#poe darmeron x you

[aellynera]

Beat the System (Poe Dameron x f!Reader; high school AU)

BEAT THE SYSTEM

My darling @autumnleaves1991-blog is doing a Writer Wednesday thing (click that link for details) and today’s challenge was:

...so I wrote this little thing. may or may not be based on things that might have somewhat happened during my years as a summer amusement park lackey.

Word Count: ~2100

Summary: You see a lot of people at your summer job, and you didn’t really want to see him or for him to see you, but that’s not how the system works.

Warnings: Female reader. High School AU. References to clowns. Complaining. Nothing else really, just a lot of fluff. As usual, mostly kind of proofread.

You kind of hated your summer job. 

It wasn’t so much that you hated having to get a job in the first place, after your parents insisted that’s what you’d need to do if you wanted your own car. And the job itself was actually pretty easy, at least in theory.

The ring toss stand at the local amusement park was your domain. Your days were spent surrounded by giant stuffed elephants and aliens and teddy bears, taking money, handing out rings, watching people throw them at bottles. Ninety-nine percent of the time this also meant watching them lose. The losses generally led to another futile round of buying and tossing. And, invariably, cussing; never mind that this was a family establishment and there was a five-year-old standing three feet away from the offender.

No, it was the job on repeat for eight hours a day, five days out of the week. It was seeing all your friends come by and have fun while you literally had to watch them (but hey, at least you got paid.) It was having to work every single weekend. And it was all the people. People you’d known your whole life, people who lived in neighboring towns, busses full of people from who knows where that flocked to this place every single year.

And it was just weird to think of this place as a destination. It was just the amusement park that was there all your life, that your parents went to when they were in high school, and maybe their parents did too. This place was freaking old. But why people felt the need to come by the busload from hours away--

“Hey, I didn’t know you worked here.”

The voice broke through your ranting brain and you looked up to see a familiar face grinning back at you from the other side of the booth.

Poe Dameron was a senior. He was captain of both the football and the soccer team, treasurer of the student council, sang on the chorus, played bass in the jazz band, was in the drama club, and you were pretty sure there were at least a dozen other things he just did because he was good at everything. 

He was also ridiculously hot and the last person you wanted to see you in your ridiculous, brightly colored work uniform. He stood before you looking like he just crawled off the cover of a romance novel, all tan skin and dark curls and defined muscles, and there you were with a high ponytail and baggy shorts and a shirt that would put a clown to shame.

Honestly, all you needed were the giant floppy shoes.

He was also there with a group of his rowdy, juvenile football friends, which only promised to make this hell even more scorching. At least for now, they seemed to be occupied with ogling the girl who ran the tilt-a-whirl across the path and completely ignoring you.

You scrunched your face at him. “Poe, I’ve seen you here like twenty times this summer. You’ve even played this game before. You know I work here.”

“Okay, you got me,” his grin didn’t falter. You weren’t sure, but it might have even gotten a little bigger. He handed over ten dollars. “A bucket of rings, please.”

Great, he was going to hang around. You glanced at your watch, and it solemnly informed you that your break wasn’t for another hour and half. So you were stuck there. In a virtual clown suit. With the hot senior you might have had a little crush on.

Not like you ever doodled his initials in your notebooks or on scraps of paper when the crowds at the stand died down. You denied all knowledge of these supposed incidents.

You could act like a normal person in his presence.

You sighed and took the money from him, handing him a bucket full of red plastic rings in return. “You know this game is rigged, right? They all are.”

“So I’ve heard.” He picked up his first ring. “But I am determined to beat the system.”

You rolled your eyes. “Do you have to be good at everything?”

Poe shot you a quick side-eye before turning his attention back to the sea of bottles in front of him. He tossed the first ring and it flipped end over end before bouncing off a bottle top with a spectacular ding! His brow furrowed as he reached for another ring.

“Apparently not,” he muttered. “But I’ll still beat it. You see, there’s this girl I want to impress, and…” He tossed the second ring and watched it ricochet off another bottle top.

“Of course there is,” you snorted. “There’s probably a whole horde of them.”

He chuckled. “Nope, just one.”

You waved your arm in a grand gesture toward the playing field. “Well then, have at it, Romeo. You know the rules. No leaning over the rail, and you have to land five rings to win. Let me know when you need another bucket.”

“Oh ye of little faith,” he replied as he tossed yet another ring. You tried, you really really tried, to ignore the way the tip of his tongue stuck out between his teeth as he concentrated.

And so it went until the entire bucket full of rings littered the floor of the stall, with nary a single one landing on its intended target. You grabbed the sweeper and started pushing them back into the bins underneath the counter.

Poe growled in frustration. “Seriously?!” He waved another ten in your direction and you handed him another bucket, giggling as you made the exchange.

“I told you, it’s rigged. But…” you crooked a finger to motion him closer. And then tried to remember how breathing worked as he leaned in, now just inches from your face.

“Yeah?” he whispered.

The attempt to subtly clear your throat was only half successful.

“Well, I didn’t tell you this,” you pointed toward the bottles, “but the table is slightly higher on that side, and so is that one part in the middle. If you aim for those bottles, you can probably bounce the rings onto the lower ones.”

The grin he flashed almost blinded you. “Beat the system.”

“Beat the system,” you agreed.

You leaned back and watched. After the first six rings or so, Poe seemed to figure out which bottles to aim for and how to toss the ring (with a bit of spin, of course) and before you knew it, his fifth ring landed on the center bottle and he was shouting “yes!” with a little fist pump.

“I am impressed, Dameron,” you said, clapping. “I bet this girl will be too.”

“I hope so,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Did he suddenly look kind of shy? No, that wasn’t Poe Dameron. He was the polar opposite of shy.

“Which one?” you asked, pointing to the prizes hanging above you.

“Which one would you pick? If you just beat the system and you were trying to impress someone?”

“Uhhh…” Why in the world was he asking you? It didn’t matter, this was his deal, you just worked there. And quite honestly, you probably wouldn’t pick any of these monstrosities. They were huge. And kind of weird looking. And neon colored.

After a few moments of confused contemplation, your eyes finally landed on a giant purple teddy bear, half hidden behind a chartreuse alien and an orange thing that was trying to impersonate an octopus. You pulled it down and handed it over.

“Here you go, the least weird thing you just spent twenty bucks on when you could have just gone to the mall and bought something more reasonable.”

“Nah, this is perfect,” Poe replied, grabbing the bear. It was nearly half as big as he was. You often wondered how anyone dragged them around the park for the rest of the day, much less managed to get them home. “Thanks for the advice.”

You couldn’t help the smirk that rose on your lips. “It was either that, or have to explain to my supervisor why you would have ended up hanging around until the park closed.”

He laughed loudly. “Rey would have understood. She’s cool like that.”

“Geez, you’re good at everything, do you know everyone in the entire galaxy too?”

Poe didn’t seem to hear you, though, as he looked over his shoulder and around the area, and you followed his gaze. His friends were nowhere to be seen and vaguely, you wondered when they’d wandered off and why they hadn’t very loudly announced it to him. He glanced back at you with a sheepish smile.

“I, uh, I should go find the guys,” he said. “And let you get back to work.”

“Yeah, okay,” you replied. All of the easy-going rapport from the past however long Poe had been there suddenly evaporated and every ounce of awkwardness you normally felt around him returned. “I’ll see you.”

You might have been looking anywhere but at him, but you didn’t miss the small wave he gave you as he walked away, and you definitely felt the heat that rose in your cheeks.

Poe was quickly forgotten as a swarm of ten-year-olds rushed the stand and the incessant clanging of misthrown rings once again took over all your waking moments. You didn’t think about him for the rest of your shift. All you could think about was how tired you were, how hot the day had been, how much you wanted to shower and sleep and pretend you didn’t have to do this again tomorrow and--

Your feet ground to halt in the employee parking lot and approached your beloved car, the entire reason you had this forsaken job in the first place. Your car, which, you would have serious questions had you not known exactly where the thing came from, had a giant purple teddy bear sitting on the hood.

As you got closer, you could see something sticking out from beneath the bow tied around its neck. It was a slip of paper, with a phone number scrawled on it. And a little “P.” with a heart.

What was even happening right now.

Before you knew it, your phone was out of your purse and you were calling his number. Sure, you might have had to dial it four times because your nervous fingers kept pressing the wrong digits, but who was counting? And never mind that it was almost midnight. It was summer, he’d still be awake, right? 

Finally you got it right, and the call picked up on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” you breathed.

“Hey,” you could picture the trademark Dameron grin behind it. And he sounded...relieved? “I’m really glad you called.”

“How did you get into the employee parking lot?”

“I didn’t. I asked Rey for a favor. I figured she might know which car was yours. Told you she’s cool like that.”

You laughed softly. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess she really is.”

“So I do have a really important question for you. Well, two actually.”

“I’m listening,” you said. It was hard to hear anything over how hard your heart was thumping in your ears, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Question one. Can I take you out on a date?”

“Yeah,” you said again and closed your eyes, partly out of a need to center yourself and mostly out of sheer embarrassment. Maybe one day, you would remember how to speak to Poe Dameron in multiple word sentences, but right at this moment was not that time. Oh well.

“Awesome,” he breathed out. “I was hoping you’d say yes.”

“Yes.” Thankfully he didn’t seem to be deterred by your current lack of language skills.

Poe laughed warmly. “Now, second question. Did it work?”

This time you couldn’t even come up with a verbal response. You just erupted in a bout of giggles, Poe Dameron laughing along with you. And somehow, you got that ridiculous monstrosity of a teddy bear into your back seat.

The somehows kept coming. Somehow you remembered how to use words. Somehow it was well after midnight now without either of you giving it permission to get that late. Somehow your phone refused to end the call. Somehow the hours were slipping by until you had to be at the park for an early opening shift in the morning, and somehow you suddenly didn’t care at all about getting any sleep.

Maybe this job wasn’t so bad, after all.

~end~

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[fangirlingincamouflage]

365 Days of Drabbles- Day 7

Title: Just a Drink Author: Rosie Dayze Word Count: 1018 Pairing: Poe x Reader Rating: PG-13 Themes: Rekinding an old flame, difficult romance, angst, Disclaimer: I do not own Poe Dameron. Poe Darmeron is the property of Disney and Lucasfilm. I make no money from this fanfiction.

The cantina is loud. The scent of liquor imported from a hundred worlds mingles with the musk of pilots, smugglers, and a half dozen other people who have no desire to be found by the First Order. Batuu isn’t a hospitable planet, but it is easily overlooked.

You bring a drink to your lips. The bitter taste of week old water dressed with herbs tickles your throat. No alcohol for you tonight. The meds they pumped you full of have already left your head feeling light.

“Pilot,” the voice is warm, bordering on gentle.

You look up, feel your heart go heavy in your chest. It doesn’t match the buoyant attitude of the rebels around you. They dance, feet flying, with the jazzy tunes of Bith musicians. There is a hard edge to their celebrations. The laughter is too sharp, the flirtations too forced. Everyone wants to pretend like they aren’t stressed, yourself included.

“Poe, I think we moved past calling one another by titles a long time ago.”

He smirks, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. It’s only now you notice that the eyes are filled with something you didn’t expect; worry.

“I didn’t know,” he says. The music swells and he takes the seat next to you so he doesn’t have to scream to be heard over the tumult. Your vision is filled with that damndably pretty face of his. The eyes, dark as evening pools and lips that look soft and kissable all at once. You don’t know if you want to move away, or slide closer. His smile is a little more genuine when he says, “The last time we spoke, you slapped me in the face and told me never to look at you again.”

“Fair enough,” you respond, taking another sip of your drink. It doesn’t taste good, but your headache is absolving.

“I heard about your ship. I’m sorry.”

So are you. The Upstart was your ship. It had been since the dawn of your smuggling days, before you decided to sign up with General Organa and the rest of these rebels. Before, you admit silently to yourself, you decided to follow him.

Now the ship is gone, blown to pieces, and you are a wreck posing as calm.

“Well, we had a good run.”

“Are you talking about the ship?” he asks, leaning so close that his next words are breathed across your own lips. “Or you and I?”

For a moment you aren’t sure if he is joking, flirting, or some strange mix of the two. Moreover you aren’t sure which you hope for. Growing up you had been sure of the kind of person you’d want. Someone who was sweet enough to be devoted, but not smart enough to know that all those credits in your account were exactly legally earned. Poe was sweet, but devoted? To the cause maybe. He’d made that clear enough. And you’d call him a lot of things before you called him dumb.

And yet, every time he walked by your eyes seemed doomed to follow. Every time he smiled, your heart felt a little lighter. Even now, with your ship dead and the rebellion barely holding itself together on a planet that no one would ever want to live on, you find it hard to not just reach out and touch him.

“Let’s not,” you say, pulling back.

He looks surprised. “What?”

“Poe, we’ve traveled this shipping lane a thousand times before. It never works.” It hurts to say, even if you know it’s true. “It doesn’t work. It never works.”

He shoves a hand through his hair. The rumpled, dark locks spring out in a hundred directions. One particularly stubborn curl ribbons across his forehead. “It would work if you stopped walking away from me.”

Your grip tightens on your cup. “I’m not the only one who walks away, Poe.” You shake your head, fix your gaze on him, and swallow down the pain that has nothing to do with having survived the crash of your ship and livelihood. “You put everything before me.”

“The rebellion-”

“Is not the only thing I’m talking about. I get how much this cause means to you. It means something to me too.”

“A paycheck,” he says through gritted teeth.

“Yes,” you say, unflinching. “I’m a damn good smuggler and I like getting paid for what I provide. But you know that I don’t charge the rebellion half of what I could, barely even a third. So don’t wave the fact that I need those credits to keep my ship...” You stop, remembering all too well that there isn’t a ship anymore. You throat closes and the headache returns full force. Tears, unwanted and hot, spring to your eyes. You curse softly.

His arm comes around you, and you have no desire to pull away. He is warm, stable, and everything you need. Your tears are heavy, and they stain the dark orange of his flight suit. You don’t care, and, you suspect, neither does he. His hand brushes up and down your back. He whispers words into your ear that you can’t really hear because of the music. But you don’t need to hear them. You know what he’s saying. You know his tone.

The Upstart had been your pride and joy, now it’s gone. Now you are stuck. You hate being stuck anywhere. Maybe he was right. Maybe you were the one walking away.

“I’m sorry,” you say, looking up. He stops you with a finger on your lips.

“You’ve never needed to apologize to me.” He brings his lips to yours, the kiss is gentle, soft, and nearly chaste. “I love you for who you are.”

“Still?” you ask.

He shrugs, and pulls you closer. The line of your body mates to his. “I wont say that what we are makes sense. I never know which way is up or down with you. But I’d rather not know the direction, than lose my way entirely.”

#poe dameron #star wars #fanfiction #reader x poe