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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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It starts with a simple glance in the hallway with Kaydel staring a little longer than she should, but who could blame her Poe Dameron definitely was something good to look at, especially during war. It then at one point progresses to a quick smile on Poe's side and a blushing Kaydel. This went on for weeks, a simple glance and a simple smile. It soon progressed to full-on conversations and small flirtatious jokes. Then Poe got sent on a mission to Jakku, and her world fell apart.

The ship got blown off the radar. Kaydel just sat at her station and stared. When a ship went off the radar they assumed the pilot was dead, and Kaydel couldn't just assume Poe was dead. Her heart ached as she filled out the report of the missing in action pilot. Kaydel tried to keep it together until after her shift, but couldn't. After she filed the report about Poe's X-Wing being destroyed it took every ounce of strength she had not to cry but slowly the tears slipped out. She tried to fight through the last half-hour she had of monitoring but she couldn't. She made quick eye contact with General Organa and then ran out of the control center of the base. She ran into her shared room with another resistance junior controller. Thankfully her roommate was gone, leaving Kaydel to cry over what could have been in peace.

It had been days since Poe had gone missing before Kaydel actually did something again. With motivation from General Organa, who came into her room and told her to get it together since the rebellion needed her skill set, she got out of her bed and went to the bathroom to fix her disheveled appearance. After a heavy scrubbing of her hair and body, she cleaned her portion of the dorm room and headed into the control center. Ignoring the, aching in her heart she sat at her position and monitored her screens.

Kaydel moved through her life in a zombie-like state for a few days after she started her life once more. She pushed down her heart's desire and longing for Poe and moved forward. Then a transmission came into her secure station from Jakku. Kaydel answered it, hoping it might be Poe, and also knowing had to be someone in the resistance given it was a secure transmission. "Kaydel," the transmission said, "It's Poe, I'm stuck on Jakku and need someone to get me off this desert and find BB-8."

Kaydel quickly sent Poe's transmission to General Organa, who gladly sent an X-Wing to pick up the stranded pilot and continue calling her contacts for any intel on the small missing drone. Kaydel was ecstatic that Poe was still alive and was coming back to the base, and back to her.

The moment Kaydel heard the chatter of the X-Wing returning with Poe landing back on base she jumped out of her chair and started running to the hangar. She was determined to reach Poe before he had to go to debriefing.

When Kaydel reached the hangar she spotted the X-Wing with Poe on it and sprinted towards it. As she was running towards it, Poe and the pilot were getting out of the cramped ship, and then Poe spotted the blonde sprinting towards him. He ran down the stairs of the X-Wing and ran towards her with extended arms. He bent down a little to grasp her smaller frame in a hug. After a few minutes of contact Kaydel softly whispers, "I thought you were dead." She buries herself deeper into his embrace and starts to cry. Poe pulls away from the hug and pulls her chin up so that he could see her eyes. He wipes the tears away and presses a kiss to her lips. "I'm so scared of losing you," she quietly admits.

"You won't," he promises.

#Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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Poe found Kaydel crying in the hallway of their new base. He couldn’t say where exactly they were in the galaxy, just that they were safe for now. Their escape from Crait had been far too frantic, too miraculous for his comfort, and it was a difficult adjustment to the quiet of their new hiding place from the cramped quarters on the Millennium Falcon.

She was crying and sniffling, her shoulders shaking, and he sat down beside her, put his arm around her shoulders.

He wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, that they’re safe now, that it will be fine, but he couldn’t find the words. So he settled for gently stroking her arm, and let her turn her head and cry into his shoulder. Not long after, he put his other arm around her as well so it became more a hug, a comfort, a tether to another living being, reminding them that they were in fact alive, that they had survived.

A comfort: a hug between colleagues who hours earlier were party to a rebellion within a rebellion--colleagues who no longer had many other colleagues left. A hug between friends who had teasingly challenged each other as they moved through the ranks of the Resistance. Friends who would now have to live for the friends they had lost.

Friends who flirted with each other, and everyone else, when drunk, but never went home with each other. That potential had always been there, a silent acknowledgment of the feelings they had never named, never acted on, never allowed.

Kaydel had always been there for Poe when he returned from a long mission. Of course she was by his side, his support for Finn and Rose’s plan.

Poe walked Kaydel to a room with a sleeping pallet, his arm around her shoulders the whole way. They didn’t run into anyone on the way there. It was a strange feeling. The halls were too empty and quiet. Ghosts of fighters past danced in the air around them.

He made to leave after making sure she had supplies for the evening, going to wrap a blanket around her shoulders in place of his arm, but she pulled him inside, pulled his lips down to hers, entwined her fingers in his hair.

Her lips were soft and sweet and so was her hair. They kissed as if they had never kissed anyone before, desperate and biting and wet.

Before he knew it he had her in his arms, her legs around his waist and her back to the wall, and she was grabbing at his jacket, trying to push it down his arms while also hanging onto him.

“Kaydel,” he breathed into her neck, and it was as if he were born to say her name, to feel the syllables on his tongue.

He wrapped his arms around her once more, placing her gently down on the sleeping pallet. He looked down at her; her eyes were still glossy and red from crying, her lips swollen from kissing, but she smiled up at him, and for the first time in hours, even days, Poe believed that perhaps the Force was with them, that everything would in fact be okay.

She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever known: passionate, dedicated, and somehow still gentle despite having a spine of durasteel to rival General Organa herself.

He finally managed to remove his jacket and shirt, and helped her remove her own uniform, tracing flight patterns with his fingers on her back, kissing his way down her front. Her nipples were almost as pink as her lips, and he kneaded them, sucked at them until he made her moan and arch her back towards him.

She reached to undo his pants, but he grabbed her hands and brought them to his lips, kissing each knuckle.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, looking into her lovely eyes.

“Yes,” she said, looking back at him, and pulled him down on top of her for another kiss.

They removed the rest of his clothing, and held onto each other for a moment, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat.

He stroked his way down her legs, kissing every inch as he went, and then made his way back up to take her into his mouth. She was deliciously wet, and the sigh that escaped her lips as he added his fingers was nothing short of divine.

Her fingers were wrapped in his hair once more, holding him and place and grabbing along with his own ministrations.

He sucked at her clit while he stroked her with his hands, and he felt her come as she gasped “Oh, Poe.”

He looked at her, her eyes now hazy with lust rather than tears, and finally felt content for a moment.

They kissed again as he entered her, slowly to let her come down from her peak and adjust to his length

They rocked their hips together, finding a rhythm, when Kaydel shifted herself and pushed him down and back onto the pallet, straddling him.

He moaned as she took control, riding him and running her fingers down his chest.

He came, his hands on her hips and his eyes closed, and felt her climax again a moment later. She bent down and kissed him once more, then kissed his cheek and laid beside him.

She was stroking his arm, the way he had for her earlier, when he pulled her into his arms and held her once more.

They finally slept, still holding each other, safe in the certainty of exhaustion.

The Resistance would be reborn; the spark was alight once more, but first, they dreamt of peace, of hope, of love.

#Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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Summary:

THE GENERAL AND THE LIEUTENANT is the story of the spark that lit the fire between Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix in "Ben Solo: The Way Home"...

Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix have been through a lot since the early Resistance days on D'Qar. After a mission to Jakku, a flame ignites that has been building quietly between the general and the lieutenant, and they begin to explore the evolution of a romance. But sometimes, life gets in the way. Sometimes, what you want might not always be what you get . . .

This is a spin-off story from my Reylo fanfic BEN SOLO: THE WAY HOME. While it does have mentions of Ben and Rey and other Resistance characters, the primary focus is Poe and Connix. (Just managing Reylo expectations!)

#Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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I absolutely loved this beautiful Fanart of the Star Wars Ponnix ship of the characters of Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix together especially because I love that in the Kaydel Ko Connix I am pregnant with Poe Dameron especially because I love that in this fanart it is Modern AU but more because I would really like that if they will make more Star Wars movies we could see Poe Dameron and also Kaydel Ko Connix in this same way

By the way, this beautiful fanart of theirs is not mine and the credits are not for me but I warn you that right here I am going to leave you the link of the true creator of this beautiful masterpiece on DevianArt

#modern au #human au #Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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The cabin lighting has been reduced to shipboard night, and everyone seems to have found a corner to slip into for a few minutes rest.

Everyone.

Poe Dameron isn't one for feeling helpless. He's more the shoot-first-and-ask-questions-never type, but right now, he's feeling discouraged down to his very marrow. 'Everyone' consists of about a dozen people and 'driods; all that's left of the once-mighty Resistance. So many friends, people he'd fought beside, bled for and pledged to die for if necessary, and they're all just gone, cut down by the First Order in a ruthless display of power that had sucked whatever hope they'd had left right out the airlock.

He wonders if things would have been different if he hadn't pushed so hard to destroy the Dreadnaught during the evacuation. General Organa would tell him to get his head out of his afterburners, that there's nothing he could have done about the low fuel reserves or the First Order simply waiting for them to stall so they could pick off the Resistance ships one at a time.

Doesn't change the fact that he feels like he should have done something more, or maybe just listened to the General when she'd tried to call off the attack instead of charging ahead and giving the First Order time to put a trace on the Raddus. Retreat has never been his strong suit, and doing something has always been preferable to doing nothing, but sometimes being smart is better than being brave. It's the lesson the General had been trying to teach him for so long, but he's just too lazerbrained to get it.

"Stop."

Poe raises his head, peering up at the shadow that's fallen over him. He ghosts a smile when he recognizes Kaydel Connix and her cute-as-a-button buns silhouetted against the dim overhead lights.

"Stop what?" he asks quietly.

She settles down beside him, not far from the alcove where Finn is curled up with Rose Tico, practically willing her to be okay. The kid's come a long way, and Poe is as surprised as anyone that he's taken to Rose; they're such opposites, but maybe that's why they seem to work.

Kaydel curls into him, nudging until his arms settle around her shoulders. She presses her forehead into his cheek, taking a deep breath, and then another. He can feel the stress bleeding away, so he pulls her closer, tucking her body into his. She's been busy since the jump to light speed, finding everyone a spot to bunk, a bit of water and food. It's what she's good at—organizing—so he'd left her to it while he'd… ruminated.

"You get everyone settled?"

She sighs. "Yes. Rey and Chewie are sitting up in the cockpit, and I left the General in the Captain's quarters to get some sleep."

Poe figures that's the last place Leia Organa wants to be, a room filled with the echoes of the man she's only just lost after finding him again. But he also knows that the General has never pushed away the hard things, and she's not likely to start now. And despite their dire circumstances, she'd been full of hope before she'd been bundled off to bed. Even through the sadness pressing in on him, he'd felt that spark.

"At least I got you to stop," she murmurs.

"Stop what?" he asks again.

"Brooding," she says, snuggling still closer, draping her legs over his until she's practically in his lap. He tugs her the rest of the way, wrapping both arms around her until she's pressed into him as close as she can be. "Mmmm, better."

Poe huffs a laugh. "I'm not a piece of furniture, but I'm glad you're comfortable. And for the record, I wasn't brooding."

"Oh?" she asks. "What would you call it, then?"

"Thinking," he says. "Ruminating, maybe. But not brooding."

"Right," she says, clearly not convinced. She pulls back a little so she can look him in the eye. "You're brooding, wondering if you could have done anything differently to get a different outcome."

"How did you—"

"Pfft," she says, waving a hand, "you're a pilot. 'If it moves, shoot it. If it doesn't, it paint it green.' Isn't that what you pilots always say?"

"I think you have me confused with ground troops," he says on a huff of laughter.

Kaydel shrugs. "Eh, whatever. My point is, you always need to be doing something, but sometimes, the best course of action is to wait. Not easy for you, I get it."

"I'm a pilot, Kay," he says quietly. "It's my job to shoot at things. If I can't do that, what good am I?"

"You know," she says, "there's a saying on Kashyyyk: 'The wroshyr tree dreams of one day touching the stars; but until that day comes, it offers shelter to the treelizard.'"

Poe tips his head back, staring up at the ceiling of the Millennium Falcon as Kaydel snuggles up with him once more. He's reminded of the conversation he had with the General on board the evacuation shuttle. She'd been trying to tell him the same thing, perhaps a bit more pointedly, but he thinks he got what she was saying. Don't try to be the big hero, just do the job in front of you, no matter how big or small.

But that still doesn't change the fact that he was the Squadron Commander, and all those people were lost on his watch. He's going to feel that responsibility for a long time to come.

"She lost them too, you know," Kaydel says quietly. "You think she feels any less responsible?"

He opens his mouth to dispute that, but he knows he can't. For all that he was in charge of the squadron when they lost the bombers, General Organa was in charge of the Resistance. They were her losses, too. All the bomber pilots, the cruisers, the evac shuttles, the ground troops. They were hers before they were his.

"How does she do it?" he asks into the silence. "How does she come back from the losses time and time again?"

"Hope," Kaydel whispers. "She has hope." She pulls back and looks at him, her expression soft and kind of sad in the low light. "Hope. The spark that will light the fire—"

"That will win the battles before us," he finishes for her.

"It's the truth that this Resistance was built on, and the Rebellion before it," she says. "We honor the sacrifices of those we lose, because it's their hope in a better future that provides the fuel for the days ahead. It's not going to be easy—it never is—but as long as we have hope, the future is ours."

He reaches up and cups her cheek, his heart singing with love for this spitfire of a woman. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she says, grinning. "Now, we've lived to fight another day. What say we celebrate?"

Poe raises an eyebrow. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Just this," she says.

She leans in close, pressing her lips to his. His heart skips a beat, and then he's kissing her, pulling her close as he pours all his loss, longing, and yes, hope into the kiss. His hands roam everywhere they can reach, not trying to excite, more like making sure she really is here and whole. He can feel her hands in his hair, holding on as if afraid he'll disappear if she lets go. He knows the feeling; he's more grateful than he can ever say that she'd come through the evacuation and subsequent attacks alive and well.

Finally, after long minutes, he gentles the kiss, pulling back until their foreheads are pressed together. "I love you," he whispers.

He can feel her smile more than he can see it. "I know," she says. "I love you, too. Always."

"If you two are finished making out over there, I'd like to get some sleep."

Poe chuckles as he casts a glance over at Finn. "Sorry, buddy."

Kaydel burrows into his chest, hiding her shaking shoulders as she tries to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside her. Poe presses a kiss to her head, his own chuckle slipping out between breaths.

"Try to get some sleep, sweetheart," he whispers. "Big day tomorrow."

Kaydel hums, but it seems she's already halfway to sleeping because she just goes limp in his arms, her breathing steady as she drifts off. Poe presses another kiss to her hair and tips his own head back to lean against the wall. It's not the most comfortable place to sleep, sprawled out on the floor with his back against the wall, but he figures as long as he has his friends around him, and Kaydel in his arms, he can face anything. Even an uncertain future.

~Finis

#Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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Poe Dameron stood at the edge of the flight line, the long line of X-Wings, Y-Wings and an assortment of transports and other ships glinting in the pale moonlight.

He couldn't say what had drawn him to that exact spot, but he'd stood there, arms crossed, for some time, just staring out at the stars, his mind curiously blank for all that remained to do after the battle with the Emperor's fleet.

It had been just days since the final, decisive battle for the future of the galaxy. Somehow, it felt a lot longer than that. Of course, it seemed like they'd been at this for a lot longer than it had actually been, so time was certainly relative. Still, he could hardly believe that the thing he'd dedicated his entire adult life to—well, so far, anyway—was over. And despite the fact that there was plenty to do to help the Republic reunite and recover from the darkest days of the First Order, he felt a little at loose ends.

"Here you are."

Poe glanced over his shoulder to find Kaydel Connix standing a little way away, hands parked on her hips, head tilted just so. He smiled briefly; Kay had always had the ability to find him, no matter where he was. He'd suspect she was using the Force if he didn't know she wasn't Force-sensitive. Although, given that Finn had turned out to be sensitive, maybe it wasn't as ridiculous as he'd thought.

"Here I am," Poe muttered as he returned to staring out at the stars.

He felt rather than saw her step up beside him and run her hand down his arm. She easily threaded her fingers through his and leaned into him, just staring up at the same starscape he was seeing. When her head dropped onto his shoulder, he huffed a laugh.

"You comfortable?"

"Eh," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "It'll do. Nice view, though. Same one from last night. And the night before. And the night before that."

And just like that, he was busted.

He'd ducked out of the celebration to see Zorii Bliss off in her ship, and then he'd just… never gone back.

"You're not the only one, you know," she said.

He glanced down at her, one eyebrow raised. "Not the only one what?"

"You're not the only one wondering what comes next," she said. "Some have only been at this for a little while, but they don't know whether they're supposed to just go back to the lives they had before or if they should stay. Help rebuild."

"And the rest of us have been at it so long that we don't know anything else," he said, finishing her thought. "Yeah."

"I think we all expected her to be here to tell us what's next," she said quietly. "I mean, we're supposed to be celebrating, but it feels… wrong somehow, to celebrate when she's gone."

Poe took a deep breath, the pain still as sharp as it had been the moment he'd found out that General Leia had passed. She'd recruited him, back in the day, told him that there was so much more he could be doing to preserve peace and stability in the galaxy. Poe hadn't really needed to be sold; the Republic's hands-off attitude toward the First Order had rubbed him so wrong there weren't really words for it.

But while she'd trained them to face the most imminent threat, they hadn't really trained for what came after. Of course, they'd all expected the New Republic would be there to bring everyone together once the First Order had been defeated. Now, they were facing a galaxy once again in need of rebuilding, and Poe had not a single clue where to start.

Truth was, he wasn't a politician. That was an issue for someone for whom 'shoot first, ask questions later' wasn't a personal mantra.

"She'd want us to celebrate," Poe said, heaving a sigh. "She wouldn't want us to mourn her. She wasn't that kind of person. She was all about the victory, about doing the best she could to bring peace to the galaxy."

"Seems like maybe you missed the party," Kay said.

He looked down to find her smirking at him. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, resting his chin on her head as she snuggled into him, looping her arms around his middle. Her deep, relieved sigh made him feel guilty for having practically ignored her the last few days.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Better, now," she said, the smile evident in her words.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Sorry I've been ignoring you. I guess I've just had a lot on my mind."

"It's okay," she said. "We all have."

"What do we do now?" he asked quietly.

"We go to bed," she said. "We get some sleep and then we get up tomorrow and do the next thing."

He chuckled. "That's it? 'Do the next thing'? What if we don't know what the next thing is?"

"Stop," she said. She pulled back and looked at him. "Just stop. Stop worrying. Stop thinking. Just stop."

"I don't know if I can do that, Kay," he said, shaking his head. "I'm a pilot. I've never been really good at just doing nothing."

"You know, we've been fighting this war for a long time," Kay said. "Some longer than others. It's okay if the next thing is nothing at all. Maybe what we really all need is a day off. Time to reconnect with each other and remember who we are, deep inside. The people we were before all this."

"And what if who I was before isn't someone you want to know?"

"Not all of us joined the Resistance from the womb, you know," she said. "Besides, you think I don't know who you used to be? There isn't a thing you did that she didn't know about. And what she knew about, I knew about. You're not as mysterious as you think you are."

"And it doesn't bother you?" he asked. "Who I used to be?"

"Who you used to be made you into the man you are today," she said. "And that's the man I love. So no, it doesn't bother me. We're all the sum of our experiences. She knew that better than anyone."

"Yeah, she did," he said. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, a gentle, sweet kiss full of promise. When he pulled back, she was smiling at him, brighter than the sun over Ajan Kloss. "Thanks."

"For what?" she asked.

"For being you," he said, smiling down at her. "For being so easy to love. For loving me. Just, thanks."

"You are welcome," she said, her smile growing even brighter, if that were possible.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," Poe said. "Now that the war is over, I can spend more time with you."

"You sure can," she said brightly. "We have lots to do. We need to organize the new fleet and recruit some more troops. Oh, and someone's got to start assembling a new Senate. Leaving a power vacuum isn't a good idea. And then—"

He lay a finger over her lips, cutting off the flow of words. "It can wait. Just for tonight, I want to enjoy the stars with my girl. You game?"

"I like the way you think," she said as she snuggled closer. "And then maybe we can relocate to your quarters."

"Something on your mind?"

"I'm too tired for that," she said, pinching his side.

He laughed. "Me too. But I would very much like to wake up next to you in the morning."

"I think that can be arranged," she said.

"And maybe the morning after that," he said. "And the morning after that."

Kay leaned back. "Something on your mind?"

"Just thinking about the future," Poe said, smiling. He pecked her on her lips. "Something I haven't been able to do for a very long time."

"Well, whatever the future holds, we'll face it together," she said.

"Together," he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," she said with a smile. "Me too."

~Finis

#Damonnix #TeamDamonnix #Kaydoe #TeamKaydoe #ponnix #Ponnix #kaydel x poe #poe connix #Poe connix #poe and kaydel #Poe and kaydel #poennix #Poennix #poenix #Poenix #Paydel

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skylarstark4826 · 22 days ago

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It starts with the pigtail pulling, but she doesn't have it in her to mind.

In the mess hall, just before he sits down with her to eat his lunch. Passing in the corridors, a sly smile tipping his lips as he reaches out, lightning-fast for a quick tug, never losing his stride. Whenever he sees her in Ops, he'll sidle up behind her and give a tug, ready with a wink and a smile as he ducks away to talk to whoever asked him to stop by.

She'd be upset, because it's so cliché it's maddening, but he is the best damned pilot in the Fleet, and it's not every girl on base that has Poe Dameron's attention.

~o~

"Hey, what'd you do to your hair?"

Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix reflexively reaches up and pats at the quick buns she'd tied her pigtails into just before her shift. She can feel a hot blush steel over her cheeks, but she can't do anything about it. She only wishes it were because Poe is smiling that thousand-watt smile at her.

Instead, she tugs him closer to her station, glancing around to see if that guy is still there. Seeing no one, she refocuses on him. And damn. It's not fair, but he's still stupidly handsome.

She reaches up and tucks some invisible hairs into her bun. "That new Admiral, what's-his-name. He saw you yesterday, when you came to check in with Burny. Said it was unprofessional, what you did. I figured he can't complain if there's no hair to tug."

Poe smiles. "The buns are cute. Not gonna stop me from tugging, though."

And he suits deeds to words and tugs gently at the bun over her ear, dropping a wink as he makes his way across the room towards the General's office.

~o~

And it would have been fine if it had stopped there. She'd have been disappointed, sure, that he'd stopped pulling her pigtails, but she'd have gotten over it.

Only that's not what happens at all.

~o~

The next time Kaydel sees Poe in Ops, he makes a beeline for her, eyes as bright as his smile. She smiles warily back, not sure what to expect. It's only been a couple of days since she told him about the Admiral, days when he'd been on patrol, so he hadn't even been on base to pull her pigtails.

Not that she missed him.

Yeah, right. Who is she kidding? She missed him, far more than she probably should, but she's not going to apologize for it either.

His smile, if it's even possible, gets wider as he stops, mere inches from her. Probably too close for it to look anything like professional.

"Still with the buns, I see," Poe says as he leans around her dramatically, checking out her hair. He's got his hands tucked behind his back, not even a hint that he's going to reach for her hair.

She should be relieved, but really, she's disappointed.

She smooths the hair reflexively, pursing her lips. "It's easier this way, when I'm on duty."

"Maybe one day you'll let me see it down around your shoulders," he says, winking at her.

And then he does the very last thing she ever expected: he leans in, pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek.

Her eyes flutter closed, the traitors, and she breathes a quiet sigh. When she opens them again, he's already across the room, talking to the guys monitoring the Benthami mission. Poe's squadron is on standby, in case things go sideways, which is the only reason he's in Ops.

Well, and apparently to kiss her.

She blushes as her fingers skate over the skin of her cheek. She can still feel the slight rasp of his beard as his lips pressed to her skin. She glances over to find him watching her. He tips her a wink, further deepening her blush, as he heads out of Ops.

Is it possible to fall in love after just one kiss?

~o~

So now, apparently, the kissing is a thing. When he sits down with her at lunch, he presses a quick kiss to her cheek. When he gets up to go, it’s a quick peck on the forehead. Passing in the halls, he doesn't even have to make contact with her to make her blush. All he has to do is wink and she's turning redder than the sky above Yavin at starset.

And then one day, he appears in Ops just as her shift is ending. She raises an eyebrow, but all he does is smile.

When she's finally closed out her station, she turns to find him leaning against the large projection console in the middle of the room.

"Something I can help you with?" she asks, hands on hips.

Poe shrugs in that way he has. "I was going to take a walk before dinner. I thought you might want to come along."

Her heart nearly beats out of her chest, but years of long practice in high-stress situations keeps her from losing it altogether.

"I'd like that," she says, which wasn't what she was going to say, but her brain-to-mouth filter must have shorted out. No matter, if it gets her that winning smile he's aiming at her, she'll go with it.

"My lady," he says, offering her his arm.

They leave through the hanger doors and wander down the flight line. Because of course he'd take her to his X-Wing. He's a pilot; all they ever think about are their ships and—

She hopes the twilight is deep enough to cover her blush. No need for him to know just how into him she is.

When they reach his X-Wing, he releases her hand and walks underneath it, skimming his fingers over the skin of her underbelly. She watches him as she stands under the wing. His face is shining with such joy, eyes dancing over every weld and rivet. He's humming something under his breath, but she can't quite make out the tune.

"You really do love flying, don't you?" she asks, voice hushed so as not to disturb the night.

"Mmmm," he says. He glances at her over his shoulder. "It's peaceful, up there. Nobody but me and BB-8. I'm in control, I can go wherever I want, take as long as I want to get there. It's freeing, in a way."

She's never heard anyone talk about flying that way, but she supposes it's true. Apart from battle, flying an X-Wing has to be a solitary experience. Not for the faint of heart, to be sure, but also not for those who thrive on interaction and socialization.

"My mom always said I'd be a great pilot," he says, turning back to her.

"Maybe that's why you are: her faith in you, and your faith in her," she says.

She knows his family is gone. Like so many of them, orphaned by a war that just won't end. But she's glad he has this connection to the people that made him.

He moves quick as lightning, standing before her and taking her hand. "Thank you for that," he says quietly.

He leans in, slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away if she doesn't want this, but she's not going to move. When his lips touch hers, it's electric. He presses in close, molding her body to his as though he's not just kissing with his lips but with his whole being. She holds on tight, her fingers wrapped around his biceps as his tongue invades her mouth, leaving devastation and ruin behind. She'll never want another man's touch after this, and she's not ashamed to admit it.

When he pulls away, he rubs her chin with his thumb, smiling a soft smile, one she's never seen before. Instead of saying any number of totally ridiculous things that might break the mood, he just laces his fingers with hers and tugs her along to the mess to get dinner.

She can't remember what she ate, and she doesn't know what they talked about, but it's the best dinner she can ever remember having.

~o~

It becomes a pattern with them: whenever he's on base, if he's not in a briefing or meeting behind closed doors, he shows up near the end of her shift and waits for her to close down her station. He doesn't even ask anymore, just takes her hand and heads out.

They don't always walk the flight line, and when they do they don't always visit his X-Wing. Sometimes he'll take her to see a new craft, one she hasn't seen before. It's fun for her, in a way, being able to see where the pilots sit, so she can imagine them sitting there when she's on comms during an operation.

But just as often he'll bypass the flight line and take her out into the fields surrounding the base, where they'll watch the starset and talk quietly about everything and nothing. They don't talk about the war, or the First Order, or the latest casualty list, filled with too many friends and allies cut down in their prime. It's hard, this life they've chosen, and talking about it won't make it easier to cope with the losses, so they don't even try.

Instead, he kisses her, breath-stealing kisses that make her forget everything but the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers.

She treasures those nights, bottles the memories up in her heart, because she knows it could all be ripped away at a moment's notice, and she never wants to forget what it feels like to be the center of someone's universe.

~o~

She's barely finished firing up her station when he jogs across Ops, stopping beside her with that look on his face. It's been a long time since she's seen him in the middle of a shift, so she's startled speechless for a moment.

"Come to pull my pigtails again?" she asks, her smile full of coy teasing.

Poe shakes his head, and now she remembers that look, what it's for. It's predatory, the look of a warrior getting ready to join the fight.

"I'll be leaving soon," he says. It feels like he's stabbing her in the heart. "I just wanted to stop and say—well, I just wanted to see you before I go."

She reaches up and brushes his cheek with her fingers, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. They've talked about this, about what would happen when he has to go out on a mission. She's not afraid for him; he's good, the best in the fleet. And she knows he'll come back to her or die trying. Doesn't make it any easier to see him go.

It's when he's pulling away, when she wonders if this will be the last time she sees him, that she says, "I love you."

It's the first time either of them has said it, and for a moment, his grin is frozen on his face. But then it melts into a soft smile. "I know." He makes to step away, but at the last moment, he turns and sweeps her into his arms, kissing her for all he's worth. "I love you, too," he says, lips pressed to hers so she can feel the words and not just hear them.

"Be safe," she says as he pulls away. "May the Force be with you."

She doesn't say what she's really thinking. Come back to me. But she thinks he hears the words anyway.

"Always," he says.

And then he's gone.

She watches him go, not even a little bothered by the fact that she's ignoring her duty station. She can't take her eyes off of him, afraid this will be the last time she sees him.

"He'll come back."

Kaydel only notices the General standing beside her when she speaks. She gives a watery smile that the General returns. She reaches out and squeezes Kaydel's hand. "He'll come back," she says again. "The good ones always do."

And then she's gone, and so is Poe, though she can hear him through the comms as he takes off in his X-Wing, headed for who knows where.

She returns to her station, noticing the little red blip, steady as it moves out of orbit. At least she has this, the reassuring glow of the tracking dot that represents her only connection to Poe and his X-Wing. It isn't much, but it'll have to do.

~o~

She's at her station two days later when that little red blip winks out.

It takes everything in her not to collapse on the floor of Ops, and even more strength from reserves she didn't know she had to report the destruction of the X-Wing to the General.

But when she finally reaches her quarters that night, she can't hold it together anymore. She sinks to the floor beside her bed and quietly sobs.

She knows that the destruction of the X-Wing is hardly proof that the pilot is dead, but it's the logical conclusion. They'll mark him missing in the database, and life will go on, but for Kaydel it feels as if this thing with Poe is ending before it's even begun. Just one more casualty of a war without end.

But despite the pain in her heart and the pounding in her head, she gets up the next morning and goes back to her station. If anyone knows what she's lost, they don't mention it, and for that she's grateful.

~o~

Two days crawl past in a fog of work and sleep and very little food, despite the fact that her friends try to ply her with treats at all hours. She appreciates the thought, but she just can't swallow past the lump in her throat.

There's been no word from Poe, no signal from BB-8, and as the hours pass, hope begins to dwindle. Kaydel knows that if he were still alive, he'd have found a way to contact them, but she's not quite ready to give up just yet. She knows at some point that the General will have to declare him presumed dead, but she's not even sure that'll really be the end of hoping he comes back.

Everyone knows the stories, has grown up with them, so they know that the General and her brother and husband have faced longer odds and come back. It's all she can cling to now.

~o~

The transport sets down on the flight line with very little fanfare. Kaydel's barely paying attention. She's been tracking First Order fleet movements by order of the General. There's something going on, but no one's sure what.

Comms has been a hub of activity, with reports coming in on all frequencies. There's been a BB-8 sighting, which had made Kaydel's heart climb nearly up into her throat when she'd heard it. It doesn't mean Poe's alive, but it's further proof that if anyone could get out of a tight spot, it's him.

There's a commotion on the flight line, but Kaydel's so focused on her task that she barely notices what's going on. It isn't until she feels a tug at her bun that her head pops up. She spins around, but can hardly believe she's seeing what she's seeing.

Poe.

Poe Dameron.

Alive.

Alive!

She practically throws herself into his arms, not really noticing the dirty uniform or the sunburned face.

"I—I thought—Oh gods—" she blurts out, clinging to him, tucking her face into his neck and breathing him in.

He rubs her back, murmurs soothing words in her ear. "It's okay, love. I'm here now. I'm sorry I scared you."

She pulls back just enough to press a kiss to his lips. They're chapped and dry, but his eyes are sparkling and it's just so good to see that she can barely contain the joy. She knows she's crying, but she can't help it.

"You—how did you survive?" she asks with a puzzled frown. "Your X-Wing was destroyed. We all thought—"

"I wasn't in it when it blew," Poe says, shaking his head. "Storm troopers, and Snoke's lapdog. It got rough, but I made it out."

He kisses her again, and she decides that she could stay like this forever, if it meant he'd be safe, but a politely-cleared throat behind him pulls them apart. They turn to see the General gracing them with an indulgent smile.

"If you two are done, I need to debrief Captain Dameron," the General says.

"Of course, ma'am," Poe says with a nod. He turns back to Kaydel and gives a rueful smile. "Gotta go, but I'll find you later. Okay?"

She pushes up on her toes and kisses him one more time. "Get yourself cleaned up and go see medical. They'll probably track you down if you don't. We'll get dinner after."

"Yes, mother," he says with an eye roll.

When he turns around, the General is still standing there, one eyebrow raised. "If she hadn't said it, I would have."

"I have no doubt, ma'am," Poe says, grinning. "You're both a force to be reckoned with. I'd never dream of disobeying you."

"See that you don't," Kaydel says at the same moment the General says the same thing.

Poe chuckles ruefully. "I see how it is. Ladies, your wish is my command."

The General smirks, then turns and heads for her office. Poe turns and winks at Kaydel before following the General.

When they're finally out of sight, Kaydel practically sags into her terminal. Her shift is barely half over, but she knows she's not going to be able to focus the rest of the day. She's gonna worry, the entire time he's gone, that she just imagined him, imagined his arms around her and his lips on hers.

But she didn't, and she's going to see him again in just a few hours. That thought alone calms her franticly-beating heart. She takes a couple of deep breaths and wipes the evidence of tears off her face.

She's still got a job to do, and so does Poe. But for right now, having him back on the same base is enough.

~o~

They sleep intertwined that night. Kaydel is reluctant to let him out of her sight, as if he'll disappear the moment she's not touching him anymore. It's not rational, but up until a few hours ago, they'd all thought him dead, so she thinks she's due for a little irrationality.

Poe had been exhausted by the time he'd run the gauntlet of debrief, medical and a shower. He'd scarfed down dinner, and then practically faceplanted in bed once they'd returned to his quarters. She didn't mind; just having him beside her is enough.

She's woken by the comm in his quarters activating. The voice on the other end of the commline is ordering him to Ops for debriefing on a new mission, and Kaydel knows that means she'll be ordered to Ops in short order.

They dress quietly in the pre-dawn dark, neither of them willing to start the conversation. She knows she can't ask him not to go. You don't turn down General Organa when she requests you for a mission, but just this once Kaydel wishes Poe could turn her down.

He must see some of her thoughts on her face, because he pauses with boots on but pants still unbuckled to take her face in his hands.

"I will always come back to you," he says.

She knows he can't make that promise, but she doesn't care. Those are the words her heart needs to hear. "See that you do, mister. I'm not done with you yet."

Poe's smile is as bright as the sun. "Yes, ma'am."

They finish dressing and he kisses her one more time before he rushes through the door towards the flight line and his next mission.

"May the force be with you," she says quietly before she exits his quarters and heads to her own duty station.

~Finis

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