𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | 𝘱. 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

• 𝘷 - 𝘱𝘰𝘦

• poe dameron •

YESTERDAY WAS THE START OF THE FIGHTS. We didn't have enough time to do mine or the fight before mine yesterday so today I have my fight. I'm up against this total Ass who thinks he's better than everyone else. I kinda hope he slips and breaks his face. But maybe I'll break it for him. Who knows? I'll let you know how my fight went in tomorrow's letter.
      — Poe Dameron

I stand at the base of the mat and remove my boots. I rub my neck and stretch my arms. Hunt jumps up and down, a smirk planted on his lips.

"You sure you don't want to concede right now? I wouldn't think any less of you. No, actually—I would." He says.

I roll my eyes and step up onto the mat, testing the give of the pad.

"No, I think I'll take my chances with this one. But, I'll be sure to let you know if I need to tap out." I mock him.

Han looks at the both of us, an eyebrow cocked as he prepares his watch.

"You two ready? Start." He says, pressing the start button on his watch.

Hunt runs at me, swinging a fist towards my head. I knew he would. I duck, avoiding his fist and arm. He can't get me yet. I back up. He stands tall with wide shoulders. I'm shorter than he is only by a couple inches, our physiques are similar, yet, I'm faster. I keep everything tight and stay out of the way of his fists when I have to. He swings again, this time hitting my cheek and eyebrow. I'm stumble back, my head pounding. I shake it off. He smirks. I punch him in the chest. It knocks him back slightly. I try another punch. He grabs my fist, spinning me around. He tackles me on the mat. I wriggle under him.

"Let go of me, you dick! Get off of me, now!" I shout, trying to force him off of me.

He presses my throat, putting pressure on my neck with the base of his palm, his fingers wrapping around my neck.

"You know, Poe, you could just concede now. Make it out of here with your dignity intact." He says.

I wiggle again, kicking him to try and get him off. I can't lose like this. It's demeaning.

"No, Connor, I won't concede. Not to an asshole like you." I say.

I flip over, elbowing him in the jaw. He groans, glaring down at me.

"Ass." He says.

I knee him in the stomach, causing him to roll off of me. He holds his stomach in pain.

"You conceding, Private Hunt?" Han asks.

Hunt shakes his head, looking at me with narrow eyes.

"Oh, no. He's dead." He says.

I ignore the threat. He climbs up onto his feet. He punches me, causing me to topple over. He punches me in the face again and again. The blood from my nose spills onto his knuckles. I shove him away from me, catching my breath. I wipe my nose. Blood trails up my arm. I shake the dizziness and swallow.

"Ready to tap out, Poe?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"I already told you that I wasn't conceding. Back off." I say.

He drops down to the mat and swings his foot around, knocking my feet out from underneath me. I fall onto my back. He pins me again. I punch him in the face, trying to get him off.

"Say it, Poe. Just concede already." He says.

I shake my head, trying to push him off of me.

"Get off, Asshole!" I scream.

He puts all of his weight on my throat. I wheeze, writhing in pain under his weight. I can't breathe. Too much longer of this and he'll knock me out. I wrap my arms around his neck, slamming his head into my shoulder then slamming my elbow into his head while he recoils. He lifts his weight off of me, rolling over. He takes his head into his hands, groaning. I jump up, grabbing his arms. I pull them both behind his back. I kneel on the low portion of his back.

"Say it! Concede! I know you can." I say.

He shakes his head.

"No! I won't." He says.

I put more pressure under that knee.

"Do it, now, or I will break your lower back." I exclaim.

He groans out sharply.

"I concede!" He shouts.

I let up on the pressure under the knee and let him go. He flops onto the ground and groans. The dizziness returns and I feel queasy.

"Congratulations, Private Dameron. Now, both of you, get down to the Medical Bay and get yourselves checked out." He says.

I trip over my own foot and fail to stay up on my feet. Han sighs.

"Wexley, go ahead and take Dameron down to the Med bay. And make sure that Marlene and Piper stay away from him." He says.

Snap walks over, wrapping an arm around me. I place my arm over his shoulders and we walk side by side, slowly.

"Hell of a fight back there, huh? Hunt is pretty good. I mean, not as good as you, but certainly a good fighter." He says as we shuffle towards the med bay.

He pushes the door open with his free hand, allowing me to step inside. I release him, standing up straight on my own. Suddenly, my stomach is in my throat. I spot a gray trash can in a nearby corner of the room. I stumble over my feet as I run towards it, spilling out the contents of this morning's breakfast into the basin of the can. Snap rushes over, patting my back.

"God, man, how hard did he hit you? Is this because of Hunt?" He asks.

I ignore him and continue puking, like I have a choice. I can hear the tap of shoes as someone passes by us. Once the nausea fades, I stand, wiping my mouth.

"Oh, Private Dameron. Is that really you?" A girl asks from behind the counter.