CONSTELLATIONS | Poe Dameron

CHAPTER XXIV

I woke up before Poe did the next morning. My back had been against his bare chest with us lying on our sides. I carefully removed his arm from my waist, trying my best not to wake him. After last night, I even surprised myself that I was up so early. I made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back into a French braid before splashing water on my face.

Exiting the room, I grabbed a cropped tank and some leggings from the closet along with my running shoes. It was still early- a perfect time for a run before the heat of the day set in. I slid the outfit on before sitting on the edge of the bed and running my fingers over the light scratch marks on the man's back. Oops.

Poe stirred, rolling into his back as he opened his eyes. He gave me a small smile, sitting up so that the sheet fell down to his waist. "Morning," he said with a voice thick with sleep.

"Good morning, commander. Have a good sleep?" He reached up and cupped the back of my head before meeting my lips with a light kiss.

"The best sleep I've had in a long time, doc," he replied with a wink.

Before I could mentally prepare myself, Poe flung the cover off of him, turning to stand with a long stretch. Heat rushed up my neck as I flushed for no reason other than being in this perfect man's presence.

"Quit ogling me." He smirked at me as he pulled his pants on.

I rolled my eyes before standing. "Please, you want me to ogle at you." I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "I'm going for a run. Would you like to join?"

"Not this time. I need to get to the hangar and work on some ships today. Take BB-8 with you, though. I'm sure he misses your bonding time." Poe rolled his eyes in a joking way.

I smiled at the thought of the droid. "I do miss my buddy. I'll go grab him. I'll see you later?"

"Of course. Have fun." He pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose before pulling on his shirt and leaving my room. His shoulders were squared back as he left, no shame at all in his walk from my quarters. I doubt he would run into anyone this early anyway after last night's festivities in the hangar.

I made my way to the hangar where I figured the droid would be. As expected, he was bustling around the black ship. "BB-8!" I called for him. His domed head turned towards me, lighting up and letting out a quick series of beeps.

"Good morning to you, buddy. I'm about to head to the beach and was wondering if you'd like to join?" An excited string of beeps came forward as he spun in circles around my legs.

"Alright, alright. Let's go then." I took off at a slow jog after the droid, warming up my legs since it had been so long. The greenery started to blend together as we eventually picked up speed, swerving through the wooded trail to avoid any stumps or rocks. The sound of the water became clearer as we entered the last portion of the trail. BB-8 stopped as he reached the sand, turning around with a low beep as I stopped next to him with my hands on my head.

"What do you mean speed it up?! I was practically going full out at the end there." He started making quick,  breathing type sounds. "Stop mocking me," I playfully brought my foot up and tapped the side of his body, "before I kick you like I almost did in the hall that one time." I laughed at the droid's reply, going to sit on my usual rock.

The waves were calm as they lapped against the short. The last of the stars were fading away as the sun rose into the pastel sky. "It's pretty beautiful, huh?" BB-8 chirped in agreement.

We spent some time there taking in the water before heading back. I pushed myself, staying in front of the droid the entire way to the base. When we made it to the building, I leaned against the wall as I tried to catch my breath. "How is that for 'speed it up' BB-8?" I laughed as he let out a low beep, but was silenced as a dull throbbing started to occur in the sides of my head. I brought my hands up to rub my temples, but the pain only became more intense as the seconds passed. A familiar pressure was building, and I felt the warm drip of blood start down my nose. I slid down the wall to sit when BB-8 voiced his concern.