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The day started off as any other day, with Rey waking up at the crack of dawn and getting ready for the scavenging ahead. She filled her canteen up with water and secured her headwear on before setting out towards the crashed star destroyer where there was sure to be great pickings in exchange for rations.
Climbing aboard her speeder she set off from the walker she called home. Thankfully it was not very hot on Jakku in the morning as the sun has yet to make its appearance known, instead a chill lingered for a while.
Rey reached the star destroyer and got straight to work, skipping parts of the ship she had already searched through, being somewhat of a natural at scavenging, she was able to find the best parts that would fetch the most portions.
After spending nearly half a day searching through the ship, she decided she had enough for some substantial rations so she returned to bed speeder and loaded her cargo up. It was now scorching hot, the sun beating down relentlessly on the endless sand dunes. Inside the ship it was much cooler, the many layers of walls and compartments had in a way controlled the temperature of the interiors.
Behind her mask she squinted, even the protection of the stormtrooper visor could not block all the brightness from both the sun and the light reflected on the sand. Thankfully her clothes allowed for some protection against the elements, she wouldn’t cook under them and that in itself is worth it.
As usual she took the same path towards her home. In the distance she saw some black smoke, something was burning. She would not be able to find out as it was not on her way back. It was better to stay away from potential problems anyways.
Reaching over a sand dune, she kept going when something in the distance drew her attention. It was essentially a silhouette, a stark contrast from the bright sand around, making it hard to miss. From a distance she was unable to discern what it was exactly. Something drew her to it even if she tended to stay away from something that could bring her harm, besides it was on her path home, she couldn’t just ignore it.
She drew closer and the image became clearer, it was starting to look like a person lying in the sand, possibly passed out. She reached the person who laid face down in the sand, a brown jacket above their head as to shield from the sunlight. The person was clearly not dressed for the climate, wearing all black thermals and no sign of provisions or equipment with them aside from the jacket.
Rey disembarked from her speeder and cautiously approached the person. “Hello?” She called out , not getting a response. She got closer then heard a painful groan from the figure. The figure hardly moved, maybe straining a bit, the only noticeable sign was that they were breathing, which meant they were still alive at the least.
She knelt down next to the figure and despite her best judgement, flipped them over. The first thing she noticed that it was a man, with a rather attractive face if it weren’t for the fact that he was half dead essentially. He was drenched in sweat and his lips were dry.
“Water…” the man groaned out, seemingly half delirious calling for help and not sure of where he was.
Without thinking, Rey reached for her canteen and lifted the man’s head up onto her thigh. She tilted her canteen to his mouth, not caring that it was going to touch his lips, what mattered now was that he got some water before he died of thirst. The man weakenly opened his mouth half way as Rey poured the remaining contents of her canteen into his mouth. He took each sip quickly and when it was empty, he was out of it again.
Rey laid him back down on the ground and started thinking. She couldn’t just leave someone to die, he clearly wasn’t from around here and he had no chance once he did wake up, if he did at all. But she also didn’t know why he was here, in the middle of the desert and on the doorsteps of death, for all she knew he was an escapee, fleeing from someone or something, though he didn’t look like a bad person and her instincts told her so and they haven’t failed her yet.
She bit her lips and spurred on by a voice in her head that told her to help the man, she picked the man up and hoisted him onto her speeder. She made the choice to not let him die, at least not yet.
Speeding back she quickly jumped off and brought the man inside her home, lying him down on her bed. She retrieved more water and made a mental note to go get more on her trip to Niima Outpost. Miraculously the man was still alive and with some help from her, took the offered water in quick gulps. He was out of it again so Rey sat back and just watched the man. Something about him interested her as she studied his features.
Hours passed, she kept an eye on him as she cleaned the parts she scavenged, she would have to go later tomorrow to exchange them for rations and water.
He groaned. “Where am I?” His eyes blinked open as they adjusted to his surroundings. Rey got up in an instant and cleaned off her hands from the dirt and oil. She snatched her staff just in case and got to his side. His eyes turned and made contact with hers. “Who are you?” He asked weakly.
“I’m Rey.” She answered. “I saved you from the desert, you’re in my home… who are you?”
“You saved me? Thank you Rey,” he tested her name on his tongue. “The name’s Finn, just Finn.” He managed to sit up straight and Rey placed her staff away, something told her he wouldn’t harm her. They shared another eye contact and Rey was sure she felt a connection there, surely he felt the same. It was electric, but she chose not to bring it up.
They talked for a while. Rey told him about who she was and what she did on Jakku. Finn talked about himself though he was more closed off than she was though she didn’t push him on it. He said he was Resistance which piqued her interest, and upon her saying she hadn’t met a Resistance member person, Finn changed his demeanor slightly, mostly from the look Rey had, one of awe and admiration and Finn wanted to impress her.
A commotion outside drew their attention away from their conversation and most importantly from each other. “Stay here,” Rey told him and ran to get her staff before running outside.
Moments later she returned with a droid, his name BB-8. “BB-8 says he’s with the Resistance too.” She told Finn.
“Resistance?” Finn asked and looked at the droid. The droid beeped wearily at Finn, unsure if he could trust the man. Finn remembered what Poe had told him about his droid. “You just know Poe Dameron right?” Finn asked the droid. BB-8 instead was secretive, so Finn showed him the jacket and explained what happened during and after their escape from the First Order. That seemed to have done the trick and the droid was back to its cheerful self.
Night drew close and they had yet to figure out their sleeping arrangements, BB-8 already had his arrangements figured out and that was to just stay in a corner and go into his sleep mode. “I can sleep on the ground, you’ve already done so much for me Rey.” Finn offers.
“No, no.” Rey spoke. “I mean no, you don’t have to… maybe we can just share the bed there’s enough space for two people and it’s more comfortable than the hard floor.” Rey suggested nervously.
“Are you sure? I’ll gladly take the floor if you’d like.”
“I’m sure Finn.” She offers him an assuring smile.
They got into bed, lying side by side as they stared into the ceiling. They talked about everything and nothing at the same time, finding how easy it was to talk to one another. They found out they had similar upbringings, not knowing their parents and having to grow up quickly.
They finally bid one another a good night and we’re fast asleep with hopes of finding a way back to the Resistance base tomorrow.
Somewhere along the night Rey had managed to cuddle with Finn, as if it was natural to them she let him pull her close and they wrapped one another in their arms. It was perhaps the first real human touch they had felt in either of their lives and it felt so right.
Ajan Kloss - A Year Later
Finn was lying down on their bed, half naked under the sheets as Rey was in the bathroom. After a night of passionate love making, they were both worn out.
Rey finished up and joined him under the sheets. The two laid there as they stared into the ceiling much like their first time sharing a bed a year ago.
“Rey?” Finn broke the silence.
“Yeah?” She turned her head to face him.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” She giggled lightly.
“For saving me back on Jakku… I would’ve been dead if it weren’t for you, thank you.”
“It’s no problem Finn, I know you would have done the same.” She smiled adoringly at him.
Finn pulled her close and kisses her deeply. “The force does work in mysterious ways.” He mused.
“Shut up Finn.” She laughed and pushes him slightly. “Get some sleep or I’ll make you sleep on the floor like I should have a year ago.”
“Okay okay!” Finn concedes with a chuckle. “Goodnight peanut.” Finn places a kiss on her forehead. “Love you.”
“Goodnight… peanut. Love you too.” She yawns and closes her eyes.