Just Survive

Untitled Part 4

It rained for days, you watch as your dry wood diminished along with the food. "It will stop soon." Your companion repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time, at this point it almost sounded like a prayer. "It will break soon, I'll be about to get some more fruit and maybe find some more wood." He offered you a smile that was meant to reassure you, which it didn't.

The first day wasn't so bad. It was warm by the fire with food other than fruit. The rhythmic tinge tinge of the rain hitting the x-ring had a comforting effect, but now on day three, it has started to lose its charm. It was almost becoming a strange form of torture really.

General Hugs (as Poe calls him) still insisted on exercising your damaged body. You hated to admit it but it was working. You were getting stronger; you were able to sit up on your own now. Which thankfully meant he didn't have to touch you as much; you were thankful for that but also in a strange way the pain he caused you doing it helped keep your mind in the right place. He was your enemy. This nice guy, let me take care of you act, was throwing your brain for a loop; making you forget why you chased his ship in the first place. You reach your hand down tracing the data chip with your fingertip. He was evil and he deserved to die. This....whatever this is didn't change a damn thing.

There was another problem this rain storm was causing; this particular problem bothered you more than the impending cold and hunger once the supplies ran out. This problem was proximity; you are both trapped in this makeshift shelter. Normally he could disappear for portions of the day only checking on you periodically allow you a break, but now his presence was constant. The silence between you only lasted the first day but he soon started trying to make friendly conversation. It started with what food you missed most. This only made you both hungry so that topic was set aside. Favorite color started a heated debate as you didn't classify black, grey or white as color but as shades. He settled for navy blue but insisted that black was a color in the end. This mindless chatter took up most of the second day and ended quickly when the questions started getting too personal. He asked about the weather on your home planet. You ignored the questions refuse to even acknowledge him but when he asked about your family you fought back angry tears, how dare he speak to you of your family.

"I think that's enough of the small talk now." You said through your teeth. You chastised yourself internally for being stupid letting your guard down. You weren't friends! You would never be friends. You stare at his stupid head wishing you had the force so you could choke the life from him, all Darth Vader style! His back stiffened as if he could sense the hatred directed at him. To your horror, this was when he started with his own stories. At first, you had no interest in hearing his tales but he had managed to draw you in. You blame his accent.

Damn sexy accents!

He could feel her hate-filled stare at the back of his head. He had thought their casual conversation was going so well. He was quite proud that he had managed to hold a conversation with her at all. Honestly, what does one talk about with someone that considers you their enemy? That followed which the fact that he can't remember the last time he held a conversation with someone that didn't have to do with First Order business. He felt that he was on foreign soil and gain ground as the conversations continued.

He realized too late that he had made the critical mistake asking about her family. Clearly, that was not to be mentioned. He just wanted to know about her, something other than her favorite color is orange and she had a sweet tooth. He takes a glance over his shoulder to confirm his intuition is correct as she gives him a death stare. He is struck by how oddly attractive she was when she was angry.

He thought maybe if he started sharing first, just maybe she would open up to him. He told her what he could remember about Arkanis as a child. How he remembered many days filled with rain like this. He told her about his mother, the little he could recall before father sent her way. Life at the academy and being trained alongside the first batch of children soldiers. How he was never good enough for his father but others had seen his potential and made sure he learned what he needed to know to lead.

"I was raised with stories of the greatness of the Empire, taught that I and I alone could bring peace and order to the universe." He puts the last of their dry sticks on the fire; it wouldn't last the night letting out a sigh. "I truly thought I was meant to rule over this new Order. I had such grand plans to bring equality to all systems, I was going to correct the mistake made by both the Empire and the Republic. It was going to be perfect." He has talked for hours it was well into the night now.

"Well it's not over yet, you will get back murdering millions in no time I'm sure." She said snakingly let out a yawn. Maybe it is time to tell her the truth. Maybe it was time to say aloud the awful gut-wrenching truth.

"I have a confession." Uh-huh, she says behind him. He takes a deep breath "There is no one coming to retrieve me either. Essentially I was fired; well the goal was termination really. I was sent to my death and found you." He chuckled to himself. He waited expecting some sort of response but he was met with silence. "I was shocked too, that is the reason why it's taken me so long to bring it up. I am still trying to come to grips with this life-changing news myself." Which he hadn't! Still, she says nothing. He turns glancing down at her now sleeping form.

Excellent! He finally tells her the truth and she isn't even awake. It was almost as if an emotion floodgate was opened now. Taking in her sleeping form he is unsure how he has wronged her but certain he had. He has wrongs many people, killed many people all for a purpose that no longer exists. Now that this goal has been removed he has to live with what he has done. Emotions he has long repressed were pushing through. He moves back resting his head on the x-wing watching the fire die; trying to push back the remorse that filled him until sleep thankfully claimed him.

He woke later with a start, his neck in pain for sleeping sitting up but that was not an unfamiliar pain. Many nights he had slept at his desk working late or fallen asleep on the couch instead of making it to his bed. As he expected the fire had gone out. The dampness was starting to invade affecting the sleeping girls on the ground. Her teeth chattered slightly and she moaned in pain as she trying to roll on her side to curl up in a ball.

He lays down next to her gently pulls her onto her uninjured side and into his arms. She protested only for a moment as he tucks the jacket around her cocooning her. She falls silent against him; her head tucked under his chin. Soon she falls back to sleep; he finds himself matching her steady inhales and exhales. She wraps her arm around him like she would a pillow. He smiled to himself; well he now knows one more thing about her. She likes to snuggle.

He had no choice tomorrow he would have to go search for more food and wood, rain or not but it would be great if he didn't get drenched doing it. He also knew he would have hell to pay in the morning. He had no doubt that she would be most displeased when she wakes in his arms but at least she was warm. Hopefully, soon they could be on their way. He needs to get her back to where she belongs. He could feel himself becoming attracted to her. That last thing he needed was to fall for this feisty resistance girl with her viper tongue that wishes him dead.

She moans in her sleep moving her head so that his jaw now rest on her forehead, he can feel her light exhales brushing against his neck.

He had a bad feeling he was already too attached.