#but just before leia snaps him out of it he starts considering the possibility that the twins have been playing a very long joke on him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mermaidxatxheart · 3 years

Text

Better Together Chapter 6

ok, I know it's been a while. I'm sorry for the long time in between posts. I'm working on several stories at once, or at least trying to, while also trying to get accustomed to a promotion and new job responsibilities at work. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me. I really appreciate you all. My work is no to be reposted anywhere without my permission.

Pairing: Poe Dameron X Reader

Word Count: 4.9k

Warnings: Violence, panic, Poe being soft, Bryce being a dick. I think we can just assume that will be a permanent tag.

Series Master List

Chapter Five

You try to sit up with a strangled scream, but you end up bouncing your head off the plastic dome monitoring your vitals.

“Hey, it’s okay.” A voice to your left says. The voice is… familiar, but it’s not the one you really wanted to hear. But at the same time, you’re grateful you don’t hear that voice.

You roll your head to see Bryce, your boyfriend. He’s your boyfriend. He won’t hurt you. You can relax.

Why aren’t you relaxing?

“You’re safe now. Back home where you belong.” He says gently, reaching for your hand. You flinch away and he frowns, pausing.

“S-sorry.” You rasp, closing your eyes.

“It’s cool.” He lifts the dome and moves to get your clothes at the foot of the table. “Come on. Get dressed, we’ll get you something to eat.” He says, setting them next to you.

You try to speak again, but your voice is just as rough, only this time you don’t know if it’s from being quiet for so long, or the raw emotions destroying you. You clear your throat painfully. “H-how’s Poe?” You ask, nearly stuttering over his name.

“Dameron is fine. Been annoying all the women ever since he got back.” Bryce rolls his eyes. He doesn’t catch the way you shrink in on yourself as you sit up.

So, Poe doesn’t...want to...see you. The words struggle in your mind. He’s… he’s probably trying to forget what you did to him. No wonder he doesn’t want to see you.

“Can you step outside so I can get dressed?” You ask quietly.

“Babe, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.” He says and you lower your head. “Fine. Just, don’t take too long. I’m starving.” He says, walking out and shutting the door loudly behind you. You jump at the sudden snap of it and squeeze your eyes shut.

You can’t handle the commissary right now. It’s always packed full of people, loud, claustrophobic. You carefully get dressed, trying not to notice all the new marks on your body. You’re careful of the fresh stitches covering your arms, legs, stomach, and back. Careful not to pull the bandages holding you together.

You’re dressed faster than you want to be, stepping carefully out of the room. It still doesn’t feel safe, it feels like you should be hiding. You tug the long sleeves down further, wishing you had more to cover you.

“Come on.” He slings his arm around your shoulders and you tense as the weight settles on you. “I missed you.” He says softly, but you don’t feel comforted by his words. They turn to ice in your veins. He practically has to drag you along, your nerves stretching and spiking with each step, with every noise.

“I-I’m not hungry.” You protest, trying to dig your heels in. You can hear the loud room from here.

“Y/N, you have to eat.” He says firmly.

“N-n—“ you stammer, trying to push away from him. He sighs and scoops you up over his shoulder, carrying you along easily. Pain flares through you as your stitches pull. He’s not careful with you. Either he doesn’t know, or he doesn’t care. You try to struggle, you don’t care if he drops you. At least then you could get away.

“Y/N, I swear to the Maker, stop struggling. These are your friends. They want to know you’re okay.”

“What if I’m not?” You snap, the fear boiling over. You want to go to your room. You want to hide. You want to be alone. You want Poe.

He stops and considers for a minute before continuing on. “You can’t hide forever, Y/N.”

“Bryce, please, please!”

He walks inside and sets you down none too gently in a chair at a table full of people. “Look who’s finally awake.” He says loudly. Your teeth jar, biting down on your tongue from the abrupt impact.

There are five whole heartbeats where everyone is just staring at you. Something claws its way up your throat in the eerie silence, and then everything just explodes.

Voices, chairs moving, hands touching you, patting you on the shoulder, or touching your leg. The lights get too bright, you can’t see anything. You feel like they’re all climbing on top of you, too much weight. You can’t breathe. You try to suck in a breath, but it’s like your lungs won’t expand.

You bolt.

You’re not proud of it, but you shove through all the people and fly for the door. Blind twists and turns down hallways you don’t remember seeing, and couldn’t remember in the moment. You can barely hear your name being shouted behind you, but you can’t stop, can’t look back. You just know you’ve ripped stitches in your thighs, and stomach. You don’t care. Your only thought is escape. Hyper flight mode.

A hand grabs you from the darkness, pulling you in and pinning you against the wall. You fight, slapping and hitting against your assailant as you sob, gasping raggedly.

“Y/N! It’s me, stop it!!” Poe shouts, grabbing your wrists. “It’s Poe, it’s me. Stop.” He says, holding your hands against his chest until you stop fighting him.

You think you gasp his name, your legs give out on you and you sink to your knees in front of him, sobbing. He doesn’t let go of your wrists, just loosens his grip. Relief washes through you as you realize who it is.

“Breathe. Just breathe. Big, slow breaths for me, sweetheart.” He whispers, slowly kneeling in front of you.

“P-Poe—“

“I know. Sh, it’s okay. I’m right here.” He wraps his arms around you tightly, hugging you to him.

He shouldn’t be doing this for you, not after everything you put him through. Guilt roils through you, choking off your air. You start to pull away but he doesn’t let go. His fingers braid in your disheveled hair and you can’t help but sink into him a little more.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. I wanted to be.” He exhales in a rush, burying his face in your hair.

“Why—why would you want that?” You hiccup, keeping your face away from him.

“Because you’re my best friend? Why would you think I wouldn’t want to be there?”

“B-because,” you try taking a deep breath.

He seems to realize that you’re shivering on the cold ground. “Let’s get out of here. Do you wanna go back to medbay or your room?” He asks, easing you out of his arms and standing up.

You hesitate, suddenly not knowing how to ask him to stay. It’s selfish, you know it is, after everything you’ve put him through, to want him to suffer even longer.

“I don’t think I was actually discharged.” You mumble, pulling yourself to your feet on your own. It’s a massive effort.

He makes a noise in the back of his throat and steps to the door. He looks up and down the hallway before looking back at you. “It’s all clear.”

“I don’t even know what part of the complex I’m in.” You admit, dropping your head back. In the forest, you knew exactly where to go. But on a planet you’ve called home for how long? You’re lost.

Useless.

“Okay. Come on.” He holds out his hand and you’re so tempted to take it. But you don’t. Instead, you walk to the door with him and carefully slip out without touching him. You’ve done enough damage.

He follows after a small minute and leads you down the hallway. “You never answered my question.” He starts suddenly and you look up at him. His face has too many cuts, a deep bruise under his eye, a split lip. It hurts you to look at him. More guilt.

It’s your fault.

You could pretend to be ignorant. Not remember the question to stall for time. Claim sudden hearing loss. But you never could lie to him, and you don’t want to start now. You know exactly what question.

“I didn’t think you would want to be there. Not when this whole thing is my fa-fault.” You mumble, your voice cracking on the last word. You hate yourself for putting him through this. You hate yourself for feeling like a damsel in distress and not being able to fight back the way you should have.

He stops walking and stares at you. His forehead crinkled in confusion.

“You think—“ he starts, his voice incredulous, but is promptly cut off by a medical droid beeping angrily at you.

“Yeah, got it. Back to bed.” You mumble, taking one last look at a stunned Poe before following the droid the rest of the way.

The droid gets you back into a medical bed, looking almost as if it wants to restrain you to keep you there. You clutch your hands to your chest, not wanting to be restrained.

“I won’t go anywhere.” You promise. The droid beeps and rolls away, the door sliding shut behind it. You cross your legs and lay back, wincing at the pull in your ribs. On the list of things that hurt, the ribs are kind of low. But they’re drawing the most attention at the moment. The droid comes back after a moment, making quick work of fixing your stitches, hopefully for the last time. It rolls away and you’re left in agonizing silence. You stare at the ceiling, counting the cracks.

The door opens again and Leia walks in. You freeze, wondering what she could possibly want from you. Poe’s words flash through your mind. Do you think Leia is sobbing uncontrollably right now? She certainly looks tired, but not necessarily like she was heartbroken that you were gone for… for… you can’t remember how long you were in that place. You break out into a sweat. What else have you forgotten?

“Y/N,” she starts solemnly. “I’m so glad you’re back with us and awake.” She sits on the edge of your bed and you don’t know if this is protocol or not. Is it normal? You don’t say anything, you simply wait for her to continue, she’ll get to her point eventually. “Poe told me about what happened, I’d like your report as well, whenever you feel up to it. I know you must still be exhausted.” She says.

So, all business.

She probably didn’t even notice you weren’t there.

You nod once. You can be all business, too. “I’ll have it for you by tomorrow.” You say and she blinks.

“I didn’t mean—“

“You need it. You’ll have it.”

“Poe told me you were incredibly brave.” She says, watching your face as she speaks. She’s clearly looking for something.

“He—“ you cut off. You had been about to say that he exaggerates, or was lying. But then she would think that she can’t trust her most loyal commander. She slowly arches an eyebrow as you struggle to think. “He’s too kind. I was terrified. Did more harm than good.”

“Hmm. Well, in any case. I know you’re still healing. Bacta is useful, but it can’t heal everything overnight. Get some rest.” She stands up. “And,” she pauses and turns back to you. “If you need to talk, about anything at all, I’m here to listen.” She says pointedly. You nod once and she heads for the door, stopping only long enough for it to hiss open.

You slump back against the pillows, gritting your teeth against the sudden pain. It’s odd how sometimes you don’t feel it at all, and other times it’s all you can feel. You feel like you’ve been going nonstop for days and days. You need to think, to rest. You need to stand up to Bryce next time. You’re not just a scientist, you’re a damn good pilot-only second to Poe, and you’re one of the best shots on base. He can’t just push you around like he did.

You need to think, sort out what was real and what was panic. You close your eyes and try to hold as still as possible. The faces are the faces of your friends, this isn’t some First Order trick. They aren’t trying to hurt you.

But… then… Why was Poe shouting when he got off the ship? Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Maybe you really are losing your mind.

The door hisses open and you jerk upright, instantly grabbing your side. Bryce tosses his jacket onto the chair next to your bed and crosses his arms, turning slowly to glare at you.

“Was that fun for you? You made me look like an idiot out there.” He snaps and you want to hurl something heavy at his head.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now. I’m tired.” You say, wishing there was a more final way to say that, like shutting a door in his face.

“You just slept for three days!” He shouts, throwing his hands up.

“Get. Out!” You shove yourself off your bed, ignoring the screaming pain in your ribs and back. “Get the fucking fuck out! I told you I wasn’t kriffing ready but you didn’t fucking listen. You never fucking listen! I just want some peace. Maker!” You shove him backwards through the door, bouncing it off its track. You feel the pop in your wrist, burning hot pain flares up your arm. “For once in your life, try to see things from someone else’s perspective.” You snap, going back into your room.

“Whoa, hey. I’m sorry, okay?”

You pick up the heavy decoration on the side table and throw it as hard as you can. If he hadn’t moved his stupidly perfect head, it would have hit him right in the face. Unfortunately, he does move and it crashes into the floor behind him, breaking into pieces. Good, more ammo for next time.

“I don’t want to hear your apologies! I want. To be. Alone!”

He holds up his hands and backs down the hallway. You walk around to the other side of the bed, sinking to the floor so that no one will see you. Your hands are trembling as you try to breathe. Your sides begin to ache for another reason altogether, and you realize you aren’t even breathing because you’re trying not to cry.

You let out a ragged gasp, covering your face in humiliation. Rocking forward, you rest your face on the ground, letting yourself hurt with every silent sob. You deserve all the pain. A curious beep reaches your ears and you cover your mouth, forcing yourself to keep quiet. You know, somewhere in the back of your mind, you need to get your new injuries checked out. You definitely did damage to your wrist. You feel a droid roll to a stop next to you, but you're not under control yet.

They beep softly again and nudge you with their big round base. You lift your head to see the familiar orange and white pattern of Poe’s droid, BB8. He rotates his lens up to look at you, and somehow, despite being metal and made of parts, he shows sympathy, worry, concern. He wants to know if you’re okay, if his friend is okay. Your vision goes blurry as your eyes flood with tears all over and he rolls forward, nestling right against your chest. You grip his headpiece, lowering your forehead against it and resting there, shoulders shaking and stomach cramping from the uncomfortable position. But you can’t bring yourself to move just yet.

***

Your head slips to the side and you jerk up, hitting your head against the edge of your bed. BB8 looks up at you, bless his circuit board. He would have stayed there with you for hours if you hadn’t woken yourself up. You wipe your tears and drool off his head.

“Sorry, buddy.” You whisper, voice not wanting to go higher than that. “You should get back to Poe. I’m sure he’s looking for you.”

His head tilts, question unasked in the quiet air.

“I’ll be okay. Thank you, for checking on me, I mean.”

He beeps a rapid-fire and rolls away in search of his master, or is friend a better description at this point? You twist, pulling yourself up and seeing Bryce sitting on the floor in the hallway. His eyes are closed as he rests his head against the wall.

With a sigh, you page for a med droid to come in and check on you. You lay back on your bed, closing your eyes while you wait. You didn’t mean to fall asleep on the poor droid.

Your wrist is checked out and bound. Already on the edge of breaking, shoving your stupid boyfriend pushed it over the edge. The droid tsks about not getting it taken care of right away before wheeling away.

“Can I come in now?” Bryce asks from the hallway.

“No. I’m still mad.” You reply, rolling over. It’s cool in here, settling in your bones in an unfamiliar way. You reach towards the end of the bed for a blanket before you realize there isn’t one there. With a huff, you get up and look around for one with no success.

“What are you looking for?” He asks, pushing himself up with a quiet grunt.

“A blanket. I’m freezing.” You reply, digging through the supply locker in the room.

“I’ll go get you one.” He turns around and disappears, leaving you to settle back down. You can hear those familiar beeps coming down the hallway and that voice you’ve come to depend on since you were taken follows it.

“Yeah, buddy, I know. Always rubbing it in.” Poe sighs.

Bryce comes back, spreading a heavy blanket over you before stepping back awkwardly. “Thanks. I’m sure you have something you need to be doing, Bryce. I’ll be here.” You say, more gently this time and he presses a tender kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll come see you after my shift. We’ll talk then and you can yell at me all you want, okay?” He promises.

You nod, laying your head down on the pillow as he leaves. You can see his shoulders tense as he sees Poe coming towards him. You can hear the little droid beeping in outrage but Poe shushes him.

“Is she awake?” He asks.

“She’s resting. You shouldn’t be here, anyway. Haven’t you done enough, Dameron?” Bryce snaps.

What? No. He’s not to blame! You are!

“Bryce. Go to work.” You call and he looks over his shoulder at you, unable to get rid of the coldness completely before he turns on his heel and storms off.

Poe waits until he can’t see him anymore before coming into your room. “Hi.” He says after a minute and your lips twitch.

“Hi.”

“Have a good nap?” He asks as BB8 chirps next to him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep him here for so long.” You mumble.

Poe snorts. “He’s not sorry, bragged about it for at least ten minutes.” He rolls his eyes and you scoot over on the bed carefully. He eases himself down and takes your newly bandaged hand. “What happened?” He asks with a frown.

“I wasn’t careful. Typical me.” You scoff derisively.

He’s quiet for a long time, his handsome face going through a wide range of emotions as he traces the outline of your fingers. The feeling of it is relaxing, soothing you. Everything about him is comforting, just like he’s always been. Even though you don’t deserve his compassion, his forgiveness.

“Poe,” you start, capturing his hand, even though you could conceivably let him keep doing that forever.

“I have so many things I want to say to you.” He starts, his voice crumpled.

You take a deep breath and nod, steeling yourself for the inevitable. It’s going to hurt, it will break your heart, but he should say it. Tell you he hates you for kissing him, for distracting him, for getting him caught, and all the terrible things that came after it.

“You sa-said before that this is all your fault.” He starts, his eyes very firmly on your hands wrapped around his.

“Because it is.” You answer and his beautiful brown eyes squeeze shut.

“How can you even think that?” His voice cracks and you’ve never seen him so close to tears before. This is the man that’s perpetually in a good mood, everything is an opportunity to make you laugh. Even in the face of certain harm, he’s making jokes.

“Poe, I distracted you. I—“ you glance at the door to look for potential eavesdroppers. “In the river, I ki—“

He covers your mouth softly. You could easily pull his hand away, but you don’t. “We were on a planet where the most dangerous thing was supposed to be a giant butterfly. There was no way to know, no indication of anyone else being on the planet. You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart.” He says. You can hear the sincerity in his voice, but you can’t stop the feeling that he’s wrong. You did everything wrong. “And… we don’t have to… to talk about that thing in the river… if you don’t want to.” He stammers, scratching at the back of his neck.

You want to. You want to do it again. But you can’t. Your fingers flex in his before pulling them back against your torso, cutting off all touch with his warm body.

“Leia came to see me earlier.” You change the subject without giving him an answer. You’re not ready to close the book yet, but you can’t open it yet, either.

“Yeah. I gave my debrief.” He says, sounding a little deflated.

“You lied.” You correct and his head snaps up.

“What?”

“You told her I was brave. That was a big, fat lie.” You say and he rolls his eyes.

“You’re impossible.” He takes your hand again. His touch is feather-light, soft, and delicate as he strokes the back of your hand, following the length of your fingers.

“I don’t think she cried.” You say suddenly and he looks up at you.

“Come again?”

“You asked if I thought Leia sobbed uncontrollably while we were gone. I don’t think she even got a stuffy nose.” Your voice turns dark, your secret angry thought slipping out before you can stop it.

“You think she didn’t care?” Poe asks.

“Did you find out how long we were gone?”

“Yeah. Three weeks.” He says, practically choking on it.

“Two weeks over what we were supposed to be gone. You don’t think that’s odd? She didn’t send anyone after her best pilot?”

“Y/N, she has a lot of different responsibilities, to more than just us. We had no contact with anyone prior. How would they have found us? They didn’t have our information yet. They would have been just as lost as we were.” He reasons.

“Ground exploration on a new planet should have more than two people. No matter how good one of them is.” You pull your hand back, angry now.

You don’t want to be angry, not with Poe, of all people. But you can’t stop yourself. He’s rolling over and playing lapdog for his perfect princess, same as he always does. Your cheeks burn with anger.

Hurt crosses his face, his hands suspended where they were. “Both. She sent two of her best people. She sent you, and me because we work so well together. Because we could get it done much faster, quieter, better than anyone else on this base.” He says and your heart wavers.

You don’t want to cause him any more pain. You take a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I think I just need sleep.” The words sound stiff, forced.

“Do you want me to stay?” He asks, but you shake your head.

“No. I’m just gonna catch a few hours and then get to work on the report for Leia.”

“No, I already did that.” He corrects.

“She asked me for one.”

“I debriefed so you wouldn’t have to go through it again.” He clenches his hands. “I’ll take care of it.” He promises.

“I don’t mind. It might give her a better idea of what a rotten liar you are.” You say, trying to joke.

“I didn’t lie.” He huffs, leaning down and pressing the softest kiss to your forehead. “I’ll leave BB8 with you if you need anything. Come find me when you wake up?”

“Promise.” Your voice cracks at just the wrong moment and he stills, looking down at you.

“I can stay. Just like in the cave.” He offers.

“Go away.”

He gives your hand a gentle squeeze and stands up. “What happened to the door?” He asks.

“I shoved Bryce through it.” You admit and he breaks out into a grin.

“That’s my girl.” He praises before walking through it.

You have to stop yourself from calling him back, from begging him to stay with you. It’s not that you don’t trust anyone else here, they are your friends. But, Poe would understand. He knows what you went through, he understands what it was like. He won’t judge you for being upset. When you lost your temper with him just now, he didn’t get mad, he talked you down.

No, Poe Dameron understands better than anyone what emotions you’re going through right now. He goes through them on a daily basis and has for a long time.

***

You can’t look at him. Every time you do, another wave of guilt threatens to drown you. You kissed him. You kissed him. You have a boyfriend back home, missing you and you went and kissed your best friend. And worse, got said best friend captured by the enemy.

Now, he’s furious with you. Hasn’t said a word in hours. You can’t remember the last thing he said. Did he shush you? Was it your name? You can’t remember. Tears blur your vision as you try to twist your face away from him.

“Shit. Y/N,” he starts. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I’ll get us out of this.” He promises.

And just the fact that he thinks that’s what you’re upset about is blindingly frustrating. And that he feels the need to fix your fuck up.

“Why don’t they just kill us?” You ask, forcing the tears not to fall.

“They probably want information on the Resistance.” He clenches his jaw. “Y/N, I never wanted to have to say this to you, but no matter what they do to you, you can’t talk. You can’t tell them anything.” He pleads.

You nod. “Okay. I won’t say anything.” You promise weakly. The idea of being tortured is so out of your realm, you don’t know what to expect. But Poe seems to know something at the very least.

He curses again and you look back at his face. “I promise. I promise I’ll get us out of this.” He thrashes against the metal restraints on the upright table and you worry he’s going to hurt himself.

“I’ll be okay, Poe.” You whisper, but he squeezes his eyes shut.

The door behind you opens and a StormTrooper walks in. You can’t tell if it’s one of the same ones from the forest, but it doesn’t matter. This one is carrying a tray with a cloth covering it.

“Ready to begin?” He asks, voice modulated to fit your nightmares. “Where is your base of rebel scum?” He asks, slowly removing the cloth and picking up a thin blade. He turns towards Poe, sliding the knife under the silver chain around your partner’s neck. His mother’s ring, beautiful as it glints in the light, slowly rotates into view. Poe struggles slightly, giving his restraints another hard yank, but he gets nowhere. The stormtrooper curls his fingers around it, tugging and popping the chain free. He tosses it into the dank corner and it disappears from view. Poe snarls until the trooper lifts the glittering knife again and turns his helmet towards you. You can feel him studying you, sizing you up.

“I said, where is your base of rebel scum?”

Poe looks over at you, and you can see the worry in his eyes. Will he start with you? Or with Poe? When neither of you answers, he turns and slashes out at your best friend. You cry out, thinking he cut his throat, but instead, there’s a small cut on his cheekbone.

“I haven’t got anywhere to be. Let’s begin again.” He says evenly and your stomach clenches uncomfortably.

***

You sit up with a ragged gasp, clutching at your face. Blindly, you find the medical droid and sign yourself out, grabbing the blanket and heading through the halls for the one person you want to see. BB8 rolls after you, chirping quietly. You feel for the chain in your pocket, the weight of it is comforting.

You knock quietly on the door. It’s so late, you shouldn’t be here. The door slides open and he's there in front of you, exhausted and very much alive. He holds out his arms and you step easily into them, heartbeat finally settling.

Poe.

He walks you back inside and lays down on his bed without a single word. No teasing, no jokes. Just him being there for you like always. You wait until he’s comfortable before crawling into bed next to him and laying down, your head resting against his chest.

“I’m sorry.” You mumble.

“Sh. Go to sleep. I’m here.” He says gently, his big, warm hands rubbing your back.

Chapter 7

Everything Tag List:

@everythingisoverrated @psyched2b @shreddedparchment @bitsandbobsandstuff @after-avenging-hours @alexblrus @thinkingsofamadwoman @i-dont-want-to-be-called @thefridgeismybestie @fortheloveofallthatsholy @crazychaotic @pleasureoftheguiltiestvariety @redstarstan @justreadingfics @themistsofmyavalon @sebastianstanslefteyebrow @wkemeup @thiccbinch @glide-thru @elliee1497 @ellaenchanted91 @part-time-patronus @janeyboo @scarlettwitcher @thirstybitchqueen @stuckonjbbarnes @barnesandco @geeksareunique @nicoleplacee @lexshead @gambitsqueen @lokisironthrone @imanuglywombat @also-fangirlinsweden @ravenesque @murdermornings @countryrockmama @starbuckie @kato-ptris @mandos-crest

Star Wars Tag List:

@bookishofalder @doctor-warthrop @acrossthesestars @waterpancakeao3 @generousrunawaydonut @eclipsedplanet @general-latino @marvelobsessiononastick @itsdameron @mads-weasley

#star wars angst #star wars fanfiction #starwars #star wars #fan fiction #poe fanfiction #poe dameron #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron angst #poe dameron fic #poe dameron fluff #poe dameron x reader #poe x you #poe x reader #reader insert #reader fanfiction #poe x y/n #mermaidxatxheart-writes #better together

106 notes · View notes

ace-din-djarin · 3 years

Note

*peaks over counter* could I possibly have....some Luke whump with Din being protective? *Ducks back under counter*

@ameliajessicawilliamspond

Hi!! Sorry for the delay... I hope this fill meets your expectations!! It's so fun to write Luke whump, tbh. Poor bby. I went a little nuts with it, like always...

-------

When they finally found themselves cornered, Grogu cowering in Din’s arms and Din weaponless, ready to defend the child to the death-- it wasn’t much of a choice for Luke to step forward and surrender himself, and let them take him. They descended on him like the birds on Tatooine that would wait for a creature to be close to death, and then swoop down for the kill. The troopers dragged him forward, away from Din and Grogu, and the last thing he saw before they hit him with a stunner was the look on Grogu’s face. The last thing he felt was Din’s fury and fear, roaring from him through the force like wildfire, before it cut off abruptly along with the rest of Luke’s awareness.

He had no way of knowing whether what they were doing to him was what they would have done to Grogu, or if they were devising new and even more cruel methods just for him. He found it didn’t matter much. If what they had planned for Grogu was even a sliver of what they did to him, it was worth it. Even if they hadn’t been planning to hurt or experiment on the child at all— and he doubted that— but even if they hadn’t, just keeping Grogu from feeling alone and scared, the way he had way back when Moff Gideon had kidnapped him and held him on that huge star destroyer, it was worth it. It was all worth Luke’s sacrifice.

The cruel med droids, stripped of all personality and wielding scalpels and hypos full of unknown substances; the cold-eyed officers and scientists who wouldn’t come near unless Luke was trussed up, force suppression cuffs on his wrists and a double dose of suppressant drugs burning in his veins; the troopers who stood, silent and unmoving, at the door to his cell, two inside and two out, watching him, never giving him a moment alone, even when he screamed and retched and shook… All of it was worth keeping Grogu safe. Keeping Din safe. Their family, their small clan, it was what mattered. Nothing else.

In the dark of the night, when he lay on the cold durasteel bench of his cell under the eyes of two stormtroopers, blasters held across their chests in warning, Luke felt that perhaps this was penance as well as sacrifice. He stared at the troopers, the white of their armor gleaming dully in the dim lights overhead, and considered just how many of their brethren he had murdered. There were those who had been aboard the Death Star, of course — by far his worst, most heinous act — but there were also those who had fallen by his blade, or his blaster, or by Rebel plots he helped to fabricate. He reached out, in the small gaps of time when the suppressants started to wear off and circumnavigating the cuffs was bearable, and felt the troopers’ small threads of light brush against his mind, considering just how many other threads he had snipped. Surely enough to weave hundreds of miles of fabric, within the Force. So many beings— and in the Force, it did not matter their affiliation or creed, they lived just the same— whose lives he had cut short.

The officers who presided over the scientists’ experiments definitely knew who Luke was. They watched with stiff shoulders, with hands fisted in rage... but they hesitated, and they didn’t look him in the eye. Din had told Luke about Gideon, how he had tried to kill himself when he realized Luke was there on his star destroyer, and he supposed these officers viewed him in much the same way. A power both feared and respected, something strange and monstrous, a dark cloaked figure that flitted through Imperial nightmares. A truly fitting form for Darth Vader’s son.

Time passed in hazy, half-acknowledged spurts. The artificial light of the cruiser’s cell block never shut off, and the trooper’s schedules seemed to be random; he watched them with as much awareness as he could muster, but never seemed to be able to latch on to a system that would tell him how long each day was. Even their experiments and interrogation seemed to be done at random intervals. Sometimes he would go what felt like days with only the two troopers for company, and at others he was shaken awake in the middle of sleep and dragged off hours after their last session.

It was during one of these sessions-- woozy from drugs, from lack of sleep and food, from the constant blank nothingness the cuffs forced on him-- that something changed. Luke was strapped to a table, doing his best to ignore the scientist speaking into a voice recorder by his side, not thinking about what they were planning, when the room shook violently around them, his stomach rolling with the movement.

The officer standing at Luke’s head looked up, frowning. “What…?”

He was cut off by another shudder and a distant boom that reverberated down the cold steel hallways outside their room. The officer’s eyes, from what Luke could see, were wide-- he was worried.

“Keep going,” he snapped at the scientist, and stalked out of Luke’s view. He heard the door whoosh open and closed again, and they were alone.

Luke had long since stopped trying to fight the straps that held him down, but now he couldn’t help but thrash against them and hope that somehow they were looser today than usual, somehow he could pull himself free…

“Stop that!” the scientist snapped, even as the room shook yet again and a tool rolled off his tray of instruments and clattered to the ground. He lacked the fear that the officer had shown; he was brutally efficient, continuing to measure out a hypo full of an unknown substance, holding it up to the light with calm, unconcerned eyes. He grasped Luke’s arm and injected the hypo as the sounds of explosions outside got closer, and the sound of booted feet running on durasteel echoed louder and louder down the hallway. He turned and looked Luke in the eye, as he had never done before, just as whatever he had injected started to burn.

“You killed so many, Skywalker.” He said, still calm and collected, but now with eyes that shone with fury, “It’s only fair, don’t you think, that we get to strike back?”

Fire was in his veins, under his skin, burning him from the inside out.

Luke screamed.

______

The scream that echoed down the hall froze Din in his tracks.

He felt, rather than heard, Leia stumble to a stop behind him. He could hear only that scream-- unending, agonized, and horrifically familiar. It sent ice down his spine and through his heart, and he felt himself running again before he really realized it, sprinting flat out towards that voice, Leia on his heels.

He skidded a bit when the ship shook with another explosion-- Boba, Fennec, and Axe were having a bit too much fun with the explosives, but as long as Bo-Katan and Koska were still able to keep the ship flying, Din couldn’t find it in himself to care much. The door opened with a quick blaster shot to the keypad, and he and Leia ran in and stumbled to a stop as one. Horror welled up in his throat.

Luke was strapped down to a table, thick bands around his forehead, arms, and legs, and his hands were bound in front of him in what looked like force-suppression cuffs. He was screaming, thrashing against his bonds, eyes open and tracking some unseen terror. A man stood over him, arms crossed and an expression of sick satisfaction on his face as he watched Luke writhe. He turned to face Din and Leia with no sign of fear.

Leia raised her blaster and stepped forward, face twisted in a snarl. “What have you done to him?”

The man-- a scientist, judging by his clothing and the room, which held instruments and tools that turned Din’s stomach to contemplate-- looked at Leia with cool, calm eyes.

“Only what he deserved.” Behind him, Luke gasped something that may have been a “No!”

Din snarled and before Leia could react, lunged towards the man and punched him full in the face. He howled, hands flying to his nose, and Din hit him again, and again, until he sagged in his grip, unconscious, and Din dropped him to the floor. He stepped over him and reached out to cup Luke’s face in his hands, watching him breathe through clenched teeth, whines and moans of pain slipping through. He didn’t seem to see Din, but he seemed to register something; he turned his face towards where Din stood, even as his eyes rolled in their sockets.

“He shot him with something-- it’s probably causing him pain,” Leia said, holding up a spent hypo-syringe, face grim. “I’ll see if I can find what this was; maybe we can figure out how to help it.”

She turned towards a cabinet along the wall that held all sorts of horrible things, chemicals and liquids that seemed distinctly menacing. Din looked down at the cuffs around Luke’s wrists. It was so wrong, seeing him cuffed and bound like this, and he couldn’t stand it. He pulled the Darksaber from his belt and thumbed the activator.

Leia whirled at the sound of the blade extending, and barked “Wait!” just a second too late-- the Darksaber cut the connection between the cuffs, and a wave of energy exploded outward. Din dropped.

There was a presence all around him… slimy, oily, uncomfortable darkness, brushing up against him, making him shudder even as he walked calmly next to a hulk of a man in black armor…. Rage filled his thoughts as he struck out with his blade, struck the figure that taunted him, that threatened his sister…. His blade sliced through his father’s wrist, a mirror of his own maiming…. He tossed his saber aside, facing the Emperor, watching rage twist that horrible white mask of a face…. And then, pain, everywhere, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but writhe underneath it, couldn’t get away…. And his father looked on, watched as he died….

Din gasped as he was wrenched out of the vision, sitting up from where he had fallen onto the floor, staring up at Leia, who was slumped slightly over Luke, hands on his wrists. When Din pulled himself to standing, he saw that she had managed to get another pair of cuffs around them. She seemed to sense his disapproval, and shook her head, eyes never leaving Luke’s face.

“He’s too out of it to shield, right now, and he’s too powerful to have the cuffs off while he’s unaware. I’m guessing you saw what I saw?”

Din nodded slowly, and she sighed, reaching out to brush trembling fingers across Luke’s cheek, doing nothing to smooth out the agonized expression he still wore.

“He’s told you about our… our father? About the Emperor?”

“That--” Din’s voice cracked, and he tried again. “That was a memory.”

“I believe so. I wasn’t there-- I was leading the fight on Endor with Han and Chewie. But he told me afterwards. And I would know Palpatine’s face anywhere.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back up, steel in the set of her jaw. “Let’s get him out of here.”

They made quick works of the straps, and it was worryingly easy to lift Luke into his arms. He still struggled against whatever he saw and whatever he felt, but Din held him fast to his chest as they hurried back down the shining steel hallway and towards where they had entered. He could hear the sounds of blaster fire as they got closer, and Leia moved to block the two of them, blaster in hand. Din shifted Luke in his arms, tucking him a little closer so that he could reach his vambrace, and primed his whistling birds. He sent a quick, silent prayer of thanks to the Manda that he had found the Armorer again as he felt them rise and click into place.

They hurtled around the corner, Leia already firing at a stormtrooper who was grappling with Boba, and he whirled around as the trooper dropped. Din’s whistling birds flew, and five other troopers around the room-- one about to slam Axe into the ground, another huddled around a corner taking shots at Fennec-- fell with howls of pain.

“Djarin! Princess! You found him?”

Boba seemed to notice Luke writhing in Din’s arms as he said it, and he cursed even as he ducked a shot from another trooper. “Get him to the ship! We’re nearly done here. I’ll comm Kryze, we’ll meet you there.”

He clapped Din on the shoulder as he passed, and Din nodded his thanks, hurrying after Leia.

The Falcon was waiting for them, and Din quickly laid Luke on one of the tiny bunks, stuffing a blanket along the edge of the wall so that Luke, if he thrashed too much, wouldn’t hurt himself.

Leia slid down the wall opposite, coming to rest with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

“I’m never letting him out of my sight again,” she groused, looking up at Din through her hands, flinching when Luke groaned again. Her eyes were so weary, it hurt Din to look at them. He looked down at Luke from where he sat at the edge of the bed, and brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, watching him flinch and gasp.

“I… he told me about the Emperor, and what happened on the second Death Star. But I never guessed it was that bad... “ Leia trailed off. They sat together for a few long minutes, the only thing filling the silence of the ship the sound of Luke’s pain. He seemed to be tiring-- he hadn’t screamed for a while now, and his thrashing had quieted some. Din prayed that it was just the drugs wearing off, and not exhaustion forcing him under.

“I’m going to go get ready to take off as soon as the rest of them are back,” Leia said, rising to her feet and brushing soft fingers across Luke’s cheek once more. Din felt himself slumping a little as she left, closing the door behind her, and he reached up and released the seals on his helmet.

“You’ll be okay,” he whispered to Luke. He gathered Luke into his arms and kissed his forehead, ready to wait out the rest of this nightmare along with him.

————

Now with part two here!

#@ameliajessicawilliamspond #ask #dinluke drabbles #ahufflepuffwrites #dinluke #skydalorian #dinluke fanfiction #din djarin and luke skywalker #luke skywalker #din djarin #leia organa #boba fett #whump #luke whump #medical horror #a little bit #fun times #that's not how the force works I know #but it's fun

115 notes · View notes

winchesterxxi · 3 years

Text

A Reputation to Keep (Poe Dameron x Reader)

GIF BY @captain-flint

Rating: G (General Audience)

Type: Fluff

Summary: You get a front row seat to the show that is Poe Dameron using his charm to get out of bad situations.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: N/A

A/N: This is a little fun one. Also, in this one Poe can understand Chewie which I don’t think is the case in canon so, yeah.

✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸

His eyebrows furrowed along with his overly-focused faced, borderline adorable as he tried to rewire the navigation system of your X-Wing, crouched down over it, having brought the droids and Chewbacca along with him for alledged cover.

You see, the thing is, just this morning General Leia had encompassed you and Poe to go on a recognition mission to the planet where it had been last reported for the First Order to have step foot on. And you and Poe might’ve thrown in a little friendly competition suggesting that whoever gathers the most information first gets the following day off. You were both Commanders and the Resistance could do well with just one for a day.

And Poe… Poe had a reputation to keep. He is the best pilot that ever graced the fleet. Or so he thinks to himself. Truth be told, you were close behind him if not his equal when it came to the hard skills of a pilot but there was no way he was letting you have that day off and make everyone think he was loosing capacities. He loved you, very dearly at that but there was no way he was going to let you have this one.

So he set himself up to reset the navigation system in your starfighter so that he would at least have a headstart on you. You were supposed to cover different parts of the planet but if he could send you to a remote one at that, away from any civilians, there was no way you would be as quick as him.

Just as he was about to rewire the copper, the exposed ends of two other cables rubbed against each other and blasted in his hand, before smoke started drifting out of the side port. He is startled by the reaction and all three other creatures quickly snap back to look his way, slowly inching closer to the accident.

“I would consider that to be a temporary stepback.” Threepio robotic voice exclaims while scratching his hard head.

“My wife is gonna kill me.” That is all Poe says, eyes wide, grabbing both sides of the wire box.

“You think?”

All four creatures snap their heads back to the sound of the voice that they last hoped to hear during their little shenanigan. There you stood, on the entryway of the otherwise empty garage, hands on your hips, an incredulous look upon your features.

He is quick to throw the tools in his hand to the side and walk over to your front, wiping the hands on the chest of his light blue shirt.

“Honeybee…“ he offers in an enthusiastic voice but you are quick to cut the emotion of.

“You better have a good excuse, Dameron.” You taunt a finger at him

“You see, honey, the thing is, I was trying to replace a few corroded cable jackets, that I noticed the last time we did an inspection.” He was fairly quick to come up with a solid excuse, impressing himself even.

You run a finger across your bottom lip, nodding your head.

“And you actually think I’m going to believe that?”

“Not really, no.” He is fast to let the facade drop, knowing there was no way he could have possibly made you believe his excuse.

A shy smirk starts to want to creep into your lips as you look ahead at his big eyes.

“You were trying to reset the coordinates, weren’t you?” Poe scratches the back of his head nodding and you look behind him to see the droids and Chewie who look everywhere else but at you, except for BB8 who quickly rolls over to bump against your feet, beeping at you.

“Is that so?” you muse at him, as the droid tells you how he tried to tell Poe this was a bad idea from the start and that he still loves you very much. “It’s okay, BB.”

You pat his head as he rolls back to stand next to Chewie while Poe looks slightly offended that his own droid outted him like that. He looks back over at you, a small curl of his dark hair falling over his forehead, as he steps closer to you, hands snaking around your waist, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What if I make it up to you?”

You decide to play along, smirking up at him, and draping your hands over his shoulders.

“And how exactly would you do that?”

He looks to the side, just like before, trying to come up with a compelling plan.

“You see, I was thinking, a bottle of the best Algarine-“

“You know I don’t like Algarine.” You remind him.

“A bottle of the best Ne'tra gal.” he is quick to rectify his mistake, before continuing on, voice getting progressively quieter “You, me and fresh sheets.”

Apparently, it wasn’t quite enough as both droids and Chewie groan in disgust only a few feet away from the pair of you.

Poe only looks over his shoulder, speaking louder.

“We’re married. I’m allowed.”

While he is looking away you smile at the little interaction before biting down on your lips when he faces you once more, having pulled you incredibly closer to him. You squint your eyes as if pondering his proposal, enjoying the way you were toying with him.

“How do I always let you get away with these things?”

“Because you love me and you’re the best wife in the galaxy.”

“Mnhhh… debatable.”

His smile only grows victoriously wide as he brings his head down to kiss you on the lips. Once parted, he pats you on your ass as you turn to walk away.

“See you later, babe!”

“Fix the damn cables!” you call over your shoulder, walking away.

Once he’s sure you’re out of sight, Poe turns and rushes over to the tree creatures that just watched the scene unfold expectantly looking at him. He then points a finger between Threepio and BB8.

“Find me a bottle of Ne'tra gal and I’ll give you a system update.”

He is only met by Chewie’s loud groan claiming also wanting to help and a subsequent reward.

“I don’t know! What do you want?” Poe asks, hands on his hips, mirroring your stance just a few minutes ago, one of the many mannerisms he started taking after you.

“I’m going to regret this.” He exhales, running a hand over his face “Fine. One Cortyg brandy, but that’s it. One! Now, please go find me some Ne'tra gal or my wife is really going to kill me.”

✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸

TAGLISTS

PERMANENT TAGLIST

@blondekel77 @pedrobreakmyback

POE DAMERON TAGLIST

@niall2017

#A Reputation To Keep #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron fluff #star wars #star wars imagine

142 notes · View notes

yetanotherhoeforpedro · 3 years

Text

Sinfully Armored

Summary: After Din Djarin had lost everything: his ship, his child, his way, and found himself as rightful leader of the Mandalore, he’s glad when an opportunity arises to escape all of his responsibilities. Grogu doesn’t seem to adapt well to his destined life in the New Jedi Order and handling the little rascal is simply too much for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, who has to rebuild the entire Jedi Order and help in the founding of the New Republic. As a last resort, he contacts the mysterious Mandalorian, who seemed to have formed a strong bond with the Jedi foundling, to help Grogu accept his Jedi heritage and finally let go of the past. What Mando didn’t know is that on top of being given the chance to escape his duties, he’d meet you.

Notes: see ‘Sinfully armored’ on AO3

Chapter 1 - Strange Revelations

It has been the Maker knows how many days since you arrived at this desolate planet in the Outer Rim. The planets where you had to scout for Imperial Scum all started to blend into one after weeks and weeks on this expedition. The same dreary landscapes, shady people and shabby buildings on every single one. The Empire has left its dirty imprints throughout the entire galaxy and its people, including you.

The rundown bar you found yourself in right now must have seen better days as well. You swirled your drink lazily and scowled at the remaining dregs. This next part of your job was always the worst, impossibly done sober. You absolutely despised any kind of peaceful interaction with sympathizers of the Empire, even though you knew hate was not an emotion you should feel as a Jedi.

You drowned your glass in one big swallow and smoothly slid the it across the counter with a few credits. Before the bartender even reacted to your movement, you were already gone. The mud made an unsatisfying, squelching sound under your boots as you maneuvered through the narrow streets of Wakuda. Your nose scrunched at the mere smell of the place. Why the secret underground organization you were supposed to track down chose this of all places to build their base is beyond you, but you guessed it fit their morals.

As you neared the location you tracked the Imperial scum down to, you noticed a few snipers on the roof of the half-ruined building in your peripheral. Deep down you hoped they’d be skilled just so that you’d have a bit of a challenge as a distraction. They weren’t, since they didn’t even notice you until you were too close. Maybe their stupid helmets blocked their vision, you couldn’t even blame them. A quick swipe of the force knocked them out and you proceeded with your task.

Through a crack in the roof, you could spy on the meeting taking place underneath you. You leaned down a bit to get a better view and watched the scene unfold.

There were 6 people assembled in the room, but the woman at the head of the table stuck out especially to you with her glowing red hair. When she raised her voice, everyone went quiet. This woman clearly had an air of authority surrounding her. She began in a conspiring tone: “Fellow members of the First Galactic Empire, I have called you here today because troublesome news reached me. The New Jedi Order of Luke Skywalker keeps gaining more and more power. If the New Republic is backed by such a strong force of Jedi knights, our chances of rebuilding the Empire are slim to none.” The woman surveyed the room full of expectant eyes. No one dared to interrupt her. “So, we must take action. I have already contacted Grand Admiral Thrawn…”

The rest of her sentence didn’t reach your ears as you heard that name. As far as you knew, the notorious man died during the Battle of Endor with most of the other Imperial generals. If there was any truth to her claim that he was still alive, the New Republic and everything you stood for was in great peril. The old hatred started to boil up inside of you once again and it was all you could do to not jump down there and finish all of them in your fit of rage. To calm yourself, you reached deep into the Force as Luke had taught you. You reminded yourself that it was him and the Jedi’s goal of a peaceful galaxy you were doing all of this for and the discussion that broke out beneath you abruptly caught your attention again.

“That’s absolutely impossible! How would we even train those children? It’s not like we have a Sith Lord to train them!” a small man with shockingly pale skin exclaimed. “Leave that to me and the more experienced generals, we have everything under control. All you need to do is collect the force sensitive children from the systems I’ll send you out to,” the woman answered. The small man nodded once and the woman seemed satisfied. She pulled out a little device, flipped a switch and a holographic map appeared at the center of the table. As you glanced at the map, something pocked at the back of your mind. Why did it look so familiar?

But before you could observe it more closely and identify the feeling, the comm at your wrist vibrated. Luke always had such an unfortunate timing for someone so in tune with the Force. You cursed under your breath and accepted the transmission. After all, he wouldn’t contact you if it wasn’t important.

“Report back to the Jedi Temple immediately,” he stated. “What? But I’m in the middle of a mission! I just made a discovery of great importance,” you protested. “Alright, but get back as soon as possible. May the Force be with you.” The connection snapped and you focused on the meeting again.

“Do not disappoint me,” the woman commanded. That was an obvious dismissal. After cursing Luke’s awful timing once again, you decided to track the leader of the meeting, which couldn’t be too hard, considering her hair was shining like a beacon. However, as you scaled down the building and looked down the street, she and her co-conspirators had vanished into thin air. How odd. But it was a blessing of sorts because you were eager to get off this planet and return to the Jedi Temple. Thrawn was alive? It was all you could think about as you cut through the winding streets of Wakuda once again. The man who had taken so much from you had not been avenged? A sick part of you was thrilled about the opportunity to get revenge yourself, but it was outweighed by your general anxiety.

The sudden gleaming of a hull caught your eye and your pace quickened. As you turned around the corner, the magnificent ship arising before you obscured the view of your tiny, wreckage of an X-Wing. The rusty ship had accompanied you on many missions and despite its state, you had grown quite fond of it, but couldn’t be bothered to clean it. It wouldn’t matter anyway; it would just get dirty again in the next place you landed. You climbed into the cockpit and took off.

As you activated hyperspace, you tried to shake Thrawn off your mind and it quickly filled with other enigmas. You reconsidered the strange Déjà-vu you felt when you saw the map. You were sure you had seen it before sometime, but when and where exactly? Why would you have seen an imperial map? And how could they have left without a single trace? Who was the strange woman?

After pondering about these questions turned out to be futile, you began to wonder what could have been urgent enough for Luke to call you back from your mission. While you would have been jumping at the chance to finally leave these shitty systems under normal circumstances, the situation just got interesting and all you wanted to do was track the Imperial scum down and kill them one by one before they could do any more harm. But Luke had to lecture you on discipline far too many times and this mission was your chance to show him that he could trust you.

Still…How would you ever find out where they had gone now? You should have damned Luke’s orders and followed them somehow when you still could, what if they got to the children first? Shit, why didn’t you think straight? It seems like all of your focus and composure had left you once Thrawn’s name had perturbated your thoughts. All of the old grief and hate resurfaced again and threatened to drown you.

You took a deep breath and pushed those emotions as far back as you could. The logical action right now would be to contact Luke immediately, he needed to send out someone else to stop the bandits. While you were short on Jedi, the New Republic would sure have someone to take care of the problem. If only you knew where they went, they’d be long gone if the Republic needed to investigate their whereabouts first. You sighed and called Luke.

“What’s wrong?” His hologram appeared in front you instantly. “A lot,” you responded dryly. “You’ll not be pleased about what I just discovered – before I was so rudely interrupted by you, that is.” He frowned at your sarcasm, this was obviously not the time for it, but you couldn't help it. It had become a sort of coping mechanism for you, a way to shield yourself from issues lest they touch you personally. “Grand Admiral Thrawn – or some doppelgänger of him – is still alive and in direct contact with the leftovers of the Empire.”

Luke was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. “That is bad news indeed, I’ll need to inform Leia and Han so that they can alert our troops. Your assistance has been most valuable to us,” he replied finally, oddly formal. Still, you nodded curtly at the approval.

“Wait,” you intercepted as he was about to disconnect. “Unfortunately, there’s more. I overheard that they plan to rebuild the Sith Order, but on a far grander scale. I only caught a glimpse, but they had some map that directs them towards force-sensitive children all across the universe. While I have no clue as to how they would train them – unless they had a secret Sith Lord up their sleeves as well – we cannot let them take the children. The Jedi Order needs them.” This time, Luke’s silence lasted even longer, to the point where it was almost painful. You forced the words forming on your tongue to fill the silence back – yet another nervous habit of yours – and mirrored his quiet. Until you gave in and broke it: “I did not disappoint when I warned you that I had some bad news, huh?”

Luke gave you a no-nonsense-look. “No, you did not. Do you think you can recall the map and lead us to the children?” he inquired. “Um…I’ve tried, but to no avail. However, the map looked oddly familiar. No idea where I could have seen it before, but I trust my instincts.” You shrug, though it doesn’t reflect your sentiments in the slightest.

“You said this map leads them to force-sensitive children?” he repeated slowly, more to himself. “Yeah.” – “In that case, I might know just where to look.” Before you could ask him what he meant by that he was gone. You let out an exasperated sigh. He took the whole mysterious Jedi image way too seriously, in your opinion.

You spent the rest of the flight dissociating in space, as one does. In a way, you were doing the meditation exercises Luke taught you. Time bent around you, it could have been minutes or hours until you arrived back at Coruscant. The blinding lights of the capitol made you snap back to reality as you swiftly descended.

------------------------

You spotted Luke, facing the wall, quickly as you entered the council chamber, which was empty except for him. The few other “Jedi” seemed to be on missions as well. The “Council” consisted of a bunch of half-trained Jedi knights and one other survivor of Order 66, Master Vamora who appeared too fragile to still be an active fighter, but he was a stubborn old bastard. Not that it wasn’t an immense blessing to have at least one Jedi of the Old Order in your midst who was fully trained. He was extremely cranky and righteous though.

Luke turned back around to you. You did a double take as you took him in, seeing what the hologram had concealed. At first you noticed his eyes and the black rings underneath them, then the hollow of his cheekbones, his general paleness and crouched stance. He looked really exhausted, to say the least. Not being able to hold yourself back, you commented: “What happened to you? You look like you went through some shit.” At that, you earned a small grin from him that made some of the color reappear on his face.

Your heart jumped a little at the sight, you had to admit he was quite handsome, especially when he smiled. It wasn’t just ideological reasons keeping you in his Jedi Order after all, although you felt a twinge of guilt every time your stupid, horny brain produced these immoral thoughts. It was absolutely illegal for a Jedi to harbor such feelings, much less act on them, at least according to your set of morals. Luke himself had been conceived out of such an improper relation and since he did not grow up learning about the old set of Jedi rules, he had seen no use in implementing any such rule in his Jedi Order (much to the displeasure of Master Vamora, who had quite a lot to complain about today’s youth). You, on the other hand, had been indoctrinated the old set of rules from a small age on and you tried to stick to them in honor of those who saved you from your horrible fate and the sacrifices of those who had not been as lucky as you. But Luke did have a point. He claimed that love was not a crime or a weakness to be punished but rather a virtue that differentiates you from those who strayed to the Dark Side. Frankly, he was just a little too horny for his own good. He was well known for his bohemian lifestyle, sharing his bed with both men and women.

“That’s why I had to call you back here. I am being tormented endlessly by a little green monster,” he replied with a smirk on his face, pulling you out of your thoughts. You raised an eyebrow, but before you could inquire further, the door slid open behind you and you snapped around.

This day just kept getting weirder, or maybe you were extremely sleep-deprived as well. There was a Mandalorian with a little green creature that eerily resembled Master Yoda (if he were young and cute instead of old and wrinkly as he had appeared the last time you saw him) cradled in his arms standing in front of you. His armor was unlike any you had ever seen before, pure beskar and shimmering as it reflected the bright city lights. He looked exactly like the legendary warrior race of Mandalore you had only ever heard rumors about, straight out of a myth. Considering those rumors, didn’t they absolutely despise the Jedi? Suddenly alarmed, you pulled your lightsaber from your belt. The Mandalorian didn’t move, only cocked his head to the side. Even though you couldn’t see his face underneath the helmet, you felt like his eyes were piercing you. You stared right back at him, not moving an inch, thumb resting on the switch of your weapon, ready to activate it should he attack. Not that your lightsaber could do much damage to him, as he was dressed in beskar from head to toe. But what about the child in his arms? Maybe he wasn’t up for a fight after all. With a sick disappointment – how challenging would it be to fight such a legendary warrior? – you put your weapon back on your belt again. The Mandalorian kept staring at you, standing still as a machine.

This time it was Luke who broke the silence, as you were too entranced to say anything at all. “There is the source of my eternal torment.” He strolled up to you in a relaxed manner. It was his calm posture and the underlying humor and fondness in his voice that kept you from attacking the strangers. The green creature turned its head and stared at you innocently with its huge, black eyes. You sensed it suddenly through the Force and did a double take in surprise. It reached its small arms out to you, but the Mandalorian took a step back from you rather than let the child closer to you. “This…this is why you called me back?” You shot Luke an incredulous, slightly offended look, to which he returned another wicked grin. “Yes.”

“Elaborate, please?” You didn’t even try to hide the annoyance in your voice. “This is my good friend…” He gestured to the Mandalorian. “Um, I actually don’t know his name, I just call him Mando. Everyone does.” He smirked at the warrior. “And this little fellah is Grogu, a Jedi foundling I took upon me to train.” The look Luke gave the child was so full of love that it seemed almost too intimate to witness. “Mando saved him from the Empire and took great care of him. Frankly, he cared for him too well. Grogu has formed such a strong attachment to him that it’s nearly impossible to train him. The little rascal is incredibly stubborn if his daddy isn’t around.”

A bit more enlightened, but still unaware of your place in this family drama, you waited for Luke to continue. “Since I have a ton of obligations, I don’t have time to train the little one and detach him from his savior.” Oh no. You hoped this wouldn’t be heading in the direction you thought it was. “You, on the other hand, have less responsibilities.” Fuck. "So, I decided that you should train him. And let his dad tag along until he can let him go.”

No fucking way. “I am not a damn babysitter! Neither do I care to get involved in this clearly complicated family structure! I have a mission, Luke. I need to get to those…,” you paused, suddenly all too aware that you had an audience, “…thieves and stop them.” Luke grinned at you, as if he expected that answer from you. “Isn’t it super convenient that our friend Mando here is a professional bounty hunter, eager to earn a few credits from the Republic?”

You shifted your gaze back to the silent warrior and the kid. “I am supposed to train this rip-off Yoda while on a mission? That’s just pointless, I won’t have time to teach him anything at all!” you pointed out. You were not interested in training another Jedi, especially not one that resembled Master Yoda and everything you lost so much. “You’ll have plenty of free time while traveling through space and he can learn a lot more in real situations than I could ever teach him,” Luke argued. “You want us to take him along on a hunt?” a modulated voice interjected. “No way, that’s far too dangerous for him as long as he’s untrained!” Luke wasn’t kidding about the bond, the man in armor clearly cared deeply for the child. Interesting.

“You need to stop being such a helicopter parent if you want him to live an independent life,” your Jedi companion retorted. You couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped your throat and a visor turned back to you. “I don’t trust her with my child”, the Mandalorian stated curtly. You scowled at him. “You shouldn’t have brought him to the Jedi if you had a problem with him being in the custody of a Jedi,” you snarled at the intruder, suddenly not caring that you didn’t even want this child in the first place and simply wanting to disagree with him. “It’s not the Jedi I don’t trust, it’s you and your attitude.” – “Is it because I called him a ‘rip-off Yoda’?” You flashed him a sweet smile.

“I see you two’ll get along just fine,” Luke said, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly. “You could leave for the first child tomorrow.” At that, your attention snapped back to him. “What do you mean? Did you find the map?” – “Of course, as it was our map they stole in the first place.” Now your Déjà-vu made complete sense and you cursed yourself for not having come to this conclusion earlier. Obviously the Jedi had a map with the locations of force-sensitive children – possible new Jedi. The situation was even graver than you expected. “Get some rest now, you seem to need it almost as much as I do.” Luke winked at you. Accepting defeat for now and realizing how exhausted you truly were, you gave Luke a short nod before departing from the room and retiring to your chambers to finally get some well-deserved sleep.

Chapter 2

Masterlist

#din djarin/reader #the mandalorian/reader #mask kink #canon-typical violence #Din kind of talking like an elderly Victorian gentleman #smut #enemies to lovers #the mandalorian #din dijarin x reader #pedro pascal

86 notes · View notes

lightsaberupmybutt · 3 years

Text

Three’s a Crowd - Reader/Ben Solo/Poe Damerson (Modern AU)

alright so Ben/Kylo is a big ego kid in this, because of course. Also, Rey is ACTUALLY Lukes daughter in this, making them cousins. Ive fiddled with the plot okay sue me.

Summary: Poe, Finn and their roommate have been living in a harmonious tenancy, but when Finn decides to move out for a year of travelling, the two are left with no option but to look elsewhere for their third body. Rey Skywalker, a friend of the group, proposes her cousin for the role. He's in a band, wears all black and all in all is somewhat of a social reject - but he's also all theyve got.

“I think that one was actually somehow worse than last weeks” You tell Poe, as he pours himself a juice and settles down next to you on the sofa. You'd just finished showing around another possible roommate and you felt exhausted in every sense of the word.

“How can he be worse than the neo nazi?” Poe shot you an unbelieving look and rolled his eyes, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and knocking some of your papers in his wake.

“Alex was a she, and they asked if they could hang their deer head in the front room” you grimaced even thinking about it, weren't all artsy college students supposed to be vegetarians anyway? why did you have to get saddled with the only blood thirsty one on campus.

“Thats not so bad”

“Poe she showed me a picture of her taxidermied cat”

“Oh”

You had tried to find a polite way to stop her from passing you her phone, but you were too nice to make her feel uncomfortable, and now the image of the long dead tabby would remain behind your eyes for god knows how long.

“was she hot?” You shook your head, causing Poe to sigh wistfully.

“Not hot enough to cancel out her obsession with dead bodies anyway” you informed him, the hopeful look from his eyes gone.

“Face it Poe, were doomed” You let your head fall into your hands, Poe letting out a laugh before wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

“Hey we’ll get someone! who wouldn't want to live here?” You knew his question was rhetorical but when looking around the cleaner than usual flat, you had to admit it was missing something. Bare spaces on the walls from where Finn had taken down his pictures, the empty side of the kitchen counter that had once houses his overpriced coffees. You even missed picking up his empty cups after him, the room feeling like it had less character without them. It truly hadn't felt the same in the flat since Finn had left, and although Poe concealed it well, you could see it was getting to him too. Poe had, after all, known Finn first; Finn managing to get a very drunk and outspoken Poe out of a sticky situation he had found himself in when running across a local gang in a dive bar. The ‘first order’ as they so called themselves, had an infamous reputation around campus for being trouble makers and general doers of bad deeds. Ever since that night they had been an unstoppable duo, until they met you of course, and their duo became three.

You loved Finn, and you knew told miss him like hell, but you also knew that Poe must be feeling that ten times over.

“You wanna do something tonight?” You asked, changing the subject before his mind drifted to where yours had.

“what kind of something?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively,

“Gross”

“hey I'm serious!”

“what about Razor Crest, they are open late, we could grab some drinks and meet up with some people”

Razor crest was the only worth while bar in town; it was certainly nothing to write home about, but it played fairly decent music and it had a marginally less sticky floor than others. Additionally, your other friends lived just over from the humble saloon, making it the perfect watering hole for you guys.

It didn't take much convincing before you had Poe out the door and ready to socialise. Upon arrival, he headed to the bar while you were waved over by Rey, who had already found a booth and was already at least a few drinks in.

“Look, i think i have a solution to your roomie problemo” She told you, peeking over her straw, a gleam in her eye that made you feel not all too confident in her yet to be spoken plan.

“Go on” you told her, cautiously.

“My cousins back in town” She told you between gulps.

“The weird one?” You asked,

“Hes not weird, just ...eccentric” the last word was more of a question, but you could tell she was on a roll,

“He's just joined one of the college bands and Auntie Leia says him and Uncle Han are butting heads”

“ah cool, weve always wanted live music in our own flat at 2 am” Poe injected, rejoining the table and placing a drink in front of you before taking a sip of his own.

“hes not BAD at it, he just plays loud i think” She corrected him, “anyway, he's not a total twat, I'm sure he would be considerate of your sleep schedules”

“didn't he try and stab you with a stick when you were five” you asked her, you'd heard stories of this cousin before and none of them were quite savoury,

“that was ages ago! he's like way old now” she was starting to slur her words, but you had a feeling this was something Rey was quite set on. Rey was stubborn, and when she got something in mind she would move hell to make it happen; she was also your best friend, and someone you trusted the judgment off. Had she gotten you into some weird shit in the past? sure.

Did you have any other options; nay on that.

“Fine, get Han or Leia to bring him round at some point next week and one of us will give him a tour” You tell her, and she lets out a little happy shrill at her own personal win. Poe, not so much.

“Speak for yourself, weirdo cousin can see himself around” he crosses his arms and pouts, you give him a little nudge.

“Hey, maybe you'll be best mates” you offer, but when he shoots you a death stare you go back to your drink.

The family turmoil must have been more vicious than Rey had let in on; It was barely the next morning before you had a tall, intimidating male knocking on your door.

“Hey!” you offered him, in as cheery a voice as your hung over self would allow.

He looked down at you from his towering height, but gave no verbal response.

“You must be Ben?...” He offered you the slightest nod you'd had ever seen in response. Okay so, not much of a talker, noted.

You waved him in, shutting the door behind him. God, he looked even bigger inside? is that possible? Rey had failed to mention the sheer height on the boy. You'd seen pictures of her and her aunt and uncle, it seemed like Ben was a scientific and biological mystery. Like how did he get clothes to fit? did he have to shop somewhere special or

you were snapped out of your thoughts by a clearing of a throat.

“So, how much is the rent” so he DID have a voice,

You informed him automatically, still part dazed.

“Ill be in by the weekend” he told you, and with a nod he moved past you, making his way back to the door.

“But wait .. y .. you haven't even seen your room yet?” You stumbled, dumbfound by the lack of foreplay. The previous people you had shown around were full of questions; they wanted to know the ins and outs of the place. Ben had seen all of the door way and the front room and he was already signing the lease.

“See you then” he didn't stop, hand on the door knob as if you hadn't spoken.

“But i don't have your phone number” you don't know why that came to you first, but it was true. At no point had Rey offered you direct contact with Ben, probably assuming he would. It seemed reasonable, that you'd need his number before he moved in, didn't it? Poe was always texting you about random shit in the flat, arguably too much, but it seemed like the norm for people coexisting in such a small space.

He turned back at you and gave you a confused look,

“why would you need my number?”

“erm... to talk to you” your condescending tone not completely masked,

“but ill be living here” he stated, which, he had you there.

Before you could even think of a response he was out the door.

True to his word, Ben had his things over by that very same weekend. Although it was unsurprising considering just how light he packed. In fact, other than his bass and musical equipment, you couldn't really think of anything he had actually brought with him to the flat. You got to meet his parents when they dropped him off, both of whom seemed leaps and bounds more conversational than their son. Ironically, you got Leia’s phone number before her sons; her telling you to message if you ever needed anything. It felt like an indirect jab at Ben, a ‘if he fucks up let me know’, but you digress. The tension between Ben and his dad was blatantly obvious, them sharing no words before he got back into the car and Ben into the house. He did give his mum a small hug goodbye though, and you thought you saw a small tear in her eye before she managed to wipe it away.

Since his move in, Ben had kept painfully to himself. You barely saw him at all in those first days, just heard him through the walls the odd time he dropped something - or saw a plate or cup gone from their places in the kitchen. To be honest , it felt more like a paranormal haunting than a new roommate. Poe was vocal of his apprehension to the situation, sharing glances with you when you would both be in the living room and you'd see ben scurry by or passive aggressively texting you when his favourite cup had been used by someone who wasn't him. it was a relatively small issue, but Poe had blown it so out of proportion that you had ordered a new set of cups from Amazon and sent him the link, shutting him up for a while before he found something else to complain about.

it was the fifth day before you actually bumped into ben again. He was on the sofa with his base set up, twiddling with his amp. The sight surprised you so much you physically jumped back, causing him to look up. crap. act cool. act cool.

“hey” you offered him

“hi” hi replied back, looking back down at his amp.

right, yer. his space, give him his space. Just get your stuff and go back to your room. don't speak to him, leave him alone. he clearly wants to be left alone.

“nice day isn't it” you wanted to cover your mouth, the words coming out against your will. Truthfully, you had no clue why you said it. You hadn't even looked at the weather this morning. Its just what people say right?

“Erm” his eyes shot to the window and then back to yours,”no”

sure enough, it was pissing it down outside. The sky was actually comically grey and you'd have laughed if you werent so angry at yourself. You were unsure of what to do, and he was still looking at you, almost assessing you. His eyes were so serious and dark they felt like they were burning tiny holes into your skin. shit, you had to speak now right?

While regretting every single life decision that had brought you into this kitchen at this time, Poe sauntered into the room like your night in shining armour, ignoring Ben all together and coming straight over to you, placing a big arm around your shoulders. You saw Ben drop his head back down to this bass, and you used all your might to not let out a sigh of relief.

“Tonight, I'm taking you out” He offered, a cheeky gleam in his eye.

“Are you now”

“Razor crest, drinks and dancing, be there or be square” He lists off as if he's a paid promoter, causing you to let out a giggle.

“Whos invited?”

“just the gang” he said, causing you to shoot him an eye roll, knowing full well you ‘gang’ consisted of all of three people, yourself and Poe included in that number.

but then you remembered, there was another person now, whether they liked it or not. Poe’s eyes followed yours to Ben and then back to meet yours again, you saw the realisation change to disgust, as he shook his head silently at you.

you knew this look, the ‘don't you dare’ look, the ‘not in 1000 years’ look. But you couldn't help it, your lips were moving before you could stop them for the second time this morning.

“Are you free tonight, Ben?’

The look of sheer betrayal on Poe's face made you wince, surely he'd understand right? he knew you well enough to know your verbal diarrhoea problem.

Ben didn't even look up, but he did let out a small laugh that felt quite antagonistic.

“i dont go to Razor Crest”

“i don't go to razor crest ugh” Poe mocked, causing Rey to let out a hysterical giggle, and you a sigh.

You'd been out for all of three hours and you were all already feeling the effects of the alcohol. It was late and the bar was jam packed with students all raring to go. Poe had been making eyes at one particular red head almost all night and you were half surprised he hadn't already made his move. Poe put out, it was a fact. You and Finn had at one time made a fridge chart for him, a gold star awarded every time he brought girl home. Whether the goal was to make him feel proud of his conquests or embarrassed, you still weren't 100% sure, but after a month or so you had both lost count and given up. You told yourself it didn't bother you, that he was just a friend, and that he owed you nothing, but every time he left you at the bar for another girl something stung inside; something you pushed deep down but regrettably was still there none the less.

Sure enough, as the night progressed, you and Rey ended up fending for it alone, and instead of feeling sorry for yourself you decided to do the responsible thing and drink more.

After the third round of shots, Rey calls it in.

“I think I'm gonna be sick” she tells you sheepishly, and you can't help but belly laugh in response. She starts to shuffle towards the door and you go to follow.

“Hey don't leave on my behalf” she tells you earnestly, but you wave her off.

“Nah I've had my fill, I'm starting to forget which flat number i live at” you tell her, causing her to giggle this time.

You both stumble out the bar, past the smokers and up the cobbled road towards her flat. She unlocks her door and lets herself in, not before giving you a drunken hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

As you ready yourself to make your way back to your own flat, you come back past the bar entrance; a particularly prominent cobble causes you to trip ever so slightly and gain a whoop from a group of boys who were passing round a box of marlboro straights.

You suddenly realised just how dark it was and just how alone you were. Most nights you wouldn't stay out this late, and if you did, then you'd normally be walking back with finn. You let out a shiver, a mix of both the cold night air finally breaking through your drunken daze and a smidge of fear. The Razor Crests entrance lights were getting progressively further away, and although you know that you only had a maximum of a half mile walk back to your home, it felt like ample distance to get kidnapped or murdered in, most probably both.

How many true crime stories started with a young drunk girl, scantily clad and out alone at night? You could hear the police reports now, which photo would they use? you prayed it would be a hot one, at the very least one after your thin brow phase.

Being literally bumped back into reality, in almost a cruel humorous way, you felt yourself walk head first into a figure, their arms coming out to catch you as the sheer momentum bounced you back.

Oh god, I'm dead. I'm literally going to die.

“Hey, chill out” The voice made your heart beat both slow and race again,

“Ben?!” you shrieked, voice hoarse through pure anticipation of your thought to be demise

“Are you okay” he asked, and only then did you realise you were shaking like a leaf.

“Im fine” you let out in a small voice, looking down at your shoes. You could feel the redness in your cheeks through pure embarrassment alone. This was not an ideal situation for him to see you in, and you kind of started to with that he had been a murderer, at least then you wouldn't have to deal with the second hand embarrassment in the morning.

“What are you doing out here”

“why are you out alone”

you both asked simultaneously,

“I was coming out for a smoke” He told you, flashing his tobacco pouch at you from inside his coat. His very warm looking coat, might you add. Another shiver ran down your body.

“Im coming home from Razor Crest” you tell him, trying to be matter of fact but slurring your words just enough to spoil the show.

“Yes obviously, but why are you alone” he shoots back in some what of a patronising tone, it wouldn't sit well with sober you and it definitely doesn't go down well with drunk you.

“Im a big girl”

“clearly” he makes, making extra sure to look you up and down from his towering distance above you, causing you to huff.

“well i can take care of myself”

“you shouldn't be out alone around here, its not safe” he ignores your response, looking you dead in the eye.

You feel something inside you flutter, a warmth that you can't quite control. Okay, ben might be weird and a bit annoying it would seem, but he was handsome, thats for sure. The limited light danced off his strong features and dark shaggy mop of hair, making him look both dangerous and appealing.

As if you were standing here mentally flirting with the idea of being with Res cousin; you made a mental note to punish yourself for the ludicrous thoughts in the morning.

“Okay well I'm going home now” you tell him, attempting to push past him, but his large hand finds its way to your forearm and pulls you back,

“yes, you are, come on” If what he said before was patronising, he was now speaking to you like you were a dog he was walking.

“go have your nicotine, ive got this one covered” you tell him with a mock salute, causing him to roll his eyes. He lets go of your arm and you take your win, trying to step confidently away without falling. You're proud of yourself for handling the situation when you realise he's following all of 10 steps behind you, rolling a cigarette in his hands while holding a filter between his teeth.

when he catches you looking, he nods down to his hands,

“want one?” he mumbles between his lips, still holding the filter pride of place.

“no thanks” you snap, picking up pace.

Ben smirks at you, but you miss it, too focused on not embarrassing yourself and keeping your feet in line.

#Star Wars #Star Wars imagine #star wars modern au #kylo ren #kylo ren imagine #kylo ren x reader #Ben solo #ben solo x reader #ben solo x y/n #poe dameron #poe dameron x reader

82 notes · View notes

ladyvader23 · 4 years

Text

Darth Vader’s Unplanned Conversation

Thanks to @kittandchips for the prompt idea: How would Vader handle the twins thinking one of them was unplanned and therefore unwanted? Such delicious angst and fluff put this immediately on the list to write!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so rare that Vader arrived home before the twins did. But today, he’d managed to sneak away early, and he was home, having just dismissed Miss Laena for the day, waiting for his children’s arrival. He was not a traditional father, by any means, but he still enjoyed family time with his young ones. He didn’t know what they’d do; perhaps he’d take them on a ride in one of his newest ships. Luke would love that, and Leia might even, too, though she wasn’t usually as vocal about it.

Then again, it was a school night. If he was being a good father, he’d sit with them and help with their homework.

The possibilities were endless. He just hoped his Master continued to leave him alone for the evening.

He sensed the twins arriving long before they even arrived on property. Their chauffeur would arrive in the hangar soon, drop them off, and they’d be heading up. He’d surprise them in the hallway, he decided, moving into position. He doubted he’d really surprise them; even untrained, Luke and Leia had a habit of being able to at least know when he was home.

He continued to keep tabs on them until they were in the lift heading for the apartment. He tried to make himself less intimidating, not wishing them to think they were in trouble, and he’d managed what he assumed was a comfortable pose by the time the lift doors opened and in walked Luke and Leia.

They immediately paused, looking at him with...admittedly, odd looks. Then, to his confusion, Leia glared, throwing her bag aside. He was about to remind her to put it away in the designated spot when she stormed up to him and crossed her arms. “So. Which one of us did you not want?!”

Vader blinked down at his little girl, just seven years old, completely surprised by the accusation. Then, he looked up at Luke, reaching out through their bond to try to get more information, only to be flooded with feelings of hurt and sadness. Luke, at least, tried to hide it as he put his bag away in the appropriate cubby.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” He replied, finally, looking back at his daughter. “Explain.”

But Leia huffed, and instead of explaining anything, stormed around him and off towards her room. “Fine! Don’t answer, then!”

And before he had a chance to react, she’d entered her room, the door swishing closed behind her.

Vader stared after her, even more confused than before, and turned back to Luke. “Explain.” he demanded. Usually his son was more willing to offer more information--or at least, he was easier to coerce.

But Luke didn’t reply with anything but a shrug. “Nothing. Just girl stuff, I guess.”

“Do not lie to me!” He snapped, instantly sensing the lie. “You may not be yelling at me, but I know I have apparently done something to upset the both of you. Now explain.”

He expected Luke to cave, especially as he pressed along their bond...but Luke shook his head, and he too, walked past him. “I don’t want to know.” Was all he mumbled.

It was a good thing Vader didn’t have any hair left. He might have started pulling it out. He’d learned long ago that bullying his children into answering him like they were some kind of rebel wasn’t the answer, nor was using the Force on them. Parenting books didn’t exactly say using the Force on children was bad, but based on their guidelines, he’d made the assumption himself.

Still. It was too bad, especially as Luke too, shut himself in his room.

Vader stood glaring at the doors, wondering how the fun night he’d had planned for them had turned so randomly...angsty. He tried to wrack his brain for anything he might have done to make Leia think he didn’t want one of them. Nothing came to mind--as far as he was concerned, he’d shown far more affection to them than he had anyone else. In fact, using a rare free evening to want to spend time with them was proof enough that he more than wanted both of his children. But children weren’t logical beings; there was plenty of evidence of that.

He squared his shoulders, deciding which twin to face. Usually the answer was Luke...but this time, the Force seemed to pull him in the direction of Leia’s room.

Leia it was, then.

Yet he paused before entering, taking a moment to make sure he was as calm as a Sith Lord could be. Leia, as much as he cared for her, had a talent for making him angry in the blink of an eye. That never ended well when he was attempting to get something out of her, be it information or cooperation on her chores. As soon as he felt like he could handle anything she would throw at him, he entered the room.

Surprisingly, the room was dark. She hadn’t bothered turning on the lights. He didn’t need infrared sensors in his eye plates to know she was stretched out face-first on her bed, head buried in her pillow. He could very clearly sense that himself, and the emotion coming from her was no longer anger, but...intense sadness.

Again he tried to think of anything he might have done or said and honestly could think of nothing. So, tentatively, careful of the toys left on the floor, he made his way over to her bed. Though he usually preferred to stand, he winced as he sat down on the small child-size bed, his joints groaning in pain.

Something else he’d noticed since becoming a father: children liked it when you got down on their level to talk to them. He rarely did it, but this seemed like the appropriate moment for it, though he still didn’t know why.

“Leia.”

He wished his vococorder allowed for him to speak gently to her.

She didn’t stir. The only response was a muffled, “Go away.”

“I will not. Not until you tell me what is wrong.” Silence. Wishing he could sigh, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to maintain control of his impatience. “I cannot help unless you tell me what the problem is.”

Suddenly Leia sat upright, whirling to face him, and he was startled to find tears running down her face as she shouted, “I know you only wanted one of us, okay!”

That statement did nothing to clear up Vader’s confusion, but her tears...Force, he hated it when she cried. He was reduced to feeling helpless, like anything he did would just make it worse. He doubted she knew the effect her tears had on him, and he hoped she never figured it out or he was doomed.

Hell, he hoped the Emperor never figured it out.

“I do not understand what you mean by that. You...can you explain?”

It was so rare that he asked for information instead of demanded it. It seemed to be the right choice of words, however, because though she glared and looked away from him, she elaborated.

“Kenny asked which one of us you didn’t want because mommy’s and daddy’s only plan for one baby.”

Vader frowned, still trying to figure out the logic, then when he did, hot fury flashed through him, fury that he had to clamp down on to keep from scaring his daughter, or worse, giving her the wrong impression.

“Kenny who?!”

“Kenny Albrecht.” Leia replied glumly. “Is it Luke? He likes more of the same stuff you do.”

He...had murdered children before, but he was far less likely to do so now that he had his own. As soon as he was done fixing this mess, he’d definitely be giving Kenny’s parents a surprise call. The thought of their faces when they realized who was calling was almost enough to cheer him up.

Almost.

“Come.” He stood, again wincing at the strain on his joints the movement caused. “It would appear this is a conversation for the both of you.”

He expected Leia to resist, but she thankfully followed, her head hung as if she were somehow in trouble. He did not miss her sniffles, and each one was like a knife to his chest.

Yes. He would definitely make sure Kenny Albrecht knew never to bother his children again.

They entered Luke’s room. Luke, at least, had turned on the light, and he was building a toy ship model, though not very enthusiastically. He looked up when they entered, and Vader felt the normally cheery attitude of his son plummet further.

Vader crossed over to the bed and again sat down, facing both of them. “Come here.” He pointed at the spot in front of him. They were so small, even sitting down he towered over them.

They thankfully complied, though Luke shot Leia a look. “I don’t want to--”

“You will listen carefully. Both of you. Am I clear?” He waited until they nodded, though Luke did so reluctantly. To even think his children had been so affected by stupid Kenny who was far beneath them--

“It is true that your...your mother and I did not know we were expecting twins.” He didn’t want to talk about Padme, not ever, but he found his children forced the subject more often than not. He would never get used to the pain it caused him, but if it helped them… “We...wanted to be surprised when you were born. I did not know…” he hadn’t yet told them the circumstances surrounding their birth and how he’d almost lost them. He wasn’t about to tell them now. “I did not know until you were born. But not for one moment did I ever consider not wanting either of you. In fact, the moment I laid eyes on both of you, I knew you were meant to be mine.”

He couldn’t help the fierce possessiveness in his voice. They were his. How dare anyone suggest he’d ever want otherwise?!

“While our interests may be different, you and I do share many similarities in our personalities.” He told Leia specifically. “I do not need nor want you to like everything I like. You are perfect the way you are.”

Leia’s lower lip trembled, but she nodded and he sensed her calming down.

“You do not need to know who it was I didn’t want because there is no such thing. I want and need both of you.” He told Luke. Luke let out a breath, his shoulders slumping in relief.

“This Kenny Albrecht is an idiot...and yes, I know that is not a nice word, but it is true!” He had to be careful what language he use around the twins because otherwise they’d use it at school and he’d get phone calls from their teacher. It was stupid, and he doubted the teacher liked calling him, but there must have been some rule at the school requiring it.

Carefully, he opened up his bond with both of them so they could feel his sincerity and the genuine fatherly affection he had for both of them. He paused, marveling at how bright and innocent they were as they clumsily probed the emotions he allowed them to see. It was clear they didn’t understand all of them, being so young, so he bit back his pride, and said, “There is nothing and no one else in this galaxy that I love more than the two of you. Do not ever let anyone make you forget that.”

He very rarely ever said the “L” word. It was not in the nature of the Sith to do so. If the Emperor ever found out, there would be trouble. But when there were important moments when he needed his children to understand the severity of what he was saying, he would say what was necessary.

Tonight, it was necessary.

Immediately, the twins launched themselves into his arms, and he held them close as they grasped onto him for dear life, as if they had genuinely been afraid that somehow Kenny’s idiotic comment would make him remember he didn’t want one of them and give them away. The thought made him clench his teeth, and absently he ruffled both of their hair to calm himself down.

“Now. I am home early. I wished to do something fun with the both of you.”

Luke perked up, looking hopeful. “Like fly?”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, son. Like fly. Maybe we can pick up some treats on the way home.”

The thought of him walking into a treat shop with his wide-eyed children was a bit ridiculous, but if it meant making his children forget about Kenny and his stupidity, he’d make it happen.

“Okay!” Leia grinned. “I want Jogan ice cream!”

“It will be done.” He stood. “Now go and get ready. I have a call to make.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I take prompts! <3

#Darth Vader #Dad vader #dad vader series #luke skywalker #leia organa #luke and leia #Little Luke #little leia #poor babies #they need hugs #so they got one #vader is starting to get good at being a dad #i would hope so after 7 years #though he's still awkward #writing #my writing #fanfic #star wars

189 notes · View notes

fantasticfemmefatale · 4 years

Text

after the war- poe dameron

SUMMARY: so basically the reader is in a relationship with poe dameron and they’re on exegol and yeah. you get the gist. very fluffy.

WARNINGS: none cuz look at me im a saint

After the war, he’d promised you that the two of you (and BB-8, of course) would have a nice, quiet life somewhere. Yavin, maybe. It would be just you three. Safe and happy.

But now, he’s staring down legion upon legion of Star Destroyers and thinking that he’ll never see her again, never get an “after the war”, until he hears crackling through his headset, and her voice, sounding small and distant, saying, “Poe?”

The thought that he’s never heard genuine fear in her voice before sets in, and stays there, making itself nice and comfortable.

“(Y/N).” His voice wavers, but he musters all the courage he has left- it’s not much, considering the hell they’ve gone through to get here- to sound okay, for her. This is suicide, they both know it, but neither of them want their last memory of each other to be this: a dark sky marked by the Star Destroyers representing the opposite of everything they’re about to give their lives to fight for. “I love you baby. And after this is done, I’m gonna get you that pet you always wanted.”

“Yeah?” She responds, trying to hold back the sobs that threaten to consume her, the sadness that wraps its bony fingers around her ankles, trying to pull her down, down, down. “I bet you don’t even remember what animal I wanted.”

“Does it matter? They’re all gross money-wasters,” Poe jokes, but it lacks the laughter his voice usually holds. He hopes she doesn’t notice.

She laughs, but it’s a broken laugh, cut into pieces by fading hope for a future with him. “I suppose I should get a droid instead, Dameron?”

He nods, and then realizes she can’t see him. If he squints, he can make out her body next to Finn, and he thinks that this isn’t what she deserves, nobody so perfect should have to die like this.

Her thoughts mirror his as she looks towards his x-wing.

“I love you, General Poe Dameron.”

“I love you too, General (Y/N) Dameron.”

She doesn’t correct him, doesn’t tell him, we’re not married, idiot like she usually does. He remembers that he never got to propose as he zips around, shooting wildly and praying to whatever higher being there may be that she makes it out alive. Even if he dies, he just wants his girl to make it out alive. He can hear grunts through the headpiece as she fights to make it to the navigation signal she and Finn are trying to destroy. He doesn’t say anything; he knows there’s nothing he can say. There’s too many words billowing through his brain, and none of them are good enough for what he wants to tell her, for the love he wants to describe. He wants to tell her the moment he first knew he would marry her someday, when he saw her playing hide-and-seek with BB-8 in their shared quarters. But there’s no words for what he wants to say, so he settles for silence. And he hopes that she knows all he wishes he could say. After a few seconds of quiet, R2-D2 chirps, and he knows it’s something for (Y/N) to hear. She was taken in by Leia Organa after her parents’ death, and was best friends with R2 for years.

Down below, BB-8 beeps sadly, and all (Y/N) can say to the little droid is, “He knows.”

Poe is trying his best to keep a brave face- but it’s starting to fail. Until, that is, Lando Calrissian swoops in like the hotshot he is, with a huge band of Resistance sympathizers in tow. Poe whoops in delight, and down below (Y/N) winces from the loud yelling in her earpiece.

“Thanks for the free migraine,” she says, but can’t keep herself from smiling. She’s bruised and bloodied, but even so, she thinks that this might be the happiest she’s ever felt. The notion that she and Poe might still have the life they’d whisper about after midnight in bed is enough to keep her moving, even after every muscle in her body screams at her to stop, to slow down and possibly never move again. She grits her teeth, tasting blood in her mouth, and wills her body to move. Thankfully, it does, but she doesn’t know how long it can hold out for. When she thinks for a second that this is it, she’s gonna die here, Poe’s voice comes through the earpiece again, urging her on, one step at a time.

He keeps talking her through this, and deep down he knows he’s trying to instill confidence in himself, too.

They talk, back and forth, as they do their respective jobs, until out of nowhere, lightning lights up the sky and Poe can hear (Y/N)’s screams as his ship is blasted by lightning, causing him to fall down, faster and faster, until the electricity stops, and he regains control of his ships while R2-D2 beeps like an angry toddler.

He allows himself to watch (Y/N), Finn, and Jannah destroy the command ship, feeling his chest swell with pride.

After the last of the Star Destroyers have been destroyed, and Rey returns, bringing news of her grandfather’s death, Poe lands his x-wing on the desolate planet and runs towards his friends, his orange suit making that annoying plasticy sound as he does. Finn calls to him, but he runs past him and gathers (Y/N) in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground, until she yelps in pain. Setting her down gently, he notices a large gash on her thigh, and he curses as he unzips the top of his suit so he can rip his shirt sleeve and tie it over the cut.

“We did it,” he says, looking up into her eyes from where he’s kneeling in front of her to tie the makeshift tourniquet, too happy for a sarcastic remark.

“We did it,” she agrees, placing one hand on his shoulder to help her balance. Around them, their friends give each other hugs as they board ships to return to the Resistance base, until all that’s left is the two of them, R2-D2, and Poe’s ship. He helps her into the cockpit, and pushes his seat as far back as it can go so that she can sit in his lap on the way to the base. All of a sudden, he’s hit with the memory of his friend Snap, dying in front of him, and his voice trembles as he says, “Snap.”

He doesn’t need to finish the sentence. She knows.

She moves her arm so that it’s looped around Poe’s, and rubs her thumb across his suit reassuringly.

They’re at the base relatively quickly, and everyone in sight is rejoicing. People dance, sing, kiss, and run around like lunatics, jumping with ecstasy.

Poe helps her out, looping an arm under hers and around her back to help support her weight. He turns with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes- one she knows all too well- and says, “Don’t want to be the odd ones out, right?” just before kissing her, and he swears that he died, back on Exegol, and this is heaven. Holding you is heaven.

He kisses her, over and over, until he can’t breathe and he wonders if his lips are tinged blue by now from lack of oxygen, and when he finally pulls away, he asks: “So how about that life I promised you?”

“I don’t know,” she responds, flaunting a coy smile and raised eyebrow. “I might need a little more convincing.”

Poe turns so that she’s directly in front of him, and then drops to one knee. “Is this enough incentive?” he asks, as he pulls out a small, scratched box from the pocket of his suit.

She gasps and her eyes tear up, and he smiles as she nods and throws her arms around his neck, wincing a bit as she lowers herself to the ground because of her leg injury. He flicks the box open, and pulls out the ring nestled inside, and slips it onto her finger. Suddenly, she pulls back, and Poe’s brain stops, thinking she’s going to break up with him right after agreeing to marry him.

Instead, she says, “Have you been carrying that everywhere with you?”

He nodded, laughing. “We share the same room! You would’ve found it if I’d left it anywhere else!”

She tilts her head slightly as she thinks for a moment, then relents with a murmur of “that’s true”, and kisses him.

They stay there for what feels like forever. There’s still more work to be done before they can truly consider the galaxy “saved”, but this, this is a start.

This is the beginning of their life after the war. And Poe couldn’t be happier.

#star wars #poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #im literally a waste of space lol #star wars the force awakens #star wars the rise of skywalker #star wars the last jedi #sw tlj #sw tfa #sw tros

76 notes · View notes

silvereddaye · 3 years

Note

👀

What if Luke was found by Vader at the age of six? Padme lived and joined the Rebellion? What happens when Vader dies and leaves a message behind for his wife?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

There was a distinct sound of a click, followed by the sound of a machine starting up. Engines started to whirl and slowly the large double doors started to slide open. Padme could see that they were thick, a few feet thick, thick enough to guard against a bombardment. What was beyond these doors? What had her husband left here for her?

A month ago the news of the death of Darth Vader spread across the galaxy. There was shock and celebration and very little mourning. At least genuine mourning. The Emperor had held a memorial service with rows upon rows of stormtroopers forced to attend. But amongst the Empire, there were those who celebrated Vader’s death.

Padme was perhaps one of the few people who had cried. Maybe even the only one. She wondered and worried about her son. How had he taken the death of his father? Luke had been raised by Vader since he was six. She had always hoped for the best for the father and son pair and that they found love with each other. But at the memorial service, Imperial Prince Luke Vader had an emotionless face. If the loss of his father meant anything, he did not show it publicly.

But only a week after Vader’s death, she got a message from her dead husband. It was delivered to her by the bounty hunter Boba Fett.

“You’re not here to kill me or take me in?” she had asked him.

“I was paid very good money not to,” he said. She wondered how much that was considering the bounty on her head was one of the highest in the Empire as one of the leaders of the Rebellion. “As well as to deliver this to you should Vader ever be killed.”

“And what if you were killed?”

“I wasn’t,” he said as he handed her a data chip.

It took her a few days before she looked at it. One night she couldn’t sleep, so she sat at her desk and inserted the chip into a datapad. It asked for a password. What password? She tried typing her name. That didn’t work. His name. His real name. The name of their children. The name of his ships. Their birth planets. His mother’s name. She sighed. Then she slowly typed in the word angel.

At once a blue hologram of Vader popped up. He didn’t say anything for several long moments. Only his breathing was heard.

“Padme,” he finally said. Her breath caught in her throat. “If you are viewing this, it means I am dead. I . . . I . . . There is so much I regret. So much I wish to tell you, but I will tell you this. I love you. I have always loved you. I . . . I have left you something. Credits. I know you want nothing to do with me and my money, but I want you to have them. Use them to fuel the Rebellion, but please use them. Plus there is . . . more . . . waiting for you at these coordinates. I love you, my angel.”

She had cried herself to sleep after that. It took another two weeks before she finally found time to fly out to the coordinates. It was a desolate and lifeless planet with nothing but sharp grey rocks and matching grey skies. The place was filled with abandoned mining equipment and crumbling factories. It looked like the place had long since been sucked dry of whatever resources it had. She wasn’t surprised she found herself landing in a large mine.

She was surprised by the huge double doors on the other side of the mine and that there appeared to be no way to get them to open. There was no control panel. No wires. Nothing. How was she going to get inside?

Of course.

She couldn’t do this alone. She needed a Force-sensitive to open the door and the Alliance had several Jedi and former Jedi members, but only one she would ask. This was far too personal and private to ask this of anyone else besides her daughter.

So another few weeks passed until Padme finally managed to get them both free from their obligations, and once again she found herself back in the large mine this time with Leia at her side. Using the Force, the young woman quickly found a mechanism on the other side of the door that opened the doors.

They stood side by side as they watched the massive things roll open. Leia took her mother’s hand, gave it a squeeze before they walked in. Padme had her blaster up and ready and Leia lit her blue lightsaber. The tunnel beyond the doors was long and angled downwards. Eventually, even the doors disappeared as they kept going. Their only light was the glow of Leia’s lightsaber and a yellow glow rod Padme had lit and held in one-hand. On and on they went. Deeper and deeper into the earth.

What had Vader hidden down here for her? Just credits? It couldn’t just be credits. There had to be more. There was something else. There were a lot of other ways to get credits to her if that’s what he wanted. She knew there was something waiting for her down here.

They had been walking for two hours when they finally came to the end. It was a smooth metal wall with a single door in it. The two exchange a look before Padme walked up and pressed the door release. Surprisingly, it opened without any passcode. A short hallway opened up to a large circular room. It was tiered, with one level going around the perimeter then it would go down three steps to the center level.

It appeared to be the main living area of whatever this place was. The inner level had some couches and chairs to the right side and a dining area to the left. Above the dining area on the higher tier was a small kitchen area. The top tier also had an office workspace with a desk, computer terminal, and small holoprojector. There was another workspace area, but it was just an empty desk by the wall. There were a few closed doors spaced around the room. Most likely these led to bedrooms, a refresher, and hopefully to the storage area.

“Where should we check first?” Leia asked as if reading her mother’s mind.

Padme eyed each of the four doors but then turned to the workspace. Perhaps the terminal would have a map of this place. Maybe even another message from Vader. She walked straight there and sat down, however, the terminal needed a password. While she worked through various words she thought would unlock it, Leia wandered around the room. Her lightsaber hung loosely unlit in her hand.

Padme sighed.

Of course, he hadn’t made this easy. Why would he? Even in death, he had to be infuriating as if he had to have the last word. They should just go. Whatever was down here could stay down here. She had done fine the past twenty years without his help; she didn’t need it now. If he really had wanted to help her why wait until he was dead? He had plenty of opportunities to reach out to her over the years.

She stood up, stretched, and right as she was going to call out to her daughter a door slid open. There was a snap-hiss as Leia ignited her blue lightsaber. It had once been her father’s when he was a different man.

Someone walked out and stopped. They looked at Leia and her lightsaber.

“Anakin?” Padme said.

A pale bald head turned towards her. She’d know him anywhere, even without the helmet. She had never seen what he had looked like . . . after . . . his fateful duel with Obi-Wan . . . but she knew he lived in his life support suit for a reason. No way would Anakin Skywalker limit himself to such a device unless he had to. And seeing him now, it confirmed her suspicions.

His skin was pale, grey, and scarred. The skin around his eyes was dark and baggy. He wore a large oversized black robe that hid his body that could possibly hide life-support machines. There was a thick metal collar around his neck with a clear breathing mask covering his nose and mouth with tubes connected it to the collar. There was a faint hiss of a respirator.

Leia had taken a step back, but her saber was up in a defensive stance.

“It’s you,” she said slowly; her eyes never left him.

There was a slight nod of his head. He gave Leia a long look, before he turned to face Padme.

“You . . . You came,” he said. His voice wasn’t the deep baritone that she had come to know as the voice of Vader. A voice far removed from Anakin. It was wheezy and weak, but there was still a weight to it.

“You’re alive,” Padme growled as she snapped up her blaster and pointed it at him. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“I am,” he said. There was no fire in his voice. He sounded defeated. “And perhaps I should have died, but I could not allow it.”

“Oh? Please, don’t tell me you have had a sudden change of heart.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “And if I said that I have?” His eyes slowly reopened. They were dark and she wondered what color they were. Ahsoka had told her his eyes were now yellow ringed in red. Eyes of a sith. But if that was so now, shouldn’t she be able to tell? Even from this distance?

Leia let out a soft snort. “So what? You died and when they resuscitated you and got your cold little heart to start pumping, you finally rediscovered it or what?”

“I never came close to death,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow and Padme pursed her lips.

“What game is this?” Padme snapped. “You’ve faked your death? Lured me here with Leia. Now what? What do you want? To join the Alliance?”

Vader looked at his wife then at his daughter. “I have no desire to join your pathetic and doomed Rebellion.”

“I was starting to doubt if you really were Darth Vader,” Leia said. “But now you’re starting to sound like him.”

“You know who I am, girl,�� he growled as he raised a hand and pointed a finger at her. “You can feel it in the Force, just as I can feel you. Let us stop with this foolishness. Come, we have lots to discuss.”

“Do we?” Padme asked. Vader’s hand lowered and he turned to fully face. “Why am I here, Anakin? Tell me why I shouldn’t just leave right now?”

There was a breath. Then another. Vader’s chest rose and fell with the light sound of his respirator.

“This has nothing to do with me,” he said. “This is about Luke.”

He turned. His robe billowed and fluttered behind him as he stalked back through the door he came through without a look back. Mother and daughter shared a look. Should they proceed? But Padme knew the answer the moment the name had left Vader’s mouth. She holstered her blaster, gave Leia a reassuring nod, and walked to the door to follow her husband.

#ask silver #my writing #wip #i should finish this one #thebixo

44 notes · View notes

sit-down-and-shut-up · 4 years

Text

after the war- p. dameron

warnings: none

words: 1479

summary: you’re a resistance fighter in a relationship with a certain pilot in the battle of exegol. fluffy fluffy

After the war, he’d promised you that the two of you (and BB-8, of course) would have a nice, quiet life somewhere. Yavin, maybe. It would be just you three. Safe and happy.

The thought that he’s never heard genuine fear in her voice before sets in, and stays there, making itself nice and comfortable.

“Y/N.” His voice wavers, but he musters all the courage he has left- it’s not much, considering the hell they’ve gone through to get here- to sound okay, for her. This is suicide, they both know it, but neither of them want their last memory of each other to be this: a dark sky marked by the Star Destroyers representing the opposite of everything they’re about to give their lives to fight for. “I love you baby. And after this is done, I’m gonna get you that pet you always wanted.”

“Does it matter? They’re all gross money-wasters,” Poe jokes, but it lacks the laughter his voice usually holds. He hopes she doesn’t notice.

She laughs, but it’s a broken laugh, cut into pieces by fading hope for a future with him. “I suppose I should get a droid instead, Dameron?”

Her thoughts mirror his as she looks towards his x-wing.

“I love you, General Poe Dameron.”

“I love you too, General Y/N Dameron.”

She doesn’t correct him, doesn’t tell him, we’re not married, idiot like she usually does. He remembers that he never got to propose as he zips around, shooting wildly and praying to whatever higher being there may be that she makes it out alive. Even if he dies, he just wants his girl to make it out alive. He can hear grunts through the headpiece as she fights to make it to the navigation signal she and Finn are trying to destroy. He doesn’t say anything; he knows there’s nothing he can say. There’s too many words billowing through his brain, and none of them are good enough for what he wants to tell her, for the love he wants to describe. He wants to tell her the moment he first knew he would marry her someday, when he saw her playing hide-and-seek with BB-8 in their shared quarters. But there’s no words for what he wants to say, so he settles for silence. And he hopes that she knows all he wishes he could say. After a few seconds of quiet, R2-D2 chirps, and he knows it’s something for her to hear. She was taken in by Leia Organa after her parents’ death, and was best friends with R2 for years.

+++++

Down below, BB-8 beeps sadly, and all you can say to the little droid is, “He knows.”

+++++

He keeps talking her through this, and deep down he knows he’s trying to instill confidence in himself, too.

They talk, back and forth, as they do their respective jobs, until out of nowhere, lightning lights up the sky and Poe can hear her screams as his ship is blasted by lightning, causing him to fall down, faster and faster, until the electricity stops, and he regains control of his ships while R2-D2 beeps like an angry toddler.

He allows himself to watch her, Finn, and Jannah destroy the command ship, feeling his chest swell with pride.

After the last of the Star Destroyers have been destroyed, and Rey returns, bringing news of her grandfather’s death, Poe lands his x-wing on the desolate planet and runs towards his friends, his orange suit making that annoying plasticy sound as he does. Finn calls to him, but he runs past him and gathers her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground, until she yelps in pain. Setting her down gently, he notices a large gash on her thigh, and he curses as he unzips the top of his suit so he can rip his shirt sleeve and tie it over the cut.

“We did it,” he says, looking up into her eyes from where he’s kneeling in front of her to tie the makeshift tourniquet, too happy for a sarcastic remark.

He doesn’t need to finish the sentence. She knows.

She moves her arm so that it’s looped around Poe’s, and rubs her thumb across his suit reassuringly.

They’re at the base relatively quickly, and everyone in sight is rejoicing. People dance, sing, kiss, and run around like lunatics, jumping with ecstasy.

“I don’t know,” she responds, flaunting a coy smile and raised eyebrow. “I might need a little more convincing.”

Poe turns so that she’s directly in front of him, and then drops to one knee. “Is this enough incentive?” he asks, as he pulls out a small, scratched box from the pocket of his suit.

Instead, she says, “Were you carrying that everywhere with you?”

He nodded, laughing. “We share the same room! You would’ve found it if I’d left it anywhere else!”

She tilts her head slightly as she thinks for a moment, then relents with a murmur of “that’s true”, and kisses him.

They stay there for what feels like forever. There’s still more work to be done before they can truly consider the galaxy “saved”, but this, this is a start.

This is the beginning of their life after the war. And Poe couldn’t be happier.

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #star wars #star wars the rise of skywalker #rey skywalker #finn star wars #rose tico #poe dameron fluff

46 notes · View notes

b-else-writes · 3 years

Text

the tiger shark and the sun

New chapter posted for my Star Wars/Avatar the Last Airbender-RebelCaptain fusion AU! Feat: Jyn calls Obi Wan an old fart, Jyn tells Luke and Leia to stop being melodramatic about becoming evil, dragons, and me ranting about the “evil sexy matriarchy” fantasy trope.

Read on AO3 | Read from start

Pairings: Jyn/Cassian, minor Han/Leia and Baze/Chirrut, random minor background pairings

Rating: T

Summary: Star Wars/Avatar the Last Airbender fusion AU. The Fire Nation, under Fire Lord Palpatine and Lord Vader, has been at War with the world for the last twenty years. When Jyn Erso lands on his doorstep the day Cassian, last southern waterbender, is assigned to protect the Avatar, she seems just another obstacle in ending the War. An obstacle he would willingly remove. For exiled firebender Jyn, the Avatar is her last way home - and to her hostaged father, never mind her own conscience. But as their paths keep crossing, and the Avatar needs all help in saving the world, Jyn and Cassian find they are more alike than they ever thought possible.

Snippet under the cut!

Jyn woke with a start, rapidly trying to figure out where she was. She was lying on a straw mattress in a stone room. The early morning light filtered in through a low window. On the ceiling were carvings of circling sky bisons.

Slowly, her memory returned. Jyn sat up, taking in the small room in Hynestia, the Western Air City. Cassian and Kay were nowhere in sight. He had removed her bracers and her boots sometime after she’d fallen asleep, and left then. But there was a dent on the mattress from where he’d been. She could still smell him – and his horrible lizard – and she gave herself a moment to imagine a world where someone like her…

She hastily shoved the thought aside. Another, more pressing concern than her unrequited feelings had emerged. She was supposed to teach. Jyn buckled on her bracers and slid her boots on quickly. She combed her fingers through her hair, repining the bun, and set about finding Enfys.

It took her a surprisingly short time to get around: the entire city seemed to have been developed and built for easy accessibility, with lifts, railings, and maps everywhere. Enfys, after she’d shown Jyn her room, had said she was going to the temple. Jyn found her and Luke curled up on the temple floor, fast asleep.

Jyn crouched and poked her. “Wake up!” she hissed.

Enfys groaned, red braids falling in her face. “Jyn, it’s only dawn…”

“Enfys, I need your help.” Luke made a noise but continued to snore. Jyn pursed her lips. “I’ll make you those wheat pancakes with dates and honey you love,” she said in her sweetest voice.

Enfys cracked one eye open. “We don’t have honey or dates.”

“I brought a jar as a peace offering,” she admitted. There was a pause. With a groan, Enfys extricated herself from Luke’s arms, pulling her cape on. Luke made a little grumble and rolled over. Jyn refrained from commenting as Enfys trailed after her to the central atrium. Enfys was perfectly liable to turn it right back on her.

As Jyn got the ingredients out from her satchel on the war balloon, Enfys asked, “So, what’s the issue?”

Swallowing her pride, “How did you teach the twins?”

There was another long pause. “You didn’t think this through at all, did you?” Enfys said, covering her mouth with her hand. Jyn glared. “I’m not laughing, I’m not!”

“I hate you,” Jyn said, swatting the date jar away from Enfys’ grip.

“No, you don’t,” Enfys said happily, dipping one finger in the honey jar and licking it. Jyn crouched to light the cookfire. It took a moment for the flame to appear on her fingertips. She frowned, but Enfys continued to speak, refocusing her attention. “Well, for me it was simple – I just followed how I was taught by my mother and aunts and elders. I already had a lesson plan ingrained in me.”

Jyn shook her head, feeling her pulse race, though it had been a decade since Master Jorus had backhanded her to perform better. “That…is not going to work.”

Enfys’ face clouded over. She stood from her perch and began to help Jyn, brushing her hands against hers. “Well, then, start simple. Like how to produce fire. And go from there. Basic punches and blocks, you do that a lot, don’t you?”

“They’re called fire fists.”

“My mistake,” Enfys said, her eyes sparkling with mirth, “Fire fists and fire kicks and fiery-ness and aallll that.”

Jyn bit back a smile, extending the plate with honey-drizzled wheat pancakes. “For her highness, the Queen of Mon Cala.”

Enfys immediately grabbed it, digging in with a moan of delight. “One of the few things from the Fire Nation worth saving,” she said, her mouth full of food.

“What’s the rest?”

“Don’t fish for compliments,” Enfys said easily, making Jyn grin. As Baze and Chirrut came in, Enfys added, “Just remember to be patient.”

“I am a beacon of patience.”

Enfys laughed. “I meant with yourself, Jyn. You’re doing something new and difficult. So be kind to yourself as you figure it out.”

She sighed, resting her head against her best friend’s shoulder. “And yet you won’t share your portion with me?” she asked, fighting down her own rising panic.

“You’re impossible,” Enfys laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Now eat up for your first big lesson, Master Jyn.”

Jyn stretched and popped out her muscles. She, Luke, and Leia stood in a beautiful courtyard of cream and white clay and wood. She imagined it must have been a communal space when Hynestia had still housed Air Nomads. She didn’t like dwelling on that too long. She could still feel…something clinging to the place. Fire child, they whispered, stroking her face and hair, this is what your people did.

She would have preferred pure hatred, but she felt that was not their way. It would have been easier than guilt. Especially when she saw the sadness in Enfys’ eyes.

Jyn focused back on the twins. Both wore expressions of trepidation, Leia in particular throwing her suspicious looks. Jyn tried not to take it too personally. “Have either of you ever firebent before?”

They exchanged a look. “Once,” Luke said, shifting a little, “We… we burnt Cassian by accident.”

Multiple statements immediately became clear in Jyn’s head. She pushed aside her own empathy for Cassian – and her instinctive urge to get angry on his behalf. Cassian held no grudge about it. Patiently, she said, “Most firebenders accidentally burn themselves or others when they’re starting out as children. It’s…normal.

“Alright then, let’s see what fire you can produce,” she said, folding her hands behind her back. Keep patient. Don’t be like Master Jorus. Don’t be what the Air Nomads know you could be. The summer heat touched the scars on her arms.

Exchanging another uneasy glance, the twins sank into a low hot-squat, good form, and punched.

A puff of smoke came out.

“That’s it?” Leia glared. Jyn resisted the very powerful urge to groan. “Let me demonstrate,” she said. Her muscle memory was so honed that Jyn didn’t even need to think. She sank and punched, sleeves billowing.

She produced a tiny gasp of flame.

Leia began clapping. Jyn scowled. “Don’t patronize, you know what it’s supposed to look like,” she grumbled. Jyn punched again. She slid into various forms, again and again. Only wisps of flame. “What in the…”

“Maybe you were never as good as you thought you were,” Leia said, grinning slightly.

“Oh, you’re hilarious,” Jyn snapped, trying in vain to produce more flame.

“Maybe it’s the altitude?” Luke suggested, though he didn’t look convinced. Jyn stared at her hands. Her inner flame felt cold and dull in her chest, despite the sunlight pouring over her skin. Sól, give me power, she thought, but none came.

Her firebending was gone. Somewhere, she could feel Master Jorus laughing.

The group sat around the cookfire, eating and chatting. The summer days were long, Chirrut knew. He could still feel heat despite the dinner hour. Baze had passed him his bowl, their fingers brushing. He smiled, gripping Baze’s fingers momentarily and grounding them both.

He heard Jyn clear her throat to speak. “There’s…a problem. I’ve lost my firebending. Well, not lost…but it’s weaker now and I can’t figure it.”

Chirrut considered as he munched. Bending was inherently spiritual, something that many had now forgotten, preferring to use as a blunt instrument. Jyn had never struck him before as someone who wanted to look within herself.

“Maybe it’s because you changed sides,” Cassian spoke up. Chirrut’s seismic sense could feel Jyn immediately perk up and orient towards him. Oh, young love. “Your firebending used to come from anger and desperation. Now you have none.”

“So, what? We piss Erso off?” Han asked, poking Erso with his sword butt.

Jyn kicked him in the shin. “Cut that out! It’s not an option.”

“What you need is a new source,” Chirrut said. “And by that, I mean an old one. The original. For earthbending, the first earthbenders were the badgermoles. When I was young, I ran away and hid in a cave. A blind child was better off gone.”

He still remembered the pain and fear as he had fled Jedha’s orphanage, stumbling through the crowds of people out into the scorching, shifting ground he had learnt was sand. Finding his way into the Catacombs. Surrounding by the dead, as he imagined he would soon become.

The Spirits had other plans. There had been a great crunch of rock, and a soft, wet snout had nosed him. They had recognized him as one of their own. “The badgermoles are also born blind. I learnt earthbending as an extension of my senses. Earthbending is not a martial art – it is a way of interacting and moving through the world, and that is the form I taught Luke and Leia.”

The wonder he had felt as he began to feel the world expanding outwards beneath his palms and feet. The grubs and creatures that lurked beneath the desert sand. The hardy plants that nourished from the earth. The secret oases. The possibilities that had exploded to him. His only regret was that it was no help to non-benders and other benders, but Chirrut was nothing if not stubborn. He had tried to help them too, as a Guardian of the Whills.

“Firebending isn’t like that,” Jyn said quietly, standing up and pacing.

“But surely you must know who the original firebenders were,” Enfys said, “I learnt from my Tribe, but the first airbenders were the sky bison. That’s influenced our bending to use gliders to fly, to our culture!”

Jyn walked over to Chirrut. He felt the same turmoil of his childhood self, in her. “It won’t work. The first firebenders were the dragons, and they’re extinct. There’s no other way.”

Baze squeezed Jyn’s hand. “There is always another way.”

Jyn was silent for a moment. When she spoke, he felt the vibrations. There is something she is concealing. “We’re not far from the island of Dathomir. The witches of Dathomir were said to be the first to learn firebending from the Dragons. They were killed off thousands of years ago. You still hear stories, but there’s no proof their society still exists. We might find something. Otherwise…”

“Sometimes the shadows of the past can be felt by the present,” Chirrut said. Several of the group shifted uncomfortably.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Luke said, “Han, can we borrow the Falcon?”

keep reading

#rebelcaptain #rogue one #jyn x erso #star wars #jyn erso #cassian andor #atla #au: atla #zutara #my fic

18 notes · View notes

gracegriller949 · 3 years

Text

Shining Devotion Ch 4

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1.3k

Pairing: DinLuke, Luke Skywalker/Din Djarin

A/N: Read the full fic on Ao3 here

Chapter 4

Once Luke is done with his nutrient bar, the Mandalorian gathers Grogu in his arms and they all head out to the site of the crash.

As the trio makes their way through the forest, Luke starts back on his gentle interrogation.

“So, the ruler of Mandalore?” Luke says, trying to breach the subject as casually as possible.

Mando sighs.

“Maybe.”

Luke frowns at that.

“Maybe?” he asks.

“It seems as though I’ve been overthrown.”

“But why?”

“I’m not sure. I did everything I could to be a good ruler, seems as though I was not good enough.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

The Mandalorian looks over at Luke, surprised. Luke is surprised himself.

“You seem like a good man, I’m sure you made a fine ruler.”

Mando keeps his head trained on the terrain, continuing to guide the trio silently.

“Surely there is some way to get your throne back,” Luke says.

“I used to be a bounty hunter,” says the Mandalorian, “I never expected or wanted to be a ruler.”

“But don’t you feel like that you owe it your people to be the Mand’alor?”

The Mandalorian is quiet for a moment. Luke starts to feel like maybe he’s overstepped, but the Mandalorian responds.

“Not anymore. Not after what they did.”

Luke shivers a little at Mando’s tone. He looks over at the Mandalorian, taking his eyes off the forest for the first time since they started.

“I’m sorry about Boba Fett.”

Mando just nods and keeps his eyes trained on the terrain ahead of him.

“Surely there is something you can do?”

“You mean if there was some way to get off this planet?” Mando says as he places his hand on the side of his helmet to change his settings.

“I can help with that. I have my X-Wing, you could borrow it.”

Mando shakes his head.

“I can’t leave you stranded here,” Mando says.

Luke snaps his head to the Mandalorian.

“What if something happens to the kid.”

Right. The child. Mando is worried about his son. Definitely not Luke.

Mando looks down at the child in his hand. Grogu, still gripping his pack of cookies, looks up at the Mandalorian and cocks his head. Mando scratches his head gently with a finger.

Luke’s heart swells. Why was the Mandalorian just so damn good with the kid?

Suddenly, Luke remembers something.

“There might be another way to get off this planet.”

Luke uses the Force to move a branch from hitting them in the face as Mando turns to glance at Luke.

“There is so much leftover scraps from the war. I haven’t dug down super deep into the old base. Maybe there’s something there.”

Mando nods.

“It might be worth checking out.”

The conversation fades out and they walk in silence the rest of the way to the ship, only occasionally warning each other about low hanging branches and tricky exposed roots.

Grogu seems to enjoy the trip the most out of all of them. Cooing happily in Mando’s arms as various bugs whiz by his head, his little green fingers outstretched.

The Mandalorian leads them most of the way there, using a tracking setting on his helmet to expertly maneuver them to what remains of the Slave I.

The wreckage still smokes slightly as the three approach. There are large hunks of metal scattered across the area. Luke doesn’t recognize a lot of it. It seems that the fire has reduced most of the old ship to ash.

The Mandalorian holds out his son, and Luke takes him willingly as Mando makes his way towards where the main part of the ship used to be. Luke bounces Grogu idly as he watches the Mandalorian pick through the remains.

Mando picks up a shiny rectangular piece, a jetpack, and instantly clicks it onto his back, moving his cape out of the way to do so. The Mandalorian walks a little farther to pick up a long silver spear. He brushes the ash from it, then slides it onto his back as well.

Luke watches the Mandalorian’s form as he bends over to look in a pile of charred ship panels. Luke can’t seem to pull his eyes away. The Mandalorian’s presence has put Luke’s heart on edge. He’s not quite who Luke thought him to be. He’s blunter and a little cold, not like the teary-eyed man that Luke remembers from their first encounter.

He is a great father though. The connection that he has with Grogu is so strong, Luke can feel it in everything Grogu does with the Force.

Luke finally pulls his eyes away from the Mandalorian, now inspecting a long hunk of metal that looks vaguely like a gun. Luke looks down at his student, now looking very sleepy in Luke’s arms.

He looks around again at the wreckage and finds a torn piece of a large piece fabric. It was most likely an old blanket, now charred on the edges. Luke picks it up and rips it until it is a suitable size. He then tries to wrap it around his body, but it proves difficult with the sleepy child in his hand.

“Let me help.”

The Mandalorian appears in front of Luke and takes the piece of fabric from his hand. He wraps the fabric around Luke and ties it onto his shoulder like a sling, his hand lingering on Luke’s shoulder. Luke carefully sets Grogu into the sling and looks up at the Mandalorian.

“Thank you,” he says, his eyes once again searching for the Mandalorian’s through the visor, “Can I ask you something?”

The Mandalorian is silent as he continues to look at Luke. Taking that as affirmation Luke proceeds with his question.

“Why didn’t you let me take your helmet off?” he asks.

“It’s my Creed. I am not allowed to remove my helmet for any living soul.”

“But you removed it—”

“I know. I did it for him.”

The Mandalorian hooks his finger in Luke’s new sling to uncover the sleeping child.

Luke feels a twinge of guilt. He makes a silent promise to himself to never try to remove the Mandalorian’s helmet again, but Luke can’t help but feel a pang in his gut at the thought of never seeing those brown eyes again.

The Mandalorian takes a step back and turns from Luke to pick up the rifle that he was fiddling with before.

“We should head back,” says the Mandalorian.

“Of course,” says Luke. “I was thinking about calling my sister once we got back. She’s better at politics than I am, perhaps she knows what to do in this kind of situation.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes. Leia Organa. She’s a senator in the New Republic.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

The Mandalorian goes quiet. Luke changes the subject.

“Tell me about when you were a bounty hunter, what did you do?”

“It’s how I met Grogu. He was a quarry.”

That peaks Luke’s interest.

“How did you find him?”

For the rest of the trip back, the Mandalorian tells Luke the story about how him and Grogu came to be. He talked about how he fought to get Grogu, the guild, the droid, the other Mandalorians, Moff Gideon, the Armorer. When he gets to the part about Boba Fett, he hesitates, all emotion draining out of his voice.

Luke listens attentively, asking questions here and there, but mostly remaining silent. In his head, Luke changes his perception of the Mandalorian. He is the Mand’alor, an orphan, a father, a friend, a bounty hunter.

Luke buries his feelings, remembering what the Mandalorian said about his creed. There was no way that they could ever be together. Ignoring his feelings would be for the best considering that they both lived such different lives and complicating the situation would only make things harder for all three of them.

It was decided then, Luke would not fall for the Mandalorian.

#luke/din #dinluke #luke skywalker and din djarin #luke and din #din x luke #Luke Skywalker #dindjarin #din djarin #star wars #the mandalorian #grogu #baby yoda

6 notes · View notes

auroralwriting · 4 years

Text

That’s a Baby

Prompt: Leia just handing you a baby and expecting you to mother it isn’t quite what you expected your assignment to be

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Pilot!Reader

Type: Fluff and sad with a happy ending

Notes: unedited whoops

a/n: I’M GONNA MAKE A LONG ASS POE SERIES CAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT SOOOO HAHA YEAH

MASTERLIST

Racing into the command center, you looked around for General Organa. When you were sent to find her, you ere told it was extremely urgent. Usually, that didn’t mean anything good, but when you saw your general holding a small child, you knew something was up.

“General, is that a baby?” you asked as you approached Leia. There were never small children around the base, they weren’t allowed because of all the dangerous equipment.

“Yes, it is. And you’re going to watch him.” Leia replied as she began to hand the baby over to you.

Wait, what? You pulled back softly as you shook your head. “Leia, I have no experience with children, nor is this urgent. Where did he even come from? Does he have a name? Who’s baby is this?”

Leia laughed lightly at your questions. “This is urgent, Captain. This is an allies child. They were taken hostage by some stormtroopers on a nearby planet. You’re going to watch him until we can get his mother and father back safely. His name is Walker.” Leia slowly handed you the small child as his big, beautiful green eyes stared up at you. “You’re good with droids, so I hope you’ll be good with a child.”

“I’ll try my best, General.” you replied softly as the baby cooed up at you.

“Don’t try,” Leia said as she began walking away. “do. This is a life in your hands. Quite literally.”

Slowly, you sighed. You began to carefully walk up the steps of the command center and up into the hangar. It was loud and noisy. Walker began to fuss slightly and you panicked.

“Hey, you guys! Keep it down!” you whisper yelled to a loud group of pilots. “There’s a baby here and unless you want to calm a crying child you should hush!”

The group quickly quieted down as they looked surprised at the baby. “Is that-”

“No, it’s not mine.” you replied as Walker began to calm down again. Lightly, you bounced him in your arms to make sure he wouldn’t cry.

You decided to avoid the mess hall at all costs, it would definitely be too loud for a baby. Swerving through ships, you tried to make your way back to your room, but it seemed Walker had different ideas. He let out a whimper and a sniffled breath as you looked down to him.

“Hey, no no, it’s okay, Walker. It’s alright, don’t cry.” you said in the softest voice you could muster out, but maybe it wasn’t soft enough because the baby’s lip began to tremble as he started to cry. “No, no! It’s alright baby, it’s okay.”

Groaning to yourself, you tried to bounce him lightly, whisper soft things to him, but nothing worked. You went back on your not-so-merry way to your quarters as someone came up to you.

“That’s a baby.” It was Poe Dameron, someone you considered a friend. You’d met him a while back when you first joined the Resistance, but you two had hardly shared any words before.

You rolled your eyes. “Amazing observation, genius.” you replied sarcastically as Walker let out a louder cry. “Shh, it’s okay! It’s alright.”

Poe walked behind you and looked over your shoulder. “Give him to me.” Poe commanded. You almost gave him another snarky comment as Walker began to cry even louder (if that was even possible).

Carefully you handed the baby to Poe. He didn’t quite know how to cradle him, so you moved his arms into the right position. Without saying any words, Walker began to calm down. Your jaw slacked open in surprise as Poe smirked to you.

“Don’t you smirk, you’re staying with me now.” you said.

“I can’t do that, I have assignments!” Poe said in shock and anger. “I can’t just leave everything for a baby!”

You sighed loudly. “Well too bad! This is my assignment and you’re helping me. Leia trusted me with this kid, so technically this is an assignment. One she called urgent.” Poe cursed to himself as you smirked lightly. “Don’t curse in front of the baby.”

Poe just shot you a glare as you both looked down to Walker who was observing the ceiling.

Over the next few days, you and Poe had decided to stay in his quarters together with the baby. He slept on the floor by the small makeshift crib you both had made and you slept on his bed. You’d both grown fond of Walker, so had the other pilots. You honestly felt like his real mother. Jess and Snap were like his weird aunt and uncle who watched him for a few minutes while you and Poe took a small break (to drink hard alcohol). So, you guessed Poe would have to be the father in this case. Even BB-8 had a role. He was that silly older brother who made Walker laugh with his silly beeps and funny little tricks he did.

“Poe, do you have the diapers! I can’t find them.” you called to Poe from the other side of his room. You’d searched endlessly for the small package, but they were no where to be seen.

“Yeah, over here!” Poe called back from the small kitchen he had. You made your way over to him as Poe’s face shriveled up. “Seems like someone’s gotta be changed. I got him this time.” Poe said as you looked up.

You shook your head. “No, it’s alright.”

Poe just rolled his eyes. “You were cooped up all yesterday with him while I had been with my ship. You’re tired. Go lay down, I got him.”

He was right, you were tired. You passed Walker to Poe skillfully as you nodded. You had both gotten very confident in holding Walker that you could move at a slightly faster pace with him. You flopped onto Poe’s bed as you buried your face into his pillow.

A few minutes later, you felt the end of the bed dip with a new weight on it. You knew it was Poe. His hand was lightly set on your calf as you sighed. “C’mere.” you mumbled softly, looking up to Poe.

Without hesitation, he crawled next to you as you two faced each other. “I put Walker in the crib, he’s fast asleep.” Poe mumbled.

“We probably need that too.” you said as Poe nodded. You two just stared at each other until Poe lightly put his hand on your waist and pulled you into his chest. You sighed, too tired to even think of pulling away (but would you really? It was quite warm and cozy) from his embrace. You snuggled your head into the crook of Poe’s neck as his arms wrapped around your waist with a slightly grip.

You didn’t even notice you fell asleep until you woke up to hear a light knock on the door. Slowly, you moved yourself out of Poe’s sleepy warmth as you opened the door.

“Oh, hello General.” you greeted softly. “Sorry, Poe and I were taking a small rest.”

Leia just smiled. “It’s quite alright. Parents always need a break.” You didn’t correct Leia when she called you two parents. “Walker’s actual parents are here to pick him up.”

The small smile on your face slowly faded away. You didn’t realize how fond you grew of the small baby. You didn’t want any of this to be over. The late nights, happy baby laughter, being something important, a parent. You also didn’t want to leave Poe.

“Oh.” you paused for a second. “Yeah, yeah. Uhm, let me get him and Poe up. I’ll be right back.”

Walking back into the room, you softly picked up Walker, the sleeping baby nestled into your arms. You walked over to Poe and lightly cleared your throat. “Hm?” he mumbled.

“Poe, it’s time.” you said, voice quivering. You hadn’t even noticed the tears that pricked your eyes or the way that you were trembling.

Poe looked up and looked to see Leia outside the door, now smiling sadly. “Uh, yeah. Right.” Poe replied, his voice raspy and upset. You’d never seen him like this. He stood up and lightly put his hand on Walker’s head. The two of you went to the door.

You paused as Poe and Leia went to walk away. When they noticed, they turned back around. Your eyes were on Walker, you couldn’t watch him go. “Leia, I c-can’t do this. I can’t say goodbye.” you slowly handed her the sleeping baby as her eyes filled with sadness.

“I understand.” Leia said as she looked at you with sympathy. “Poe?”

Poe just nodded. “I’ll be back.” he said to you, ever so soft. You nodded as he lightly kissed the top of your head, walking away with Leia.

You went back and curled yourself into a ball on Poe’s bed, the tears in your eyes falling down your cheeks. You didn’t know why you were crying. Walker had messed up your work, Poe’s too. But you loved that kid, you loved being a small family with him and Poe. It made you happy.

The door opened as Poe’s eyes immediately went to you. His shoulders fell as he watched you sob into your hands. He couldn’t bare to see you like this. He shut the door and quickly made his way over to you. Poe embraced you in a hug as you cried onto his shoulder. Unknowingly, he also let a tear fall. That baby had ruined him in a perfect, special way that he loved so much.

You looked up to Poe as your sobs slowed down into harsh breaths. He lightly wiped away your tears as he softly ran his fingers through your hair. “I miss him already.” you mumbled.

“I know, I do too.” Poe replied.

“We should probably start getting rid of this baby stuff.” you stood up and tried to walk to the crib, but Poe grabbed your hand tightly as he turned you back around.

“Wait.” he said, his voice tense and weary. “What if we didn’t.”

Your eyebrows furrowed into a look of confusion. “What?”

Poe brought his free hand behind his neck as he rubbed it. “What if, I don’t know. Ah, this sounds bad. What if... we had a kid? Like not now, obviously, but one day.”

Slowly, you took a seat next to Poe. Your hand instinctively went to his cheek as your thumb caressed his face. “I’d like that a lot.”

#poe dameron #poe dameron x female reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron x reader #poe damn son #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron one shot #star wars #star wars one shot #star wars imagine #poe dameron fluff #poe dameron smut #star wars fluff #star wars smut

271 notes · View notes

prettybuckybaby · 3 years

Text

in the flood you'll build an ark and sail us to the moon

The avengers meet Peter's daughter.

part three of single parent peter parker

masterlist

read on ao3 here

The Avengers don’t officially meet Leia until Saturday. They give Peter and Leia space on the Friday knowing how much Peter was, unsurprisingly, upset after the whole lockdown event on Thursday evening. Nobody really expected it to happen on Saturday, either, but Peter’s always thought that having children makes life unpredictable.

Leia and Peter are enjoying a lazy morning. They sleep in longer than they normally would, Peter managing to convince Leia to close her eyes for another hour or so when she storms into his room to wake him up. Peter is vaguely aware of Pepper knocking on his door at some point and opening it slightly, cooing when she sees the pair cuddled together. When they eventually surface, Peter smiles at the new photo of them pinned on the fridge, taken less than an hour ago, both of them smiling peacefully in their sleep.

The morning is one of domestic bliss. They make pancakes together in the kitchen, Leia eats most of the chocolate chips before Peter has a chance to put them in the batter. He pretends to be annoyed for all of thirty seconds before he laughs and kisses the top of her head as he fishes another packet out of the cupboard above her head.

Their peaceful morning-turned-afternoon is interrupted by Peter’s phone ringing just as they are settling down to watch a film. Peter laughs as Leia groans dramatically.

“Everything alright, Mr Stark?” Peter asks when he answers the phone. He frowns at the hesitation Tony takes.

“Pete, I’m sorry, but Fury’s called a meeting. I’ve tried my best to get you out of it, but he won’t listen,” Peter sighs heavily, rubbing his eyes. “Any chance you could pop down?”

“Yeah, just…just lemme find Miss Potts, see if she can watch Leia for a bit,” He frowns when he hears Tony suck in a breath.

“Sorry, Pete. Pep’s in a meeting. Some last-minute emergency in New Zealand,” Peter doesn’t say anything, but Tony hears him sigh down the line. “You okay, kid?”

“Yeah. Thinking.”

“You could just bring her along,” Tony suggests lightly. “It’ll probably only be quick. Nobody would mind at all,” He makes an apologetic sound. “Sorry for crashing your morning, kid,”

“No, no, it’s fine.” He sighs lightly. “Just gimme a few minutes to put some clothes on,” Tony snorts as he agrees and hangs up.

---------------

Twenty minutes later, Peter is entering conference room E. Everybody but Fury looks up when he enters, all offering their greetings. Fury only looks up from his papers when he speaks up.

“Parker. Lovely that you could grace us with your presence.” Tony’s lips quirk at the obvious fake smile that Peter flashes at Fury, snorting when it disappears the moment the director looks back down. Peter walks further into the room and the Avengers all smile when they notice Leia following, still in her Spider-man pyjamas, one hand holding Peter’s and the other holding on tightly to Bearbear. When the young girl notices Tony, she smiles brightly and lets go of her father’s hand, reaching out for the older man. Tony grins at her, lifting her up and spinning her around in his chair.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Even though Tony tries to keep his voice down, Fury’s head snaps up when he hears him talk. Peter sits down in the empty chair next to Tony, rolling his eyes when Fury speaks again.

“No. No children allowed. Absolutely not.”

“You heard the man, Peter,” Sam sighs dramatically from where he’s sat opposite Peter. He slides down far enough in his seat that he can kick Peter’s out from under the desk. “No children. You need to leave,” Bucky snorts from two seats across.

“Wha…hey!” Nearly everyone laughs at the annoyed look on Peter’s face. Fury just narrows his eyes. “No offense, Mr Fury, Sir, but you didn’t really give me enough notice to arrange a babysitter.”

“Not my issue, Parker. Out.” Fury demands simply, pointing to the door. Peter narrows his eyes, staring at him for a few long moments. He debates with himself whether annoying Fury more is worth it. He decides against it before he stands up, not caring when his chair falls over. Natasha covers her laugh with a cough.

“Fine. C’mere Leia,” The girl lifts her head from where she’s place it on Tony’s shoulder, her fingers messing up his hair. She moans, high and long, burying herself in Tony’s chest.

“Wanna stay with Uncle Mista Stark,” Peter shoots her an apologetic smile.

“Yeah, well, Mr Angry doesn’t want you with Uncle Mr Stark because he’s too busy being a big meanie,” He whispers, but his voice is loud enough that everyone in the room hears him clearly. Fury is growling when he replies.

“One peep out of her and she’s out, you hear me?” Peter doesn’t reply, just picks his chair up from the floor and sits down. He smiles when he sees Tony running his fingers through Leia’s hair. The man smirks at him when she starts falling asleep in his lap.

“She gets this from you, you know.” He lifts the fingers from her hair, immediately putting them back when she whimpers softly. “Does this send all Parkers to sleep? Or just the children?”

“STARK!” Peter smirks when Fury snaps.

---------------

Peter decides Tony is a stone-faced liar when Fury is still droaning on an hour and three quarters later. He’s fairly certain that Steve is the only one of them actually listening. If he didn’t know Natasha any better, he would think that she’s talking notes with how she’s writing and glancing up every so often. But he does know Natasha and knows for a fact that she’s actually editing Peter’s essay on Othello that is due in next week. Clint is watching Fury but clearly not paying attention, Tony is still carding his fingers through a sleeping Leia’s hair, and Bruce is face down on the table, possibly sleeping. Either side of Steve, Bucky and Sam are throwing things at each other, struggling to contain their laughter each time one of them hits Steve and he huffs.

Leia is just beginning to stir in Tony’s arms when Fury wraps up another forty-five minutes later, just as Peter starts to contemplate grabbing her from his mentor’s arms and making a run for it. She turns her head towards her and makes grabby hands as Fury picks up his papers, says “Dismissed.” and then walks right out of the room. He lets her crawl out of Tony’s arms and into his.

“Lunch time?” He asks quietly, smiling when she nods sleepily. “What are we fancying?”

“Mac’roni?” She asks quietly after thinking for a few moments. She giggles when Peter fakes a groan.

“Again? Are you sure?” She just keeps giggling as he stands up. He gets to the door before he hesitates and turns back towards his team. “You can join us if you…if you want to. I mean, you don’t have to, but I know you want to meet her properly and-”

“Breathe, kid,” Tony laughs as the other just smile at him. Peter sighs in relief when Clint grins at him.

“This macaroni any good?” Leia giggles again.

“Daddy makes the best mac’roni, mister,” She smiles sweetly, squirming until Peter puts her down.

“The best, huh?”

“In the whole world!” Leia promises, bouncing slightly on her feet.

“The whole world?” Natasha asks, mock dis-belief lacing her voice. “That’s a lot of macaroni you must have eaten,” Leia just smiles and nods before looking back up at her father. He grins down at her.

“C’mon then, munchkin. Let’s go and make some macaroni,” He holds the door open for Leia to leave the room, following close behind her. Before the door shuts, they can hear Leia convincing Peter to let her have ice cream after her pasta.

“You guys coming?” Tony asks, standing up and turning back towards them as he holds the door open.

----------------

By the time they make it up to the kitchen in the Penthouse, Peter is cooking, one pan filled with water just beginning to boil, a wooden spoon balancing on the lid of another. Leia is sitting on top of the glass kitchen table, legs crossed, drinking a capri sun.

“You’re not supposed to be up there, trouble,” Tony teases with a fake stern look. He lasts about thirty seconds, breaking when Leia just giggles at him.

“So now you have two kids you can’t stay mad at, huh, Stark?” Tony scowls as Bucky walks past him and lifts himself up onto the counter.

“That is not true.” He argues, glaring at the super soldier. The other man just raises a single eyebrow.

“It is so true!” Clint insists, pinching Leia’s cheek softly, grinning up at Natasha when the young girl giggles. Natasha smiles back before turning back to where she was looking at the fridge. She trails her fingers gently over the picture pinned next to the Iron Man colouring.

“No.” Tony’s scowl deepens. “Nope. Not true. I’ve never even met these brats. Kids. Yuck. I hate children. Sure am glad I don’t know any.” Tony’s façade begins to crack when Peter snorts, breaking completely when Leia bursts into a fit of giggles. He pokes her cheek gently, always gently. “You’ve blown my cover now. Now everyone is going to know that I have feelings!”

“Oh no!” Peter gasps in mock despair as he pours a whole box of macaroni into the pot of water. “Imagine. People no longer confusing you with a robot. The horror.” Tony scowls again.

“It’s official. Leia, you’re now my favourite kid. You’ve got the top spot. Congratulations! Parker, you’ve been bumped down. Shame.”

“As if she wasn’t your favourite anyway. I was replaced as soon as you set eyes on her. I can’t even be mad about it.” Peter sighs softly as he opens the fridge, holding two bags up for Leia to look at. “What sort of cheese do you want, Leia? Red or white?” She takes them both in her hands and looks between them for a moment, considering.

“Yes.” Leia eventually nods at her father. He rolls his eyes, soft smile painting his lips.

“Pick one, please, princess,” Leia frowns before Tony winks at her.

“The red, right, Leia?” He hands the bag of red shredded cheese to Peter. As soon as he turns away, he puts the other bag, the one half full of white shredded cheese, in the big pocket of Leia’s t-shirt, whispering something in her ear. Peter turns around when Leia giggles, narrowing his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Tony and Leia look up at him, identical smiles on their faces.

“Nothing, Daddy,” Peter scowls at Tony.

“You’re corrupting my daughter, Stark.” Leia giggles when Tony shrugs his shoulders. “Sweetheart, you wanna stir for a bit while I drain the pasta?” She nods enthusiastically, not stopping until Tony has picked her up and carried her over to the pans. Peter smiles as he hands over the wooden spoon before he picks up the other pan. Peter stands at the sink for a few moments, watching the scene, smiling when every few seconds Leia looks over Tony’s shoulder at him and giggles. Tony shushes her every time she does, which just makes her giggle harder. “How you doing, Leia?”

“Done, Daddy,” She says after Tony nods at her. Peter brings the now drained pot of pasta over, pouring the cheese sauce Leia has been stirring into it, before turning it into a baking dish. He smiles as Leia grabs a handful of cheese off the counter and sprinkles it over the top.

“Come and meet some people,” Peter says after he’s put the dish into the oven and set the timer. He narrows his eyes when he notices Leia’s hand in her pocket and Tony smiling innocently. “What are you up to?” She shakes her head but reaches out towards Peter, slapping his cheek the way she sometimes sees Tony do. He rolls his eyes when he hears Tony’s delighted laughter. They turn towards the others and Leia doesn’t even wait for Peter to introduce them, just smiles up at Steve, who is standing closest to them.

“Hello, Mr Cap ‘Merica,” Steve laughs softly as Sam snorts.

“Oh, my God, there’s two of them,” He whispers. He laughs when Peter narrows his eyes playfully.

“Sorry for teaching her manners, Mr Wilson,” Peter rolls his eyes. “If I ever have another child-”

“Mr Falcon!” Leia laughs and points at Sam, who just frowns as the others laugh at him. Peter smiles as he places Leia back on the table, leaving her to talk to the others. He sits and watches for a while before he checks on the macaroni. He decides the pasta needs a few more minutes and puts it back in the oven. He turns back around just in time to see Leia take her hand out of her pocket and hand something to Tony, and the man lift his own hand to his mouth. He clears his throat, pursing his lips when Leia looks up at him and blinks her eyes.

“Open your hands,” Leia frowns a little bit when she spreads her fingers wide. He narrows his eyes at the piece of cheese clinging to her skin. “Empty your pocket.”

“Kid,” Tony swallows and tries to interrupt, but Peter just ignores him.

“Empty. Now, please,” He doesn’t take his eyes off Leia, who just pouts when he doesn’t move. Her pout deepens when Peter cocks an eyebrow, and she pulls the bag of cheese out of and hands it up to him. “Thank you, Princess,” He takes the bag out of her hand and puts it back in the fridge. On his way, he whacks Tony over the head with the bag, snorting when Tony groans dramatically.

“Mad at me, Daddy?” Leia asks quietly when Peter sits down and doesn’t say anything. Peter sighs and takes her hands in his, squeezing gently.

“No, Sweetie. Daddy’s not mad. Well,” He pauses, smirking up at Tony slightly. “Maybe a little bit. But only at Mr Stark,” Leia frowns for a moment before she smiles and nods.

“Okay.” Tony snorts at her response.

“Thanks for the support, kiddo. Really appreciate it,” Peter smiles softly before pulling Leia onto his knees.

“You put more cheese in the sauce, huh?”

“Ruin it?” Leia’s eyes fill with tears as she speaks, not meeting Peter’s eyes. Peter coos and lifts her chin, making her look at him.

“No, baby. Do you want to know why?” Leia nods, letting Peter wipe away the single tear that has fallen. “Mr Stark is the smartest man I know. He’s cleverer than Dr Banner, and Dr Banner knows lots and lots about lots of different things, yeah? Mr Stark knows more than even him. Mr Stark is the cleverest man in the whole world, but here’s the thing, Leia. He’s not clever enough to realise how predicable he is,”

“Wha’s predict’ble?” She asks, eyes looking less red than they did moments ago.

“Means I know what he’s gonna do,”

“Because you’re cleverer than him.” She states as a fact, nodding her head. “I know that.”

“No,” Peter shakes his head. “Mr Stark is just a bit silly, sometimes, sweet. He always does the same thing with macaroni. Likes having two types of cheese in the sauce, just like you, and always tries to put more in. And he doesn’t think I notice when he’s whispering to you to put a handful in when Daddy’s not watching,” Peter laughs when Tony groans.

“Stupid super hearing,” He mumbles just as the alarm goes off. Peter ruffles Leia’s hair as he stands up and gets the macaroni out of the oven. He picks one of Leia’s plates out of the cupboard and, once it’s cooled some, spoons a bit of pasta onto it, and hands it to her.

“Thank you, Daddy,” She smiles when Peter sits down in front of her and takes a forkful of food from her plate.

“What? The rest of us don’t get table service?” Clint asks, huffing out a laugh when Peter rolls his eyes.

“Sure,” He offers, not looking up at him. “Soon as you start wearing Spider-man pyjamas and letting me do your hair, Mr Clint. Helps if you love me, as well,” Peter laughs when Clint clears his throat and pouts at him, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Love you, Peter,”

“Nice try, Barton,” Natasha smiles when Peter rolls his eyes and Leia giggles. The others in the room all get up and get themselves some pasta, Tony sliding a plate in front of Peter, so he stops eating his daughter’s. Leia giggles when she starts stealing pieces from Peter’s plate instead.

“Oh, my god. Where did you learn to cook like this, spider-boy?” Bucky groans. “Thought Leia was exaggerating when she said it was the best in the world,” Peter shrugs, smiling softly.

“Mama taught him!” Leia smiles up at them. Everyone in the room stays quiet for a moment, until Peter replies, a soft, happy look on his face.

“Yeah,” He breathes, pinching Leia’s cheek. “Yeah, she did,” Everyone around the table relaxes, the tension that had grown at the mention of Leia’s mother fading away. They all start up their own conversations, letting Peter and Leia be in their own little world for a while.

Peter is just pushing the pasta left over around his plate when he looks up at Tony and clears his throat.

“Mr Stark?” Tony hums slightly as he looks up, frowning slightly at the look on Peter’s face. “It would have been her birthday on Tuesday,”

“Eighteen, huh?” Tony asks with a sad smile. Peter nods, looking back down.

“Yeah,” He chokes out. “Leia and I are going out for the day, you know. It’s been cleared with school and Aunt May’s taken the day off from the hospital to come with us. We were just gonna go to the zoo, visit her grave, and stuff. We were wondering if…if you’d come with us? Spend the day,” He looks at Tony’s face but avoids his eyes as his voice drops to a whisper. “She would have liked you,” Tony freezes, and Peter tries to ignore the way he can feel the others listening, even as they try to pretend they’re still deep in their own talks.

“You don’t want me there. It’s your day, kid. You should spend it together, as a family,” Tony sighs, trying to let the kid down gently.

“Exactly. As a family.” Peter drops his head back down, stomach dropping when Tony is quiet for what feels like a few seconds and a hundred years.

“You really want me there?” Peter’s head shoots up, nodding, wide, hopeful eyes meeting Tony’s. The older man sighs, smiling slightly. “Okay, kid,”

“Thanks, Dad,” Leia tugs on Peter’s sleeve after he speaks, and the teen turns to face her when she starts asking about ice cream. He doesn’t see the tears that fill Tony’s eyes. No-one else mentions them.

#peter parker #tony stark #steve rogers #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #sam wilson #bruce banner #clint barton #nick fury #single parent peter parker #peter parker fanfiction #irondad

10 notes · View notes

ariainstars · 4 years

Text

Star Wars, the Last 20 Years or Can We Please Try to Stop the Blame Train?

I would like to touch a subject that’s starting to grate on my nerves a little.

Anyone here knows that I disliked The Rise of Skywalker heartily. And I’m not the only person here or elsewhere who tore it to shreds. But I am reading (again) over and over why and how JJ Abrams, Chris Terrio, Kathleen Kennedy and Co. made this mess. Instead of searching for culprits, this time I would like to point out a few things.

I. Star Wars Prequels

Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best and Hayden Christensen had to endure awful harassment in their time: the audience largely vented their frustration on them because when the prequels hit theatres, they did not get the Star Wars they had wanted. Politics are a dry subject, and young Anakin and the Jedi Council were all too human to be liked by fans who expect coolness in a hero more than everything else; which is probably why Darth Maul is a huge favorite although we hardly learn anything about him and he says almost nothing. Ditto Obi-Wan although he is clearly not suited to train Anakin and it’s him who maims him and leaves him to burn in the lava. (Until I saw the film, I had always assumed Palpatine had tortured Anakin to push him to the Dark Side.)

The prequels’ messages in general were not liked: the Jedi were not perfectly wise and cool wizards, the Old Republic was stagnant, Anakin was a hot-headed, frustrated young man desperate to save his wife and unborn children. The films do not want to excuse what he did; however they portray him not as a monster but as a human being who was under an almost unendurable pressure for years and years until he finally snapped.

These messages may not be “cool”, but they were realistic and most of all, humane. Portraying the Jedi as well as Anakin as powerful, flawless heroes and the old Republic as a just, prosperous and balanced place would have meant undermining a central theme of the original trilogy: the former generation could not have been all that powerful and wise, else the collapse of their world and the failure of their convictions would not have happened in the first place. It is a sore point, but still twenty years later Obi-Wan and Yoda denied that Vader was human and expected Luke to commit patricide.

All of this goes to show that the Jedi’s moral standard was flawed and their attitude not rooted in compassion and pacifism the way they claimed. In the end, what they cared about was winning, no matter the cost. In this, they were no better than the Sith.

~~~more under the cut~~~

II. Star Wars Sequels

J.J. Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, Bob Iger and company were the ones who introduced the Star Wars sequel trilogy and with it its themes, characters, setting etc. to us in the first place: I think we should give them credit where it’s due. Rian Johnson made a very beautiful second chapter with The Last Jedi, but he did pick up where the others had left.

Kelly Marie Tran made experiences similar to Jake Lloyds or Hayden Christensen’s when The Last Jedi was hit theatres. She was disliked for not being “Star-Wars-y” enough, chubby and lively instead of wiry and spitfire, and also taking a lot of screen time while many fans were impatiently waiting for some grand scenes from Luke and / or Leia.

That Episode VIII, the central and most important one, was called “The Last Jedi” cannot be overstated. Luke was literally alone with the heavy task of rebuilding a religious order that was gone and destroyed long before he even learned about it, and at the same time he had to patch together his own family and atone for his father’s sins. This is a crushing burden for anyone to carry. It was important both for Rey and for the audience to meet Luke to see that he was a good man, but still just a man.

When Luke spoke openly to Rey about the failure of the Jedi Order, it was the first time he ever spoke about it that we know of; this wisdom he obviously acquired only after his nephew’s fall to the Dark Side. Luke has understood that the ways of the Jedi were wrong; but he does not know a better alternative. Force users are still born all over the galaxy, and they have to learn to use their powers - only how? Again, Luke is not to blame. How is he to know, when the Jedi of the Old Republic had lost sight of Balance in the Force for so long that they didn’t know what it actually meant anymore?

Same goes for Leia, the princess without a realm, who tried to rebuild the Republic after the galaxy had been terrorized by the Empire and devastated by war for many years. She assuredly did her best, but she was only human. That she failed her son is of course shocking, but after the horror she had to endure at the hands of her own father it is not surprising that she would be terrified of her son possibly going the same way. Ben, like Anakin, was crushed under a legacy and responsibility that was by far too heavy for him. The tragedy of his life and the disruption - and in the end, obliteration - of his family was another proof for the failure of the ways of the Jedi.

All of these lessons until now were not learned from. But let’s be honest: how many of us come from dysfunctional families? If we do, was getting away from them enough to heal the wounds of the past? Did we find out what to give our children on their way in life, or did we fail them because we had not elaborated the past enough to make way for a better future? Such problems are very common, and to heal them is complicated and takes time. A “happy ending” e.g. in form of finding a new family is not enough, on the contrary, it can lead to wanting to leave the past behind, leaving wounds unhealed that will fester their way through our lives again, sooner or later. Star Wars always was an allegory of the human mind, even if deeply cloaked in symbolism. The saga also abundantly takes inspiration from the Bible, and I think it’s not coincidentally said there that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children.

As fans, we would have wanted to see films that cemented the Jedi as guardians of the galaxy, with the Skywalker family right at the center. Which in itself is impossible because Jedi are supposed to remain unattached, making the mere idea of a Jedi having a family absurd. If the prequels told us that the Jedi were flawed, the sequels tore down the myth of the Skywalker family. And both trilogies showed that you can’t be a Skywalker and / or a Jedi / Force user and have attachments and a happy family of your own at the same time. At least, not until now.

III. Film production

Many fans of old complained because the sequel trilogy implied that the “happy ending” of the original trilogy’s heroes had not been so happy after all and that after having made peace for the galaxy, they had failed to keep it that way. Other viewers however liked the new trilogy and new characters right away and began to root for them. But they, too, jumped on the blame train when the trilogy had ended: expectations were not met, and now director, producers, script writers, cutters etc. are faulted all over again.

The first person coming up with the idea of Han’s and Leia’s only child turning to the Dark Side was Lucas himself. It always was a main theme of the saga that war separates people who actually belong together, like family, couples or close friends; that is not played for mere drama, but because it emphasizes the absurdity of war.

We as the audience do not know how production went - it is very possible that Lucas approved the general storyline, and there is always a whole team on board. It is not easy to purchase such a large and immensely popular franchise; it was to be expected that if things went not the way the audience expected, the Disney studios would be blamed harshly for having “ruined Star Wars”. With the prequels, at least Lucas was still at the helm; it was conceded that maybe he had lost his magic touch with storytelling, but certainly not that he was trying deliberately to ruin his own creation. And the fans who could not praise the Disney studios enough after The Last Jedi came out, now blame them over and over.

The Disney studios have long-term politics to consider and contracts to observe, and we don’t know their contents. We have every right to be disappointed, but I think it’s not fair to blame one or a particular group of persons who are trying their best to satisfy as many viewers as possible. If they simply wanted to satisfy the average dudebro who sees nothing but clichés, two-dimensional characters and Good against Evil - then why did they allow The Last Jedi to be produced in the first place? The studios obviously are aware that there are fans out there who are ready to look deeper in the saga’s themes, who wish to see the Force coming to Balance, who value family, friendship and love over “victory at any cost”, and who do not place the Jedi on some kind of pedestal.

In a sense, The Rise of Skywalker seems like a bow before The Last Jedi: the weakest chapter of the saga followed one of its strongest. Maybe the authors were aware that equaling or even topping what Rian Johnson had created would be next to impossible, so they patched up the open threads of The Force Awakens together with some fan service hoping to be out of the business as quickly as possible.

In retrospect, the infamous podcast with Charles Soule might also be tell-tale: Soule obviously is not elbows-deep in the saga and largely ignores its subtext. Since his The Rise of Kylo Ren comics are quite well-made, I assume that the general storyline did not stem from his own creativity and that he only carried out what he had been advised to do. The production of the whole sequel trilogy may have happened in a similar way. I am not excusing the poor choices of The Rise of Skywalker; merely considering that one or a few persons cannot be blamed in a studio that has thousands of creative minds on board.

I am still hoping for the next trilogy to finally bring Balance to the galaxy, and also into the fandom. Rian Johnson had negotiated the rights for the next trilogy along with The Last Jedi; I assume it is very possible that there was a clause about intellectual property saying that only he would continue Episode VIII’s topics, nobody else. This would at least be an explanation, given the embarrassing, jumbled mess that Episode IX was.

The overall title of the saga assuredly never wanted to inspire the audience to start online wars attacking the studios or the actors or other fans out of the conviction of being entitled to blame someone else’s worldview. The saga’s message is compassion. Both George Lucas and the Disney studios are telling us their story; the idea and the rights do not belong to us. Harping on “whose fault” it allegedly is won’t bring us anywhere; what we can do is make the studios understand that we’re not too stupid not to understand the subtext, the symbolism and metaphysics of the saga beyond the action story. If they listened to the Last Jedi haters, in all fairness they are bound to listen to us, too. 😊

IV. Will Ben’s story continue?

My husband already warned me years ago that Ben most probably wouldn’t survive, or at least not get a happy ending. As Kylo Ren he had already been the head of a criminal organization for six years at the start of The Force Awakens, but all of that perhaps could still have been condoned within the scope of war. It was the very personal and intentional act of patricide, the killing of an unarmed, forgiving man, who turned him into a damned person. And after the deed, Ben was aware of it. He knew there was no way out for him, he had gone too far.

Many members of the audience did not understand that Kylo / Ben is not an out-and-out villain and that this narrative ultimately was about his redemption. Bringing him back to the Resistance after the Exegol battle alive and by Rey’s side would not have been accepted; how was Rey to explain everything when she hardly understood it herself? How would the audience have reacted to the former head of a criminal organization, a patricide, suddenly standing out as a hero? Remember how in Return of the Jedi Luke asked Vader to come away with him. Now suppose Vader had complied? It would have seemed (and been) sheer madness. Nobody would have believed neither father nor son that the terror of the galaxy had had a sudden turn of heart. Nobody knew that he was Luke’s father; Luke himself did not know Anakin’s backstory; nobody knew what had transpired between Luke and Vader so far. Yes, Ben was young and healthy, but he still had terrorized the galaxy for years and killed his own father. He knew himself that he was damned and could not go back to normality, as Vader did.

Rey was coded as the heroine: narratively, the sequel trilogy was her story. Ben couldn’t become the hero, with or without her, at the very last moment. She usurped power like her grandfather in his time, the Skywalker family was obliterated the way the Jedi were, she takes over another mantle (Skywalker) the way Palpatine did (becoming the Emperor). Balance in the Force never was truly in the cards, it was only vaguely hinted at in The Last Jedi by the Force mosaic in the Ahch-To temple. Balance is a complex and difficult subject; it would have been extremely difficult to develop it in the sequel trilogy together with introducing the new characters and giving the old ones closure.

However: if Ben is brought back in the next trilogy, his sacrifice for Rey will have been his atonement. If his role this time is not that of the villain but of the hero, it would reverse Anakin’s path and make clear that he no longer is the same man. Vader was redeemed, not rehabilitated. His grandson might still have the chance to go that way.

- Luke had promised Rey a third lesson, and it happened. He also had promised Ben to “see him around”, which has not taken place yet.

- On Tatooine, Rey watches the twin suns setting, same as Luke before he met the other half of his soul (his twin sister) again.

- The studios had said that the sequels would be “very much like the prequels”; the prequels were a tragedy where the Dark Side (Palpatine) won that was followed by a fairy tale where the Light Side won.

- The Skywalker saga is closed, so if Ben comes back it would be justified by his being a Solo, i.e. the story of his own family and not his grandfather’s.

- Given the parallels with Beauty and the Beast, the Beast died before the broken spell brought him back, making him a wholly new person - his past identity, purged and redeemed.

- George Lucas repeatedly said that the prequels and the classics belong together as one narrative, with Anakin Skywalker at its center. First news of the next trilogy came up with The Last Jedi. Since there are strong parallels between Ben and his grandfather, we may assume that this six-chapter instalment will be his; Anakin also was left for dead but came back with a wholly different role and name.

- When Anakin was reborn as Darth Vader, he “rose” slowly from the ground, clad in his black armor. Ben fell to the ground abruptly and shed his black clothes, disappearing. This could be another clue. (It was also already speculated that Leia’s body dissolved exactly in this moment because she gave her life-force to her son for him to have another chance to live. Both Han and Luke had done what they could to atone for their remorse towards Ben; this might be her turn.)

- Much as I love Luke Skywalker, I can understand that Lucas did not see him as the saga’s protagonist. The overall arch is not so much about Luke’s heroism than about Anakin’s redemption and atonement. It is unusual because we expect the story’s “hero” to be the one who kills the Bad Guy; and indeed Anakin is, because he kills Palpatine in the end, the twist being that technically he is also a villain though not the archvillain.

- Ben had promised Anakin he would finish what he started. Anakin had been meant to bring Balance to the Force, and he had started a family. Until now, Ben did neither.

- If Ben and Rey are a dyad, i.e. one soul in two bodies, then Rey is in urgent need of her soulmate for her future tasks. She has her friends of course, but none of them gets her the way he did.

So, I still see reason to hope for a continuation, and, hopefully, satisfying conclusion of The Last Jedi’s themes.

Film production: on a side note…

In the Nineties, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale were the directors both of Beauty and the Beast and Atlantis: two more different stories are hardly imaginable with regard to everything - drawing style, setting, characters, development, music etc. This outcome can’t have been only due to the director’s choices, there must have been a wholly different idea behind both films right from the beginning. Just saying.

44 notes · View notes

vnderoos · 4 years

Text

risky business ❁ poe dameron

(gif is not mine, credit to the owner) warnings / language, battle scene but nothing graphic, poe and the reader arguing but it's fine, we're fine, everything's fine word count / 3.9k

masterlist in bio ↴

"SO, WE STILL DON'T have a solid plan right now?" Y/N asked incredulously as she and Poe Dameron, the co-captain of their recently merged squadrons, made their way towards the hangar. Since her hands were covered in leather gloves, she typed her code in instead of using the palm-scanner and the metal door shot open.

She looked over at Poe as they both entered the large room, their men already prepping their ships for battle. He turned and shrugged his shoulders at her. "Looks like it," he answered, entirely too nonchalantly, and he started towards his X-Wing. Was he serious? She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, tugging him back by the bright orange material, and he rolled his eyes dramatically. "What, Y/L/N?" He sighed and his arm hung limply in her grip.

He made no move to pull it back.

She shot him a look before she dropped his arm, watching it smack against his side. "What do you mean 'what'? You're not seriously just gonna fly out there, are you?" She questioned, her eyebrows furrowing as she did. She didn't want to believe that he could possibly be this stupid, but the shrug he offered her in response was kind of forcing her hand. "You're gonna put everyone—me, our pilots, and yourself—at risk. I was thinking we could each take our original squadrons, flank the dreadnought, take out the threats on each side, and clear the way for Tallie's bombers," she suggested. "Blue will be their protection and we can just offer support," she finished, spelling out a simple plan of action since he clearly had nothing better.

But of course, he was going to be difficult about it. She should've expected nothing less. "I say we just go right in," he countered and she couldn't help but widen her eyes at him. She laid out an entire plan for him and he just shot it down without even considering it. Unbelievable. "They're gonna come at us with all they've got either way, so why not just fight back all together," he explained.

She pressed the heel of her hand between her eyebrows. "If we're huddled together, we've got one big target on our backs, Dameron," she argued, wishing just this once that he'd think before diving headfirst into a literal warzone.

"Or, if we're all shooting at the same time, we hit them back with more firepower," he countered. "We can take out the surface cannons while we're at it," he added coolly. She knew that he wanted to take out the dreadnought, they all did, so why was he being so hardheaded about it?

Was he just refusing to cooperate because it was her?

Sure, Poe had every right to be angry with her. He could hate her all he wanted and she wouldn't stop him. She was having just as much trouble adjusting to the co-captain situation as he was, so she understood why it was so easy for him to get upset with her. They weren't just Black and White anymore—they were the Grey Squadron—and it was tough not being able to call the shots alone anymore. It sucked, having to run all their ideas past each other before doing anything, but his feelings about her didn't excuse him from shutting out rational ideas.

So, why was he?

Y/N clenched her fists at her sides and her gloves squeaked quietly as she did. "Firepower and taking down the surface cannons isn't gonna matter if we all die in the first five minutes, flyboy," she pointed out and he scoffed.

He threw his hands out in front of him lightly in an undermining gesture. "Alright, say you flank, then," he said, painting her a picture of just one way this fight could turn out. "What happens when there's too many fighters for your squad to cover and mine can't back you up?" He asked, making sure to degrade the former White Squadron as he did.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "My guys can handle a couple of pansy TIE-Fighters," she snapped, rising to the defense of her men. He could say what he wanted about her but borderline insulting her team was another story. They worked their asses off for the Resistance, fought for the same thing as everyone else did, and they didn't deserve an ounce of disrespect from anyone. Especially not him. "You wanna worry about someone? Worry about your own damn squad," she growled. Of course, she had nothing against his guys but she had a few bones to pick with him.

Poe let out a bitter laugh. "Why do you think Leia combined our squadrons in the first place, Captain?" He hissed, slowly backing her up against the metal wall of the hangar. "Because you. needed. help," he said, moving to touch his fingertip to the center of her chest, but she shoved him backwards lightly before he could.

"Leia combined our squadrons because you don't plan for shit," she spat. She was tired of this shit, tired of him acting like he was everything she was and more. Clearly, he wasn't that much more or he wouldn't be co-captain. "You run straight into everything and you don't even think about the aftermath. You just hope that everything works out in your favor, but this," she paused, gesturing between herself and him, "this is what happens when it doesn't. I'm your goddamn babysitter," she finished.

"Babysitter, my ass. You're the one who's not thinking about consequences here, not me. You're gonna get yourself killed with the flank," Poe snarled and he took a few steps towards her.

Instead of letting him herd her towards the wall, she stood her ground this time. "Oh, and flying into their line of fire is somehow better?" She asked, staring into his eyes as she took a step towards him. "At least with flanking we cover twice the area and it cuts our targets in half," she explained. "If you cooperated, we could take them out in half the time, too," she said, dangerously close to him at that point, but she refused to back down.

Poe's jaw visibly clenched as he looked down at her, his brown eyes burning into her own. "I'll cooperate when the ice on Hoth melts, sweetheart," he told her and she clenched her fists again.

This was outrageous.

There was a chance his plan would work but it would destroy the squads in a matter of minutes. A bigger group meant a bigger target. "You're not an idiot, Dameron," she muttered. "Stop acting like it," she said, leaning closer to him for emphasis.

Their faces were only centimeters apart at this point. She could see every one of his eyelashes and every small, angry wrinkle that had settled into his face as a result of their conversation. She could see the stubble on the lower half of his face, the fire in his eyes, and the furrow of his brow but she didn't pull away.

And neither did he.

Instead, they stayed like that—in a silent pissing match—for a few seconds, until Poe finally broke away. "I'm done with this, Y/L/N. Like it or not, we're doing this my way," he instructed as he turned away from her, starting towards his X-Wing.

"You're gonna get our men killed," she yelled after him but all he did was pull his helmet on over his head. She watched as he hopped into his ship and closed himself inside. "Asshole," she whispered to herself before she pulled her own helmet on, flipping the orange-tinted visor over her eyes and making her way to her starfighter. She secured herself inside the cockpit, flipped a few switches to turn her comms on, and hoped that Poe didn't fuck anything up before she got herself situated.

Y/N pressed a button and the engines of her X-Wing whirled to life. "Captains, what do you want us to do?" A voice, Bitty from the White Squadron, she recognized, crackled into her ears. All of their pilots were still in the hangar, ships fired up and ready to move out, but they needed their game plan. She opened her mouth to respond but she didn't get the chance to.

"When we get out there, everyone follow my lead," Poe answered first. Of course he did.

"Y/N?" She let out an amused huff of air and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth when she realized that Bitty didn't entirely trust Poe. She was fairly certain that the majority of the ex-White Squadron didn't trust him all that much, either.

And for good reason.

She looked down at her control panel and slid one of the buttons up, listening to the jets in her engines get a little bit louder. She could've pitched her plan right then and there and she was sure her squad would've listened but Poe's men's loyalty lied with him. Whatever Poe said, they would do, and she was pretty damn sure that whether she mentioned her plan or not, he'd still run this his how he wanted to. There was no use flanking if the other half of their team wasn't going to cooperate. "Follow our lead," she said, correcting his mistake, but she was ultimately agreeing with him. Y/N placed her hand on a lever and shifted it upwards, lifting the wheels of her X-Wing, as the rest of their squad did the same. When all of their fighters were hovering in the air, she shook the tension out of her shoulders. "Alright, people," she started, taking a deep breath, "it's go time."

After that, a flurry of X-Wings shot out of the hangar, with Poe's and Y/N's leading the way. It never seemed to be enough for Poe that they both held equal authority over their squad, flew side by side, and offered them equal guidance, as he always made it a point to speed up a little, just enough to where the nose of his fighter passed her own. Y/N hated when he did that, as it always felt like a challenge, so she leveled their ships out each time.

As their fighters neared the dreadnought, large blasters began to pop up out of the First Order ship. "See those guns?" Poe asked, his voice mingling with static as his words played through the receiver. "Those are surface cannons. Stay close and take them out," he commanded as one of the cannons shot out at them. Their fighters moved to the side, dodging the attack, and Poe and Y/N retaliated. Their crafts sprayed the cannon down, resulting in a fiery explosion as they landed their target. "Nice job, but we've still got more to go," he stated.

He might've been a close-minded asshole when it came to Y/N and quick to jump into danger when it came to anything else but she had to admit that he was a damn good captain. He kept everyone on task, made everyone feel important, and he was very vocal about what needed to be done next. Normally, she'd be doing something similar, but since they were following through with his idea, she let him take the reigns for now.

She hoped that she wouldn't regret it.

After a little while longer of dodging the cannon fire, taking out the surface guns, and following orders from Poe, there was movement on either side of the dreadnought. "Here come the TIE-Fighters. We stay crowded like this and they'll spray us down, no problem. Break off, bait a couple at a time, and take those fliers out," she ordered and she turned a couple of knobs on her control panel, putting more power into her jets. Hordes of First Order fighters were pouring into the scene at this point.

She looked over at Poe's X-Wing, expecting him to fight her on it, but instead, she saw him nod. Her heart fluttered in her chest. "You heard her," he yelled into the comms and then both of their starfighters raced forwards, splitting off from each other and towards the TIE-Fighters.

She felt pride surge through her body as she rounded up a group of fighters, making a sharp turn to lure them away from their team. "Did you just agree with me, Captain?" She asked, jerking the wheel of her X-Wing upwards so she could flip over the enemy pilots.

"Don't get used to it, Y/L/N," he answered and she laughed, firing her blasters and sending the fighters spiraling into the dreadnought. They exploded upon impact.

"Wouldn't dream of it," she hummed. The squadron kept on like that for a while, blasting the shit out of the TIE-Fighters and taking down surface cannons when the opportunities presented themselves, and eventually, the fighters were destroyed and a single cannon was all that was left. "Alright, there's one left. No fighters right now, but the second we go for it, more are gonna flood out. Cover me and I'll go for it," she barked into the comms and she headed towards the surface cannon at full speed. Poe fired his blasters at her, forcing her to swerve up and out of the way. "What the hell, Dameron? You're gonna—"

"Fall back, Y/L/N," he warned. "When the fighters come out, they're gonna go straight for you. Don't put yourself at risk. Let me do it. I've got more experience as a pilot, so I've got a better shot," he explained, maneuvering his starship closer to her own in an attempt to overtake her.

She shook her head to herself. No. No way. "Poe, are you serious? I'm trying to do something useful and this is the one time you want to play the hero for me?" She asked. "I'm not gonna let you risk your life so you can prove that you're better than me," she shouted.

"Better than you? I'm trying to save your ass," he argued but she wouldn't budge. She was barreling towards the cannon, ready to blow it off of the dreadnought but he couldn't let her do it. Sure, they weren't on the best terms and they had their differences, but that didn't mean he was gonna sit there and watch her risk getting blown to bits for the sake of the Resistance. That was his job. "You'll thank me for this later," he said, before he dropped back, firing his blasters so he could take out her guns.

Red and yellow warning lights flashed over her control panel, a siren wailing in her ears, and she flipped a few controls and tried to get her weapon systems back on board, but nothing was happening. She was screwed. With no defenses, she was forced to turn around and regroup with the rest of her team, watching as Poe headed straight for the cannon. "If you fuck this up, I'm gonna wring—"

Poe laughed. "Relax. I'm not gonna fuck it up," he promised.

The Grey Squadron rushed forward as TIE-Fighters spilled into the airfield, all headed towards Poe's ship. Y/N would've taken a few of them out but her weapons were down, so she had to resort to baiting them, leading them to the squad so they could shoot them down.

As Poe started to rain fire on the surface cannon, two TIE-Fighters flew after him, sending blasts towards him. "Poe, you've got shadows," she warned.

"Yeah, I—shit," he hissed as they shot out one of his engines, his ship swaying in the air as it tried to adjust to its loss of support and a wave of fear shot through her body. "They got me, but as soon as I—" He cut off. His comms went radio silent as the surface cannon exploded, Poe's X-Wind and the two TIE-Fighters disappearing into clouds of fire.

Her heart lurched in her chest at the sight and she couldn't stop herself from rushing towards the wreckage. "Dameron?" She called as she flew towards the fire but she got nothing. Her stomach plummeted to her feet at that point and she felt like she might be sick. He didn't just blow himself up, did he? "Poe?" Y/N called feebly, her nervousness evident in her voice.

Just when she was about to turn away, label him as dead and call for the Torchers, his X-Wing shot through the air like a blaster bullet. Poe's comms came back on again and his triumphant whoop sounded through her ears. "All clear!" He shouted and relief flooded her body. "Bring the bombs!"

—

After Poe took out the last surface cannon and Tallie lead the bombardiers towards the dreadnought, they lost a lot of good fighters. Members of the Blue Squadron were lost in the battle and many of their bombers didn't make it back but the job was finished. The dreadnought was reduced to nothing once those bombs went off. Everyone was back on the Raddus, now, and the Grey Squadron had returned loss-free but just barely.

Y/N still couldn't believe that Poe had done what he had, how he'd kept after that cannon with one of his jets out and two TIE-Fighters on his tail. It was idiotic, it was reckless, and she was still pissed about it. "You," she said, pointing her finger at him as she made her way towards him from her X-Wing. She tossed her helmet to the side so she could use her hand to smack him in the chest. Poe's eyes were a bit wide as he stumbled back once but a soft laugh bubbled through his lips. "You have some nerve taking out my weapon systems and putting yourself in danger like that," she started as he grabbed either side of his helmet, pulling it off of his head and tossing it into the cockpit of his ship. "You could've fucked up this entire thing, Dameron. You could've gotten yourself—"

A smirk made its way onto his face and he tilted his head at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Were you worried about me, sweetheart?" He asked quietly, stopping her little spiel in its tracks.

Maybe she was worried, but she shouldn't have been. Poe was cocky. He was cocky, and he was arrogant, and he was a downright asshole but she was worried about him. "If you'd died out there, it would've been on me," she told him, completely avoiding his question. "What would I have told Leia, huh? 'Oh, I'm sorry. I let Poe shoot out my weapon systems so he could kill himself'. Sound about right to you?" She asked.

Poe couldn't help but laugh again. "Forget about Leia, Y/N. You were worried about me," he hummed and it wasn't a question this time. Something about the way she was acting made him sure of it but, instead of admitting it, she narrowed her eyes at him.

She stared at him for a good ten seconds before she sighed. "No. No, you know what? You don't get to tell me that I was anything, you hear me?" She asked, running her hands over her face and pushing her hair back angrily. "I'm the one who's supposed to be telling you that you're stuff right now and you're an idiot!" She shouted, throwing her hands out to the side. "You're a big, stupid, careless idiot and you could've died. You could've died, Poe!" She continued, full-on yelling at him at this point, because she still couldn't believe it.

He took a risk, but he always took risks. How was this any different? Why was this affecting her so much? "But I didn't," he argued, raising his voice slightly in return. "Why are you getting so worked up about this?" He barked at her.

"Because you're my co-captain, Poe!" She exclaimed. "You're my partner and, as much as we argue, and as much as I want to hate you, I can't, okay?" She continued, her voice still loud but it was getting softer. "I know that you hate me but we're supposed to look out for each other. So, if you died and I couldn't have done anything to stop it, I—" She started but he stopped her.

"Hey, I don't hate you," he held up one of his gloved fingers and he cut her off, watching as she sighed and ran a hand over her face again. "I don't hate you, Y/L/N, I mean, I was trying to protect you. I put myself at risk out there for you," he told her softly, taking a few slow steps towards her. He reached out to her, almost like he was afraid to scare her off, but once he realized that she wasn't going anywhere, he wrapped his arms around her gently. She welcomed the warmth that he offered her and let him pull her into his chest. "We fight a lot but like you said, we're supposed to look out for each other," he whispered.

"Well, don't do shit like that for me ever again," she told him quietly. "Don't take out my only way to back you up and fly into a cannon again because that was stupid. That was so stupid. You're so stupid," she berated, placing both of her hands on his chest and pushing him away slightly so she could look up at him.

Even though she was still somewhat angry at him, she couldn't help but think that he was kind of pretty in that moment. His dark curls were plastered to his forehead with sweat, in a cute way, and his lips were pulled into a crooked smile. She was also close enough to where she could see the crinkles in the corners of his eyes and that little crease on the tip of his nose.

He scoffed. "Yeah?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "Yeah," she affirmed. "It's insane how stupid you can be sometimes, honestly. I can't believe you'd do something so wild, so dumb, when we both know I can handle myself. You always take risks like that and I—"

"Maybe I do," Poe said, cutting her off, and all traces of a smile were gone because he was entirely serious, now. "Maybe you're right but I couldn't risk losing you," he confessed and her heart stopped.

When he said that, he took all her hope of breathing correctly or formulating proper sentences away and all she could do was look at him. Her jaw fell open slightly and her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to process the meaning of what he'd just said. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she had no idea what to say, so she took a chance of her own.

Y/N placed one of her hands over Poe's cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone, and she leaned in to kiss him softly. His eyelids fluttered shut the moment that he felt her lips meet his and he kissed her back sweetly, cupping her jawline so he could tilt her face to kiss her better.

His stubble rubbed against her chin as he kissed her but she didn't mind. Nothing she'd done before had ever felt so right and, then, something occurred to her:

Maybe some things were worth the risk.

↴

authors note / hi, clearly the battle is not canonically correct but i hope it was a good read anyways taglist / @pvintbreak @umchrisevans

#poe dameron #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron imagines #poe dameron x reader #oscar isaac #oscar isaac imagine #oscar isaac imagines #oscar isaac x reader #star wars #star wars imagine #star wars imagines #star wars x reader

557 notes · View notes