was scratchy and weak.
“Poe.”
“It’s a shame, too. I was gonna tell you so many things. Like how happy I am that we’re soulmates and that I love you. Kriff, you have no idea how much I love you, Finn. And even if I never change back into my human self, it’ll have been worth it.”
“Poe.”
“Yeah, buddy.”
Finn raised an eyebrow and waited for Poe to catch up.
Poe met his eye. “What?”
“Poe.” Finn smiled. He took Poe’s hand and held it up in front of Poe’s face. “Look.”
“Look?” It took Poe a full minute to comprehend what he was seeing. “I’m back?” He looked up to Finn for confirmation. Finn nodded. “I’m back!” Poe tried to stand. “Ow, no. Bad. Very bad.”
Finn leaned in. “Yeah, I think you’re probably gonna have to take it easy for a while. That trooper nearly killed you.” Finn’s voice got tight.
“Finn, baby, I’m right here.” Poe’s hand was at the back of Finn’s head, pulling him in until their foreheads touched. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“You better,” Finn said. Then he lightly punched Poe in the shoulder.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“What was that for? That was for running away and nearly getting squashed by a droid and getting out of Kaydel’s room—she must be worried sick—and it’s for stowing away and nearly getting a crate dropped on you and leaving my room and…do I really need to continue?”
“No,” Poe said. He looked up into Finn’s eyes. “I really am sorry.”
Finn was unimpressed.
“And I promise to talk to Dr. Kalonia about my impulse control issues when we get back, okay?”
“Better.” Finn looked at the bloody mess in front of him. “You nearly died, Poe.”
“Oh, Finn, honey, I’m fine. I promise.” He pulled Finn back until they were forehead to forehead again.
They stayed like that for a minute. Then, Poe leaned back, looking into Finn’s eyes. He smiled. “Hi, soulmate.”
“Hi,” Finn said. “It’s good to have you back, Poe.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Poe’s lips.
It was sweet and tender and before they broke apart, Poe could feel tears on his cheek. But they weren’t his. “Baby, it’s okay. I’m okay.” He snaked his hands around Finn’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “I’m okay.”
Finn nodded. “I love you so much, Poe.”
They stayed like that for a long time. Eventually, though, Finn helped Poe up and the two began slowly making their way out of the forest.
# # # #
They stopped while they were still well within the tree line. They hadn’t heard any blaster fire in a while, but it was best to be cautious. Finn propped Poe up against a tree. “I’m going to scout things out, see if it’s safe.”
Poe nodded. Every bit of him hurt.
Finn made it to the tree line and peered out. He then let out a long breath. The settlers had won and he had eyes on both Jess and Iolo. Thank the maker.
He ran back to Poe. “We’re all good.”
Poe smiled and leaned his weight on Finn. “Good.”
When they got near the settlement, Poe stopped. “Kriffing hell,” he whispered.
“What,” Finn said, shifting his hold on Poe, thinking he’d hurt him.
“No, it’s not that. Finn, we’re naked,” Poe said.
Finn looked down and for the first time registered that yes, they were both stark naked. And about to have to walk back into the settlement. “Kriffing hell,” he said.
“Jess and Iolo are never gonna let us live this down.”
“No, they aren’t,” Finn said, stepping forward. “But it beats being a squirrel, right?”
“Damn straight,” Poe said, hobbling after Finn.
Jess saw them first. She screamed and started running. “Poe! You’re back.” She was hugging him before Finn could explain Poe’s injuries.
“Jess, ow, Jess,” Poe said, “Oomph, Jess, sweetie, you’re cutting off my air.”
Jess stepped back. There were tears in her eyes. “But you’re back!”
“Yeah,” Poe said.
“And he’s naked,” Iolo said, joining them. “You and Finn decide to have an afternoon frolic?”
“I wish,” Poe said, groaning as Finn started helping him move forward again. “More like nearly getting killed by Stormtroopers.”
“One of them threw Squirrel-Poe against a tree,” Finn said.
“Kriff,” Iolo said. “Glad you’re all right, Commander.” They walked a few more feet. “That still doesn’t explain why Finn is naked.”
“He transformed. Moof-milker is a kriffing Fenwolf.”
“Wow,” said Jess. “That’s something I’d like to see.”
“He’s terrifying,” Poe added.
“Well, one of you has to be,” Iolo said with a smirk. “No offense to flying squirrels, but they don’t inspire a lot of fear in the enemy.”
“Still managed to save my life,” Finn said quietly.
“Well, how about that,” Iolo said, patting Poe on the back. “You got to be a hero squirrel after all.”
# # # #
Finn truly hated med bay. But at this moment, he didn’t think about that. The only thought in his head was how lucky Poe had been to survive the last few weeks. He took his soulmate’s hand and squeezed it. Poe muttered something in his sleep. Finn smiled.
When they’d arrived back on base, Poe had begun apologizing—first to Kaydel and then to the General—and Finn figured they’d eventually let him off the hook. After they tortured him a bit. “You deserve it,” Finn said to Poe’s sleeping form. “For all the hell you put us through.”
“Ummmm,” Poe answered sleepily.
Finn chuckled and leaned back in his chair. Over the past few weeks, Dr. Kalonia had tried to explain the science of the soulmate transformation to him, and he’d listened and nodded at the appropriate times, but in the end, he knew it wasn’t just science. It was magic.
That’s what he felt when he’d run into Poe’s arms on the tarmac on D’Qar or when Poe had opened his eyes after the attack on Vaal. It’s what he felt in his chest when Poe kissed him or when little squirrely Poe had nuzzled his cheek.
Soulmates are magic, Finn thought, bringing Poe’s hand up to his lips and lightly kissing it. The best kind of magic. He smiled against Poe’s hand. And this is the kind of magic I get to have for the rest of my life.