A/N Flashback. Warning for depictions of abuse.

His back was aching from the fresh bruise that his foster sister had so graciously given him an hour later. He would have gone to his foster parents to tell them what she did if they hadn't watched her do it with gleeful grins. It was far from the first time that this had happned and he reached for the bottle of cream to soothe the oair that had kept hidden under his bed since going to the hospital would cost to much money and to many questions.

He headed out to the local libary when he heard shouts coming from a nearby alley. He looked down the narrow street to see a gang of the kids from his foster home screaming at a kid about his age. He stood there frozen unsure what to do when one of the kids through a punch at the kid, knocking him to the ground and Finn found himself charging at them. He stood between them with his fists raised as the kid gingerly tried to pick himself off the ground.

"Go! Get out of here!" He yelled at the kid as the ringleader of the gang, an impossible tall girl with planinum blone hair called Gwen that only answered to her last name Phasma laughed a cruel, cold laugh.

"Go home." She said

dissmisvly.

"No." He said defiantly as his body convulsed in fear.

Her eyes somehow got colder as she moved menacingly towards him.

"Run!" He told the kid who has now standing beside him. He tried to mirror Finn's stance but he had to still bend over from the pain in his stomach.

"I'm not leaving you to fight these phycos." He said. Finn was about to argue with him when he felt Phasma's imposing figure leaning over him.

"Move aside overwise you'll join that scum in dreamland." She threatened.

Startling both her and himself he threw a punch at her face knocking her flat on her back. The rest of the gang stared at her in shock and horror at her limp figure. Not giving them the chance to recover Finn grabbed the kid's hand and dragged him out of the alley.

"Run!" He shouted.

Unsure wherther they were being followed and terrified at what would happen if they were until they kept running until they had no chose but to stop from exhaustion. They slumped in the nech of a run down bus shelter gasping for breath.

"Thank you." The boy he rescused said between large breathes.

"You're welcome." Finn replied. He turned to face the boy and it was only now that he realised how handsome he was. Struck by his looks it took him a moment to realise that they were still holding hands. He quickly took his hand back and looked away in embrassemnt.

"Serously!" The boy said with a wide smile that someone who had just outrun a gang of crazies shouldn't have. "You're my hero."

Finn tried with little result to hide his blush. "No I'm not."

Thankfully the kid either didn't notice or ignored hus blush.

"I'm Poe." He said holding out his hand.

"FN-2187." Poe's hand along with the rest of his body froze.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

Once again looked away but this time it was more beacsue of shame than embarisment.

"That's all they ever called me at the children's home. It was my number, missing kid number 2187. They never bothered to try to call my anything else." He confessed.

He found Poe giving him a look of pity and anger that made him curl into himself in shame.

"Well I ain't using it." Poe said firmly. "F N huh? How about Finn? Can I call you Finn?"

Finn, He tried the name out in his mind. It surprised him how right it felt.

"Yeah Finn. I like that." He said brightly. Suddenly the magnitude of what he had just done came down upon him. There was no way the he could go back to the foster home. They'd kill him for what he'd done. His body started to shake as he gave into panic.

"Woah! Are you ok buddy?" Poe asked placing warm hands on hid shoulders to try and calm him down.

"No I…..they….those kids they live at my foster home. I…they…they'll kill me if I go back." He told him.

"Tell your foster parents then."

Finn scoffed.

"They'd probably join in." He spat.

"Why don't you call the police?"

Finn shook his head. The last person to call the police had been the boy he shared his room with . He only had number too but he called himself Slip. He was one of the few kids in this place that doesn't treat him like a personal punching bag. Although that may be because he was also the only person in this hell hole that got treated even worse. The care workers and older kids were careful not to leave injuries that would be visible when they left the house. He'd called the police after the foster parents had pummelled him so hard he'd started coughing up blood. They'd denied everything and the police believed their lies. After wards they snapped and slashed Slip's stomach was a kitchen knife. Finn could still remember the blood on his hands as he tried to help his only friend. For once the foster parents let him go to the hospital where he claimed that it was done by a random attacker on the street. They believed him and let him move to a different foster home after he claimed that he didn't feel safe living the area. Finn was glad he's been able to get away but it had been lonely without him.

After he told Poe this story He saw that the boy was looking at him in a sense of bewilderment that adults could be this creul and Finn felt bad for destroying his perfect image of the world.

"I'm never going back." Finn promised himself.

"Do you have anywhere you can go?"

Finn was surprised at his genuine concern and willingness to help.

"You could stay with me if you want? My parents wouldn't mind."

But Finn shock his head.

"They'd have to tell the police and they'd just put me back in the foster home. It's probably better if I just run away."

At least they care enough to look for him and he could finally be free of their constant abuse. Poe looked unhappy but couldn't think of a better option.

"At least let me give you this." He said. He took off his thick jacket that was lined with fleece and appeared to be made from real leather and shoved all the money in his wallet at him.

"I can't-" Finn tried to protest but Poe just put it in his lap.

"Please take it." He begged.

Unable to resist his pleading eyes Finn reluctantly took the stuff from him.

"Thank you." He said from the bottom of his heart. He stared into Poe's releved eyes and found himself lost in their dark brown hue. It was crazy but he though that Poe was doing the same to him.

The loud rumble of the bus coming down the road as it headed towards them.

"Maybe I could go to the next town. I could get a job there or something. At least it would be away from the people at the foster home so nobody would recognise me." He suggested.

"Good idea buddy." Poe replied.

The bus pulled up beside them and Finn was about to get on when Poe pulled him into a hug. At first he froze at the contact but when he realised that he wasn't about to hurt him he relaxed into his touch. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been hugged.

"Are you getting on or not?" the bus driver yelled at him as they broke apart.

"Take care of yourself!" Poe said as he got on board.

"You too!" Finn called back. He paid for his ticket and waved back at Poe who watched him drive off, both assuming that this would be the last time they'd ever see each other.