FLYBOY_ POE DAMERON IMAGINES

- imagine #35 //

"See you guys tomorrow morning." You close the door behind Finn and Rey, a deep, from your lungs, sigh pushing across your lips a moment later. You stand with your back flush against the door, peering around your apartment, the remnants of the holiday party procuring a sad chuckle from you. Sad because despite just having hosted the yearly Thanksgiving family and friends get together, the fact that one chair had remained empty throughout the evening tugged on your heartstrings. Hearing the rain tap against the windows intensifies the feeling.

It's not like you didn't know that you might spend holidays alone. It comes with dating a service member. And he had been upfront about these things from the get-go. That there might be some years when he'll miss every, single, important day. That there might be stretches of time when there's no communication at all. Not even the weekly, 15-minute phone call. Or when the only reliable exchange might be snail mail.

The latter, you actually quite love, albeit almost always needing a decryption key to decode his handwriting. At least you have something tangible. Something to clutch on to during long nights of loneliness and crying. Something to carry with you in the pocket of your pants or shirt or jacket when working long shifts. Connecting through ink plots and scribbles, knowing he had held the pen and paper. An indirect touch from him to you.

You are on the verge of more tears when the little clicks tootling your way procure another chuckle from you. And so do the tiny licks against your toes not even a minute after. "Hey, Beebee." You kneel down to scratch behind your corgi's ears, the pup's eyes looking as sad as you feel. "Guess we both miss him, huh?"
Beebee lets out a little huff, plopping down right in front of you as though to confirm your observation. You scratch some more behind her ears, chuckling again when she rolls over so you can rub her tummy. "I guess you want a treat for that huh." You giggle when the pup jumps back up, wagging her behind because she knows she's cheered you up.

"Alright. But only one!" You snicker, and Beebee rolls over again. "Ok... maybe two. But don't tell Poe when he comes back." You laugh when Beebee trots away happily to her little bed in the living room, trying to hide the second treat for later inside.

You hitch a breath, then rub your hands. It's time to clean your place, and you rather be done tonight than having to worry about it in the morning. You're almost at the closet to get a plastic bag when you hear your cell's ringtone go off. You dash for your cell on the kitchen island, the words "Unknown Caller" on display, and you know it's him.

"Hey, handsome!" Shoots out with such enthusiasm that the first thing you hear from his end of the line is a loud laugh.
"Handsome, huh. Well, thank you, sweetie. So... how's my favorite girl?" You can almost feel the grin on his face when he asks that.
"I'm ok." You beam ear to ear.
"I meant Beebee."
You roll your eyes. He always uses that line. Always. You mutter an "Ass!" and Poe laughs.
"I'm just teasing, sweetie."
You snicker. "Yeah. You better."

There's a pause. It's been a few weeks since you've last talked, and now, that he's on the line, you're scrambling to find the right words without wasting precious time. "So are you guys ok over there? Do you need anything? Your dad says hi. He said he sent you a box. Did you get it? Did you get my card? I sent a few goody boxes for you and the squad. Did you share? Finn and Rey say hi. They can't wait for you to see their new place. And their new car..."

"Whoa, whoa! Sweetie." Poe laughs softly. " Slow down. One thing after another."
"I know. I know. But time limit."
"I got a little more time today, sweetie. They gave us an extra 15."
You sigh, close to crying again. "I miss you."
"I know, sweetie. I miss you, too. But time is flying." Poe chuckles and so do you. He knows you get the pun. Another sigh and you can hear Poe inhale a long breath. "Sweetie. I'll be back before you know it. We'll get to spend Valentine's Day wherever you want."
"I know. I'm just... I'm still sad you won't be home for Christmas."
Poe sighs. "I know. I know. Listen. I was going to wait until Christmas, but... Go to my office and open the left top drawer on my desk."

You do as Poe requests. "Ok. What am I looking for?"
"Empty the drawer, then remove the whole thing and flip it over."
Again, you do as Poe requests, your brows pulling down in surprise when you see a latch to a hidden compartment. You jiggle the latch, but it doesn't budge. "Uhm. It's locked."
"Yeah. I know. Remember the key pendant I gave you."
You clutch the chain around your neck, the key pendant dangling from it. "Yes." You whisper.
"Use it."
"What?"
"The key, sweetie. Use it."
You lift the chain over your head and carefully unlock the latch, finding a small, velvet box hidden inside. "Oh my god, Poe. I... I don't think, I should open this."
You hear Poe take a breath. "Sweetie. Just... just open it."

You hesitate for a moment, then slowly open the box. There's a perplexed second. Then an "uhm". Then a loud laugh. All three from you. "You're an ass!" You keep laughing. "But thank you." You chuckle as you hold three tickets to see your favorite band live in concert.
Poe laughs as well. "What did you think was going to be in there?" He asks with such cockiness that you wish you could reach through the speaker.

Another "uhm" from you and Poe goes quiet. "You're... you're not upset are you?"
It takes a moment to collect your thoughts. Not that you actually thought he was going to ask over the phone. And stuff like this is not unusual for Poe. He's always been a bit of a prankster. But today, this tugs the wrong way. It tugs the wrong way because he's not here with you. It tugs because usually, after some stunt like this, he captures you in his arms and teases you with playful kisses and soft tickles and naughty love bites. It tugs because you miss his presence even more after this.

Your silence lasts a little too long for Poe's liking and you can tell he's biting his lip beneath a cussed word. "Sweetie. I'm sorry."
"I'm... I'm not upset." You whisper at last. "I just... miss you."
"Hmmmm. I miss you, too. Listen, they're giving me the signal. I'll call again next week, ok?"
You stifle a sniffle. "Ok."
"Sweetie?"
"Yes, Poe."
"I love you."
"I love you, too, Poe."
"Sweetie?"
You chuckle at his inability to hang up first. "Yes, Poe."
A fraction of silence and you actually think they've made him hang up. "I'll give you the ring when I come home. I promise."
Before you can even think of the word "what?", you hear the click of the line hanging up.

playing around with third person today.