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It's in the midst of running away from the First Order, with TIE Fighters right on there tail that he realizes he doesn't have a name.
"FN-2187."
"F- What? What is that?"
"It's the only name they ever gave me." He responds as he shoots down another TIE Fighter.
"Well I'm not using it." Poe thinks for a moment "FN huh? Finn, how 'bout that, I'll call you Finn."
"Finn..." He tests it out, "Yeah...I. Like that. I like that! Finn!" He smiles.
"Its good to meet you Finn!" Poe shouts as he evades more gun fire.
--
When he first meets Rey there's sand in his mouth and a metal staff to this throat, and she asks “Who are you?”.
He panics for a moment before settling on the only name he knows. “Finn. Finn Dameron.”
--
It works out for a while. Poe’s dead, and he feels like he’s honoring his memory in a weird way. He wears his jacket and his name with pride. He goes from FN-2187 to Finn Dameron.
Rey introduces themselves to Han Solo and Chewbacca as “Rey, and this is Finn Dameron, he’s with the resistance.”
Finn can't help but look away at the knowing look on Han’s face.
--
“Women always find out the truth.” Han leaves Finn to think over these words.
And as Rey’s being carried off in the arms of Kylo Ren he can only think of these words.
He wishes he told Rey the truth from the beginning. He wishes he wasn't just some stormtrooper who was the reason so many people have died, and he wishes he wasn't responsible for the deaths of the only two people who ever looked at him like he was a real person.
--
Poe’s not dead. Poe’s not dead and he can't believe his own eyes, Poe’s not dead. He’s alive and in one piece and he’s smiling and he’s hugging Finn, and he just can't believe it . Maybe it's the stress or the exhaustion but he feels himself leaning into Poe a little more than he should for a reunion hug.
“Is that my jacket?”
“Oh, yeah, here-”, Finn makes a motion to remove his- no, Poe’s jacket.
“No, no,” Poe stops him,and places his hands Finn’s shoulders. Running his hands down his arms, soothing down the creases. “It suits you.”
--
The battles over for now. Rey begins her journey through the stars to find Luke Skywalker. Leia begins plans for defenses for the inevitable return of Kylo Ren. And Finn lays unconscious in the medical bay of the resistance base on D’Qar.
Poe sits by Finn’s bed every chance he gets, mending the large gash on the back of his-no, Finn’s jacket, and tries not to think of the identical scar on Finn’s back. BB-8 whirls by his side, his beeping mixing with the medical instrument’s around them.
Finn looks so much younger right now, his face relaxed. It makes Poe realize that he's just a kid. Too young to have to do what he’s had to do, too young to see the things he’s seen. Too young to go to war.
“[ When will Finn wake up? ]”, BB-8 asks again.
“Soon, bud.” Poe casts one more glance at Finn’s face, unresponsive and blank, before standing, “Real soon, I hope.” He exits, placing the jacket on a the table by the door.
He has work to do.
--
Poe was just beginning to nod off in the plastic chair in the med bay by Finn’s bed when Finn begins to stir. He’s immediately up and at the boy’s side.
“Finn!” Poe can't contain his smile or happiness at seeing his friend finally awake. “No, no stay still, your injuries are still pretty bad.”
“Poe...Poe. Where- How did I get here.- Rey! Where’s Rey? She- she was just-” Finn tries to sit up again, but is kept firmly in place by the hand on his chest.
“Rey’s fine. She defeated Kylo Ren, and her and Chewbacca brought you back here to get you fix up.” Poe explained. “We thought we lost you, you-you weren't breathing and there was so much blood we thought-.” He cuts himself off.
“Where’s Rey now?”
“She and Chewbacca took the map and are on there way to find Luke Skywalker. She should be there right now if our calculations are correct.”
“But that map lead to an uncharted region of the galaxy, how could she be there by now. Wait, how long have I been out?” Finn looks around for any indication of the time, a clock, a calendar.
“About a week.”
Finn’s head snaps back to Poe, he immediately regrets it, now the room is spinning. “A week!? You let me sleep for a week!?” Finn finally pushes the hand off his chest and sits up. He winces but doesn't lay back down.
“Eight days if you include today.” Poe says easily.
“Poe that’s not-”
“It doesn't matter now, okay? You're awake now, and I’m just so happy to see you finally awake, and talking and just-” He can't find the words to describe the utter relief he feels to hear Finns voice again, to see his eyes alive with emotion.
So he just collapses onto Finn, mindful of the bandages around his ribs and shoulder, and wraps his arms around the other boy.
“I thought you were gone for sure this time.” He murmurs into Finn's uninjured shoulder.
“Well,” wraps his arms around Poe’s middle, “it takes a lot more then some lightsaber wielding psycho to get rid of Finn Dameron.”
It takes them both a moment to realize what just came out of the younger man's mouth.
“Oh um,- I mean-”
“No, no.” He smiles “It suits you.”