WHO: Finn and Peter Quill WHAT: A random meeting; a matchup WHEN: One odd day WARNINGS: None STATUS: Closed and Complete
Finn was out and hobbling around with a walking stick, working on getting his strength back. He had checked out of the hospital the day before, and now just had to check in once a week to have his back looked at. They didn’t want him stressing it, but they also told him to try walking more.
And so he was out, and walking, heading toward the food shop that people had told him about, Hinkles? Yes. That. It seemed like a good first goal.
Walking along, he fingered the jacket he still had. He wasn’t sure how, but it was whole, and so he was wearing it today, the warmth helping against a cold chill in the air. He came around a corner and almost ran into someone who seemed to be looking for someone or something. Serving, Finn stopped and glanced at the guy.
“You okay?”
***
Groot was just a little too good at slipping away when he was bored with hanging out with Quill and most of the time it turned out okay...or at least he hoped it did because Quill never heard about anything burning down or anything...but sometimes he came back with things that really didn’t look good or once in a while he was missing part of a limb.
“Huh?” Quill hadn’t been paying attention so he turned around to see who was talking to him. “Yeah, no problem...I mean are you all right?” The guy had a walking stick and it looked like he had to use it.
***
“Oh yeah. Recovering quickly. Had a nasty run in with a lightsaber.” He nodded. “Just headed to eat. You looked like you were distracted,”
He didn’t know if he could help, but it seemed to be the thing to do, here.
***
“You had a...with a….are you kidding me?” Ok Groot was forgotten for a minute as he turned to pay more attention to the guy he was talking to. He didn’t look like any of the Star Wars guys he knew of so maybe he had missed something in the years he was gone or the guy was having a joke.
***
That reaction made Finn blink and step back. “No, why would I kid about something like that?” Finn shuddered as he remembered the feel of the saber cutting into him. “Kylo Ren is one nasty being, and he nearly cut down my friend. I’m hoping I can go back there to help her stop him.”
***
“Wow.” Quill was impressed that this guy was actually breathing if he’d been hit with a lightsaber. That was just not something that usually happened. “Man I would give my right...I was gonna say arm but then what the hell would I do with it? So I guess I’d have to give up something else. I had access to a lot of alien stuff but never anything as cool as a lightsaber.”
Quill took a breath and grinned. “Sorry. And I hope your friend is okay.”
***
Finn blinked and then nodded, slowly. “I never really saw them as cool. More as... dangerous. Fighting a duel with Kylo was bad. I was outclassed right away.” He shuddered.
“Me too. People say you go back the moment you leave, but I wish she could be brought here. They managed to bring me here and fix me here. Maybe they can do it for her?”
He hoped so, anyway.
***
“I was outclassed a lot when I ended up in space. Everyone out there was tougher, faster, stronger and crazier it seemed like. But you kind of got used to it.” Actually, it was weird how fast he’d gotten used to it even if there was always moments of being terrified along the way. Quill wasn’t sure if that was something about him or his genetics.
“Well there’s no control over who shows up here but maybe she’ll end up here anyway. Groot showed up here for me...and if you see a little guy that kind of looks like a tree just let me know okay? He’s out and the big knife from the kitchen was missing so you know, just kind of curious.”
***
“How do you get used to it?” Finn was not sure he could, really. The Force seemed a powerful thing that would be hard to overcome.
Finn nodded, listening, and he blinked. “Looks like a tree?” He shook his head. “That’s a new one, and I’ve seen a lot of aliens.” Finn chuckled.
***
“Well, what else can you do?” Quill shrugged slightly at the question. “And it doesn’t matter how strong, big, fast you are there’s always someone out there better so sometimes you just have to be smarter and more determined.” They had done some almost impossible things so he believed it could be done. It might also have to do with how stubborn he was.
Quill laughed a little at the look he got hearing about Groot. “Yeah, he’s unique. Only alien I’ve met like that but he’s part of my team and you know, family, so I try to watch out for him. Or sometimes that’s I try to watch out for whatever he has plans to use a knife on.”
***
Finn nodded. That made sense. If you couldn’t beat them with toughness, beat them with smarts, or by not being there, even. Hmmm. Okay. He could think on that. “That makes sense.”
Finn nodded again. He could keep an eye out. “I can do that. Is he dangerous?” He didn’t mean to insult the guy, but he was curious and wanted to know, if he was going to keep his eyes open.
***
Oh Quill wasn’t insulted in the slightest for the question. “Well...depends on the day?” He chuckled and ran a hand over his face. “He’s feisty and he has some anger issues but mostly he’s small enough to deal with but if he’s being too bad offer him snacks. He loves snacks.”
***
“Snacks. Okay.” Finn made a note to himself to learn about snacks. Snacks were obviously important. He just had to… learn what those were. He would use this new internet when he was alone.
“Does he run off a lot?”
***
If Quill knew that he didn’t know what those were he’d be happy to start giving him an Earth education. It was important to know things like snacks and not just for catching Groot. “Eh, you know he gets bored and then he goes to meet people and do things.” And hopefully not to kill people and eat things.
“I’m Peter by the way.”
***
“I’m Finn. Nice to meet you.” He shook his head. “How tall is he, this not!tree?” He wanted to know, in case he actually saw him. “Does he like burgers?” Maybe he headed for Hinkles?
Finn had no clue. He was still settling in.
“This place gets more interesting the longer I'm here.’
***
“He does like fries so maybe.” Peter held his hands apart to show how big Groot was right now. He was probably smaller than Finn was thinking he was. “But then again I like fries too and if I’m going to check for him there I might as well have lunch. You want to get something to eat Finn?”
***
Finn blinked at the size. “Hmmm, that small? I thought you said he was a tree?” A very small tree? Trying to figure it out, he missed the man’s words for a moment. When his brain caught up, he smiled and nodded. “Sure/. That’s where I was headed. To Hinkles for food, I mean.”
***
“Yeah, I also said he was a little guy.” Quill laughed and gestured toward Hinkles. “He used to be a lot taller, which is a long story and probably one that should come with burgers and shakes.”
He’d just keep an eye out for Groot while they were out eating. You never knew where you were going to find him so looking was kind of pointless anyway. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”
***
Finn chuckled and nodded as they started out. “I am definitely up for that.”
“What are shakes? I really have no clue about most Earth food.” He chuckled. “My world was a lot smaller and a lot narrower, sort of.”