flightforfreedom | A stupid post for stupid threads

"Maybe one day," He agreed, with a laugh, though the laugh quickly turned into a husky groan.

"Fast learner," he teased, though to his word he was staying as still as possible. "Though I had something even better in mind..."

"If you pop a single stitch, I'm out."

It would be hard to give up the vids, but there was a higher cause to fight for. Poe's idiotic health.

"Trust me," he said, grinning. "I'll stay right where I am, just - stay up there, but turn around." He crooked his finger at Finn's crotch, which was much more succinct at telling Finn just where he wanted him to bring that thing.

To his mouth, Finn. That's it.

He could sigh. He really could. If it weren't for that fact the entire offer was too hot to resist. No one could blame him for just indulging the invalid now, right? It was a terrible, unusable excuse. But he'd take it.

And obey everything Poe told him to do.

He wet his lips and reached up - careful not to twist his body too much as he angled him down, and showed Finn exactly how good a pilot could be with a joy stick.

But hey, he was behaving, right?

Poe was not, in fact, behaving. But when all was said and done there wasn't much point in arguing it. Not when Finn was going to need a few minutes to catch his breath to manage more than a couple words in a row.

"...vids."

Poe was well done as well, chuckling to himself, the towel half fallen off his side.

"Vids," he agreed, all too happily. "And maybe a change of bandages?" Innocent. Completely.

They needed it, but Finn can't help a small laugh at that look. It was hard to tell when Poe was up to something, given he always looked like it.

"Got it."

The player is handed over as Finn goes to gather the needed supplies. And put some pants back on.

Poe took the player and fiddled with it a bit, chatting with Finn as he did so.

"Should I be doing these chronological order, or best hits?" He asked, the tone teasing. He had some that were just his parents, too, from before he was born, but - he wasn't sure Finn would want to see those, anyway.

He grunted, putting a pillow behind his back as he sat upright, and set the player on his lap.

"First time I've seen any. I'll take 'em all."

First real exposure to how the parent/kid dynamic was supposed to work, outside of propaganda movies showing grateful citizen tearfully welcoming the Order as it purged the chaotic rebellion that had been oppressing them from their shores. Not stuff that held up in real life.

Finn soon replaces that pillow with himself, half supporting Poe as he begins the bandage change process.

"You coulda turned the water off first."

"I would have lost the element of surprise," He replied, smiling, settling back against Finn as he started working.

"Alright, chronological order it is, then," He decided, pressing a button as the holovid flickered to life, and a woman came to view, with a child in her arms, who was smiling and laughing and waving a hand toward the camera - and thus, toward them.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it." She smiled, drawing a breath, as a man walked out from behind the camera to stand at her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hi, Poe. I don't know how old you'll be when you see this - I've left this with your grandfather. Hopefully, we'll be able to all watch it together when your father and I return. But in case we don't - I want you to know that we both love you very, very much, and we spent every moment waiting to come back for you. Be good for your grandfather, Poe." She said, leaning in to nuzzle the babe in her arms with a warm smile.

"We'll be back before you know it."

He hadn't gotten to the bandages there yet, but Finn still wraps a gentle arm around Poe's stomach, leaning in to rest his chin against the other man's shoulder. Poe was cute as a kid, but Finn would be willing to put down credits he'd caused just as much trouble. Still, despite the affection for the man it wasn't the little Poe he was focused on. It was his mom. A quiet, common moment in a soldier's life, he was sure. But incredible for him to watch.

"Look at that."

"What, a thirty seconds of Poe Dameron not causing trouble?" He teased, watching his parents wave before the video ended. He skipped the next couple - both his parents sending vids to him - and pressed the button to show one of a little older Poe - about two years old, and an older gentleman who was sitting on the floor.

"Son, I hope this gets to you soon," The old man was saying, his face firm and worried, despite how happy Poe seemed as he played around his ankles. "I know you won't be able to reply - we've heard the rumours about the new death star. Please - keep safe. Know that you're fighting for all of us, and we all love you." He tilted his head down to look at the little Poe.

"Say 'Hi Mom and Dad, Poe."

The kid grinned and waved. "Hiiii mum'n dad!"

It was a processes to get it done without really taking his eyes away from the screen or jostling Poe, but Finn was a mutitasker. He started removing the clasps on the bandages wrapped around Poe's midsection, not just here to enjoy a glimpse into an actual life.

"How long were you with him? Your grandfather."

"Two and a half years," Poe answered easily. "I don't remember it, to be honest. Six months later - after the battle of Endor - both of my parents retired from the military to raise me."

He spoke with fondness, though didn't move to click for the next vid - he just let it roll, and let himself enjoy Finn's hands as they busied themselves around his body. The player went on to show a slightly older Poe laughing as he chased something around the yard - a huge, open meadow surrounded by dense woods - only to reveal that it was BB-8. Somewhere in the background his mother called. "Poe - Poe, you be careful with that droid! If you get him stuck in the river again--"

Finn's hands paused at that. Huh. He hadn't expected BB-8 to have that much of a history, had figured he was just the Rebellion assigned droid to Poe's X-wing. He gives a small chuckle as the bandages come off and are unceremoniously tossed into the corner.

Good thing he had that bit of entertainment. Poe's sides were no laughing matter. But it's not like the man can see Finn's frown as he grabs a cloth to very slowly dry the area completely.

"Didn't know I was fighting with your brother."

Poe didn't notice the frown, didn't even notice if there was a pause - as he wasn't able to see Finn's face and wasn't paying attention even if he could. After all, he was used to the wounds, now. He saw them, felt them, every day. He would be scarred for the rest of his life.

At least he had a life to worry about. He watched his mother as the vid changed to another one, of him in his mother's lap in the fighter, the first day that she began to teach him how to fly. A familiar, if old - if worn - grief grew in his chest. But it wasn't the sharp, helpless grief of his child hood. Just a small, bittersweet longing.

He hoped wherever she was, she could see how happy he was right now - Finn's arms around him, fussing over him as they sat in bed. A purpose that was worthwhile.

Upholding her legend, even if he didn't even know that legend until after her death.

"Brother?" He said, pulled from his own thoughts, before his brain caught up. "Oh - BB-8? You haven't been fighting with him. You're fine."

"Tell him that."

But it's an after thought reply at best, Finn for a long moment more watching Poe than watching the screen. Not that he hadn't seen the picture- sweet, really, was the only word for it. But the cute kid on the screen meant far less than how the man in Finn's arms reacted to seeing his younger self in his mother's lap.

It wasn't a pain- if he could even call it pain- he could related to. He missed the absence of a memory, not the memory itself. But he could kiss just behind Poe's ear as he started re-wrapping the bandages.

"Doin' alright?"

"Yeah," Poe replied, but it was a softer answer than he would have given anyone else, in any other situation. Maybe it was the pain meds.

"I'm fine. It's been a long time, that's all." He reached out, his fingers just grazing through her figure in the hologram, before it shifted and went to the next one. "Sorry. At least I'm not moving, right?"

"It's okay to miss your mother, Poe."

So he's been told- no, so he knew. Even with only the fact he must have had one given his lack of resemblance to the original clone army, he missed having had one. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like knowing just how good it could be, only to have it all go away.

But he wasn't that sure how to follow the statement up, so he twisted the bandages around him one more time.

"Lift your arms a little."

He didn't really answer the first statement. He made a low sound, probably agreement, but didn't turn his head. He lifted his arms instead, shifting to give Finn better access. And give himself time to think of a reply.

"Sure. Everyone misses the people they lose," He said finally. "Some more than others. Doesn't help keep me from feeling like a right asshole from doing it in front of you," He offered, turning his head and tilting his chin up to catch Finn's eyes.

"Why?"

There was just confusion there. He talked about his lack of family, sure. But he'd never held it against other people that they'd had it. If anything, Poe was a wonder, a marvel from a world he'd only heard about in legend. To stumble across it and find out that kind of life was real was a miracle on the level of the Jedi still existing.

He wrapped fast and efficiently, tucking in the ends from the first section in before moving on to the next.

"Something wrong with me?"

"No! No, that's not what I meant," Poe said, frowning as he turned a little more fully, though he helped by putting a hand on one end of the bandage to keep it in place.

"There's nothing wrong with you. But it's - I know how much was taken from you, probably more than you do, Finn. That's not something I'm ever going to forgive the First Order for."

"Good. I won't either."

Poe being helpful. Maybe he'd have to work on this guilt trip thing a little-

No. Finn paused to grab Poe's chin, making sure he was looking at him.

"But seeing that kind of life's out there, Poe? That's incredible. All that's holding the Order up is the idea personal connections, caring about something other than the greater whole, is the cancer killing the universe. You're proof they're wrong. You and your family. That's not something to say sorry for."

His heart thumped, unhelpfully, a little bit painfully, as he met Finn's eyes to see the solemn sincerity there.

"... You don't have to just see it, Finn," He replied before his head could catch up with his heart and start blaring warning sirens. "You can have it, too."

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