Disclaimer: I own nothing except an overactive imagination and way too many plotbunnies.

Apocalypse Packing According to Finn Hudson

Finn ends up not having to do his own packing. That's probably for the best, because it's really not something he's good at. At all. He always brings the wrong things, and has to redo it at least once. Forgetting to pack something for a trip to grandma's house is one thing. Apocalypse packing however? That's probably a really bad time to mess up.

So when his mom calls for him five minutes in, telling him she'll do the packing because he's needed elsewhere Finn's relieved. Left to his own devices he'd probably end up with all of his socks but no tees, or something like that.

How do you pack for the apocalypse anyway? None of the movies Finn's seen has taught him anything about it.

So far all he's managed on his own is a photo album and his old bear, the one his dad bought when Finn was born. Oh, and all of his socks.

Any way. Artie's in trouble. His parents are out of town, just for the night, and while that wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances now it's a disaster. He can't drive, and rolling anywhere is just stupid. One thing the movies has taught Finn is that people do horrible things to each other during apocalypses, and since Artie needs two hands to make his chair roll he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

So. He's stuck.

Finn's the best option to fix that, so he grabs a crowbar – because horrible things, remember, and while Finn doesn't want to hurt anyone he wants to be hurt even less – and prepares to go out and be a good person while his mom finishes the packing. (He thinks he'll do a slightly better job there. He hopes.)

He doesn't have to walk over, because Sam hasn't left yet, and that means he also doesn't have to use his crowbar.

Artie's all packed and ready to go, with the exception of food since most of the kind of foodstuff they want is a bit higher up than he can reach. Finn doesn't have that problem though.

When they're done Finn carries the food and Artie's bags – and his extra wheelchair – out to the van. He keeps the loads small though, even though it means making five trips, just so that he has one hand free for the crowbar. The sixth trip is just guarding Artie, and making sure both he and the chair make it into the van in one piece.

They're supposed to go straight to the meet-up point, but well. Finn's got somewhere he wants to stop. He knows his mom has planned to pick up more food and medical supplies once they're all together, but he also knows that not even someone as great as she will remember everything.

Every single apocalypse movie Finn's seen has had one thing in common: a lot of people don't make it, and out of those who do most lose everything. They're going to run into a lot of those, Finn thinks, and knowing his mom they'll end up trying to help them too. It's just, some of the people having lost everything? Will be kids. And for them "everything" might end up meaning family as well.

Now, Finn can't replace parents. (Hell, he's still working on this whole brother thing.) What he can do is smash a window and grab a load of stuffed animals for any kids they do run into. It won't replace what they've lost, never, but having something soft to hug, well, it helps.

Finn's learned that the hard way.

As Finn loads the bag-full of toys in the back of the ridiculously empty van he meets Artie's eyes in the rear-view mirror. He doesn't say anything, just looks at the other boy. And then Artie nods.

When they roll out ten minutes later there are another two bags in the back. They have the room, and well. Finn's pretty sure there are going to be a lot of people needing a stuffed companion during the days to come.

~The End ~