Maybe I'm just in love with when you wake me up

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A/N - In which Poe has a nightmare and Finn is there to comfort his poor space boyfriend. This one is kind of like Hold Me in Your Arms, but in reverse, and obviously with a happier ending which doesn't require a sequel (although if people are interested I could try to write one?). But yeah, enjoy!

Finn was a light sleeper, he always had been, and it certainly came with its disadvantages. Living in a room next to the shower block meant he was often woken up by early risers singing in the shower with less than adequate voices, or the sound of people stumbling drunkenly down the hallways after a night at the small bar in the Resistance base. Either way, he hated it, but when BB-8 rolled into his room one night, beeping wildly, Finn was glad he was easy to wake up.

Unfortunately, the fact that he didn't speak binary meant that he had no idea what to expect when BB-8 led him in to Poe's room in the middle of the night, nudging him towards the door, but whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this.

Poe was thrashing wildly in his bed, screaming and calling out unintelligibly (Finn even thought he heard his own name somewhere between muffled shouts). Finn was instantly aware of what was happening, shutting the door and rushing to Poe's bedside.

"Poe?" he whispered gently. "Poe, wake up." He placed a tentative hand on Poe's shoulder, causing him to jolt awake, sitting bolt upright before leaping away from Finn in a moment of panic.

"Poe." Finn held up his hands slightly, as if in surrender. "Poe, it was a dream. It was just a dream." Poe drew in a shaky breath, closing his eyes for a moment, nodding slowly in recognition of Finn's words.

Finn cautiously reached out to Poe where he was shaking at the opposite end of the bed, attempting to pull him into his arms. Poe flinched away from him as he made contact with his bare skin, and Finn's heart broke a little for the man in front of him. This beautiful, broken man.

"Poe, you know it was a nightmare. You're not going back there, I promise you." Finn reassured him softly as Poe pulled his legs close to his chest, still shaking, whether it was from the dream or the cold, Finn couldn't tell. "Poe, do you want to talk about it?"

Poe shook his head silently. Finn nodded, understanding perfectly how he felt.

"Okay." Finn shuffled slowly down the bed, inching closer, all the while studying Poe's face, watching carefully for any kind of negative reaction. Eventually he settled only a small distance from Poe, allowing him space but not crowding him in his still-anxious state. "Okay. I'm here, Poe. I'm right here." Finn leant back against the wall, waiting quietly until Poe felt ready to talk.

"He was going through my mind." Poe eventually spoke hoarsely, breaking the silence in the room. "He was pulling me apart piece by piece. He stripped my soul right down to the core, and when he was done he just left me there, waiting for death, or anything just to end it." He took harsh, shallow breaths, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of them.

"You're not there anymore, Poe. You're safe. We can protect you here." Finn reassured him softly, reaching out gently to place a hand on his arm.

"Can you?" Poe turned to him with an expression of pure, unadulterated fear. Finn hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Yes, Poe. You're safe, you're home. I promise you, you never have to go back there again." Poe pressed his eyes shut and Finn glanced down at the broken man beside him, pulling Poe close and wrapping his arms around him, holding him tightly. Finn felt Poe sob quietly into his shoulder as he shifted to settle himself on Finn's lap, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, his head buried in Finn's chest. In turn, Finn buried his face in Poe's hair, his arms wrapped around his body, inhaling the smell of him, getting used to the feeling of holding him close.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Poe whispered into Finn's chest.

"For what?" Finn murmured, glancing down at Poe.

"For not being good enough." Finn frowned.

"Are you kidding me? You are Poe Dameron. You've been to hell and back and you survived. You're not just a pretty face making pretty jokes and flying pretty ships. You escaped the First Order. You took a stormtrooper with you, because he needed a pilot. You survived everything that was thrown your way, and you still have a smile on your face. Poe, you're amazing. I don't know how you could ever think you're anything less than that."

Poe didn't reply but Finn could tell that his sobs had stopped.

"I get them too," he whispered quietly, "the dreams." Poe leaned back, looking him in the eyes, his expression half curious, half concerned. "First Order conditioning wasn't exactly pleasant. They strip away your personality, your soul, everything that makes you human, and they replace it with cogs, gears and circuitry." Finn's eyes fluttered shut.

"Finn, I'm sor-" Finn held up a hand to stop him.

"Poe, don't. It's fine, I promise. Now go back to sleep." Finn smiled softly.

"But-"

"Sleep." Poe nodded eventually and Finn shuffled to lie back on the bed, with Poe leaning on his chest, his arms wrapped around his waist. Poe closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Finn.

"I love you." Poe mumbled. Finn froze for a moment in shock. He didn't think he'd ever heard anyone say that to him. After a brief moment he let out the breath he was holding and smiled, dropping a light kiss on Poe's forehead.

"Yeah, I love you too." He grinned.

A/N - Let me know what you think!

Title from Wake Me Up by Ed Sheehan

EDIT: I posted this in such a hurry that I completely forgot to say a huge thanks for 1.6K reads! You guys are amazing!!! 

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