#and totally set him up with Shara

[monocytogenes]

(belated) WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @theluckywizard!

I recently acquired a gaming laptop and have been back on my SWTOR bullshit, so I've been going through some older writing and working on fics with my imp agent Pravin! (His main fic is here, which is more or less "the agent Shadow of Revan mission but make it a heist.")

I have a lot of headcanons about how the denouement of Chapter 2 goes in his timeline, including that he has a bit of a freakout, tells Shara he's resigning and fucks off for a while. He reconnects with Vector, who ends up being a very needed voice of sanity and convincing him to go back.

So yeah, here's a bit from Vector's perspective, where Pravin's explaining to Vector what the hell happened to him. (Vector doesn't know his actual name here--I have this whole idea that agents have operating names before they earn their numbers to keep their true identities totally unmentioned, so the moment where he drops a first name is a shocked reference to Pravin's operating name.)

Spoilers for the imperial agent story; warnings for mental horror stuff and drug use.

Down a musty corridor with sagging paneled walls, the sconces coated in dirt and bugs, he found the room and pressed the bell. A mechanical ping sounded.

Nine cracked it open immediately. “Back up.”

Vector retreated a step. He leaned out just enough to scan Vector’s surroundings; the glint of a blaster’s barrel catching the light. Satisfied, he released the handle, wordlessly ushering his friend inside.

The room was cramped, outfitted with a bed, a refresher and a kitchenette consisting of little more than a sink and a cooktop. The bedsheets were tossed about in a tangle; discarded clothes were strewn across the floor, and the remains of carryout containers filled the counter. Vector’s eyes widened in concern; Nine had never been a compulsively tidy person, but this level of disarray was unlike him.

Then there was the man himself, depositing his pistol on the nightstand and taking a seat on the limp mattress. He was clad in a short-sleeved undershirt, one of those issued with civil service uniforms, and his left arm was done up in a cast held in place by a sling. His sleep pants, sporting a lively geometric pattern, hung loose on his hips; he seemed gaunt, cheeks sunken beneath a layer of stubble. Unkempt curls tumbled about his brow; as he swept them back with his hand, his forehead shone with a sheen of damp.

He smelled sour with perspiration, tinged with sickly-sweet kolto and an edge of something sharper. Vector’s gaze slid to the nightstand. Emptied stim syringes lay atop torn-open packages of dressings, set beside a half-filled pouch of glittery spice.

“Stars,” he breathed. “Cipher—”

“Can you double-check that’s locked?” Nine interrupted, pointing at the door.

Vector turned, examining the lock, then glanced back at his friend. “Arnav, what in the galaxy happened to you?”

Nine opened his mouth and shut it again, his hand curling into a fist in his lap. “...I left Intelligence.”

“You did what?” Vector strode up and dropped onto the bed, his killik companion crawling out onto his shoulder in alarm. “Why?”

“They fucked me over,” Nine spat, the fuzzy edges of his aura sparking. “Those sons-of-scum stabbed me in the back. I just spent two months in a living nightmare because apparently I was too fucking good at my job, too fucking competent to be trusted—”

“You were—what is it called? Burned?”

“No.” Nine gave a humorless laugh. “No, no, I was...I was raped. Mentally. You know how they experiment on prisoners, and—how do I even kriffing—”

He wiped at his nose, searching for words. “You ever had sleep paralysis? Where you wake up partially and you’re seeing things going on around you, and you can’t move?”

“We know of this, yes.”

“That, but you’re fully awake. They tell you to stay, and you’re frozen. They tell you to go, and—” He swallowed. “You’re trapped in your head watching it happen. Can’t even scream.”

He looked towards the wall. “SIS got the trigger word. I don’t know how—one of them’s on the lam, they’re saying he’s got some other allegiance—but frankly, I don’t give a kark. For my part, I’ve fixed it; I took a hit of the chemicals and rewired my own brain because I had no other choice. And no amount of begging on Keeper’s part is going to change the fact that the people whom I trusted, the people whose job it was to be my lifeline, to be there for me whilst I’m running about hostile territory, doing what they don’t even have the guts to do, put me in that position.”

His voice caught; he motioned frenetically at himself. “I gave them six years, Vector. Six years of my life! I was loyal, I was good, I saved thousands of people, and this—this is how they repay me. Fine work, Cipher, you piece of rubbish. None of that meant anything at all.”

[ap-trash-compactor]

On the one hand, in a storyline w multiple agents, I sort of feel like really only one should brainwashed. The whole thing really only makes sense if it’s kind of a specOps team where one person is the “face” of the operation and the rest are a support team. OTOH… Asha and Ziarian both being brainwashed at the same time is extremely tempting because the return of Watcher X for Asha would be…. delicious, especially because of the tension between her and Ziarian from her trying to free X because she instantly fell hard for him and Ziarian going “nope” and shooting X in the head because Shara doesn’t like the guy, meaning that at the same time that Z is having his own personal drama over wanting to fix this before it bites Shara in the butt, Asha is having her own personal drama about X (who Z only sees as an irritant), and that means that the team of agents, not the companions, not the hangers-on in their orbit but the core team of people who actually need to work together to fix the situation, would be totally unable to work with each other any more, because they would be in the middle of a furious personal dispute. I mean… just… Delicious.

On the fence about if it would make sense for Skawn to fit in or if he just lays low as an actual defector who leaves on his own with none of the rest of this. Also torn about if the other Quinn kids get the treatment even if it’s never activated for them. The problem is, and this is a problem with Asha too, is that they are the children of the Emperor’s Wrath. And their aunt is on the council! Z is an outsider, of course Shinnan would agree to let this happen to him if it came up in council, he’s a good friend, ish, but not that good. And she doesn’t care that much. He’ll be fine, it’s all fine. But would she agree about Asha? Would Chwayat? I always go back and forth if Chwayat is a hardcore true believer to the degree that she would throw her kids fully to the wolves there, or if actually she’s such a devotee of the Old Ways that she considers the modern empire an illegitimate clown show and she doesn’t recognize the authority or the right of ANYONE except the emperor himself to give her or her family any orders. She definitely has a lot of disrespect for Baras and a lot of other modern human Sith. Quinn is her special exception to her “grumble grumble human imps calling themselves Sith like they know what that means” version of the “Old Man Yells at Cloud Routine” but like… idk. even Shinnan wouldn’t be her bro if Shinnan weren’t kind of like “lol whatever” about imperial politics and just very into ancient history and dark Sith magic. And I also always go back and forth about how Quinn feels, too. Idk. Like he did make a half-hearted attempt to undermine Chwayat for Baras, but it was not much of an attempt. (At least not how I headcanon it. He could have shot her in the head while she was asleep and framed Pierce, or Vette. Instead he sets up a stupidly elaborate mousetrap but he builds the trap with tinfoil and than pretends to be surprised when Chwayat crumples it up one-handed. Idk. He wasn’t doing his best to kill her, I think. Makes more sense to me if he feels like he has to try because he’s been under Baras’ thumb for so long but he wants to fail and doesn’t really try not to.) So like… If some council member was like “I’m gonna brainwash your kid” would he be like “of course, duty first” or would he be like “…you’re kidding right? you’re kidding. either you’re kidding, or you’re very, very, very fucking stupid.” Like it’s always been part of my headcanon for Asha that a lot of the “you’re just a working stiff” tone of the Agent story just doesn’t apply to her. Ziarian goes through all the shit, that makes sense to me. But Asha... Idk. There’s probably a way to rehash the drama about Watcher X without her being brainwashed, I just need to think about it more. Or there’s a way for the brainwashing to make more sense, and I need to think about that more.

[keldae]

Drastic Measures (Chapter Twenty-Two)

The sound of an incoming freighter made Sorand squint up into Tatooine’s clear blue skies, shading his eyes against the fierce burn of the twin suns. At present distance, with the freighter backlit against the horizon, he couldn’t make out any identifying features. It was only as it approached that he could make out faded green paint, accented in dark red. He frowned — that ship was familiar, as were the markings. He’d spent enough time among Shara’s clan to recognize the Mandalorian symbols adorning the hull.

With a low grunt, the young Sith turned and re-entered the caves. He blinked several times as his vision readjusted to the dim interior. Over his comms, he could already hear the crackle of the cell’s agents communicating with the pilot of the incoming freighter. Brushing his hands over his lightsaber hilt and his blaster pistol as if to make sure he still had them, Sorand decided it was time to greet the newcomer.

He arrived at the designated landing zone just as the freighter touched down softly, sign of a deft hand at the controls. While waiting for the ramp to lower, he looked over at his brother, who leaned back against the wall. The sandy-haired smuggler twirled a spare hydrospanner in his hand. “You call him?” Sorand asked.

“Nah. Maybe Lana did.” Korin frowned in thought. “I don’t think I’ve pissed him off recently… I hope…”

“Considering the last I heard of him, he was in Imperial Space,” Sorand muttered as the ramp finally lowered and a figure clad in red beskar’gam descended to the cave floor, “I don’t think he’s here for a chat with you.”

“… Great.” Korin sighed and straightened up as the Mandalorian approached. “I hope you’re right, otherwise I got some explaining to do about a pazaak match and a not-insubstantial amount of credits.”

“Why do I claim to be related to you again?” the Sith groused before turning back to the Mandalorian. “Su’cuy gar! Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“A few months, yeah.” The Mandalorian -- known to the Taerichs as Corey Black -- removed his helmet, revealing  a face peppered by scars, each of varying length, depth, and age. His solemn, angular features broke into a grin behind a thick, auburn beard. “Too busy planning a rebellion to socialize, Sor’ika? I’m wounded.”

“Sorry.” Sorand shrugged. “Revolts don’t plan themselves, and the other option was leaving that twit in charge.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating a very indignant Korin.

At this, Black smirked. “The entire thing would implode on itself in a week. Or turn into a professional crime ring, hard to say.”

“I hate you both,” Korin muttered.

Sorand grinned at his brother, then looked back at Corey. “So, what brings you out this way?”

“Oh, not much. Just Acina wants me to haul your sorry shebs back to Dromund Kaas. Seems she wants a new throw rug to decorate her apartments.” Corey lazily shrugged. “Something about embezzlement, something something sheltering a Jedi and a Republic spy, something…”

“A throw rug?” The Sith frowned. “I’m a little insulted. I would have thought I at least deserve to be a tapestry.”

An impish grin played across Corey’s features. “I would have suggested a flag,” he teased. “Then they can use your hair to secure you to the pole.” He swatted at the nerftail with an armoured hand.

Sorand actually growled at that, a hand flying up to protectively guard his long hair. “She can touch my hair over my cold, dead body.”

“I think that’s her plan, actually.”

“Ah.”

There was a long moment as Sith and bounty hunter regarded each other before Corey finally clapped Sorand’s shoulder. “Room in your rebellion for one more?”

“If we didn’t, we’d make room for you.” Sorand grinned and stepped back. “C’mon; if Lana finds out you arrived and I didn’t tell her immediately, Acina won’t get the chance to turn me into a throw rug.”

“Lana’s here?” Something in Corey’s posture seemed to relax. “That’s good. Was worried about her when she went off the radar and Acina put a hit out for her.” He fell into step behind Sorand as both men approached the entrance into the rest of the base. As they passed Korin, he took advantage of the opportunity to slug the spacer in the face.

“Ow!” Korin dropped like a sack of bricks, holding the left side of his face and glaring up at the Mandalorian. “What the kriff did I do this time?!”

“I dunno. I just assume you’ve either done something I don’t know about, or I’m getting a hit in early before you pull some other stupid osik. Again.” Corey grinned as he kept walking; behind him, Sorand rolled his eyes and went to haul his brother back to his feet.

“I have to ask, vod’ika,” the Mandalorian said as the trio continued into the base, “the rumour about your Jedi sister -- was it true? What in haran happened?”

The Sith scrubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. “I swear, I should just write the entire damn story and put it up on the HoloNet so people get caught up. Remember that Jedi I was working with during the Ziost crisis…?”

The Red Light sector of Nar Shaddaa had a rough reputation, even by the standards of the city-moon. Such a reputation seemed to keep most Zakuulans at a safe distance from the deeper, darker areas of the sector. Despite this, rumours circulated wildly that the Eternal Throne was planning a purge of it, Quesh, and the several other more crime-ridden areas of the galaxy, such as the Black Sun and Justicar Sectors on Coruscant. Good luck to them, Reanden thought with a derisive snort. The Hutts would fight with the proverbial tooth and nail to protect their own interests.

Still, he cast a glance toward the sky as he and Kothe made their way down a narrow alleyway, both spies trying to not breathe too deeply. “Mind your step,” Kothe warned as he picked his way through the rubble. “They haven’t fully cleaned up down here from the sewage backup a few weeks ago.”

“Delightful,” Reanden sarcastically muttered. “The Hutts gave up on this sector entirely?”

“Not quite. That backup was deliberate.” Kothe glanced back at Reanden as he kept walking. “Did its job in keeping the Zaks from poking their noses in too deep.”

The former Imperial spy grimaced. “Which dumbass came up with that idea?”

“Korin.” The former Jedi looked back again, a grin pulling at his face. “The kid’s insane, Legate. Definitely yours.”

Reanden sighed as he followed Kothe down the alley. “Great. I’m so proud of him,” he deadpanned.

The two spies made their way down to a rusty door, flanked by flickering holo signs advertising stims of questionable repute. Kothe tapped a sharp code against the door, waited a few seconds, then tapped a second code. Moments later, the door cracked open. “Did you bring drinks? I’m surprisingly not picky after this week.”

“Sorry, Gault. Didn’t exactly have time to stop by the cantina after picking up this moron.” Ignoring Reanden’s glare, Kothe waved his hand, using the Force to open the door enough for entry. “Kaliyo and Vette are probably going to be late.”

“So, who’d you piss off, old timer?” The Devaronian currently going by the name of Gault Rennow grinned as he stepped back, allowing the two spies into the hideout.

“A bunch of envious Zakuulans who know a good ship when they see one.” Reanden shot Gault a warning look. “You’re still not allowed to touch my baby, Tyresius.”

“The name is Gault. And you’re no fun,” Gault complained as he closed the door. “Hylo’s been waitin’ for you two. Seems she’s had an update from the storm system about that Jedi and Spy-Boy Junior.”

“You’ve saved your remaining horn from being busted off,” Reanden muttered as he hurried down the corridor, Kothe a step behind him. In truth, while Gault could get under his skin masterfully, the possibility of an update on his daughter made him anxious for the news. He’d been in contact with the Nar Shaddaa resistance cell enough to know his way through the hideout. Still, he frowned as he walked through the condemned apartment. “I thought Zenith was still here.”

“He was -- until he decided to leave off with Korin for Tatooine. After what happened to the Balmorra cell, Zenith’s understandably paranoid — keeps moving almost as much as the Shan kid does. Or your daughter.” Kothe paused to raise an eyebrow at Reanden. “You sure Xaja Taerich’s your kid? Times I’ve encountered her, she’s been too nice and friendly to be related to you.”

Reanden just made a rude gesture at Kothe as the two spies entered the centre of the hideout and earned a grin for his trouble. Their footsteps drew the attention of the middle-aged Mirialan woman bending over a computer terminal. She straightened with an audible sigh of relief. “I was beginning to wonder if you two old bastards would ever show up. You get lost, Kothe?”

“That happened once,” Kothe growled as Reanden smirked. “What do you have for us?”

“Just got off a call with the cell contacts and Thunder,” Hylo answered as she flopped down. The worn chair creaked under what was a minimal strain. “You might wanna take a seat, this could take a while.”

“Then give us the short version,” Reanden said as he mirrored her action. “What the Hells is going on? I’ve been out of contact for the last day and a half, and Kothe doesn’t have all the information I want.”

“Even the short version’s gonna take a while, Agent.” Hylo ran a hand through her hair as she leaned back, balancing precariously on the back two legs of the chair. “Zaks are gettin’ more snoopy than usual, as you just found out. Imperius —”

The rumble of a furious Wookiee made Reanden twist in his chair, eyebrows rising to his hairline. “Oh yeah,” Hylo said as heavy footsteps approached the room, “we got a new pair in. They said they know you and Master Taerich; figured you’d wanna verify ‘em anyway.”

“That would be—” Reanden blinked as the Wookiee lumbered into the meeting room. The first impression of the shadowy silhouette gave the illusion that he had two extra, remarkably hairless arms. When the Wookiee stepped into clearer vision, however, Reanden could recognize the half-assembled droid attached to the furry chest. “Dee-Four,” the old agent said, surprise colouring his voice. “You’re looking remarkably more intact.”

“This barbarian has been making me earn my limbs back!” the droid furiously exclaimed. “And then taking them away again! I was almost complete a couple of months ago!”

“You karked up translating on purpose!” the Wookiee retorted. “And got us shot at!”

“I I had my legs, I would assuredly kick you,” C2-D4 complained. “Queen Lina of Onderon would never have taunted me like this!”

“Of course not,” Reanden smoothly interjected, inwardly wondering if the illustrious Queen Lina wouldn’t have disassembled the droid on her own. She had a reputation for being direct and impatient, herself. “Jakarro, I didn’t know you two were involved with the resistance.”

“Where else would we be? We haven’t had a good adventure since the Revanites!” Jakarro took a seat on a table that creaked precariously under his and Dee-Four’s combined weights. “Besides, the Zakuulans interfere too much with our shipping enterprises.”

“And the Skytroopers,” Dee-Four added. “Ugh. So unnatural, and with less personality than a loader droid. The galaxy will be better off without them. Is it true they killed Master Xaja?”

“No, but they came damn close,” Reanden muttered. He turned and nodded at Hylo. “Yes, I know them.”

“Is there anyone in the galaxy you don’t know?” Kothe asked with a raised eyebrow.

Reanden had to think about that. “There’s probably some little street urchin or two in this system I haven’t met yet…”

“Spies are social flutterplumes. Got it.” Hylo looked down at her datapad. “Hookay. Imperius is on Tatooine, joined forces with Cap’n Korin after he took down the Star Fortress bunker tower there.”

Kothe’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s no small feat.” He glanced over at Reanden. “I have to admit, your boys are impressive.”

“Damn straight they are,” Reanden beamed a bit before looking at Hylo. He leaned against the table. “Any word on Master Taerich or Agent Shan?”

“Reports indicate they’re safe and sound for now, having landed on Dantooine with Master Shan,” Hylo answered. A knot of tension in Reanden’s chest loosened as the smuggler continued talking. “That cell’s on high alert, though, and from the sounds of it they aren’t going to be staying around long. Right now they’re—”

“With the Jedi?” Kaliyo strolled into the room, Vette and Gault right behind her. “I’d almost rather still be on the run.” She nodded at Reanden. “Your baby’s fine. SCORPIO has her sealed up like a vault. I’d be careful though — the Zaks are still crawling around the spaceport looking for you.”

“I’ve never sympathized more with paparazzi-hounded celebrities in my life,” the former Imperial muttered. “Good seeing you two alive and intact after all that.”

“You too, old timer.” Vette hopped up on another table and gave Jakarro an affectionate nudge with her shoulder. “What are we missing?”

Hylo scowled up at the ceiling. “Okay, one more time, from the top without anyone else interrupting: Master Taerich and Agent Shan are on Dantooine. Darth Imperius is on the run from the Empire, and last update puts him on Tatooine. Captain Korin attacked and took down the Star Fortress tower there, but the Zaks haven’t retaliated yet. Doc Kimble’s safe on Alderaan, and so’s Supreme Commander Malcom after he quit his job —”

Kothe’s jaw dropped. “Malcom did what?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what Thunder said. Apparently he’s Agent Shan’s biological dad, or so he’s claiming.” Hylo shrugged. “Seems the sly old fox found a stray Zak Knight who made friends with Master Shan. She’s cooperating with the cell there, while Lord Beniko arrived on Tatooine with another Zak defector and his buddies. Uhhhh, think that’s about it?”

“That’s it, she says,” Reanden muttered as he shook his head. He would have to try reaching out to SIS headquarters through back channels and see what Marcus Trant knew about these developments. “Trivial, really.”

“So the other cells are actively doing things,” Jakarro growled. “Why are we sitting around?”

“Because you pissed off half the Zakuulan garrison in the Star Fortress,” Hylo snapped at the Wookiee, “and the old man over here pissed off the other half! Thunder’s orders are recon only for the Star Fortress bunker here, and that’s provided we can find the stupid thing.”

“A bunker like that has to have its own independent power supply off the Nar Shaddaa grid,” Reanden mused. “Do we have a ballpark area of where it might be?”

“As far as my agents can determine, it’s somewhere in this sector,” Kothe spoke up. “Let’s see if we can figure out a way to knock it out of commission without the Zaks getting up our asses or killing people. If Zakuul is distracted by Tatooine, we might have a shot at this.”

It was some time later when Xaja and Kira returned to the main parts of the Enclave. A pretty human Jedi with a long braid of auburn hair directed them to a chamber where Master Satele was waiting, along with Theron and a handful of other people milling about. Xaja spared a glance and a smile to the Nautolan male who bowed in her direction, frustrated that she could not remember his name. He was Master Orgus’ Padawan before me, she thought. Why the Hells can’t I remember his name? Next to him was a tall Zabrak in armour that was once bronze, the surface marred with deep scrapes and gauges. She acknowledged him with a nod before her eyes settled on the tall, muscular human male beside Theron, capped with dreadlocks. He wore a long duster that stopped just below the top of his boots, a blaster rifle strapped to his back. A grin settled over her features with recognition. “Good to see you, Corso.”

“Nice seein’ you too, Master T.” Corso Riggs, first mate and friend to the scandalous Captain Korin Taerich, still managed to blush when Xaja talked to him. “It’s good havin’ you back around. Ain’t that right, Guss?”

“You betcha!” The Mon Calamari a couple of paces off waved. “Galaxy’s been a darker an’ colder place without you around, Master Xaja.”

Can’t have been darker and colder than carbonite, Xaja thought to herself, and shuddered at the memory of being thrown into the chamber before slipping her hand into Theron’s. She took comfort in his warmth, and the way he gently nuzzled her hair and squeezed her fingers.  Leaning into his shoulder and looking around, she blinked at a familiar pair of montrals visible over everyone else’s heads. “Ashara?” she softly asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Kira nodded. “Apparently after the siege over Dromund Kaas lifted, a few Imps decided the ‘impurity’ of the Empire was to blame for their loss, so they started going after everyone who wasn’t human or Sith. Your brother sent Ashara here after folks tried to kill her twice — and I’m not sure how his other apprentice didn’t get murdered.”

“Because Xalek is straight-up terrifying,” Theron muttered, and Xaja smirked as she nodded in agreement.

Kira grinned. “Yeah, point. Ashara’s a good kid though, even with that Sith influence. Your brother pretty much let her keep her Jedi traditions intact.” Her expression grew slightly more sombre and she inclined her head as Master Satele approached the trio. “Master.”

Satele nodded at Kira and offered a small smile before her attention shifted back to Theron and Xaja. “Come. We need to discuss your options moving forward.”

“You think we’re not safe here?” Xaja asked, frowning worriedly.

“I fear you’re not safe anywhere,” Satele murmured as she lead them to an alcove in the cave wall. Kira accompanied them, never more than a couple of feet from Xaja’s side; Corso and Ashara made their way over moments later.

Once everyone was settled down, Satele spoke again, bypassing formalities and pleasantries entirely. “What are the latest updates from the Storm network?”

“Got a report that the cell on Tatooine landed a good hit against the Zaks by attackin’ the Star Fortress tower there,” Corso spoke up. “Cap’n Korin reported in — all systems are good, although he’s a little spooked that the Zaks haven’t tried retaliatin’ yet.”

“Probably because the Zakuulans are too focused on us to look anywhere else,” Theron muttered. He slipped an arm around Xaja’s thin shoulders. “On one hand, it sucks being the galaxy’s most wanted. On the other, I guess it’s good for the resistance to get stuff done.”

Corso nodded. “Word on the street is that Imperius made contact with the Tatooine cell an’ is hiding from the Empire, along with Shara Verhayc. Acina wants his head for stealin’ a ton a’ credits from the Empire an’ pullin’ a runner. Cipher Nine’s reported to have made it to another cell too, but no data on where he is, just that he obviously ain’t here with you.”

“Does the resistance know where we are?” Xaja asked.

“Yep. And Thunder’s the happiest we’ve ever seen ‘em about it, Master T.” The former farmboy gave a knowing smile. “We also picked up a couple of stray Zaks who apparently ain’t too fond of their Emperor, either.”

“Defector Zakuulans?” Ashara blinked. “Aren’t the Zaks supposed to be fervently loyal to the Eternal Throne?”

Corso shrugged. “Dunno. Apparently there’s an entire crew of Zak soldiers who jumped ship, an’ their captain’s runnin’ around with Lana —”

“Wait.” Theron straightened up. “Lana Beniko?”

“Unless there’s another scary-lookin’ blonde Sith lady who’d admit to bein’ friends with a Jedi, yep.” Corso looked back to Master Satele. “An’ that’s all that’s come in on the network.”

Satele nodded as she absorbed in the information. “Thank you, Corso.” She sat back, looking around the small council. “While Agent Theron and Master Xaja have friends scattered across the galaxy, both as independent agents and formally with the resistance, there’s more people seeking them for their own reasons. I assume everyone knows of the bounty on their heads?”

“Half a million credits each, just for information.” Kira shook her head. “Arcann really wants you two back, apparently.”

“Arcann needs to get used to rejection,” Xaja muttered, and was rewarded with a couple of smirks.

“There have already been some serious -- and close -- attempts to collect on those bounties,” Satele continued. “Half of Raider’s Cove on Rishi, and possibly someone on Dromund Kaas.”

“Got confirmation about the traitor in Kaas City,” Corso interjected. “Verhayc commed in privately to say one of her crew figured out Doc Kimble was there, then put two an’ two together, calling in the Zaks for the credits. Good news is that Skadge didn’t live long enough to regret that.”

“Did she kill him?” Ashara asked. The Force flickered around her with something cold and dark that hinted at an old, deeply-ingrained hatred for the named person.

“Imperius took care of it on his way out.” Corso suddenly frowned. “Which reminds me: Old Man Nine put out a warnin’ on another channel couple of days back that the Wrath might be in on the hunt too, for unnamed personal reasons. We’ll all have to keep an eye out for that nutjob.”

“Calling the Wrath a nutjob is an insult to nutjobs everywhere,” Ashara muttered, shuddering. “And sells his brand of crazy far too short.”

“Enough,” Satele interjected. “When I spoke to him, Cipher Nine seemed to think that the Wrath would be looking for him or Imperius more than he would for Theron and Xaja, which only leaves us with the problem of Arcann and every bounty hunter in the galaxy.”

“Trifling problems,” Kira dryly said.

“Trifling problems with the entire Eternal Fleet involved.” Satele steepled her fingers in front of her, frowning. “I don’t think that we were followed from Voss — Cipher Nine was attempting to keep the Zakuulan ships away from me, and their attention focused on him as we were escaping. But I’m hardly an expert in tracking ships, and the Zakuulans seem to be much more advanced in that regard.” She looked over at Theron and Xaja, a note of clear pity in her eyes. “For your safety, it’s best if you keep moving -- stay one step ahead of the Zakuulans, if you can.”

Xaja had already suspected that would be the answer, but it didn’t mean she wanted to hear it. She sighed, feeling Theron's arm around her shoulder tighten. “We know,” she quietly acknowledged. “Any good options for us to go next?”

“I wouldn’t recommend Corellia,” Kira said. “Not only is it too close to Coruscant, but Saresh has agents all through Coronet, and the Corellian rebels keep the Zaks stirred into a constant swarm. The Green Jedi might protect you if you can get to the Enclave, but they’ve already got their hands full.”

Corso nodded in agreement. “Alderaan might work for ya though. It’s still Republic, but with the Supreme Commander going way back with the Organas, the ol’ green witch hasn’t been able to manage too tight a hold there.”

Theron went alert at that. “Wait, if Malcom’s there, doesn’t that mean Saresh has people there?”

“Oh, ya didn’t hear?” Corso grinned. “Guess ya have been outta touch for a while,” he said. “Seems Malcom told Saresh to kriff a Hutt and quit. He’s been hangin’ around Organa Castle, and a bunch of his folks followed. Now there’s a whole lot of ‘em there, all loyal to him instead of Saresh. She’d probably be goin’ after him, but the Organas won’t let her people onto their territory.” His grin widened. “Been fun to watch.”

“Malcom told Saresh off and quit?” A streak of pure, almost-childish glee tore through Theron’s Force-signature before he could temper it. “That is the best news I’ve heard all day.” To his right, Satele appeared a little bit surprised by Corso’s news, although she kept her reaction limited to a widening of her eyes.

“Him an’ all of Havoc Squad, among others.” Corso grinned. “Dunno if he’s joined the resistance yet, himself, but he’s been encouragin’ his troops to join up, from what I’m hearin’.”

“Alderaan might be a good option then,” Xaja mused as she looked up at Theron. The feeling of delighted glee had toned itself down, although she could still sense some sort of emotional turbulence within him. It was clearly connected to Commander Malcom. Malcom? she silently asked through the bond.

Theron hesitated before responding, pursing his lips, a crease between his brows. He gave a heavy sigh. Father.

Xaja blinked. Father? she echoed. The Supreme Commander was too… too rough, too burly, too grizzled of a war veteran and soldier; the idea of him as a father --

Her mind screeched to a halt. Wait, that means… Her gaze darted over to Satele, then back at Theron, working through what she knew of the biological connections. The Supreme Commander and the Grand Master …? No wonder Theron had never identified his birth father — he developed enough insecurities as the son of one legendary parent, forget two. Even if you don’t need to be a legend for me, she silently thought as she slipped her arm around Theron’s waist and lightly squeezed. A soft burst of relief swept through her, and Theron lightly leaned against her.

The conversation had gone on while Xaja had processed the information of Theron’s connection to Malcom. “I can get in contact with the cell leader on Alderaan,” Corso was saying. “He’s Imperial, but a good person; got no issues with Jedi or Republic folks. Think he used to be a diplomat, back in the day.”

“Do that,” Satele said with a nod. “If he doesn’t answer, I’ll simply take Theron and Xaja to Alderaan with me in the morning. Otherwise, we’ll coordinate with him and —”

A deafening crash overhead brought the revered Jedi to an abrupt stop. Ominous booms eched through the caverns,a phenomenon with which the Jedi were already too familiar. Anticipation mingled with fear  around her as Xaja jumped to her feet, looking up in the direction of the surface. Cries began to reverberate against the solid walls and she frowned as she spoke: “I don’t think we have until morning, Master.”

[poedameronloverx]

General Grandma

Heeey everyone, me again with some more bad writing. This all came from a random idea I had about Leia being a grand-mother to Poe and readers daughter. I started off on a total roll whilst writing it, but then I wasn’t feeling well for a few days and I lost my way a bit so I’m not 100% happy with it but I wasn’t going anywhere with it so I thought that I’d share it anyway.

I hope at least someone out there can enjoy it <3

Pairing: Poe Dameron x F!Solo Reader

Warnings: Mentions of having a child

Word Count: 8508 - yikes!

Leia Organa had many titles, General, Princess, mum, but her favourite one was now Grandma. From the second you'd given birth to your daughter 3 and a half years previously, Leia was completely smitten with her grand-daughter. Shara Dameron was a little ray of sunshine throughout the base, her energy and infectious laugh kept everyone's spirit's high, especially Leia's. Shara loved her grandma, she wanted to spend time with her whenever she could and could quite often be seen following Leia round base. There weren't a lot of children in the resistance, and the ones that were there were all older than Shara, so she didn't have any friends her own age to play with. It was something that always made you sad, the older kids weren't interested in playing with a 3 year old but she always had her grandma and her favourite droid BB8 to keep her company if you or Poe were busy. Meal times were the best part of the day, if you and your husband were both on base, no matter how busy you were, you made time to eat together and spend time with Shara. She was sat on Poe's lap chatting happily about her morning and how she'd been playing with BB8 and Uncle Finn. She told you in detail about everything they'd done, Poe chuckled and buried his face in her dark curls as she mentioned that Finn had tripped over BB8 and fallen.

“He hurted his hand but I kissed it better for him” she explained

“That was really nice of you” you replied “I'm sure that made him feel lots better”

Poe glanced across the room and smiled as he saw Shara's favourite person approaching.

“Look sweetheart, here comes General grandma!” he said

“Grandma!” she squealed happily

“Hello little Miss Dameron” Leia smiled, taking a seat next to Poe and happily grabbing hold of Shara as she quickly abandoned her place on Poe's lap in favour of sitting with grandma. “How was your morning?”

She launched back into her stories of her morning with Finn, causing Leia to laugh at the details.

“Can I come with you after lunch?” she asked

“Of course you can my darling” Leia replied “I've got you some paper and crayons so you can do that drawing you mentioned yesterday”

You smiled. The resistance didn't always have a lot, but your mother always made sure her grand-daughter didn't go without. They had the most beautiful bond and it warmed your heart every time you looked at them. You knew there was a gap in your mothers heart caused by your brother leaving, but Shara was slowly starting to mend it. Ever since your daughter was born, Leia always made sure, where possible, that one of you or Poe was on base at all times. It was very rare that the two of your would go off on missions together. It was something that put your minds at ease, knowing that if something happened to one of you, the other would still be there for Shara.

Leia had some work to do before she could fully dedicate her time to Shara, but the little girl didn't mind. She happily skipped along next to her grandma, singing away to herself as Leia made her way round base to get a few jobs done. Once the General was finished with her work, she headed back to her quarters to spend some quiet time with her grand-daughter. She set up the crayons and paper on the desk and helped Shara onto the chair.

“I can't wait to see what pictures you draw my darling”

“I'm going to draw the best picture for you grandma!” Shara beamed

“Remember and draw some for mummy and daddy too” Leia smiled “I'm sure they'd really love that”

“Ok, and BeeBee too!”

“Yes I'm sure the droid would love a drawing” Leia chuckled. Shara really was her fathers daughter, she had the highest respect for everyone on base, especially droids. BB8 had loved the little girl from the second she was born, he would sit protectively by her crib whilst she was a baby, he rolled closely behind her as she learned to walk and he played with her when her family members were busy. If it had been anyone else, Poe would've felt betrayed that his droid had a new best friend but seeing his daughter playing with BB8 made his heart feel full enough to burst. Leia always had a smile on her face when she watched Shara interacting with all of the droids, so many people just brushed them off or found them an inconvenience, but not Shara.

Shara jumped off the chair once she was finished her drawing and skipped over to where Leia was on the couch reading.

“This is for you grandma!”

Leia smiled and took the paper from her, there were a lot of scribbles and two stick people. “It's wonderful”

“It's you and me!” Shara replied “Look, that's you there” she pointed at the taller stick figure

“I love it” Leia replied “Thank you, I'll put it on my wall” she stood up and pinned the drawing to the wall of her room “Now I can see it all the time”

Shara smiled, her giggles filled the room as Leia sat down and pulled her into her lap, tickling her as they went.

“Grandma? Can we play dolls?”

“Of course we can” Leia replied, setting her down on the floor, “You grab them and set them up”

Once you and Poe finished work, you grabbed some food for yourselves and Leia and headed to her room. Leia called for you to come in when you knocked. You smiled at the sight of your daughter curled up on her grandmas lap, fast asleep.

“She's been asleep about 20 minutes” Leia said “She had some food a few hours ago”

“Might as well leave her sleeping then” Poe said “She looks content enough. All that time with you must've worn her out”

“Yeah sorry we're later than usual” you replied “We both got caught up”

“Never apologise for giving me longer with my grand-daughter” Leia replied “Every second with her is one to be treasured”

The three of you ate dinner, occasionally chatting about your day but mostly just enjoying spending time together. Once you'd finished eating, you could feel yourself drifting off. It wasn't long until Poe felt your head hit his shoulder. He smiled fondly at you, and then at his daughter.

“What's on your mind?” Leia asked

“Gods I just love them so much Leia. I didn't think it was possible to love this hard!”

“You have two wonderful girls Poe” Leia replied “You're a lucky man, I might be a bit biased though”

Poe chuckled “I'm the luckiest man in the galaxy. They're everything to me”

“And you're everything to them. Y/N loves you so much, I've never seen her as happy as she is when she's with you. And Shara thinks the world of you”

“I'm behind you and my droid on her list of favourite people. But to be fair that's a pretty good list of people to be behind”

“Your mother would be so proud of you” Leia said “You're such a good man, one of the best in fact, and Y/N and Shara are lucky to have you in their life's. We're all lucky to have you!”

Poe smiled as he felt you move next to him, squishing your face into his arm. “Shara might look like me, but she takes after her mother” he said, seeing his daughter was doing the same to Leia's arm.

“My precious girls” Leia smiled, running her fingers through Shara's curls.

“I should probably get them to bed” Poe said, he gently shook your arm until your eyes fluttered open “Come on Sweetheart, we need to head back to our room so you and the little lady can get to bed”

“I can't believe I fell asleep. I'm sorry”

“Don't apologise” Leia said “It's been a crazy few weeks”

Poe took Shara from Leia, letting the little girl shuffle in his arms until she was comfortable. You leant forward to hug your mother. Leia kissed your head.

“I'll see you tomorrow mum”

“Give Shara a goodnight kiss from me”

Shara began to stir as you entered your quarters. Poe adjusted her in his arms.

“Daddy”

“Hey sweetheart, we're going to get you ready for bed now”

“Where's grandma?”

“She's in her room” Poe replied with a smile “You spent lots of time with her before you fell asleep. And you'll see her tomorrow”

“Mama?”

“Mama's over there, checking on BeeBee” he moved so Shara could see you. “Do you want mama to read you a bedtime story?”

“I want story from you and mama” she replied sleepily

“Alright, let's get you changed for bed”

Shara managed to get two stories out of you that night. Her big brown eyes always got you to give into her, much like her father. You watched her for a while after she fell asleep. Even when the galaxy felt like a dark and horrible place, Shara brought such light into your life and to everyone around her. Poe stepped up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, his chin resting on your shoulder.

“We did that” he whispered “We really made a perfect little human”

“I love her so much”

“Me too” Poe replied “And I love you. And our little family!”

[stuntgirlatthevampiremansion]

Poe was not a spice smuggler!!!

I just watched tros, and i liked it. But one thing really angered me, and it was jjs total disregard for Poe’s (CANON) backstory. It is evident that jj did not read the Poe Dameron or Shattered Empire comics, and now casual fans who do not consume any canon other than the movie will not know the truth.

He was NOT A SPICE SMUGGLER!! Both of his parents were rebel heroes who were key fighters in the war against the empire. His mother, Shara Bey was an A-wing pilot (one of the best in the galaxy) who was in charge of protecting the falcon during the battle of Endor and who assisted Luke in the retrieval of a force tree. (Luke gifter her with a force tree which she planted in her home in Yavin-4) and fought with Leia in Naboo. Poe’s dad, commander Kes Dameron was a land fighter who fought alongside Han and Rex in Endor. After the war, they settled in Yavin-4 raised Poe in peace. (You can read about this in the Shattered Empire comics)

Poe grew up in Yavin-4, where Shara taught him to fly in her A-wing from a young age. He joined the New Republic Navy as a pilot when he was of age, and when he learned about what the First Order was doing, he left the New Republic Navy and joined Leia in the Resistance early on. (Leia was basically like an aunt to him, it is implied) (you can read more about him in the Resistance and his backstory in the Poe Dameron comics)

Now JJ set him up as a spice smuggler!!!. Which erases his amazing and important backstory. What i expect will happen now is that we will get a new comic to fix it up telling the story of how he posed as a spice smuggler while undercover for a Resistance mission. This is very likely and will be an easy mistake to fix, considering he was really active Resistance member who went on countless missions. In one of those missions, where he had to take on the false identity of a spice smuggler, he met Zori. Due to his high Resistance rank, he could not risk revealing his true identity to her, and they formed this bond under the false ilusion of his identity. Eventually, when he completed the mission he had to abandon the spice rink.

That is all for today, may the force be with you

(EDIT:) i found out that in the vidual dictionary they said that he joined the spice runners after Shara died as an act of rebellion. I still think this is out of character and in the previous canon he just went str8 to the navy

[bluebellhairpin]

Mental Scarring

Dad!Poe Dameron X Mom!Reader

A/N: My sister and I were like this with our mum and dad. It happened like clockwork every morning. Also, to anyone who writes Poe with a son and daughter; we all know he’d love having two girls and he would totally name one after his mother and the other after Leia. - Nemo

Summary: Mornings in the Dameron household are repetitive and predictable. But Poe wouldn’t have it any other way, especially since his mornings involve his three most important girls. 

Masterlist   

[Gif was found on Google. Credit to Owner!]

Poe didn’t quite think his life could get so good. 

Hell, at more than one point he thought the war might never end, but here he was. Lucky as usual, with more people to love than he ever had before. 

Life was pretty damn good.

The sun was shining down on his face - a sign his wife was awake already and had very cruelly opened the curtains on him, as if he didn’t sleep though it every morning - and he gave no second thought to rolling over and completely taking over the whole bed. This was the life he’d dreamed of, and having you in it only made it better. So much better. 

“Le, shhhh,” a small voice followed by two smaller sets of footsteps came from the hallway, and a smile curled onto Poe’s face. 

Out the corner of his eye, a head popped into the doorway, followed by another, then they both disappeared again. His two girls were smart, but they were in no way quiet.

“Papa’s still asleep.” 

“I wanna see Mamma.” 

“Then go see Mamma, she’ll need us with her anyway.” Shara - the eldest of the two - said, taking control of the ‘situation’ quickly. For a six-year-old she was rather good at it. Leia - who Poe could hear sucking on her blanket - left, then he heard a door open, the distance sound of running water becoming louder for a moment, then the door closed.

“Papa!” Shara jumped up onto the bed, landing roughly onto Poe’s chest. Poe let out a laugh, pulling her close. 

“Morning to you too.” he mumbled into her hair pressing a kiss to it for good measure before giving her another squeeze. 

“Papa, I can’t breathe!” She said, giggling as she tried to hopelessly wiggle out of his arms. He let her free, but she didn’t go far, settling on his stomach. “What’s for breakfast?” 

“Maybe food.” Poe hummed, resting his hands behind his head with a smirk. Shara smacked his chest half-heartedly.

“That’s what you always say!” 

“And that’s what we always eat!” 

Then the running water stopped. Shara’s eyes locked on her father’s, and Poe’s smiled widened.

They both knew exactly what that meant. 

“Papa, don’t.” She said, pressing her hands down on his chest as he started sitting up. “No!” 

“I have to Shara! No one else will whistle at you mother after she’s out of the shower.” he said, now sitting up fully, and poked her sides. “It’s a matter of national security, I must do it!”

“No it’s not!”

“Oh yes it is!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!” Shara had been trying to hold her father back - as usual - and it wasn’t working - as usual - so she ran, opened the bathroom door, and slammed it shut - as usual. 

As predictable as the routine was, Poe loved it. 

He leant against the door, enough for the two girls to know her was there, and enough for him to clearly hear what was going on behind the closed door.

“We’ll protect you Mamma!” 

It amused him to no end how him whistling at his wife - and their mother - was something worth being protected from. However, if it was someone that wasn’t him, he’d be as willing to keep the guy away as his girls were with him.

It was like he said - but it was more like no one else was allowed to do it besides him. 

A softer and older voice came from behind the door - a voice that could still send butterflies flying around his stomach and up to his lungs. A voice that almost made him let out a dreamy sign as he leant on the bathroom door. Your voice. 

“My, my, look who it is.”  The door opened, revealing you in fresh clothes and hair all wet, your two girls at your feet. “Causing trouble again?” 

“Me? Never.” Poe said, leaning across your daughters to press a kiss to your lips.

“This is exactly what we were avoiding.” Shara said, shaking her head with crossed arms. You smiled, the corners of your eyes crinkling in the most endearing way. Poe looked down at Shara.

“You were avoiding me loving your Mamma?” he joked, and Shara couldn’t help but smile. 

“No, I was hoping to avoid you being gross.” 

“Kissing, gross? I don’t believe that.” Poe said, leaning over to you as if to kiss you again, but you bent down to pick up Leia before he reached you, holding her up so he kissed her cheek instead, making her giggle. 

“I think we can avoid mentally scarring our children further than what we have already Poe.” You said, Leia moving to rest her head against your shoulder. You swore you saw Poe pout as he picked up Shara. 

“We don’t mentally scar you, do we?”

“Only when you kiss, and don’t get me breakfast.” 

You let out a laugh, taking Leia and wandered into the kitchen, leaving Poe alone with Shara once more. 

“What about when I kiss you and your Mamma makes breakfast?” He said, kissing her cheek, and she nodded.

“That’s much better.” 

“What about now?” he asked, smiling as he blew a raspberry on her neck, causing her to squirm and squeal, pushing his face away.

“Not better, you’re scarring me!”

[sperastella]

Yo it’s Tripple!❤️❤️ How about Baby sitter AU, enemies to lovers, and the quote “What is that??!!”

Okay, this was a lot harder than I thought it would be with the whole enemies to lovers thing, but I was trying to timebox myself here so hopefully, you like it!

We Communicate in Waveforms

Rey Kenobi is in desperate need of a job when she agrees to babysit for Mr. Dameron. Unfortunately, he turns out to be kind of an ass...that is at least until she gets to know him better.

AKA Five times Rey was pretty sure she hated Mr. Dameron and the one time she did not.

Also available to read on AO3

One

Rey Kenobi got the job via a recommendation from Leia. A friend’s son was in need of a babysitter and while she had never babysat as a job before, Rey had plenty of experience looking after kids of all ages at the group home. Plus, as a 22-year-old grad student, she was in desperate need of any job that helped pay the bills.

Unfortunately, her employer, Mr. Poe Dameron, was not what she expected. For starters, he was a 30-year-old single father of two, six-month-old twin girls, Shara and Bethany. Second, and most importantly, he was kind of an ass.

“Food and formula are in the fridge; you can make a list if there is anything that needs restocking. The girls will need at least two naps and do make sure to use the lavender skin wipes when changing them. Any questions Ms. Kenobi?”

“No, I’m good. And please, call me Rey.”

“Very well. I should be back around six Ms. Kenobi.”

Beyond his insistence not to use her first name, he also commonly failed to use basic pleasantries like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. His swift exit and terse demeanor left her wondering how much he even cared about his girls.

Two

Two weeks later, Mr. Dameron had come home early and was preparing dinner in the kitchen while Rey readied the girls. Shara was up in an instant at the first mention of food. Comparatively, Bethany took longer to get ready. Rey liked to think it was because she just wanted all the attention. As she rocked the girl in her arms, she hears a loud crash from the kitchen.

“Fuck!” yells Mr. Dameron in a loud voice that carries all the way to the girls’ room.

Rey makes her way to the kitchen to see a pot tipped over and what was supposed to be the girls’ formula spilled across the tile floor.

“Everything okay?”

Mr. Dameron is bent over cleaning up the mess and cursing under his breath.

“Fine.”

“Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine Ms. Kenobi,” snaps Mr. Dameron sharply. “I got this.”

“Okay relax, you don’t have to be rude about it,” scoffs Rey.

Quickly turning on her heel, she takes Bethany back to the nursery. Looks like supper is going to be a little while longer.

Three

While searching for clean sheets, she comes across a picture album in the bottom drawer of the closet. Letting curiosity get the better of her, Rey begins to flip through the photobook only to find several pictures of Mr. Dameron and an unknown woman. There are pictures of them hugging and kissing—they look happy together. This woman was probably the twin’s mom.  She wonders if—

“Hey, what are you doing in there?”

“I uh...um…” Rey fumbles and shuts the book with a thud. “I was uh...looking for sheets.”

Mr. Dameron eyes the album in her lap and his face goes unreadable for a moment before he scowls at her once more.

“Put that back, don’t ever go looking in there again, do you understand?!”

Four

If Rey wasn’t becoming so attached to his girls, she would probably quit this stupid job babysitting for Mr. Dameron. He was late getting home and he hadn’t even bothered to call or text to give her a heads up.

Roughly an hour later, he comes stumbling into the house carrying a large heavy box. The muscles in his forearms are tight and his shirt rides up a bit to expose several tan abs that distract Rey for a (not so) brief moment.

“What is that??!!” she practically yells, stammering up to help move one of the chairs out his way.

Carrying the box through the living room, Mr. Dameron sets it down inside the twins’ nursery.

“It’s a dresser,” he exhales. “I thought I could paint it and it would go well along that wall,” he says, pointing across the room.

Rey’s face warms and she folds her arms defensively. “Yeah, well...you’re nearly an hour late. Why didn’t you call or text?”

Mr. Dameron digs into his pocket and holds up his phone. “Oh, my cell died.”

Five

Rey feels oddly off-kilter when Mr. Dameron is sullen and apologizes for being three days late with her latest pay. His house wasn’t very big, nor was it really decorated (outside the girls’ nursery), but she never thought he was struggling to make ends meet. Despite knowing she should probably leave, Rey watches as he shuffles past her into the twins’ room.

“Hey sweethearts,” he mumbles, caressing Shara’s head. “Did you have a good day today?”

The baby girl blabbers playfully.

“Mmf, well I’m glad one of us did. How about you Bethany?”

Another happy cry.

“Yeah, I agree. Rey is great. Lord knows she’s better with you two than I’ll ever be. I can barely make your formula.”

Plus One

Over time, Rey realizes she very badly misjudged Mr. Dameron. While he could be rude at times, he was genuinely a good man put in a difficult situation. Shara and Bethany were unplanned and his former girlfriend disappeared shortly after their birth, leaving him to care for the girls by himself.

One night after watching the girls, Rey’s car won’t start and she finds herself stranded outside Mr. Dameron’s house. He must have been watching to make sure she left okay because a few minutes later, he comes rushing outside without even so much as an umbrella.

“Everything alright?” he asks, knocking on her door.

“Car won’t start,” she frowns.

“I can see that. Why don’t you pop the hood.”

For some reason or another, she hops out of the car and watches as he spends a few minutes looking and poking at the engine and other mechanical parts. (Hey, she’s studying to be a biochemist, not a mechanic.)

“Hard to tell what the issue might be in this storm,” he laments. “Want to come back inside where it’s at least warm and dry?”

“Okay sure,” she nods.

By the time they make it back inside, they are both drenched from head to toe.

The way his wet clothes stick tight to his body is distracting and she feels a sudden change in the air when she notices him equally eyeing her warily. Her own clothes firmly frame her curves, leaving little to the imagination. She’s breathing heavily and takes a step closer to him. Gently reaching up, she brushes some of his damp curls to the side of his face, her fingers lingering for a few short seconds.

Mr. Dameron closes his eyes and breathes in through his nose. She watches him swallow deep in his throat.

“W-We...we should...we should change out of these clothes before we catch pneumonia,” he murmurs in a husky voice.

“Yeah, okay,” she nods, also soar in the throat.

Following him to the laundry room, he sets a timer on the dryer and strips off his shirt. Rey’s breath audibly hitches as his chest is laid bare before her. Her gaze moves from his chest to his warm brown eyes and back to his chest. He watches her watching him with interest, but he doesn’t say a word. Unbuttoning his pants, he removes his jeans and also places them in the dryer. He’s standing nearly naked in front of her now, wearing nothing but his boxers.

She bites her lip as his gaze returns to her. Rey nods silently and slowly lifts her arms above her head. He takes a step closer and gently wraps his fingers at the bottom of her shirt and tugs the wet garment off, placing it in the dyer. Mr. Dameron’s eyes lap up her exposed skin, save her soaking wet bra, which is basically see-through at this point anyway. Reaching behind her back, she unclips the undergarment and slides it off her shoulders.

“This too,” she whispers, handing her bra to him.

Their eyes never leave one another and he nods wordlessly.

Slowly, she turns around, loosens her pants button, and bends over ever so slightly as she wiggles out of her own jeans.

A short smile breaks across her face when she hears Mr. Dameron mutter “ Fuck ” behind her.

When she turns around to face him again, he’s staring at her reverently. The only sound is their wet clothes spinning in the dryer and he takes another step closer to her. One of his hands gently reaches at her hip while the other caresses her cheek. The electric charge in the air is so thick it makes it feel like they are about to combust.

“ Rey, ” he whispers, using her name for what might be the first time, as their bodies begin to slowly intertwine. “Tell me to stop.” He has her pushed up against the wall. She can feel his breath hot on her neck, along with other parts of him firm against her.

“No, Mr. Dameron ,” she whimpers. “Please, don’t stop.”

In an instant, his lips are on her own. They start slow, with lazy chaste kisses before giving way to more energetic activities. Her hands wander down his chest and through his curls while he caresses her soft areas. Their tongues meet and she wraps herself tightly around him as he picks her up and carries her over to his bed where they make out for what seems like hours.

That is until a certain cry comes ringing through the hall from the nursery.

“I got it” chuckles Mr. Dameron, leaving her with a single kiss on the lips before hopping up and heading to take care of the girls.

Rey sighs as she falls back into the pillow. This is totally going to be a thing now.

[fulcrumstardust]

non-zero-sum game sounds really interesting and quite fitting. I'm also curious of learning the game. I feel like it's another college AU but maybe I'm totally wrong!

So, “non-zero-sum game” is my take on the sex pollen trope. 

I don’t have much except some vague idea of the things I *don’t* want it to be (because, you know, consent) but it’s more likely to be Jyn getting under the influence during a mission, either forced or by accident. And then having to deal with the situation under the care of Cassian (who is a pragmatic dude and treats it as any other work thing), hoping it won’t be worse than a bad hangover. Spoiler alert: it is. So they agree that the best thing to do is for her to get laid and Jyn decides to pay a nice lady for that, but it doesn’t go exactly as planned. Enters more comfort from Cassian, always here to have his partner’s back, and well. He helps. 👀 “learning the game” is indeed a college AU! I’m impressed, wow! It’s just a PWP fun little party idea, I’m considering merging it with another fic, but there’s this scene I really like where Cassian teaches Jyn to play brisca. 

He turned his head and looked in her direction (looked at her) and smiled. Jyn’s heart nearly stopped. How handsome he was… dark hair, dark eyes, such a sweet smile—not unknowing of her presence. He lowered his face, reflexively, almost shyly. Not quite so. Jyn took her cue, pushing herself from the wall to cross the room before she could change her mind, blood pounding in her ears.

She stopped next to the couch he was sat on, doing her best to brush her nervousness aside, and bravely said: “Hi.”

He smiled at her again, tilting his head up to meet her eyes. “Hi.” …Damn, his voice was as attractive as the rest of him. Maybe even more.

“What are you playing?” Jyn managed to ask.

“Brisca,” he said, showing her his hand of cards—not the typical French suits she expected—but batons, swords, and other symbols in deep shades of red and green.

“I've never heard of it.”

“I can teach you if you want,” he offered with another smile. “It's very easy to play.”

She would have been stupid to pass on such an opportunity. “Sure.”

He moved aside, making some space for her to sit on the couch. Jyn sunk next to him, trying to ignore the curious stares from his friends, her leg pressed again his own with a pleasant warmth. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes went up to his face, now so close, seeing the corners of his mouth curving up with a friendly expression.

“I’m Cassian,” he introduced himself.

Even his name sounded way more attractive than anything she had ever heard. Come on, pull yourself together, girl.

“Jyn.”

“Jyn,” he said, and no one had ever said her name like he did. “So, like I said: very easy. The goal is to have the highest score at the end. See the card on the table? It’s copas… cups, so that’s the trumps for this game.” Jyn nodded as she followed the explanation. “It’s Melshi’s turn to go first…” And surely enough, the guy on his left put down one of his cards: six of swords. “Since it’s not copas, the player will the highest trump will win the trick—if not, the highest espadas. You follow me?”

“Yes,” Jyn said, frowning in concentration.

It was Cassian’s turn next. He bent forward and put down the two of cups, then drew another card to replace it in his hand. 

Turning his face to her, he continued his explanation while the others played: “All cards have face value, except the Three is stronger than the King.” Jyn naturally leaned toward him, as to see his cards, a little behind his shoulder. “Okay, so Shara has played four of copas so she wins this trick.”

On the other side of the coffee table, the girl named ‘Shara’ gathered the cards with a little smile of victory and everyone drew another set of cards. This time, Cassian went first while Jyn tried to get more familiar with the different suits. Additionally, seating so close to him, she found herself registering the smell of his perfume like a particularly… enticing detail of his person. 

She even surprised herself in feeling so strangely comfortable in that closeness, despite knowing next to nothing about him.

Cassian won the round. “Want to go next?” he then asked, handing his cards to her.

“Oh, sure,” Jyn said with only half her confidence.

“I’ll help you.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” someone joked. Jyn tried to trace back the voice to its owner. Sitting on the carpet next to Shara, another guy wearing dog tags over his t-shirt (that she thought lived here) flashed a mocking smile to Cassian. He didn't respond and the question got lost between some laughs and the ambient music.

Jyn waited for her turn on the next round, trying to remember everything Cassian had just said. She showed him the card she thought made the most strategic sense and searched for his approbation: “This?”

Leaning back on his arm, Cassian nodded at her. His right hand rested right behind her on the couch and she could've easily invited herself into a hug. A little agitation burst into her chest at the idea, but she needed to make sure he was into her… and not just an actually friendly guy.

Jyn won a few tricks (still under Cassian's supervision) but ultimately finished last after everyone had counted their points. She didn't really care, more intrigued by the guy sitting next to her than anything else tonight. 

Cassian had reared back on the couch, keeping his arm loosely extended. When Jyn did the same, she placed herself into his embrace almost by accident. Very smooth. Anyone else pulling this move on her and she might have been irritated, but it worked like a charm with him—most likely because she wanted it to. Her heartbeat certainly seemed to agree. 

Jyn fell against his side, thrilled by the possibility of seduction, and his arm curled a little around her waist. Not in a restrictive way, but enough for her to notice that he was holding her against him.

“Are you a fraternity member?” Jyn asked, turning her face to him.

“No,” he said, looking back into her eyes. “I just like to crash their parties…  but I've never seen you here before.”

“Maybe you don't remember,” she nagged.

“Oh, I would remember you.” He smiled again, more with his eyes than his mouth, and Jyn felt a blush on her cheeks. Hopefully, he couldn’t tell. 

Wondering what to do with her hands, Jyn settled one on his stomach. Even through his t-shirt, the warmth of his body spread to her palm, feeling him breathing quietly under her touch. Once again, her attention lingered on his musky perfume and she barely reminded her brain to follow on the conversation.

“I'm more of a dorm party kind of girl,” she said, “but Bodhi asked me to come so I thought I’d make an exception.”

“You're friend with Bodhi?” he asked with a slight surprise.

“Yeah, we’re in the same course.”

“Oh.” Cassian’s expression faltered, making Jyn frown in reaction. “So… you’re a freshman.”

Shit. She looked at him more closely, trying to evaluate the situation. Evidently enough, he wasn’t enthusiastic about it. Jyn could’ve lied about her age, but she couldn’t justify such a shitty move. She took a deep breath and said: “Yeah, that’s a problem?”

Cassian gave her a half-smile, apologetic. “Depends… It might be.”

“Might?”

“I’m twenty-four,” he said, “so… I think I’m a little old for you…”

Jyn’s (fuzzy) brain couldn’t decide which information to prioritize. One thing was for sure: she could always trust her daddy issues to being attracted to older guys. On the other hand, Tanith had said ‘no freshman’ so, hey. Her mind shrugged. “I can decide by myself if you’re too old or not.” …God, if this isn’t what a fourteen-year-old would say.

Jyn started to think that her chances to go beyond an innocent flirt had just died—and she wasn’t happy about it.

“Hmm,” Cassian voiced, “I guess we’re just talking right now.”

She wondered if he was asking her or himself. “Sure.”

If ‘just talking’ included being snuggled against him with his hand on her waist, she could live with that just fine.

[indurarinks]

stygian dagger

a sneak peek Like clamouring thunder intimidating a planet during a hot summer day, a small group of highly trained Tavali, the renowned pirates and travellers of the Universe, quickly dissolved themselves in the crowd as if each individual had always belonged to the scene. Bursting at the seams, the makeshift arena placated the savage desires of the rowdy public through violent, gruesome fighting. Their bellows demanded blood and guts from the unwilling practitioners of cage fighting, sold to this business for the purpose of serving the sick pleasures of the rich. Filling the pockets of greedy masters with abusive hands. Though illegal, the fights were wildly known throughout the Nine Worlds, beckoning hefty wallets with the promise of a night of indulgence. The three Tavali, fearless and unrelenting and heavily armed, approached the round stage, a fenced cage that had been electrified to discourage any contestant from trying an escape. Ushara, Davel and Trajen slowly descended the rows of stairs with a single purpose in mind. Rescuing Jullien eton Anatole. The bastard of the Ichidian Universe. “How do you want to do this?” Davel, Ushara’s older brother turned to her. Ushara Altaan, Vice Admiral for the Gorturnum nation (one of the four nations of Tavali) and the bastard’s best friend, thirsted for vengeance the moment she learned of Jules captivity. But despite the spiralling emotions, she led the rescue operation with military expertise. The Fyreblood in her was built for war, after all. Her breed of Andarions possessed the talent of pyrokinetics with their fiery breath that put them at great advantage in battle. “We have to find where they’re keeping the fighters. We grab Jules and get the hell out of here before I burn this shithole to the ground and cause Trajen here even more trouble.” The glance she threw at her boss and friend catapulted them both to a few months prior when she flew without proper papers and authorisation into Steradore to rescue her son and executed ruthlessly her son’s kidnappers. That was also when Jules crashed into her life. “Let’s start by looking for cells underground. I bet my money that’s where we will find him.” Trajen added quickly, the air of ancient wisdom surrounding him like royal robes as his eyes held a faraway look. Returning to the task at hand, the group proceeded through the darkened corridors, merging into the shadows like fading mist. Away from the main event and prying eyes, the three of them advanced into the house of horrors’ lowest pits where its security relied mostly on a few guards, now lying unmoving after quickly being neutralised, and the highest technology one could acquire in the black market. The collective tension thickened the atmosphere with Trajen’s warning. “I don’t know how long I can keep the interfering with the system’s security.” Visibly concerned for her boss, Ushara, who marched at front, turned back and gave him a look that silently asked him if he was alright. Though his expression had now been contorted into one of extreme suffering, Trajen nodded with a dismissive shrug. “Let’s keep looking.” Expecting the alarms to go off any second, inevitable frustration was slowly mounting between them as their options to find him grew scarce with the nearing of the end of the row of cells. “Where is he? Titana ræl. He has to be here somewhere.” Trajen’s curse surprised the others. Their Admiral was nothing but an infinite well of wise ponderation and heedful shrewdness. But this restless, almost sloppy version of him gave the others a marginal idea of the potency of the bond he shared with Jules. And where his loyalties lied. His purpose was clear. Despite Trajen’s many efforts to remain isolated from those under his protection, Jullien eton Anatole quickly wormed his way into their secluded leader’s heart with his wits and scars. In him, he found a brother, a kindred spirit. Both, a product of the brutality of their pasts. Drenched in darkness, Ushara refused to let old fears roar back to life as she searched each cell thoroughly. Those demons poked their incessant torment on her mind but she wouldn’t give way. No way in Tophet. “Jules! Jules! Dammit, dark heart. Where are you?” Her desperate bellow echoed through the hall. “Ah, shit.” Followed by a string of mouthful expletives, Davel run both hands through his tousled hair in evident denial. “What have they done to you, drey?” Terrified by her brother’s words alone, Ushara moved slowly toward Davel. Suddenly her legs weighed a ton, and all her instincts screamed at her. She wasn’t ready for what she was about to see. Her gasp of horror came without warning. Lying on the filthy floor of the smallest cubicle of that hellhole, he was in fetal position, back curved and head bowed to make himself smaller. His eyes resolutely shut, Jullien remained eerily motionless. Almost as if… “Jules..?” Low and soothing, her voice wrapped itself around him. “Please.” She begged. No reaction still. Lost to her panic and petrified by the shock of her best friend’s predicament, Ushara’s angry tears fell like an unexpected hurricane. This entire nightmare began when one of her cousins and his crew sold him as punishment for something he played no role at. Hate is an ugly creature whose talons infect the soul upon their impaling. And there is no recognition between right or wrong. There is just the ugly need for vengeance, the hunt for a twisted form of justice that’s justifiable through past suffering and grievances. Davel’s strained grunts catapulted her back into reality. For the time being and Jules’ sake, she vowed to abandon her thirst for retribution against those who sought to harm her best friend. Both her brother and Trajen joined their efforts to break him out. Between mighty brawn and refined brain, the electrified door of his dungeon held no chance against them. At the first opportunity, Ushara crawled toward the entrance on hands and knees. She outstretched her hand toward Jules. “Jules?” She tried once again. Only then did he shift his position, daring a tentative look at her as if afraid she might be only a mirage. “It’s me. Shara.” Her body ached from the awkward angle of it. “Come on, let’s go home.” When a single tear rolled down his face, her entire world shattered along with her heart. The agony and misery reflected upon those beautifully hybrid eyes, a mix of human and Andarion, clutched her insides before twisting them until she felt what she could describe as a poor replica of the same pain. Yet bravely, he offered her his bloodied fingers, silently accepting her strength to escape this house of horrors. As he dragged himself along the ground, Ushara confirmed all her fears. After the years of unthinkable abuse Jullien had fallen victim to, she feared he would resort to shutting everybody out to deal with yet another trial in his lonesome road of redemption, one he endured after she had promised him he was safe with the Tavali. She failed him. And she hated herself for that failure. Stoically, his face an unreadable mask of indifference, he stood awkwardly as Ushara embraced him in relief despite her reservations regarding his mental stability. “We better get going, guys.” Davel interrupted their reencounter with good motive. It wouldn’t be long until the alarms went off. “I sense trouble incoming, too.” Trajen added with a distant look. His impressive powers at work. As if on cue, the blaring sound of sirens threatened to awaken even the dead. “Let’s get out of here!” Ushara’s hand sought Jules’, tugging him behind her as the others hurried before them. Without uttering a word still, he followed after her. They were halfway down the hall when he broke contact with her fingers, turning toward a group of inmates, all female, as his fingers curled ferociously around the metal bars of the cell. His knuckles white, Jules tugged at the bars with a frightening growl. Eyes now full of untamed fury, he kept yanking and yanking. Unable to understand the source of Jullien’s outrage, Ushara spared a glance at her brother and Trajen before joining her best friend. He was clearly set on opening this specific cell. Mildly confused, she helped him by unleashing her fiery breath over the unyielding lock. It took some work as the ancient metal resisted more than first predicted but once it fell apart, he was quick to get pull the door open and venture into the room’s darkness. Tempted to go after him, she bit her lip. She shouldn’t. Right? Jules knew what he was doing. He had to. Right..? Praying for her friend’s mindfulness, she raked her fingers through her white hair while readying herself for the swarm of hostiles. “Shit.” Unholstering both blasters, Ushara aimed them ahead, patiently waiting to feed her need for violence. To sate her hunger to spill enemy blood. Surely enough, the first party showed up next. An eerie smile descended upon her lips. “Come get some, bitches.” She murmured dangerously, mostly to herself. Her blood singing in delirium for a chance of revenge. It was then Jules emerged from the shadows of the dungeon with a female stranger leaning heavily against him. Vulnerability surrounded this woman, obviously injured during her captivity. She was a vision, absolutely breathtaking. And totally human, it seemed. Golden skinned and green eyed, she beckoned every gaze in the room like a siren singing to her sailors. Finally, all hell broke loose. Ushara’s first two shots came as warning. After that, she was all business, no play. She went ahead of Jules and his companion, assuming her offensive stance before engaging in further confrontation. With envying expertise, she blocked every attack while ensuring their inevitable escape from this shithole by counter attacking tirelessly. She was an animal in the game of warfare. When every opponent lied lifelessly on the ground, Ushara released a breath of relief before holstering her blasters again. The barrels still singed her flesh if she were to touch them directly. Her babies were well used today. Collecting their breaths, the five of them exited the house of horrors without so much as a backward glance. Only Jullien hesitated briefly to bend his upper body forward so he could pick the woman up and carry her in his arms, regardless of her protests that claimed she could walk on her own. Once safely inside her ship, Ushara urged Davel to initiate the flight commands to get them all back home and far, far away from there. Trajen, the silent watcher, joined her while the both of them observed from afar the exchange between Jullien and the woman he refused to leave behind. “Is she trustworthy?” She whispered her concerns to her boss, hoping he could give her some sort of endorsement. Instead, he shrugged. “Time will tell.” Helpful. She grumbled quietly on her way to the pair. Despite Jules current inability to interact with the world outside of his well of misery, he still managed to put the human’s needs before his. A feat she probably can’t even begin to appreciate but Ushara’s version of a very malicious green monster was quickly suffocated by her immediate thought to not throw judgements before gathering proper insight. “Hi there. I’m Ushara.” The female warrior extended her hand toward the other female before pointing at Trajen. “That’s Trajen, and the mountain of a man at the front of the helm is my brother, Davel.” She finished with a sincere smile. “I—I’m Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett.” She cleared her throat to mitigate the hoarseness in her voice. “It’s nice to meet you all.” As she took Ushara’s hand in hers, she couldn’t help but noticing Jullien’s retreating form as he sought solitude to quiet his roaring demons.

[galaxysgal]

I Know They’ll Love You

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: None

Relationships: Finnpoe

Characters: Finn, Poe Dameron, Shara Bey, Kes Dameron, Original Characters

Additional Tags: Fluff, Meet The Family, Domestic Fluff, Siblings, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Finnpoe week 2020, soft, Cuties

Summary:

They stepped into a little mudroom, equipped with a washer/dryer set, a coat rack, and a bench that served to hold shoes. There was still a door between them and the rest of the house, and Poe bumped their shoulders together affectionately. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

Poe stepped through the door and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Mami! Papi! I'm home!"

Aka: my entry for Finnpoe Week 2020 Day 1: High School au or Meet the Family. I chose meet the family! This is just soft, self indulgent family fluff :)))

Read Here on Ao3

Taglist: @wheeliebinbyers @tinyphantomsalad @stormpilotsrus @kitmarloweki @shibasus @xwings-can-fly @imasunflower00

xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

Finn wrung his hands, looking out the car window at the rows of unique Victorian houses that formed the historic district of Poe's hometown. Kes and Shara, Sebastian, Illiana and…. Shit what was the other sister's name... Eleanor? Elizabeth? Elisa? You can't keep forgetting, dammit.

"Elena," Poe said, jarring Finn from his thoughts.

"How did you-"

"You were muttering a bunch of E names, I guessed from there." He reached over, pulling Finn's hands apart and flitting his eyes between the road and the crescent marks where Finn's fingernails had dug into his skin. "Relax, you're going to be fine."

Finn relaxed, only slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing a bit as Poe brushed his lips against each mark. He closed his eyes and surrendered to his other senses, focusing on the sound of the radio, the smell of the air freshener, the touch of Poe's calloused hands against his. Deep breaths and reassuring thoughts rendered him somewhat more collected than he had been, although the jeering of his insecurities persisted in the depths of his brain. Finn did his best to push them away, looking at the house they were pulling up to.

It was a large Victorian with a quaint front porch, painted pale yellow with accents of rich green and white on the shutters and porch beams, respectively. A large oak tree took up most of the front yard, providing shade for the picnic table there. If Finn closed his eyes he could almost see Poe as a child, swinging on the tire swing attached to one of the sturdier branches, or chasing fireflies around the yard in the dim light of dusk.

Poe pulled into the driveway which sat to the left of the house, following it all the way to the back gate of the white picket fence and parking in the shade of a small storage building. The backyard was just as quaint as the front, a little trellis arch covered with flowering vines sitting just behind the fence gate.

As he went to step out of the car, Finn took one last deep breath in, steadying himself. Poe must have heard him because he reached over to take Finn's hand once more, squeezing it tight.

"They're going to love you," he said, voice sure.

"You don't know that," Finn mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

"Self depreciation isn't a good look on you, honey," Poe said softly, "and I do know, without a doubt in my mind, that they will love you."

"How?"

"Simple," Poe smiled at him, the kind that made the corners of his eyes crinkle just a little. "Because I love you."

"Sap," Finn muttered, but he smiled and leaned over to kiss Poe, deeply touched by his words. He cupped Poe's cheek, stubble tickling at his palm, and whispered, "thank you."

"No problem sweetheart. C'mon, we can leave our bags in the car for now," Poe smiled, hopping out of the car and coming around to lead Finn under the trellis and up the pathway.

They stepped into a little mudroom, equipped with a washer/dryer set, a coat rack, and a bench that served to hold shoes. There was still a door between them and the rest of the house, and Poe bumped their shoulders together affectionately. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

Poe stepped through the door and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Mami! Papi! I'm home!"

Finn found himself in a little sitting room, a foyer of sorts, with a couple of chairs sitting astride a bay window looking out on the little garden in the side yard. A large staircase was straight ahead, with a doorway to the kitchen to its right, and an opening leading to the living room to its left.

"In the kitchen mijo," a woman's voice came from further within the house, but before they could go to check it out Poe's youngest brother came hurtling down the stairs, slamming into him.

"Poe!!" The little boy- Sebastian, six years old he remembered- wore spiderman pajamas and little frog socks, slipping on the hardwood floors.

"Sebastian!" Poe grinned, ruffling his hair and balancing a little tray of finger foods in one hand as Sebastian clung to his legs. "You're getting tall, squirt."

Sebastian nodded, running over to the wall beside the staircase. "I am! See?" he pointed at the little pencil marks.

Another set of footsteps thundered down the stairs, and he saw one of Poe's two sisters- Elena, thirteen, he thought- come into view. She skipped the last two steps and stopped right in front of Poe, taking the tray of finger foods from his hands with a devilish grin. "These look great!" she exclaimed, running off (hopefully to the kitchen) with them.

Finn heard the third and final sibling- Illiana, eighteen, he reminded himself- before he saw her. She was upstairs shouting down to Poe, something about a video game. "Oh my God dude I FINALLY beat that zombie boss dude in Earthbound," she said, prompting a high five from Poe.

Finn stood back, away, off to the side. He felt a little awkward as Poe reunited with his siblings, but he reminded himself to breathe, Poe's words coming back to him. "Simple. Because I love you." It came as a reassurance as he watched them, a small smile on his face. Elena was grinning wide, showing off the new color of her braces, Illiana was recounting the events of the game she had been playing.

Finn felt a sticky little hand tugging at his own and looked down to see Sebastian staring up at him. "I like spiderman," he said, and pointed at Finn's Avengers shirt with one chubby finger. "Who do you like?"

Before he could answer though, Elena noticed him. She gasped loudly, "ohmygosh, is that Finn!?" She looked him up and down in the terrifying way that only a thirteen year old could, her eyes glancing over his worn out converse high tops, cuffed jeans and tee shirt before settling on the leather jacket around his shoulders. "And is that Poe's jacket!?!"

Illiana perked up at that, looking up from her phone, deep brown eyes studying him. It reminded him a lot of Poe. "Oh my god, it totally is!" She knocked her shoulders against Poe's and said something in hurried spanish that made Poe turn as red as the Nikes he was wearing.

"Illiana, I heard that!" A man's voice came from the direction of the living room that Finn got glimpses of, just past the stairs, and now it was Illiana's turn to blush.

"Sorry Papi!"

"Mis queridas," a woman appeared in the doorway that presumably led to the kitchen, dish towel slung over her shoulder. "Leave the poor boy alone, won't you?"

"Mami!" Poe turned and crushed her in a hug.

"Oh, mijo, let me look at you," she said softly, holding Poe at arms length and tipping his chin up. Poe wore a proud smile, standing almost at attention.

Finn watched as her eyes scanned Poe's face, analyzing them. Those eyes, deep brown and filled with kindness, with love. Poe had his mother's eyes. The same gentle expression, the same crinkled corners when she smiled, and oh, that smile. Poe had his mother's smile, proud and just a little mischievous. He had her curls too, and her nose, her posture, her unwavering gaze. Poe was his mother's son through and through.

"And you must be Finn," Shara turned that kind, motherly smile towards Finn, and he suddenly felt very warm.

"Yes ma'am," he nodded, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Shara waved her hand dismissively, instead going in for a hug. "None of that formality mijo, call me Shara."

Oh. He looked briefly at Poe over her shoulders, and he flashed Finn a grin and a thumbs up before Finn gave in to the hug. Shara smelled like Jasmine, sweet and comforting.

When she pulled away she looked Finn up and down as she had dine with Poe. "You are a very handsome young man," she said softly, "and there is kindness in your eyes."

Finn felt himself blush and ducked his head, "thank you."

She gave a short nod, then turned back to her children. "Now go, go," she shooed them out of the foyer, "I have cooking to do."

The living room was large, with a couch, two arm chairs, a coffee table and an entertainment center, along with some end tables and another bay window, facing out towards the front porch. Against one of the open walls sat a long, thin table with tall backed stools, almost like a bar. A man sat on one of the stools, his jaw set in the same determined way Finn often saw on Poe. He was focused on a puzzle, the box propped up against the wall displaying the picture, a bunch of marvel comic book characters from the big names to the lesser known ones.

"Come look!" Sebastian grabbed Finn's hand, pulling him over to the table. He scrambled up to get in the chair beside his father, "papi! Show him the puzzle!

Kes helped boost him up then slid the seat closer to his own. "Alright, alright," he ruffled Sebastian's hair, who was excitedly rattling off the names of all the superheroes he knew.

"That one's spiderman! And that one's Miles, he's spiderman too! And that's Gwen, she's spiderwoman! And there's Captain America and Iron man and Black Widow, and Thor!" He turned back to Finn, a wide smile showing the dimples on his chubby little cheeks.

"That's really cool," Finn said, mirroring the boy's infectious smile.

Kes slipped out of the chair and crushed Poe in a bear hug while Finn studied the puzzle, resisting the urge to fit some of the pieces in. He felt Poe tug at his hand, fitting their fingers together perfectly, and Finn turned around to face them.

"This is my boyfriend Finn," he said, introducing him. "Finn, this is my dad Kes."

Kes smiled, a familiar kindness in his eyes, and reached out to shake Finn's hand. "It's nice to meet you Finn. Do you like puzzles?"

Finn chuckled softly, "do I? Yes, I love them," he replied, glad that talking with Kes felt so easy.

"Good, come help me with this one, it's kicking my ass." Kes returned to his chair, pulling one out for Finn to join him.

Finn turned to Poe, who grinned widely and placed a kiss on his cheek, "love you," he murmured.

"Mm, love you too," he whispered back.

*  *  *  *  *

As the evening sun slipped lower in the sky they all sat around the dinner table, chatting over desert.

"So Finn," Illiana started, sitting down her fork, "what are you studying?"

"Illiana," Poe warned, reaching out under the table to take Finn's hand.

"Relax, it's not an interrogation," Illiana smiled, "just a friendly question."

Finn squeezed Poe's hand as if to tell him it's okay, and took a breath. "I'm an art major," he replied. It was terrifying to say it out loud, Finn never knew how people would react.

But Shara smiled, Kes squeezed her shoulder, and Illiana nodded. "Cool man, she's an artist too," she said, nodding to Shara.

"Really?" Finn turned to her, intrigued.

Shara nodded, pointing to a painting that hung on the wall opposite them. "That's one of mine. Do you have any pictures? I'd love to see your work," she said, her kind smile washing away any doubts he had.

Finn took out his phone and opened the camera folder of his art, handing it over to Shara. She squinted at the images for a moment before Kes grabbed her reading glasses from the counter and handed them to her with a kiss on her cheek. Finn watched in anticipation as Shara swiped through the pictures, a gentle smile on her face.

"These are lovely," she remarked. "Your parents must be so proud."

Finn froze, and Poe placed his hand on Finn's knee. It hurt, the thought of his parents, but Finn could get through it. He wouldn't let their opinions dictate his life. "My, uh," he swallowed thickly, "my parents don't exactly approve of my choice to pursue an art career, or my other, um, lifestyle choices for that matter," he said, feeling the tension grow in the air.

Shara reached out over the table, taking his hand. "Oh, mijo, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Finn replied, "I've come to terms with it."

Shara nodded, squeezing his hand once before letting go.

That night they headed up to Poe's old bedroom, where they immediately fell into bed.

"It's just a full," Poe said, pulling Finn flush against his chest. "Hope you don't mind."

Finn leaned back into the curve of Poe's body, his hand finding Poe's where it rested on his stomach. "Don't mind at all," he murmured. He felt Poe's lips brush against the nape of his neck in sweet unhurried kisses, breathing in deeply.

"Told you they'd like you," he said, and Finn could feel the slightly smug smile on Poe's lips against his skin.

"Yeah yeah, you were right," Finn admits, turning his head back so he could kiss his boyfriend properly. He reached up to card his fingers through Poe's hair, smiling when he let out a soft, content hum.

"I really think they like you," Poe whispered against his lips.

Finn kissed him a little while longer, happy with the gentle slide of Poe's lips against his. When they pulled away, he reached up to brush curls away from Poe's forehead. "I like them too. They're a little strange, but I like them."

"Strange," Poe chuckled, "yeah, they are. Just wait 'til you meet the rest tomorrow."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hope you enjoyed!!!

[solohux]

@anonymous submitted: That one time Ben Solo and Poe Dameron decided to go on vacation together and how it all went terribly wrong (Feat. Hux!)

Way back when, 13 year old Ben Solo was terribly stressed. While his Uncle was away on a cool Force-artifact finding mission (Ben was rather put out that he didn’t get to go), he was stuck babysitting a dozen of his fellow Padawans. This was intended to give Ben a taste of responsibility and be a confidence booster…. But mostly ended up being a nightmare for him. Looking after a dozen children would be a tall order for any young teenager to handle, let alone a dozen Force Sensitive children…. Some of whom weren’t much younger than Ben himself and thus weren’t inclined to listen to him anyway. 

  Ben was breaking down into a bout of frustrated tears and starting to pull his hair out when his next door neighbor and best friend Poe Dameron showed up! The sixteen year old may not have been Force Sensitive, but he was a natural with children (As the eldest child of the Yavin IV rebel colony, he’d had a lot of practice looking after his younger cohorts!) and the other Padawans both adored and respected him. He was older and thus considered “cooler” than Ben and even Ben himself secretly agreed with that assumption. Needless to say, Ben --sort-of-didn’t-but-really-did-- begged for him to stay and help him out. 

  Poe was happy to stay! He genuinely loved children and definitely loved Ben (Not that he would admit that!).... But after a week of Force related antics, even he was getting a little worn thin. So he did what most teenagers who grew up in a space-faring society would do, decided that he and Ben needed a vacation off-planet! Granted, they can’t go on a “real” vacation, but an overnight camping trip to one of Yavin’s other inhabitable moons should be do-able. Master Luke was due back tomorrow afternoon anyway, so surely the kids would be okay for just one night, right? 

  Ben was initially worried that his Uncle would be “disappointed” with him if he came back to find the Padawans abandoned and his nephew off camping with his “friend” *CoughBoyfriendCough* on some other moon, but Poe managed to convince him of the merits of the plan. So Ben put the eldest child in charge (Which that 12 and a half year old didn’t appreciate) and set off to the Dameron family farm with Poe. After puzzling over which ship they should use to blast off in, Poe decided that his late mother’s A-Wing would suffice. It might be a tight fit for two, but they aren’t planning to go far anyway. 

  (Ben: But won’t your father notice if that ship is missing? Poe: Nah, it’s usually parked in the old barn and Papa almost never goes in there. Besides, it’s technically my ship now anyway. Mama said that I could have it right before she… you know.) 

  And so, the two young teens prepped the old ship for flight, squeezed inside the cockpit and lifted off of Yavin IV. 

  They ran into trouble virtually as soon as they were clear of the moon’s atmosphere. 

The old A-Wing may have served Shara Bey well during the war, but her son… may have been a bit neglectful in keeping the old warbird in good repair after her untimely death. Not that Poe didn’t love the old ship! But like any teenager, he had a lot going on in his daily life and he was always eager to try incorporating the latest and greatest tech into the aging spacecraft, rather than checking to see if the original hardware was still totally functional. In any case, it was the engine that was the problem. 

  Apparently leaving the atmosphere was just too much for the old clunker to handle, because it coughed out one final breath and then seized up, leaving the boys effectively stranged. Poe did his best to keep calm, while Ben got nervous. But after much switch-flipping, wire-fiddling and even crawling under the seat to see if he (Poe that is, Ben may have been younger, but he was already taller than his friend and thus could not fit!) could reach the engine compartment, the boys realized that their was little to nothing that they could do to get the engine to restart. 

  So Poe resolved to use the computer to contact the Yavin IV authorities and ask for help. It was going to be horribly embarrassing to have his mother’s old comrades give him a tow back down to the surface --Not to mention, his father was certainly going to hear about it-- but he felt that their was no other choice. So he apologized to Ben about the vacation being cancelled, but reassured him that help would soon be on the way. Only opps, when Poe tried to use the computer, it didn’t work! It turned out that new upgrade he installed onto it last month wasn’t entirely compatible with the original operating system. So calling for help was not an option now.  

  Poe was now rather distressed himself, it wasn’t likely that he and Ben were in any real danger --The Yavin IV rebel colony received visits from all sorts of people and most any ship could give them a tow-- but it could be hours before anyone happened upon them! Maybe even a whole day! That meant not only no vacation, but a disappointed Master for Ben and an unamused father for him! Ben just grew sullen, it seemed that whenever he tried to do anything ever so slightly off the path set out for him, something bad happened. 

  But then! 

  A ship came out of hyperspeed nearly on top of them! After the initial “Oh Stars! That ship nearly crashed into us! We could of died!” reaction, the boys realized that they might be saved after all. The ship was small and unmarked, neither Poe nor Ben had seen anything quite like it. But they weren’t thinking about how odd that was, they were desperately trying to wave the ship down with flapping arms and hand signals. 

  They succeeded. The ship floated over towards them, coupled it’s airlock with theirs and the pilot called for them to come onboard. The boys looked at each other and beamed, maybe their vacation was saved after all! 

  Only that wasn’t the case, not at all. 

  Poe and Ben’s “savior” had no intention of helping them fix their ship or give them a tow home. 18 year old Armitage Hux, Cadet of The First Order was on the cusp of graduating from The Academy. He had come to Yavin IV to spy on the rebel colony and then report back to his father, Commandant Brendol Hux. All cadets of The First Order had to undertake a high-risk solo mission in order to prove themselves worthy of being sworn in as officers of The First Order. It was their equivalent of a final exam, the culmination of all that they had learned and worked for over many years of schooling.   

  And Armitage Hux had been the top of all of his classes and thus had no intention of failing. 

  Truthfully, Hux was prepared to shoot the A-Wings occupants dead if they proved not to be useful. He wasn’t pleased about nearly crashing into their ship (He was not about to die right before he graduated!), not to mention, their witnessing him entering the system in the first place put his mission in jeopardy.  

  So he made sure his blaster had a fresh charge in it and stepped out of the cockpit and into the ship’s foyer to meet his odd visitors.  

  He was not expecting two teenagers, the pair younger than him even! Ben and Poe were rather surprised to see the redheaded pilot didn’t have many years on them either. 

  Hux snapped at the pair to explain and identify themselves.

Poe immediately set about apologizing for the trouble, introduced himself and Ben and tried to charm the young man. Ben was rather smitten with Hux’s good looks too, but he barely even needed the Force to sense something concerning about the ginger’s demeanor.  

  Hux did his best to appear unimpressed, but once he heard the words “Ben Solo, apprentice to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker” he could barely contain his excitement. What luck! He had the child of Senator Leia Organa and the scoundrel Han Solo on his ship! This “Poe Dameron, son of Kes Dameron and Shara Bey” might perhaps be of use as well. He no longer needed to go down to Yavin IV and spy on the rebel colony, these two boys no doubt had all the intel he needed. Maybe they could even be of further use to The First Order after being rung dry off all that they knew! 

  So Hux changed plans. He would not shoot Ben and Poe dead, he would take them prisoner and whisk them away to the Unknown Regions. They would never see their friends or families ever again. 

  Hux pocketed the blaster and informed the pair that he would be happy enough to help them with their engine troubles, he even thought that he had the tools needed to make that a reality, but they were in back compartment of the ship and could they please help him get them. Poe eagerly agreed, Ben hung back uncertain. When he quietly brought up his concerns to Poe once Hux started leading the way to the other end of the ship, his friend protested. 

Hux may be a surly stranger with a strange ship, but he had offered to help them and he was likely their only chance to save their vacation and get back down to Yavin IV before anyone was none the wiser. Despite his concerns, Ben conceded to Poe’s thoughts of their situation. But he told Poe that if Hux tried anything suspicious, he would have to Jedi Mind Trick him into letting them leave. Poe agreed that was a solid back up plan. 

  But this point Hux had the door at the back of the ship open and dryly asked them if they were done discussing whatever it was they were talking about, because he had places to be and he could only take so much time out of his busy schedule to help them. If they wanted to dally around, then they could do so in their own ship. Poe quickly assured the redhead that it was nothing, that they had somewhere to be too, grabbed Ben’s hand and marched them through the door.  

  The room contained no tools, but it did contain an inactive energy shield. It was designed as a transport cell, almost every ship made by The First Order had one. And when Poe and Ben stepped over the threshold, Hux activated the energy shield via a subtly hidden button. The boys were now trapped! 

  Needless to say:- Hux smirked, Poe gaped at him in horror and Ben scowled at Poe for not really listening to him in the first place. Poe demanded to know what the hell did Hux think he was trying to do, and like any good villain Hux immediately launched into a monologue about his plans for them. He actually couldn’t contain himself entirely this time, because he gleefully rubbed his hands, but he did refrain from launching into an evil laugh. 

  Afterwards, Poe yelled at him that he was insane and did he really think that he would get away with kidnapping him and Ben? Especially Ben! The son of the much loved Princess of Alderann and the smuggler with a million different contacts and connections? The nephew of the legendary Luke Skywalker, who could probably find him with a mere thought? Plus his Papa would no doubt launch a rescue effort of his own and then Hux would really be in for a world of hurt if that happened!

  Hux just raised an eyebrow and asked him if he was quite done. At which point Ben called upon his connection to the Force and said in his most persuasive voice, “You’re going to disable the energy shield, allow us to walk off this ship and then lock yourself in this room”. It was a good effort for someone so young, Master had even praised Ben some time beforehand that he seemed to have a natural affinity for persuasive techniques.  

  But it didn’t work on Hux, because the boy who had endured a lifetime of abuse from his father, scorn from his instructors and jeers from his peers was anything but weak-minded. 

  Hux sneered at the two of them and went to close the door. Poe launched into another panicked triade about how “He’d be really sorry if he didn’t let them go!”, while Ben desperately tried the mind trick again. Nope, Hux still wasn’t intimated nor was he influenced.  

Realizing that perhaps they were in-fact about to be kidnapped, Ben and Poe looked at each other and changed tactics. Poe started pleading and claiming that Hux “Didn’t really want to do this, he didn’t have to be evil, the New Republic could help him”, while Ben gave Hux his best set of puppy dog eyes, reached out towards Hux and said “Please”. 

  Shockingly, these methods actually had some sway over the ginger. Perhaps his cruel youth hadn’t completely stamped out Hux’s heart after all.  

  But he averted his eyes, shook his head and closed the door to the cell anyway.  

  He could still hear Poe and Ben’s protests and cries all the way inside the cockpit. As he reached for the ship’s computer to chart a course home and tell his father the good news, he was suddenly struck with indecision. Should he really do this? He’d spent all of his life amongst people who hated him, but now he had the opportunity to escape the whole lot of them. And these sad, pleading eyes stared back at him every time he blinked…. 

  But he would finally make his father proud! And gain the respect and admiration from his teachers and classmates…. Right? 

  Would he? What should he do?

[gffa]

Scattered Star Wars thoughts: - As I’m doing my rewatches of TCW and Rebels, I’m trying to watch the behind the scenes stuff to go along with them and it makes me wish a little that Disney+ would have them on their service, because it’d be so much easier than switching over to YouTube when I’m watching them on my TV. It really makes me miss this kind of thing for the animated series--Resistance didn’t get any of the kind of in-depth stuff that the others did, and I’m not sure if they put any extras on the DVD/Blu-Ray releases?  That was my thought for what they were going to do when the first season was airing, but without having bought them myself, I’m not sure if they had anything like that?  I’m assuming they didn’t, since I never saw references to them, which is a shame, because they’re very cool and fun! I wonder, if there’s another animated series coming up (and when/where it would be announced--Celebration seems an awful long ways away for that?), will they return to doing them?  Or were they too much effort/better lures for buying the Blu-Ray sets? - John Boyega plays Jedi: Fallen Order was an absolute delight to watch!  He really is delightfully charming and I love that he apparently plays as Anakin in the BF2 game sometimes (and Finn as well), and that Mace Windu is his all-time favorite Jedi (I FEEL U, JOHN), and just a lot of really cute stuff. - I finished The Raven King and have started on Opal (and am about 2/3rds through it) and I’m going to be sad when I finish all of the books and have to actually wait for more!  I found the four book The Raven Cycle series very satisfying, the characters’ resolutions were all good for me, I enjoyed that they’d gotten to better places, and I found Adam’s epilogue especially poignant.  Not that he’d forgiven his family so much as that he’d let go of so much of what was poisoning him about it, that he was in a better place, rather than being eaten by those feelings and pain. I’m enjoying Opal a lot, one of the things I like about this world is how off the wall some of the dream logic/magic can be, but instead of feeling like it borders on twee or ~kooky~ worldbuilding, there’s something about it that is really pulled off with charm and something surprisingly earnest.  I guess I can really get invested in something so long as I feel like it’s not necessarily trying to be the most clever ever (though, it was clever in the right moments, for me) but instead build something with heart and care. So when Opal gets her own POV for several chapters worth here, when she’s a bit of a wild and feral thing, but stuffed full of very earnest feelings, it just really works for me a lot. - I’m about 2/3rds of the way through Rebels season 2 and I love that I continue to find stuff really works for me even more than it did the first time around, knowing where all of this is going to end up.  The journey to find Lira-San, the knowledge I have now of what happened to the Lasat people, that I suspect it was their use of the Force woven into their culture that got them on the Empire’s radar, in addition to that they’re incredible fighters (hence why the Wookiees were targetted as well, I think?), so it makes the whole “so HOW does all of this navigation stuff work???” go smoother, now that I can just shrug and go, “Eh, Force Woo is gonna Force Woo.” Also, the Kalluzeb stuck on the Geonoisian moon episode is JUST as much of a joy as ever.  That ending with Kallus going back to his ship, limping back to his quarters with no one saying much of anything to him even after all that, contrasted against Zeb’s friends greeting him so warmly, it was such good foreshadowing, now that I know for sure that it’s going somewhere, instead of just highlighting the difference between them. (And, man, does David Oyelowo do an incredible job with his voice acting.) - I read Star Wars: Empire Ascendant #1 and I have to admit, I was pretty underwhelmed.  The Aphra epilogue and the Kes/Shara story were the highlights, otherwise I’m having trouble even remembering what happened.  Oh, right, the story about the death troopers and then the Valance story, neither of which managed to engage me much.  In theory, this could be an interesting collection of stories, whether they’re serving as an epilogue to other series or launching points for new series, there are grains of interesting ideas--the death troopers story was about the mindset of the Empire, that victory at all costs was the most important thing, or the Valance story could have been an interesting look at an interesting character (except I just cannot bring myself to care about him), but the only times I felt engaged were in the character-driven moments of ones that I already cared about. Trying to sort out my thoughts, I think it’s something that I’ve been bumping into for awhile, something that crystalized for me after watching a Jimquisition video about the word “consumer” (which is an interesting video by itself!), at about the 13 and a half minute mark, there’s a tangent about how companies’ focus on the audience being consumers pushes out any stories that can have an important message that should be discussed, because instead of giving time for any story, it’s about getting consumers hyped for buying new products and then get excited for the next product. Which obviously hit a familiar note, as a Star Wars fan, because there’s a constant stream of new content, you barely have time to digest one thing before GET HYPE FOR THE NEXT STAR WARS THING, like, GET HYPE FOR THE MANDALORIAN, but you’ll only have limited time to really turn it over and discuss it because GET HYPE FOR THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, but you’ll only have a month or two to really turn it over and discuss it because GET HYPE FOR THE CLONE WARS coming back, but you’ll only have a month or two to turn it over and discuss it because GET HYPE FOR THE NEXT STAR WARS THING.  In the meantime, there’s also about 50 other smaller things coming at you, so no one thing ever really has time to percolate with the fans before the hype train is coming for what’s next. Most of the time, I don’t mind this too much, because I take my time with what I want, I circle back to what I want, I feel satisfied by my explorations of them as far as I want, as well as Star Wars is not exactly where I go for Deep Thought. But sometimes I run into a comic that just fails to engage me because it felt like a hype train for upcoming comics, rather than actually having a lot of story in and of itself. I can live with the hype train, Disney, but you gotta give me a story or a fun experience that isn’t just hype for hype’s sake.  And I feel like this comic was only halfway successful at that.  (Or maybe it’s just me?  I’ve been feeling a little, “What’s the point of all this?” about a lot of the SW stuff over the last year, and I’m hoping it’s more because LF couldn’t really do much until TROS was nailed down, and maybe now we’ll start seeing stories with more weight?) Anyway, navel gazing thoughts, there you go. - Annnnnd with having seen TROS I HAVE MET MY 2019 GOAL!  I’m not sure if I’ll do another one for 2020, a lot depends on how some RL stuff shakes out, but I’m glad that I got this one accomplished! - I HAVE SEEN TROS I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. Scattered Star Wars Thoughts/2019 Resolutions Update: - The Rise of Skywalker: The Galaxy Needs You - Star Wars: The Clone Wars s2e18-19 - Star Wars Rebels s02e16-18 - Rebels Recon 1.01-1.08 - The Rise of Kylo Ren #1 - Star Wars: Empire Ascendant #1 - Episode III: The Chosen One Featurette - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Current total:  520/520

[rarebuzzships]

@rarebuzzships Holiday Event - Round Up

thanks to everyone who created, boosted and otherwise helped spread the rarepair love! we had 41 fills total! our most successful event yet! every single one of these brought me so much joy, you’re all incredible and i can’t wait to see what you do next.

please consider reading/reblogging/commenting/kudosing all of these, our creators worked so hard to bring you the gift of holiday rarepairs!

and now, for the fun stuff, the rewards!

Everyone who posted a fill will get a custom moodboard based on one of their fills made by @poiregourmande

see the full round-up under the cut

@kittensmctavish | Rareships Advent Calendar | various ratings up to M | 31 one-shots for different pairings: Shara, Ryelsey, Shandrew, Ryannie, Stinga, Keldrew, Shadam, Stelsey, Kelvan, Kelnie, Shannie, Shelsey, Sarielle, Saryan, Sharielle, Adamnie, Maryan, Adara, Nedrie, Arinedgene, Sarannie, Sarach, Zaggie, Adamrie, Sarandrew, Kelchang, Kelra, Keldam, Alvinga, Shyanara

@ebonybow | happy holidays, let smooch | sara/shane | art

@mediumboybergara | a christmas (party) to remember | adam/annie | teen | 5.2k | Holiday parties are hell. Sometimes, though, the company makes it worth it.

@cellard0ors | hallmark’n it | kelsey i/shane | mature | 6.6k | Shane and Kelsey get snowed in at a strange hotel, in a strange town, and Kelsey's just not feeling the holiday spirit. Shane wants to help, Hallmark Christmas movie style. But as they both give in to the idea, they might find more than either expected.

@stillusesapencil | a multitude of smiles | kelsey i/ryan | gen | 1.4k | As they clean and store their skates, Kelsey says, “Hey. I’m Kelsey.” She offers him a winning smile, one that she hope compensates for the sweat clinging to her temples and neck. The guy looks up, and dear god what a smile. It’s bright and toothy and wide, and he says, “I’m Ryan.”

@businessbabybergara | if only in my dreams | maya/ryan | teen | 22k |  “You’re single, right?” Maya says, arms crossed underneath her chest, looking at him with a particularly pointed look. Ryan raises his eyebrows.  “Are you coming onto me?” Ryan says, grinning up at her. He likes Maya, thinks she’s gorgeous; they bond over their lack of Spanish.  “Sort of?” she touches her hand to her chin, biting down on her lip.  “Uh?”  “I got myself into a sticky situation, and I need your help to—I sort of told my family—because they’ve been pestering me for ages about how single I am—I told them I have a boyfriend and they’re expecting him to come with me to Christmas Eve, but haha, I don’t have a boyfriend, and I know it’s a big ask, like really huge, to ask you to come hang out with me on Christmas Eve, but I don’t know anyone else who would do this." or; maya and ryan fake date for christmas.

@businessbabybergara | i’m a present and you know it (here i am boy) | kelsey d/shane | explicit | 5.3k |  It’s a little after six, and he’s just gotten himself up off the couch for another beer when there’s a knock at his door; it surprises Shane entirely since it’s Christmas Eve and he isn’t expecting any visitors.  When he opens the door, he’s taken aback; it’s his neighbor, Kelsey, and she’s holding up two bottles of wine.  “Shove over, I need someone to drink with,” she says, and he doesn’t know what else to do but step aside and let her come waltzing in. or; shane and kelsey spend christmas eve together.

@kittensmctavish | life flies by in seconds | kelsey i/shane | mature | 34k | Shane moves to a new town with his daughter. He needs to find a nanny. Kelsey's a nanny.(Or: the Hallmark movie fic, but from Shane's POV.)

@businessbabybergara | i’ve loved you three summers now, honey | kelsey i/shane | unrated | 1.2k |  Kelsey reaches to take the phone from Shane’s hand, and he lets her, and she types in the word confirmation and as the results begin to populate, Kelsey filters through them, until she sees one in particular that makes her breath catch in her throat, fingers frozen. She doesn’t click on it, and Shane snatches his phone away from her, and they stare at each other; she’s never seen panic in his eyes. Shane doesn’t scare easily. But here, his brown, Tennessee whiskey eyes are looking at her and then he looks away and Kelsey stares blindly at the television. or; kelsey finds out just how much shane loves her.

@stillusesapencil | with love | ryan/sara/shane | gen | 1.4k | She’d like it to be somewhat special. It’s their first Christmas as a trouple, and on top of that, the boys just launched Watcher, and she’s so proud of them. This just needs to be something more than a bottle of cologne, or the vintage shaving set she’d bought Shane last year, or the matching Harry Potter scarves they’d gotten before that.Why does gift giving have to be so hard?

@bellairestrella | you are the songs i dreamt (but never sung) | kelsey i/shane | gen | 1.4k | Girl meets boy. Girl marries boy. Boy dies. Girl saves boy from death.(Also a retelling of the Ruru and Priyamvada story.)

MOD FILLS by @poiregourmande

shelsey headcanons | kelsey i/shane

tell me baby, do you recognize me? | mulaney/shane | teen | 2.1k | it would be a shame if shane ran into an old flame as he's flying home for his first christmas with his new boyfriend, wouldn't it?

we’re here tonight (and that’s enough) | adam/andrew/annie/kelsey i/marielle/ryan/sara/shane/steven/thespi | teen | 3.4k |  hear ye, hear ye, holiday baking extravaganza at andrew & thespi’s this saturday afternoon be there or you might miss a holiday smooch from the shanester

shipper goggles | alvin/kelsey i | gen | 1.6k | Kelsey's appearance on Alvin’s Making It Big is one of these rare exceptions to YouTube comment sections, which couldn’t be more harmonious — the unanimous observation is that Kelsey and Alvin were unequivocally on their first date.

[shellyscribbles]

Weekly update

So this week started off real strong, then I realized I kinda have to take care of other things and maybe writing 1,000 words a day is a bit much considering my other obligations. 

Friday I dropped my word goal from 1,000 to 500 words a day. 

In total I wrote 5,770 words in The Shadow of Vale this week.  This brings the total word count up to 9,861. 

Some of the adjustments I had to make to the story due to realizing I had my time line all out of wack made some of the writing difficult.  

Anyway, here is a scene from this week’s labors. 

             There was only one person they could see as they drew close.  He seemed to be a sort of gatekeeper standing before what looked to be the edge of the city, his hand resting on his sword.  

             “Greetings.” Akil called as they came before the stern wizard.

             The wizard left the sword sheathed as he eyed the naims before him, “What business do you have here?”

             “We have a nymph child, he needs food.” Akil said, turning the child toward the man.

             “A nymph child?  Why is a nymph child out here with two naims?”

             Akil and Cyrus exchanged a glance, unsure how much was safe to say.  “We were charged by his mother to get him safely to Halcyon.  We were separated in Trost, she suggested we came here to get food for him.”

             The wizard smiled, “Friends of Agur, come. Rhys and his wife Rosalind will be able to help you.” He turned and headed toward one of the larger mounds to the right of the main road.  

             They looked at the strange city in wonder.  There was little more than bumps and small mounds to mark that there were any homes. The doors were laid into the ground, though the larger mounds had something closer to standard doors than the others which appeared to be trap doors leading into the subterranean dwellings. Akil felt almost claustrophobic at the thought of descending into one of them.   The large mound they were led too seemed bearable, however.  

             The wizard knocked on the door and stood with crossed hands to wait a response.  Another wizard, slightly smaller in stature than the guard, answered the door.  He looked at the naims with a crying baby a moment before asking the guard, apparently named Ekon, what he needed.  

             “These naims are bearing a nymph child to Halcyon. They have no means to fed the child though.”

             The wizard looked at the naims with a much less subdued energy, “Oh! Come on.” He waved to the naims and rushed down the stairs, calling to his wife.  “Rosalind, dear.  Can you make some formula for a nymph child?”

             Akil, followed by Cyrus, hurried down the stairs. The entry room was rather spacious, though Akil felt keenly aware of the weight of the earth which must be above them. Cyrus was unphased.  

             Rosalind came at her husband’s call and looked at the naims a moment before smiling at the child, “give me just a moment, sweety. I’ll get you some food.” She continued on to the kitchen while Rhys led them to the living room to sit.  Rhys reached for the child.  Akil hesitated, his shredded nerves made him feel particularly protective of the child, but he handed the child off, knowing they would be of great help to him.  

             “Did you come from Enid?” He asked as he tried his own brand of gentle bouncing the quiet the child.  

             “No.  We were in Trost.”

             “Are there nymphs in Trost?” Rhys asked, confused.

             Akil smiled, “No, the child is from Lux.  We were going north to get to Halcyon, but we had sorcerers on our trail.  We had to take another route.”  

             “When we get you enough formula prepared, you should go to Enid.  The nymphs there will be able to help get you to Halcyon.” He looked at the child who calmed only slightly, “You will be safe there.”

             “Here, give him this.” Rosalind said rushing in with a small bottle.  Rhys placed the bottle to his lips and the child drank hungrily.  The quiet after such an extended length of crying was a great relief to everyone, especially the naims.  

             “Thank you.” Akil said leaning back, relaxing for the first time in hours.  

             “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what are you doing with a nymph child and sorcerers after you?” Rhys asked.

             “Has word not reached here of Lux?” Cyrus asked from his corner.  

             Rhys turned to him, intrigued, “No.  What happened in Lux?”

             “It’s been destroyed.” Akil said, leaning forward again.  He felt a sort of anxiousness to hold the child.  

             “Destroyed?” Rhys cried out in surprise.  “How?  When?”

             Akil tried to think back, everything had happened so quickly.  Had it been a day or two?  “I think it was last night.  The sorcerers from Shara came.  We left just before, I am not sure how bad it turned out, but it didn’t sound good.  I heard people talk of the forest now being dark.”

             “Dark?  Entirely?” Rhys set the bottle aside now that Zuriel had finished it.  

             “May I?” Akil asked, reaching for the child.

             “Of course.” Rhys quickly stepped forward and returned the child to Akil.  “Why would they do that?  Did Samael order it?”

             “I don’t imagine they went on their own. Even if they did, Samael was the one who stirred them up to the hatred needed to wipe out a city.” Cyrus said.  

             “Is this child, the only survivor?” Rhys asked.

             “I don’t know.” Akil said, shaking his head.

             Rhys looked confused.  “Why did you two and the mother flee?”

             “Because he’s the dueling.” Rosalind said softly from the doorway.  

             “Oh, of course!” Rhys shouted, “Last time I was in Enid, Pachoua mentioned naims in search of a male child, but the only pregnant nymphs had girls.” Rhys looked excitedly at the child, “I had completely forgotten.  Sevan and his people will help you. Rest here tonight, and in the morning, we will take you to Enid.”

             Akil and Cyrus thanked them as Rhys and his wife rushed off to prepare a room for them.  

             “How many do you think know?” Cyrus asked.  

             “It’s sure that Samael knows.  He went after the nymphs as soon as a whisper went out about the search.”  Akil shook his head.

             “There were already lies going around before.” Cyrus said, looking sternly at the floor.  

             “I can’t help feel we played a part in destroying Lux.” Akil said, looking sadly down at the child.  He wondered how far Adira had made it.  If she was still alive.  

             “We might have sped it up some, but Samael has wanted the nymphs gone for a long time.”  

             “Maybe.”

             “Certainly.” Cyrus corrected as Rhys returned to usher them to their room.

[corellianangel]

Lipstick

For @otterandterrier‘s Scoundress Saturdays prompt - “Lipstick”  And also my  second take on that prompt in a totally different situation.

A/N: A while back I was inspired by photos of Carrie Fisher’s costuming notes, which included the sheets listing her makeup for the original trilogy Star Wars movies. 

This is a trope that’s been done 1000 times. Here’s the 1001st.

Rating: T+

Timeline: Star Wars rebellion era, Empire Strikes Back. Millennium Falcon interior, the trip to Bespin

_______________________

Leia glared accusingly at the tube of Caramel Frost labelled lipstick. Twisted upward out of its encompassing chromed tube, it mocked her with its perfectly rounded, unblemished crown. She had just discarded it’s empty predecessor merely two days before. And now it was here again.

 Jig is up, Solo. the princess decided firmly.

 He’d been replacing her cosmetics; surreptitiously - of course. Probably for years, she surmised. Leia had to only borrow make-up once after her rescue from the Death Star. It was, at that point, readily supplied by fellow Alliance personnel eager to please their bereaved princess. Weeks later, when a small packet of items appeared at her work desk in a lamé satchel, she’d always thought it been Shara Bey, Evaan or Mon—another well-connected sympathetic female.

 Not Mr.Testosterone-for-brains inconsiderate scoundrel Han Solo.

 (Nice man,) that self-righteous voice in Leia’s head corrected.

 When she’d requested to maintain a modest stash of personal items on the Falcon for their recurring missions, Han initially grouched, then relented. In the course of three years, her supply would periodically diminish, but never run out.

 Even the cosmetics supposedly from back at Yavin magically regenerated themselves - with new expiry dates.

 In her quarters…

 When she was away…

 Now she knew why.

 She sorted through the small selection of powdered, liquid and waxen cosmetics. Another lip- color: Raspberry - she’d nearly forgotten this one. Then...at the back of the cabinet, a rust colored lipstick labelled as Cinnamon. Leia considered the items in her hand, idly wondering why the manufacturers named them all after food. She reached for the compressed facial powder, Hmm, “Blushbaby”. At least it's not named after an edible. That is, until the next was a caked rouge called Dewy Peach.

 Leia scowled at the marketing ruse, returning the majority of the items to her designated shelf with a clatter.

 Stooping, Leia rummaged through the waste receptacle at her feet. At the base she felt the familiar cylinder of the same shape as her initial suspect lipstick. Gotcha, she crowed inwardly.

 Clasping the empty and the replacement in her fingers, Leia palmed the refresher door, determined to confront the ship's captain and his…

 His…

 She halted, uncertain.

  (What? Generosity? Consideration?) Leia’s inner voice barked accusingly.

  Shut-up, the haughty princess retorted silently. Give me a break. This is Han fucking-everything Solo. There is an ulterior motive at work here.

 ( Honestly, you have a problem with a man procuring you expensive cosmetics?)

 Shut up!

 (Really, girl. Have you even heard of another male on base doing such a thing?)

 I don’t need this.

 ( Funny how Solo’s manhood doesn’t seem to be affected by this little surprise. Does it?)

 No…

 (You should thank him. You know he’s been doing this for years at this point. It is clear he’s respectful of your privacy enough not to mention it.)

 PRIVACY?! How did he get the replacements into my locked quarters for the last three years then?

 (....)

 HOW? ...Well?

 ( Okay, I’ll give you that. It’s creepy. Make sure you’ve got him over a barrel when you ask him that.)

 “Princess? “

 Sliding the refresher hatch door aside, Leia jumped at first, then recovered her composure confronting the scoundrel in question. She jabbed the discarded tube of lip color into his face. Han’s hazel eyes followed it in, crossing slightly.

 “What is this?” Leia demanded. Han plucked it from her fingers, investigating the tiny chromed cylinder.

 “Empty?” He smiled gamely, displaying it to her as if addressing a small child.

 Leia was having none of it. She crossed her arms and glared. After an increasingly tense moment, Han sighed defeat.

 “Look, I heard you’d been asking around after we returned to Yavin the first night.” Han shrugged, running a nervous hand through his hair. “So I asked. ‘Cause I cared. ‘Kay? Shara told me what you needed, based on what you’d asked for that day before the ceremony.” Han fidgeted with the empty tube, he spiralled it in and out, then comically peered into the empty cup.

 “You, have been supplying me with cosmetics?”

 Han jerked up, pointing a lipstick smeared finger at her. “Yeah. Don’t get all uppity though, Your Worship. I had to call in a favor from Shara to get the plan rolling on this one.” Han grumbled under his breath, “Mon, put Bey on squadron escort with me, so Shara could come planetside for the purchasing. Then one of ‘em kriffin’ told her pals after. Oh hell, it was both of ‘em, I’d bet! Man, it was barely a week before I had hand-written flimsi orders from half the base.”

Now Leia’s interest piqued, so she probed further, “- orders from half the base?” she repeated. Recalling, a late-night visit from her longtime me friend, Evaan - were she asked if Leia desired any hygiene products not available readily onbase, as Evaan had an in with a cargo pilot...Han, as it turned out.

 Drawing his shoulders square, Han straightened. “Yeah. Mon ordered Chewie an’ me to steam sanitize the number two hold first. What a pain in the ass! Said it was unsuitable for any cargo ‘til we did. When we loaded at Chandrila, that sucker was filled though. To the ceiling.”

 Holding up the full tube of lipstick, Leia was incredulous, “You filled the hold with cosmetics?”

 Han threw his hands up, palms forward. “No! There was a few cases of that - Shar’ and Evaan sorted it out. Most of the bulk, it was innocuous but necessary shit like detergents, cleaning supplies, minor ‘meds and bandages, and uh... It was the...uh.” Han coughed. He colored.

 Leia put her hands on her hips, fixing him with a wry look; awaiting an answer.

 “The female stuff. Y’know the hygienic... Um… supplies.” Han looked ready to self-combust with embarrassment.

 Leia burst out laughing, and placed a sympathetic hand hand on his hip. “ Oh Han…”

 “Janson and some of the guys had a field day with that one.” Han groused.

 “Was that when the inside of his fighter’s cockpit got plastered with pads?” Leia remembered that well. After decent modern supplies appeared on base for the female personnel, a fair portion of the remaining bulky, cheap, primitive supplies ended up jammed into or pasted to every available surface of a few select vehicles of the fighter squadrons. Wes Janson’s being stuffed solid. The fighter pilot was left pulling out bits of absorbent material out of various crevices after every subsequent mission.

 Again Han denied responsibility. This time Leia believed him. The Falcon was off in the outer rim on a mission at that time. Rumor had it that a number of female techs, pilots, and two officers colluded, executing their justice on behalf of the Falcon’s crew, and the offended general majority. A holo of Janson scraping and scrubbing the residual adhesive from his displays and control surfaces, circulated heavily on the Alliances social networks for months. It served as a stern warning to new members as well.

 Chuckling, Han remembered, “ Kriff. Yeah. Ruined his rep’ - pretty much. Didn’t get laid on base for at least a year - man - even two.”

 Recalling another set of memories from that era three years ago, Leia’s mouth betrayed a wonderment laced with the sour taste of jealousy, “ You were kept rather busy as result.” Han winced.

 “That was a long time ago, Leia - “

 Rising to her full one and half meters, Leia advanced on Han. The Corellian pirate stumbled backward across the refresher’s raised threshold, retreating from the diminutive noble in haste.

  “Tell me. Was it the-, the two techs that cornered you outside the hangar?” challenged Leia in disgust.

 A half-strangled noise croaked out of Han, his mouth made a couple of sputtering, failed starts.

 “The first ones? No, uh… No. No. They got me outside the barracks for that - actually.”

 Leia’s eyes widened, “Lt. Van’Dorin complained about three bunkmates dragging in a pilot. That was you!?” Han looked ready to flee - via the airlock if necessary. “I thought that was a bantha-shit story at the time.”

 “Uh - Only two you said?” after an increasingly tense second, Han raised an eyebrow.

 “...Three” the Princess growled out of the corner of her teeth, correcting him.

 “Heh…” Solo wheezed weakly. He’d been an awful character in the morals and behaviour department at the time.

 Realization hit her and Leia’s nose wrinkled in revulsion. “Stop...Wait. I don’t want to hear anymore.”

 Han breathed a loud sigh of relief and made to beat a hasty retreat. On impulse, Leia batted the discarded lipstick tube out of his hand. The chrome tube clattered against the sink and down the wall, landing perfectly back inside the trash receptacle.

 Mouth dropping open to protest, Han was suddenly shoved up roughly against the doorframe, by a pair of unexpectedly strong, yet petite hands on the lapels of his jacket. The lanky smuggler fumbled to brace himself on a section of his ship’s bulkhead. Leia smirked at his shocked expression, amused and elated as it melted into a confused consent. Lunging up at the smuggler, the princess’s lips firmly planted on his. He’d scarcely gotten out a half muffled, Leia–when her palms slid across the warm flesh of his right hipbone, and he let out a low groan.

 Leia had no idea what was happening. Who this person was that was emerging out of her coolly maintained exterior since they’d left Hoth — she was becoming this woman. It was hard to stop, because maybe she’d had been there all along. And maybe – just maybe, Leia was finally comfortable with who she was.

  She held him there, probing and nibbling at his lips, settling in along the heat stemming from the entire length of his body. She’d wanted this… Needed it…

 This was what that woman wanted. That wild creature that lived inside of her. Leia was falling. Falling or fallen in love with a Corellian smuggler. Oh Stars, and she was falling in love with herself. In love with how she felt, who she was and also who she used to be. She didn’t have to allow the loss of her homeworld to define her. She could just be Leia and be content.

 When they finally broke off, Han was more than a little breathless. His eyes were alight. Grin was half-cocked. His hair askew; tugged upright and all over by Leia’s fists. And best… best of all; was Leia’s Caramel Frost lipstick smeared all across that scoundrel’s stupidly happy smirk.

[honeylikewords]

Do you have any headcannons for Poe having a younger sibling?

Oh, sure!

Now, there’s a few different ways this could go: if Poe had a biological sibling who was younger, or an adoptive sibling-like relationship, et cetera. The only reason this would matter is just in terms of how long they’ve known each other, what life milestones they’ve shared at certain time, stuff like that. Both kinds of relationships are valid, but for this set of headcanons, I’ll say that they’re a younger biological sibling and both grew up the same way, with Kes and Shara for the first few years before Shara passed and then they sort of became Leia’s adoptive children later in their lives. 

Oh, and I’ll be using gender-neutral pronouns for the sibling, since I don’t want to lock down a single gender for this sibling, and the pronouns I’ll be using are they/them/their. 

(Also, unrelatedly, I love to argue that in fun, sillier AUs that Poe is Ben’s big brother and Ben is constantly jealous of his super cool, super hot, super fun older brother, and that Poe relentlessly torments his lanky, gangly, emo little brother. LMAO.)

Anyway, on to the actual HCs!

Poe is the kind of big brother who is all noogies and wrestling. He’s a rough-houser, and even when they’ve both reached adulthood, Poe will still grab his younger sibling by their shoulders and put them in a headlock, even in the halls of the Resistance ships, both in their respective uniforms, totally destroying the image that either of them is a responsible adult. Of course, they are responsible adults, but they’re also overgrown children who still butt heads in the hallways and give each other those rug-burn arm twists.

Both of them look up to Leia and sometimes fight each other to seem like the better Dameron, bickering to try and win her favor. She always rolls her eyes and flicks each in the nose, grumbling that she loves them both but that she “doesn’t love how competitive and hard-headed they both are”. Still, sometimes, they end up elbowing each other in the ribs and shoving one another around in the race to get to the command center and tell Leia good news, or kick each other in the shins to be the one who gets to sit next to her at dinner. 

As the older brother, Poe feels responsible for his sibling and their welfare. He’s not over-protective-- he wants them to be brave and adventurous, just as he is, and they’ve got enough of the Dameron recklessness in them to be their own troublemaker-- but he is the kind of loving older brother who will be a nuisance to their face but when they’re not there, he’s doing his best behind the scenes to make sure they’re okay, and always telling people what a great person they are. 

Poe is also... nervous about what might happen to them in the Resistance. He wants to always be there, sort of hovering around them, so he insists that they be in the same branch of the forces and assigned to the same ship. He’d also try to talk them out of being a combat pilot or soldier, his stomach always in knots thinking about them getting hurt or killed. He’d be devastated to lose them, so he’ll sometimes go behind their back and talk to Leia to ask her to please, please, please assign them somewhere relatively safe. He knows it’s not fair to try and steer their life without their permission, but he can’t help his urge to keep them safe. They’re his baby sibling, and he’s lost enough to feel tense and afraid at the mere thought of them disappearing on him, too.

All of his life, Poe’s been responsible for them. When Kes couldn’t be home, it was little Poe carrying around his baby sibling and putting them in their high chair, feeding them their goopy baby food, wiping up their spit-ups. He was the one to teach them how to ride around on Kes’ old speeder that he kept under a tarp behind the house on Yavin IV, and he was the one who would help them patch up their ouchies and put on a brave face even when it hurt. He always knew how to give them a big, wide smile and say “See? It’s okay!” whenever they cried, and he still knows how to do that for them.

When Poe was small, he was very curious about the baby. He’d go into their room during the night and stand on the ledge of their crib to peep into the crib and see what this strange, snuffling ball of blankets and chubby limbs was doing. He never got angry with them when they fussed or cried, but rather would try to help them himself, even though he sometimes didn’t know what to do. Shara and Kes, numerous times, would come to check on the baby and find a toddler Poe holding them on his lap, brushing their hair with a little brush, bouncing them around, or find him laying in the crib next to them, making their plushies play and fight one another.

He was always a good playmate with his sibling, and very excited to go on adventures with them. Climbing trees, following trails, digging up worms; you name it, they did it together! They were inseparable. Poe liked to carry them on his shoulders as they explored, and sometimes, even now, as adults, Poe will grab them and carry them around on his shoulders like a fireman, whooping and hollering.

At any rate, it’s a sweet thing to think about Poe being a big brother, and especially a good big brother!

Send Me Asks While I’m On My Roadtrip!