SWEET ESCAPE || poe dameron x reader

chapter four: flying

You were up before Dameron on ranking day. You'd hardly slept, but it hadn't been from his snoring; you were overcome with those jitters that could only mean one thing— you were going to fly again. You were going to sit snuggly in a cockpit and feel the momentum of the X-wing around you, feeling the effects of G-Force and the rush that only came with soaring through the skies.

Maker, you'd missed it.

By the time you were stretched and dressed Poe was only just stirring awake in his bunk. His sleepy eyes cascaded over you as you tied the laces up on your boots, a small smile curling onto his lips. "Someone's eager," He croaked out. You looked at him then, already used to the way he looked when he was still half asleep. When his hair was tussled and his curls were a nest atop his head, when his stubble had basically grown back overnight.

You'd never tell him, but you were sure Poe Dameron was the only person in the galaxy that could make bedhead look good.

"You're quiet in the morning," He added, rolling himself up to a sitting position. His duvet fell down his body, exposing his bare chest. You looked away before he could see you staring.

"It's not hard to be quiet," You replied, smiling to yourself. Poe scoffed tiredly.

"Oh yeah, ha ha, Poe snores loudly. Ha ha," He let out sarcastically. You finished with your laces and stood up, grabbing your flask for water and shrugging on your combat jacket. You shot him a smirk.

"See you out there, Dameron,"

The base was deserted as you walked to the training clearing. There were minuscule techs milling about, trudging through steps as they made their way for a morning coffee and a piece of toast at the mess hall. You had other plans, however. The nervous jitters extended throughout your entire body, making you flinch at small sounds, making you sense things that shouldn't have you so shaken. You'd been lax with your usual Force meditation since arriving on base a week ago, and that needed to be rectified before you sat in a ship again.

You ducked under the trees on the outskirts of the training clearing, strolling through the serene forests of D'Qar and relishing in the ways the sun flittered through the branches. The base was on a cliff top, tucked away amongst lush forests of green and hidden from a birds-eye view of the planet, but the outskirts of it made a good space for meditation.

You found a small clearing at the end of a large cliff, sucking in the fresh air through your shaking lungs as you sat down on the dried clay earth. Birds chirped, branches swayed in the subtle breeze, and the sirens and radar blinks of the Resistance base hadn't yet awoken; now was the perfect time to think, to feel, to allow the Force to penetrate through every inch of your tough skin.

You fluttered your eyes closed, allowing the feel of the air, the earth, the sky and everything in-between to seep into your very soul. Your Force was strong, but un-nurtured, making it unpredictable sometimes. It seemed to heighten when you were emotional— when you were upset, or scared, or on edge. You could feel everything in those moments, down to the fucking inner turmoils of the people around you, if you knew them well enough. You'd never thought the Force to be some amazing gift; those who possessed it didn't know why they did, but they accepted it. They held onto it tightly and shaped it the way they wanted.

As you breathed in and out rhythmically, you shivered at the overwhelming feeling of an opposing Force— it was Leia's. You just knew, from the warmth that spread throughout your lungs and the way your limbs automatically began to relax. You knew people had been known to communicate through the Force, but this was the first time you'd felt another's so strongly. You didn't doubt that Leia had spent years adapting to the nature of the Force around her and letting it adapt to her, as well. The smile that curled on your lips couldn't be stopped, as the uneasiness from the day ahead all but dissipated away as you sat silently—