Chapter 16

Learning to Fly

The soft beeping sound made him flinch and he bumped his head right away. Cursing under his breath, Poe stood up and hurried to the cockpit.

"You alright?" came Finn's voice from the small galley.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Poe shouted back, as he sat down in the pilot's chair. He still wasn't used to this. After six months of flying this ship, he still got nervous whenever it was time to drop out of hyperspace and initiate the landing process. "I think I got the laser cannons fixed though, so that's something."

"You think we're going to run into trouble this time around?"

Poe looked up as Finn entered the cockpit and sat down behind the co-pilot's station.

"I hope not," Poe smiled, pushing the lever away from him and the whirlwind of blue turned into a sea of stripes, before the lights shrunk back into stars. "But you never know with these backwater planets, do you?" Winking at Finn, he took a deep breath. He had gone from never having flown anything in his life, to stealing a TIE-fighter to steering a small freighter within a couple of months and he still wouldn't say he had become an expert, but at least a sort of routine had kicked in a few weeks ago. Luckily they hadn't met any sort of trouble, if you didn't count the Taw-eekos who had tried to sneak on board just before they had taken off Bespin five days ago. Finn had spotted the little furry creatures just in time and gotten them off the loading ramp just before take-off.

"I really hoped Jakku would be the last sandpit I'd see for the rest of my life," Finn murmured, looking out the viewscreen at the brown orb just beneath them.

"There are loads of sandpits out there, buddy. I guess we were just lucky these last couple of weeks."

Finn scoffed and pulled up the map of Tatooine from the ships internal storage. "Mos Espa, right?"

Nodding, Poe steered the ship downwards, following the directions designated to him by the navcomputer. "We're going to unload and not keep a lookout for another job for at least a day. How does that sound to you?"

Finn shrugged, as Poe descended the ship, plunging into the atmosphere and feeling the ancient ship vibrate as gases and small particles started grinding against the ship's hull. "I wouldn't mind a breath of fresh air, though I have to admit that desert planets aren't exactly my favourite places."

Poe nodded. "Alright. Maybe we can find someone who wants us to transport some stuff to a nice planet for once? I hear Naboo is supposed to be quite nice."

"Yeah, maybe." Finn smiled vaguely. "Lunch is ready, if you're hungry."

"You know, I'm always hungry. Especially when it's your turn to cook."

Talking helped, he had found. If he didn't have to focus all his mind on the task of guiding the ship to the nearest spaceport and into one of the docking bays, his shoulders relaxed somewhat, making it easier for him to breathe.

The soft humming of the comm announced a caller and Finn pressed the button, opening the channel on their end.

"Unknown freighter, this is Mos Espa Spaceport," a bored voice said. "Identify yourself and state your purpose."

"This is HWK-Two-Nine-Zero freighter Beginner," Finn stated a smile curving his lips as he said the ship's name out loud. "Here to deliver cargo to one of our customers."

Usually that was all it took for spaceports such as this one to give them landing clearance. This one was no different.

"Beginner, you have been assigned docking bay HT-One-Six-C."

"Thank you." With a flick of his finger, Finn turned off the comm as the landing coordinates were being transmitted to their board computer.

Poe didn't start sweating until the final landing sequence had started. Flying low over the outskirts of the city of Mos Espa wasn't the problem. Fitting the almost thirty-metre-long freighter into the assigned circular docking bay was a bit harder, but he managed it without incident.

"I'm telling you, you're a natural." Finn grinned as he opened another comm channel to send a message to the company they had shipped spare parts for.

Wiping his brow, Poe got up to put his arms around Finn. "You smell so good," he muttered, trailing his nose along Finn's neck. "You know that, right."

"You're hungry, I know. Just don't bite my ear off and lay the table, will you? The pickup will be in a few hours, I suppose."

Brushing his hand over Finn's hair, Poe let go of his partner and walked towards the middle portion of the ship's upper deck. Finn had turned off the stove, but the pot stuck to the magnetic cooking plate was still hot, its lid firmly shut against any turbulence that might occur during the flight. Poe's stomach rumbled appreciatively. He hadn't been lying: Finn's cooking was excellent. He himself wasn't much of a cook, but Finn managed to transform almost anything into something edible, if not downright delicious.

The table was set within two minutes and before he knew it, Finn was by his side again.

"What are we having?" Poe asked, when Finn set the pot on the table in the lounge area. "I'm starving."

Laughing softly, Finn added two bowls to the table, opened the lid and the tempting smell wafting from inside the pot made Poe's stomach growl hungrily. "Hm… soup!"

"You're drooling!"

"No, I'm not! Shut up!" But he felt like if he didn't start eating soon he would start drooling. So, without further ado, he grabbed the spoon. "Thanks for cooking!" Poe grinned at Finn, who leaned back and as usual, watched Poe take the first bite.

Poe barely suppressed a pleasurable moan at what felt like an explosion on his tongue. The soup was hot, but beneath that first initial shock, there was something else. Something tender and sweet and spicy. Nodding appreciatively, he put his hand on Finn's leg and started shovelling the food into his mouth, barely taking the time to chew.

Finn took his time eating, much unlike Poe, who had already finished his second bowl of soup before Finn had even finished his first. With a sheepish grin, Poe let his hand wander over Finn's wrist and then wrapped his arms around him.

"Would you please let me eat?" Finn grinned, dropping his spoon into his bowl and turning his head to look at Poe. "I'm hungry too, you know?"

Poe nodded. "Yes, I know… I just really like watching you eat." He leaned in, pressing his lips softly to Finn's. The taste of the soup was still lingering there. "And knowing you're here." He placed another kiss on Finn's nose. Opening his eyes was impossible now. He would never have thought that being with Finn like this would come natural to him this quickly. But it had. It had come so natural to him that these moments made him forget how they had started out. "You letting me be near you." Putting his hands on Finn's cheeks, he kissed him again, their lips caressing each other the way they did so perfectly.

Sighing into the kiss, Poe heard Finn push his own bowl away and next moment, Finn's hands were on his hips, pulling Poe on his lap. The taste of the soup quickly vanished as Poe deepened the kiss, letting his hands roam over Finn's chest, while he gently started grinding his hips into Finn's lap.

"You're absolutely crazy, Dameron," Finn whispered, gasping for air. Their eyes met for a moment and Poe could already see the feverish glint in Finn's eyes, which confirmed what he was already feeling.

"I don't even care," Poe answered, sliding his hand into Finn's waistband and kneeling, so he had better access to what he was looking for. "Being crazy about you isn't something I regret."

Finn's soft laugh made him shiver with anticipation. Next moment, Finn had grabbed both his wrists and Poe let him guide them behind his back. Finn's lips on his neck, the tip of his tongue gently tickling the soft skin beneath his ear, were all it took to make his pants feel tighter than they should be. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of being at Finn's mercy.

"We should move this to the bedroom," Finn whispered in his ear. Poe nodded absentmindedly. Finn preferred going there, he knew and Poe didn't mind much. They had transformed this ship into something like home these past few weeks and he wanted Finn to be as comfortable as possible, which Finn usually was in the small cabin.

Getting to his feet, he stretched a hand out to Finn, who was in front of him almost immediately, wrapping Poe in his arms, lips on his and gently pushing him towards the cabin which had become their refuge in this chaotic galaxy. As Finn pushed him up against the wall, he had problems filling his lungs with enough oxygen to keep his head from spinning, but he pulled Finn closer nonetheless, revelling in the sensations rushing through his body, making him yearn for more.

The door to their room slid open, and Poe pulled Finn inside by the collar, unwilling to let go of him longer than necessary. Cupping Finn's cock under the soft fabric of his pants, he started guiding him towards the two beds they had pushed together and Finn's low moan kept edging him on. Only reluctantly did he take half a step back to take his shirt off. Finn did the same, his arms already around him, before Poe could even start undoing his own pants.

But this time, Finn didn't kiss him. This time, Finn only stared at him, his eyes wide and serious. A look, which made Poe's heart stumble in its tracks.

"Poe…" Finn murmured, his fingers burying themselves in his hair, grabbing the curls Poe hadn't cut since they had left Starkiller Base.

"I love you, Finn." The words were out before he had even realized he had meant to say them. Finn stood stock still, his face frozen.

Poe couldn't recall ever having said this to anyone ever before, but he did remember something else. Someone else saying this to him. Long ago. Someone whose screams woke him up almost every night.

Finn nodded slowly, before Poe could take it back. "Ditto…"

One word. One single word that made Poe laugh with relief. "And I- I'm not just saying this, because- um-" Poe gulped, unable to find the right words. He knew what he had said was true, yet saying it felt like an entire world crashing down on him. If he felt like this, then how did it make Finn feel?

"Yeah, I know…" Finn pulled him closer again, their lips crashing against each other with an entirely different sense of urgency. Within seconds their pants had landed on the floor and Poe forced himself to take a step back to look Finn up and down. The muscles he had seen and felt the first time they had been together hadn't vanished, but Finn looked softer somehow anyway. Maybe, because he was so used to the sight by now. Smiling slightly, he pointed invitingly to the bed. His heart was racing. Finn loved him … he loved Finn… the very thought was threatening to overwhelm him and he blinked, fighting down tears.

"Sit?" he croaked.

"You're an absolute idiot, you know that?"

Poe nodded and watched Finn sit down on the mattress, his back against the wall. "Your idiot, if I may say so," he said, reaching for the tube standing on the bedside table. "Your idiot, if you will have me."

"All this melodrama, Poe…" Finn said quietly, his eyes fixed on Poe's. The few droplets of sweat sticking to his upper lip were all Poe needed to get closer to him again.

"Do you want me to shut up?"

"Hell, no!" Grinning, Finn slid his hand up Poe's thigh, making him ache for more with every millimetre he crept upwards. "So… you love me?"

"Do you mind?" Pressing their foreheads together, Poe had to close his eyes. Finn's breath crashing against his skin was more than he could take. "I don't think I've ever said this to anyone…" He was rambling again, but he didn't care. Finn liked it somehow, even got off on it. Popping the lid of the tube, while kissing Finn's temple, he crowded in on Finn, whose stiff cock grazed his thigh, making him wince. "But it's true. I swear… this whole situation right here is probably-" Finn took the tube out of his hand- "not the best moment to say this, because you might think I'm only saying this, because- oh, kriff!"

Poe bit on his lip, holding back another moan, when Finn's finger gently slipped into him, the lube somewhat cold against Poe's skin, but what Finn was doing to him blew that sensation out of the water.

"Keep talking…"

Poe's eyes fluttered open, and it was all he could do, to stare right back into those dark eyes, drowning in them, while his breath caught in his chest.

"Poe?" The look on Finn's face startled him, but before Finn could pull out, Poe clenched tightly around him.

"Don't you dare!" he croaked, grabbing Finn's wrist and taking the lube out of his hand.

Finn's movement inside of him, made him want to press against him; to feel Finn even closer than this.

"I'm fine," he gasped, leaning back slightly. He held his palm open and put a splash of the clear substance from the tube on it. "I just want you too much." Finn worked his way further inside of him, making Poe press his lips together.

"Like that?"

"I-" He drifted off, having to close his eyes again.

"I like it when I make you stop talking."

Poe couldn't help but laugh at this, his forehead pressed against the crook of Finn's neck. Finn wrapped his other arm tightly around his torso.

"You okay?"

"I'm good," Poe muttered, already out of breath. "You?" He looked up at Finn again, at the wide eyes and slightly parted lips that made Poe want to kiss him again. But not without Finn's approval.

"Couldn't be better," Finn assured him and Poe closed his hand around Finn's cock, tempting the tip with his thumb. Finn threw his head back against the wall, eyes firmly shut, while Poe applied the lube.

"Make some room," Poe muttered, taking Finn's face into both his hands and moving in closer, his whole body tense with anticipation. "I want you," he muttered against Finn's lips, guiding one hand to Finn's chest. Finn's fingertips brushing over his cock made him gasp. "So badly."

Though it hadn't taken them long to get used to one another, the moment, when Finn slowly eased his way into him, pressing against that one spot that made waves of heat and pleasure rush through him, never ceased to amaze him. Finn's heavy breathing against his lips, their mouth clashing in a kiss that never seemed to end, while they started moving in unison, drove everything else from Poe's mind.

When he was close, he moved his lips to Finn's neck, tickling the heated skin with soft kisses, unwilling to miss a single sound escaping Finn's lips. Before he knew it, he was on his back, Finn pushing inside him, picking up a rhythm Poe couldn't even match anymore. Finn's hand, providing the exact right amount of pressure to his cock, was all it took for him to come and only seconds after, Finn shuddered, then slowed down.

Gasping for breath, Poe wrapped his arms around the heavy body pressed against his. Finn's chest was heaving, his mouth against Poe's cheek. "Stay like this for a moment," Poe whispered, lips brushing against Finn's ear. "I like this… being trapped like this beneath you." And he did. He felt safe… comforted. Whole.

"I couldn't move if I wanted to." Finn's answer made Poe chuckle. "I love you too, I guess," he muttered sleepily, the smile audible in his voice.

"Gee, thank you." Poe grinned and forced Finn's head up to kiss his lips. It was all he needed. All he wanted. What else could there possibly be? The only thing restraining him were the jobs they picked up on various worlds and, admittedly, the fear of a bounty hunter catching up on them, but so far they had been lucky. Too lucky maybe.

Finn's kiss was less urgent now, but Poe enjoyed it as usual. Being together like this, holding each other in the warmth of their combined bodies, was more than enough.

The loud beeping that rang through the entire ship was the only thing that could break the kiss. "Impeccable timing…" Finn said, pulling a face, but not making any attempts of getting up.

"You said, it'd take them a couple of hours to get here…" Poe brushed his thumb over Finn's cheek, unable to stop the smile spreading over his own face.

"Can't be helped." With a sigh, Finn sat up, pulling out of Poe with a sad smile on his face, but he didn't get up, just sat there, looking down at Poe with a cheeky grin on his face.

"What?"

"You're gorgeous." Finn laughed, leaning in again and pressing his lips to Poe's one last time, before getting up and reaching for his clothes. He even seemed amused to be leaving behind a blushing Poe.

The Beginner wasn't a big ship exactly. Nor was it new. Or pretty.

Still Poe couldn't help but admire it one last time, standing in the doorway of the docking bay, while Finn handled the financials with the Sullustan who had picked up the cargo. The Beginner had barely managed to hold all the crates they transported here, but it had worked out fine. Finn's smile, as he approached Poe told him that it had, in fact, worked out really well.

"That ship's a lucky one." Finn put his arm around Poe's shoulders and started pulling him towards the exit. The aftershock of what had passed between them before the Sullustans had arrived was still reverberating inside of Poe. Not the act, but something else… the words… those words. I love you.

"No kidding." Without hesitation, he put his own arm around Finn's middle. Things had indeed worked out rather well, since they had bought the ship off Lima, one of the many black market ship-dealers on Kaddak. She had sold them the HWK-290 freighter for a fair price, even if that meant that they hadn't had any money to spare once they had bought it. But at least they had managed to get off world without too much trouble and ever since they had picked up one job after another, slowly earning the trust of their customers.

"Urgh… it's so hot here…" Finn sighed, shaking his head. "I hate sand!"

"What has sand ever done to you?!" Poe couldn't help but laugh, but he let go of Finn anyway. Holding someone close in this heat really wasn't a good idea. Was it actually possible that one desert planet could be warmer than the other? Yes, probably, but could the difference even be picked up by the human body? Poe didn't know, but walking through the streets of Mos Espa wasn't fun.

"Nothing… it's just… so unnecessary." Finn pulled a face and reached for Poe's hand instead, as they pushed through the crowds. "Let's head to a cantina and find another job, so we can get away from here?"

"Fine by me," Poe said, squeezing Finn's hand and looking around. Within a few minutes of walking, Mos Espa spaceport seemed to have swallowed them up whole and they were surrounded by run-down shops selling spare parts, food stands and… cantinas. Lots of them. "Which one? Do you prefer the dodgy places? Or the scary ones? On the right, you see a dark cantina with a slightly mouldy look to it and right next to that, a mouldy looking cantina with a weird smell."

"Dodgy is fine," Finn muttered, pulling Poe with him into the one cantina that didn't look like they were going to be stabbed in, but merely being forced into a fistfight. That was something Poe could deal with.

The smell inside wasn't all that bad either. Some up-beat music was playing from the speakers and the bar looked fairly clean. Letting go of Finn's hand, Poe sat down on one of the stools by the bar, while Finn went over to one of the tables. The place was reasonably filled given the time of day. "Hey," Poe said to the barkeeper, a big alien with enormous amounts of facial hair, who was chatting up a petite Twi'lek some metres away.

"Can I get two beers, please?"

The barkeeper eyed him for a moment, then reached under the bar and picked up two bottles, which he slid over to Poe before returning his attention back to the Twi'lek. Frowning, Poe slammed a couple of credits on the counter and started making his way towards where Finn was sitting, already talking to a total stranger. Another Sullustan by the looks of it.

"-saw you leaving the docking bay," the Sullustan was saying as Poe came into earshot and Finn caught his eye.

Poe nodded and passed one of the two bottles to Finn.

"Morra-han, this is my partner Poe. Poe, Morra-han."

"Nice to meet you," Poe said, sitting down on one of the stools, beer clutched in his hands. Usually they had to wait hours, if not days to find another job. Someone approaching them upon entering a cantina, was quite unusual. Maybe it had something to do with the man being Sullustan. Maybe the others they had dealt with earlier today had recommended them.

The Sullustan going by the name of Morra-han nodded.

"Morra-han was just telling me about this job…"

Poe nodded again and turned to the Sullustan again. "And why would you honor us with that? There must be dozens of others."

"Well, to be honest, we're looking for someone who is willing to operate on a regular basis. My friends spoke rather highly of you and you seem to be new in the business, right?"

Frowning, Poe took a sip from his beer. He met Finn's gaze for a second and from the other's look he knew immediatey that Finn hadn't said a word about that. "We did some light cargo shipping for the Republic," Poe lied, sticking to the story they had been selling so far. "But with the Hosnian System gone…" The sentence stung, just like every time he had said it casually. The Hosnian System was gone because of them. Billions dead… his mother killed… because of him…

Morra-han leaned back in his chair. "Well, this job pays better."

"Because it's more dangerous?"

Morra-han shrugged. "Depends on who you run into." His facial features were impossible to read. Poe found the dark, black orbs irritating. He never knew what they were looking at and didn't betray a single thought. They made him uneasy.

"What would we be transporting?" Finn asked, rolling the bottle between his hands. "And who wouldn't we want to run into?"

"Kanjiklub?"

Poe hid his smile by taking another sip. So they were dealing with a crime syndicate here. That would be fine… as long as they didn't run into Kanjuklub… or the Republic. Though to be fair running into a Republic patrol wouldn't get them into the trouble they'd get into if they ran into a First Order patrol, but that was a risk they were taking every day anyway. He could only hope that his flying abilities were good enough for what this man here was offering them.

"How often would we work for you?" Finn continued asking, leaning forward.

"Once a month. But you'd have to do a trial run first of course."

"Of course…" Poe muttered, weighing the pros and cons in his head, wondering how much they were risking by agreeing to this. And then he remembered the look that barkeeper had given him and he thought that getting off world as quickly as possible was probably a good idea.

"Let's talk money then… we only have a small freighter, so we can't take on too much cargo, especially if it's sensitive stuff."

"You'll do fine," the Sullustan said and Poe ignored the one look Finn threw in his direction. He'd fill Finn in later. "A couple of crates to cover up what you're really going to be transporting to Fi-Chten. You'll get two thousand credits now, another ten upon delivery."

Poe bit his lip, then nodded. That was a lot of money, he thought. He exchanged another look with Finn, who nodded in turn. He seemed to have picked up on Poe's nervousness.

"Fine, we'll do it," Finn said. And then Poe remembered what Finn had said about sand and he smiled to himself. Finn was bound to be happy most of all to have a reason, any reason really, to get off Tatooine as quickly as possible.