Close to Me {Poe Dameron}

nineteen

Laughter filled the hangar as Kat tried to get Poe to go back down the ladder so they could head back to base. She already said goodbye to Kes, fully prepared for his hug this go around. He thanked her for taking care of his boy which she waved off with a cheeky comment about how he made it difficult but she was happy to do it. He gave her a knowing look, one only a father could give to the person who had taken their child's heart before he wished her farewell and how he hoped to see her again.

"Will you go already?" Kat laughed after the third time she and Poe had shared a kiss.

"You sure you're good with everything?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine. Perfect even. Now, will you go so I can start her up?"

"Okay, okay, I'm gone." But before he could get down the ladder, she pulled him back for a kiss. When he pulled away, he gave her a smug look, keeping it there the entire time he climbed down.

"Get that smug look off your face, Dameron!" She shouted before the transparisteel canopy closed over her.

It didn't leave his face until he hugged Kes goodbye.

"She's a good one. Shara would have really liked her." Kes told him as they hugged.

At the mention of his mother, the weight of her ring around his neck felt a little more prominent. "Is this where I get the don't mess this up, I'm still waiting on grandkids speech?" He asked with a chuckle as he pulled back.

Kes laughed, shaking his head. "Think you just did a fine job of it yourself."

Poe turned back to look at her when the roar of the engines started. He could see her smiling at the sound which made his heart soar. He got to put that smile there. Matter of fact it seemed like she was smiling more or was it that he was just noticing each thing she did no matter how small? "Yeah, she's pretty amazing." He agreed before turning back to his dad. "But I can't make any promises about that other thing."

Once more his father's booming laugh competed with the roar of the A-Wing engines. "You two be safe and I'll see you soon."

Father and son shared one last hug before the two pilots took off for Ajan Kloss.

✧☆✧

Kat took her time with the landing procedures. The fighter had flown like a dream. She may have shown off a little before they had jumped to lightspeed but she didn't care. She was like a child with a new toy and she wanted to test everything. With everything in order, she made her way down the ladder and soon felt two hands on her waist.

"Have fun?" He teased her once her feet were on the ground, keeping one arm around her.

"Like I said earlier. I was just seeing what she could do." When she had turned into him, she placed a hand on his arm that was holding her.

"Uh-huh, sure you were." He teased her as he leaned forward to kiss her. It really had been far too long since the last one.

"I knew it!" Rang out through the space, causing the two to jump apart. They were now face to face with a beaming Rose. "What'd I'd say? The last time they went on a mission together they came back hugging. Now, look at them."

Soon a flurry of hands went about giving Rose a few credits each much to the chagrin of Kat and Poe. "What just happened?" Kat finally asked.

Rose just smiled at her. "You two just won me 150 credits."

Kat looked to Poe incredulously. "Did you know they had a bet about us?"

He just shook his head. "Not a clue." He laughed.