Poe and Finn retire, suddenly finding themselves married and fathers of 4 former First Order prisoners. They would have been Stormtroopers. Instead, the Resistance prevailed.
A brief snippet from the start of Poe and Finn’s journey into fatherhood.
If you don’t know her already- meet Hera, the youngest of the Finnpoe babies. She was taken as a newborn towards the end of the war, and liberated by Finn, who fell in love with her. Together, he and Poe decided to adopt her, and 3 older siblings soon followed. Hera is about 18 or so months here, and Finnpoe has had her for 3 months.
WORD COUNT: 519
XXX
Hera wakes from her nap and screams for her fathers.
She’s never napped well- their oldest adoptee tells them that the First Order never comforted their stolen infants from nightmares or ill rest. And while she and their boys have at last begun to sleep well, the same is not true for Finn and Poe’s baby girl.
Poe is the one who steps out to get Hera, scooping her into his arms and cradling her against his chest. She wails into his shoulder, clinging to him, and Poe’s heart breaks.
He mutters a few strains from lullabies to her, willing Hera to quiet. It’s a full minute before she settles, gasping tearfully and grabbing at his shirt. He rocks her before pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she wraps a tiny hand around his finger, her brown eyes staring up at him.
“Hi sweetheart,” Poe whispers. “It’s okay. I have you, my love.”
The baby gurgles at him, her eyelids heavy. Still, she watches him and it’s another five minutes before Hera blinks slowly, and her eyes slide shut.
Poe sighs, gazing down at her. Hera is warm in his arms, a heavy and familiar weight. She looks peaceful in sleep, and Poe is not surprised by the usual temptation to hold Hera until she wakes again and tries to wiggle free of him.
It’s incredible, Poe realizes, to go from a war general one year to a father in the next. To find four children in quick succession, and to have a family with the man he loves. Poe inhales sharply, tears suddenly prickling at his eyes. He looks down at Hera.
"How lucky am I, to get to love you.” He whispers his confession. He’s in awe.
"We found each other. The whole wide universe and I get to be your dad. I get to change your diapers and get spit up on. I get to rock you to sleep. I get to love you. How lucky am I."
Poe sobs into Hera's hair, cradling her against his chest. He hears the door creak a moment later and looks up to see Finn watching them, his eyes wide and stricken.
"What's wrong?" He asks in a hurry, "Is she-"
"I'm fine, mi amor," Poe chokes, sounding utterly snotty. He sniffs loudly. Finn doesn't look convinced. "I'm just- we're so lucky to get to have these kids."
He turns his gaze back to Hera, who hasn't been disturbed by their voices, nor by the tears that have fallen from Poe's face onto hers.
"Oh." Finn says, and he steps into the nursery, reaching up to wipe Poe's eyes and cheeks. He presses a chaste kiss to his lover's lips, then runs his fingers over Hera's forehead, brushing stray hairs from her face. "I love you," he promises them both, and Poe leans in, resting his head against Finn's.
"Te amo. We love you."
Finn hums in contentment before pulling away, closing the door behind him as he exits. Poe resumes his swaying and rocking, murmuring lullabies under his breath, holding this most precious child in his arms.
