Stitches | Poe Dameron

xii

"Stitches!" Someone called as I walked away from the medical ward and towards the living quarters.

I turned my head towards the person and smile when I see it's Poe. He had on his orange jumpsuit and helmet in his hand as BB-8 followed closely behind him.

"Hey, Poe," I wave and then turn to the droid. "Hi, BB-8."

BB-8 beeps happily as a greeting.

"What's up?" I smile.

Poe doesn't return it though, and I get confused.

"Listen, Stitches, I don't have much time." Poe scratches the back of his head.

My eyebrows furrow and I cross my arms. My instant thought is that I'm in trouble.

"Why, what's wrong?" I try and stand a little taller to show I'm alright.

"I'm supposed to take off for a mission in about 5 minutes, so I need to say bye."

I let out a sigh of relief. It's just a mission.

"It's just a search and rescue so we'll only be gone a week, but I didn't want you to worry." Poe looks at me.

I smile reassuringly.

"That's it?" I ask and Poe looks very confused.

"You're not worried?"

I shake my head. Why would I be scared? I don't even know what a search and rescue is. Like I told Mage I don't know anything about pilots or missions or anything.

Poe sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Remind me when I get back to teach you about the severity of missions." He mutters just loud enough for me to hear.

I laugh and he smiles.

His arms go around my waist and I'm taken slightly off guard. Nonetheless, I still wrap my arms around his neck and am forced to go on my tippy toes because I didn't wear heels today.

"I don't know what the hug is for if you're coming back..." I whisper in his ear and I feel Poe chuckle and hold me tighter.

BB-8 beeps impatiently for us to let go and we do. I squat down in front of the little droid and kiss him like I've done so many times. He's finally managed not to over heat.

"I know you're very brave so I want you to keep and eye on him for me," I point my finger up at Poe. "Can you do that for me, please?"

BB-8 beeps in understanding, promising to keep Poe out of trouble and I smile. I thank BB-8 and stand back up to see Poe with his arms crossed and giving me an expectant look.

"BB-8 gets a kiss and not me?" He pouts and I laugh.

I don't know how I gathered up the courage to do what I did next, maybe I wasn't actually paying attention. But I took a step towards Poe, placed my hand on his shoulder, stood on my tippy toes and kissed his cheek.

Poe's face perfectly captured how I felt inside my head. His eye widened and his jaw slightly slacked. He was - for lack of a better word - dumbstruck.

"Don't you have a mission to go on?" I crossed my arms.

Poe snapped out of his trance and placed his helmet on his head. I saw he had a huge smile on his lips underneath the helmet.

"See ya later Stitches!" He shouted as he and BB-8 ran down the corridor.

I had an amused grin on my face and shook my head at him. He looked so cute. After I couldn't see them anymore I let out a breath. From behind me I heard a scoff.

"Yea, not together."

I turn around to see Damien with his arms crossed tightly. The veins in his forearms popped out and his jaw was set. He looked furious, and it made me scared. It reminded me of my father back in Grenene.

Involuntarily I started to shake.

"I-if you remember correctly," I took a breath. "I said it was none of your business."

Damien didn't say anything else, instead he walked towards me with our eyes locked. I was frozen to my place in fear of him. I had never been afraid of Damien before, but seeing him standing like that brought back memories of my home planet.

Damien towers over me and I lean back. He doesn't say anything as he hands me a folder. I slowly and shakily reach out to grab it. I hug it to my chest, still staring at Damien and trying to fight my eyes from tearing up. Damien looks me up and down before turning his head and walking away silently.

~*~

My garden consisted of every possible known flower that inhabits Grenene. It was the only place I felt safe. Ever since my dad came back and my mother 'left', none of my friends would talk to me - or anyone for that matter. Only my dads men. And they weren't nice, they smelled of alcohol only asked me if they could see my room, and then my dad would yell at them.

I was seven at this time and when I sat in the grass between the skyflowers my dad couldn't find me. The flowers were too tall. My tiny hand reached out for a caterpillar, the bug crawled on my hand and I giggled quietly.

"Lyyyylllaaaaa!" My dad's voice rang through the field. I gasp and dropped the caterpillar. "Come heeeere!"

His voice was getting closer so I get on my hands and knees and crawl quickly away.

"Goddamnit Lyla!" He was growing angry which meant I was in trouble. "Come here now or I'll kill you!"

I didn't want to know if he was serious so I crawled to the edge and slowly stood up with my head down so he could see me. I walked towards him and he roughly grabbed my arm. I yelped in pain as he dragged me back to the house.

"Look at you, you slut, you're covered in dirt!" He stopped at the back door. "Now there's some men in there, I want you to put on the dress on your bed and go talk to them. Sit in their lap when they tell you to. Do you understand?"

I kept my eyes on the ground. My feet were bare and I got dirt in between my toes. My dad tightened his grip on my arm and I cried.

"Do. You. Understand. Me?" He said through his teeth.

I looked up at him. He looked just like me, which I hated. Our eyes were the same green, but that was normal. We both had straight noses, although mine was smaller. We had the same lips even though my fathers were always curled in a snarl. We looked the same. Every time I looked in a mirror it was a reminder of him, it was like I could never escape him.

I nodded my head.

I sat up quickly, a scream trapped in my throat and my hair was sticking to my sweaty body. I looked around and expected myself to be in my childhood home, but I wasn't. The bare walls reminded me I was in the Resistance base.

I took a few deep breaths and started to cry. Memories of my childhood flooded into my head and I brought my legs up to hug my knees and bury my head in them.

I felt so alone.