"You should be asleep," Poe said softly, leaning against the door.
Nova did not turn around, keeping her eyes fixed unseeingly on the vast emptiness of hyperspace laid out before her. "So should you."
Poe smiled to himself and moved to take the seat beside her. He took in her appearance; the slight shadows under her eyes, her unbrushed hair and her crumpled shirt all being commonplace. But contrast to that was her demeanour – calm and content.
It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest to see her like that. It was a rarity he savoured every chance he got.
Nova turned her chair to better face her boyfriend. Blue light danced over both their faces and reflected in their brown eyes. "Why are you up?"
"Because you are. Did you really think I wouldn't notice you were gone?"
"No," she said, her voice quiet and a little distant. "I just couldn't sleep. I had some stuff on my mind."
"Like what?" He reached out for her hand, gently tugging her to move.
Nova did not resist, her fatigue beginning to catch up with her. She allowed her body to be guided into Poe's lap, her head falling to rest on his shoulder automatically. A soft smile rested on her lips as she felt his strong arms weave around her waist. "Nothing that needs worrying about."
"Can't help it," he jokingly whined, gently pushing his face into her neck. "Force of habit."
"You know I hate it."
"You're going to have to live with it. You're my girlfriend now, I'm not going to be as subtle about it."
"You were subtle before?" Nova teased, leaning back to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, shut up," the brunette lightly grumbled. "I can be subtle."
The couple lapsed into comfortable silence; content to enjoy each other's company. No words were needed while the ship around them slept. All they needed was the soft sounds of their breathing and the quiet beeps of the Millennium Falcon's systems.
Nova returned her head to Poe's shoulder, one arm draping itself around him for stability. The chain of her necklace slipped by the collar of her shirt; the heart shaped pendent coming into view.
Poe traced it, feeling the delicate pattern of the engraved flowers and leaves under his finger. "I remember when I gave you this."
"Hmm," Nova hummed, glancing down at it. "Still don't know how you found out when my birthday was."
"That's for me to know," he said, moving his hand back to her waist. "Come back to sleep."
His voice was heavy with sleep and he had to stifle a yawn, nuzzling his head further into Nova's neck.
"I'm comfortable here," she murmured, adjusting her position in his lap. "And it's not like you're letting me move anyway."
He chuckled against her skin and tightened his embrace. "S'pose not."
She leaned back to look at him again. With a gentle smile, she pushed a hand through his dishevelled curls, letting the softness run between her fingers.
He looked up too, unashamedly admiring her. Adoration shone bright in his dark, tired eyes.
Their eyes scanned the other's face, memorising every detail. Every perfect imperfection. Every cut and fading bruise.
They met in a tender kiss – undemanding, innocent and all together loving. Binding one to the other. They lingered there for a minute, eyes closed and lips lightly ghosting.
Nova soon leaned back into his hold, her body relaxing as her mind came to a place of peace.
The couple fell asleep in each other's arms, bathed in the dancing light of hyperspace.
---
Nova woke up screaming.
The room was small, but not so small that the two people who occupied it every night felt trapped by one another. A bed, desk, chair, chest of drawers and two droid charging stations were all comfortably squeezed into their rightful places.
The only light in the room – dimmed – radiated from a lamp on the desk. It was cold in tone, casting faint and haunting shadows across the walls. Unmoving but ever present.
It was as clean as two pilots could possibly keep it. Clothes were discarded over the back of the chair, though a shirt had slipped and been left in a crumpled mess on the floor. Boots had been placed neatly by the door. A few personal belongings littered the desk: two datapads, a blaster and a holopic propped up against the lamp were among the clutter.
BB-8 and BB-6 were powered down for the night and charging in their corner.
A thin layer of sweat bound the bed sheets to Nova's body.
She pushed herself up onto her hands, throat raw and breathing uncontrollably ragged and heavy. Her brown eyes longed to moisten themselves with tears, but none would come. All she could do was pant and sweat and panic.
"Nova."
Poe's voice caused her to violently whip around to face him.
"Woah, it's okay, it's me." He offered her his hand, waiting to see if she was able to take it.
When she did, he pulled her up into a seated position, and pushed her hair back from her face. His dark eyes were locked to hers as he set about the routine they had developed together over a year of rough nights.
"Breathe. I've got you, you're safe. Just breathe, Nova."
He took her right hand and placed it over her heart, keeping his own hand pressed atop hers so that she could feel her own heartbeat. His voice was soft but at the same time firm – a kinder version of his 'commander voice' as they often called it.
"Regain control."
Nova shook her head, causing her hair – now grown to past her shoulders – to fall back in front of her face in a tangle of brown locks, hiding her reddened cheeks. "I–I can't –"
Poe used his free hand to push her hair back again, keeping it held back securely. "Yes, you can. I know you can. Breathe. Regain control."
She leaned into his touch, focusing on the comforting feeling that came with his physical presence.
Sleep was a vulnerable time for her. The nightmares always prevailed, haunting her every night as they had done for the past seven years of her life.
But this had been something new.
She regained control of her breathing first, which in turn slowed her heartbeat back down. Her eyes were clamped shut as she focused, moving her hand from her chest to instead grip Poe's wrist.
A moment came and went before her body collapsed, falling forward on the out-breath, and pulled to rest against Poe's chest. There she remained, eyes still veiled and senses filled with him – his warmth, his scent, his feel. She traced patterns across his skin, losing herself in the motions.
"You're alright," Poe reassured her once again, brushing a hand through her hair.
Nova shook her head. "But..."
"But what?"
"I don't know," she sighed, beginning to become frustrated. She got up off the bed, ignoring the sudden wave of cold that hit her exposed legs. Placing her hands on the back of the chair and let her head hang low.
"Sweetheart, tell me what's going on, you're scaring me." Poe had moved to sit at the foot of the bed, watching her figure closely.
"This one was... different."
"Different how?"
She huffed out another sigh and began to pace. "My nightmares are always memories – the worst I have to offer. But –" she cut herself off and massaged her temples.
Poe stood and caught her gently by the shoulders, guiding her to look at him. "Talk to me."
She paused, swallowing hard to try and dislodge the lump in her throat. "This wasn't a memory. This was something new – a vision? I don't know, I could only see flashes in the dark, but I could feel..." her voice broke, forcing her to trail off again.
"Nova, talk to me." His voice was a pleading whisper as they pressed their foreheads together. "Please."
A silent tear rolled down her cheek. "Darkness. Raw, uncontrollable darkness, reaching out to rip the galaxy apart."
"It was just a dream," he murmured, brushing the tear from her cheek.
"No. No, it couldn't have been. I – it was too real –" She was starting to become hysterical.
"Breathe, breathe."
She shoved herself away from him and collapsed back onto the bed, hugging herself tightly. Her fingers dug into the fabric of Poe's shirt, pulling it closer about her, the cold of the room catching up to her body. "My grandfather had dreams like these..."
"You're not your grandfather," Poe said firmly.
"But I'm a part of that bloodline. It has to mean something. Nothing good has ever come of these situations for my family." She winced and rubbed her temples. "Kriff, I feel like someone's opened up my mind and shoved all these things into my head! I just – I don't know!"
Poe sat back onto the bed with a sad sigh. He knew that it was quickly becoming a losing battle, but he refused to let himself back down and he refused to let Nova break. He understood that he could never fully realize everything that went through her mind. But he promised that he would stay by her side no matter what, and he had no plans to stray from that.
Nova maintained her position, letting the sheets soak up the quiet wave of tears starting to wash over her. "Something's coming, Poe. And I don't think we're all gonna survive it."