Today they're going into the outpost to trade their collected scrap for rations and a replacement hose clamp for the speeder's engine and maybe bigger pants for Finn because Poe says he's growing like Kriffing Salvanian Choke Weed and if they don't get new clothes for him soon he'll split his at the seams.
Finn doesn't know what Kriffing Salvanian Choke Weed is and when Poe said it he was afraid because Finn is a human and weeds are plants and so Finn probably shouldn't be growing like one? Finn makes sure to ask Poe about it right away because Poe said he could ask anything and Finn hasn't found a question yet that Poe won't at least try to answer. This one makes Poe laugh, which means it's the best kind of question, even if the answer is "it's just a figure of speech, buddy" which never seems like a good answer.
Still, Finn likes the questions that make Poe laugh. He also likes being able to ask anything he wants and the way the powder from the ration packs puffs up into bread when he pours it into water and running really fast across the cool dawn sands and the way that Poe brushes the sand off the bottoms of Finn's feet before he helps him put on his boots. Finn used to keep a careful list of all the things he likes in his head that he would go over each night as he was falling asleep but it got too long and messy so now he just likes things.
Sometimes he tells Poe the things he likes. He'll say "Poe! I like the way this protein loaf tastes!" and Poe will laugh and say that's good and call him buddy even though his name is Finn.
Finn also doesn't like some things, although the list of things he doesn't like is much shorter than the list of things he does like. He can tell Poe things he doesn't like too and sometimes Poe can even make them stop.
Sometimes Poe can't, though, or sometimes the bad things have to happen so that good things can. It's like riding on the speeder - which is scary and sometimes dust gets in Finn's eyes and makes them water like he's crying even though he isn't - so that they can get to the outpost - which has all kinds of things to look at and Besa Thulle, who once gave Finn a sweet and makes Poe go all red in the face when they smile at him.
The first stop they always make is at the Concession Stand and Finn always waits quietly for Poe to get done bargaining, even though it's boring and Unkar Plutt scares Finn a little, because Poe doesn't like it when he can't see Finn and if he's very good Poe will take him to see the luggabeasts before they do the rest of their trading. Normally it's easy to be good for Poe, much easier than it's ever been to be good for anyone else, but this time Finn can hear someone crying around the corner of the Concession Stand.
Finn doesn't think anyone should be crying at the outpost, not when it has things like traders tents filled with strange gadgets and Besa who sometimes gives people sweets. Especially not when Poe is here. Poe is talking to Unkar Plutt now and not looking at Finn so Finn does a bad thing and goes looking for whoever is crying.
It's a girl, small like the others from the time before Poe that Finn doesn't like remembering, and curled up in a little ball against the back of the stand. Finn sits down next to her and pets her hair and when she looks up he wipes the tears off her cheeks because that's what Poe does and it always makes Finn feel better. She stays stiff against him for a few moments and then all at once collapses into his side.
The girl is hot like the speeder after it's been in the sun all day, and she's sticky with sweat and soaking the shoulder of his shirt with snot and tears, but Finn knows how important it can be to press up against another living body and feel them breathe against you. He knew that even before he had Poe to teach him about things like calling people buddy or wiping away tears, so he doesn't mind sitting here and letting the girl cry against him.
Poe finds them eventually. He puts his hands on his hips and stares down at them and says "what's going on here?" and Finn says "I found her" and "she was crying" and Poe frowns like he does when the speeder won't start. Then Poe crouches down in front of them and asks the girl all kinds of questions. Finn learns that her name is Rey and she's waiting for her family and she's much much braver than Finn who took a whole day almost before he could talk to Poe the way she is now.
Poe is smiling at her and Rey is starting to smile back and then Unkar Plutt comes out and he says "Dameron, you better not be getting any ideas - that girl's in my care" and Poe starts frowning again. Poe and Unkar Plutt start talking. They talk for a long time and Unkar Plutt never stops smiling. Finally Poe gives him all the scrap they have left, all the stuff they were going to trade for the spare speeder part and maybe bigger pants for Finn, and Unkar Plutt slaps Poe hard across the back so that Poe has to take a step forward or fall down. He says, "pleasure doing business with you," and leaves the three of them alone.
Poe looks very tired, like he does sometimes at the end of a long day when the cargo nets on the speeder are less than half full.
"Poe!" Finn says, "I like the luggabeasts."
"I know, buddy," Poe says but he doesn't laugh.
"Poe," Finn says, "do you think Rey would like the luggabeasts?"
"I don't know, buddy," Poe says, then he stares at them for a while before rubbing his hand over his face and asking, "do you want to show her and see?"
"Yes!" Finn shouts (shouting is another thing he likes) and grabs Rey's hand to pull her in the right direction. Rey shouts too; she shouts that she knows what luggabeasts are and that she doesn't need anyone to hold her hand and that Finn should slow down because they're going to leave Poe behind. So they stop because Finn thinks that neither of them want to lose Poe. When Poe catches up to them he's breathless with laughter and he grabs both of their hands and says, "come on you two, let's see if you can charm Besa out of a sweet."
Finn holds on tight and smiles because he's learning that that's what you do when you like something.
FILL: Untitled Jakku AU (3/?)
Finn doesn't know what Kriffing Salvanian Choke Weed is and when Poe said it he was afraid because Finn is a human and weeds are plants and so Finn probably shouldn't be growing like one? Finn makes sure to ask Poe about it right away because Poe said he could ask anything and Finn hasn't found a question yet that Poe won't at least try to answer. This one makes Poe laugh, which means it's the best kind of question, even if the answer is "it's just a figure of speech, buddy" which never seems like a good answer.
Still, Finn likes the questions that make Poe laugh. He also likes being able to ask anything he wants and the way the powder from the ration packs puffs up into bread when he pours it into water and running really fast across the cool dawn sands and the way that Poe brushes the sand off the bottoms of Finn's feet before he helps him put on his boots. Finn used to keep a careful list of all the things he likes in his head that he would go over each night as he was falling asleep but it got too long and messy so now he just likes things.
Sometimes he tells Poe the things he likes. He'll say "Poe! I like the way this protein loaf tastes!" and Poe will laugh and say that's good and call him buddy even though his name is Finn.
Finn also doesn't like some things, although the list of things he doesn't like is much shorter than the list of things he does like. He can tell Poe things he doesn't like too and sometimes Poe can even make them stop.
Sometimes Poe can't, though, or sometimes the bad things have to happen so that good things can. It's like riding on the speeder - which is scary and sometimes dust gets in Finn's eyes and makes them water like he's crying even though he isn't - so that they can get to the outpost - which has all kinds of things to look at and Besa Thulle, who once gave Finn a sweet and makes Poe go all red in the face when they smile at him.
The first stop they always make is at the Concession Stand and Finn always waits quietly for Poe to get done bargaining, even though it's boring and Unkar Plutt scares Finn a little, because Poe doesn't like it when he can't see Finn and if he's very good Poe will take him to see the luggabeasts before they do the rest of their trading. Normally it's easy to be good for Poe, much easier than it's ever been to be good for anyone else, but this time Finn can hear someone crying around the corner of the Concession Stand.
Finn doesn't think anyone should be crying at the outpost, not when it has things like traders tents filled with strange gadgets and Besa who sometimes gives people sweets. Especially not when Poe is here. Poe is talking to Unkar Plutt now and not looking at Finn so Finn does a bad thing and goes looking for whoever is crying.
It's a girl, small like the others from the time before Poe that Finn doesn't like remembering, and curled up in a little ball against the back of the stand. Finn sits down next to her and pets her hair and when she looks up he wipes the tears off her cheeks because that's what Poe does and it always makes Finn feel better. She stays stiff against him for a few moments and then all at once collapses into his side.
The girl is hot like the speeder after it's been in the sun all day, and she's sticky with sweat and soaking the shoulder of his shirt with snot and tears, but Finn knows how important it can be to press up against another living body and feel them breathe against you. He knew that even before he had Poe to teach him about things like calling people buddy or wiping away tears, so he doesn't mind sitting here and letting the girl cry against him.
Poe finds them eventually. He puts his hands on his hips and stares down at them and says "what's going on here?" and Finn says "I found her" and "she was crying" and Poe frowns like he does when the speeder won't start. Then Poe crouches down in front of them and asks the girl all kinds of questions. Finn learns that her name is Rey and she's waiting for her family and she's much much braver than Finn who took a whole day almost before he could talk to Poe the way she is now.
Poe is smiling at her and Rey is starting to smile back and then Unkar Plutt comes out and he says "Dameron, you better not be getting any ideas - that girl's in my care" and Poe starts frowning again. Poe and Unkar Plutt start talking. They talk for a long time and Unkar Plutt never stops smiling. Finally Poe gives him all the scrap they have left, all the stuff they were going to trade for the spare speeder part and maybe bigger pants for Finn, and Unkar Plutt slaps Poe hard across the back so that Poe has to take a step forward or fall down. He says, "pleasure doing business with you," and leaves the three of them alone.
Poe looks very tired, like he does sometimes at the end of a long day when the cargo nets on the speeder are less than half full.
"Poe!" Finn says, "I like the luggabeasts."
"I know, buddy," Poe says but he doesn't laugh.
"Poe," Finn says, "do you think Rey would like the luggabeasts?"
"I don't know, buddy," Poe says, then he stares at them for a while before rubbing his hand over his face and asking, "do you want to show her and see?"
"Yes!" Finn shouts (shouting is another thing he likes) and grabs Rey's hand to pull her in the right direction. Rey shouts too; she shouts that she knows what luggabeasts are and that she doesn't need anyone to hold her hand and that Finn should slow down because they're going to leave Poe behind. So they stop because Finn thinks that neither of them want to lose Poe. When Poe catches up to them he's breathless with laughter and he grabs both of their hands and says, "come on you two, let's see if you can charm Besa out of a sweet."
Finn holds on tight and smiles because he's learning that that's what you do when you like something.