42. That was her number. Now with the resistance, 42 must cover her past life which proves difficult when she cannot tell her true name. And that Dameron guy . . . He needs to stop asking questions.
Follows The Rise of Skywalker
As I came to consciousness, I felt that I rested in strong arms, my back against their chest.
The familiar sound of a ship in air reached my ears.
I cracked my eyes open, feeling the soreness of my muscles.
The arms I rested in were clad in orange. I realized it was a Resistance pilot which brought me comfort.
The pilot let out a long sigh, their breath tickling the hair on my head.
They began humming the same song I had heard while fixing the Falcon's landing gear on Kef Bir.
It was Poe.
I let out a hoarse hum along with him.
He stopped. "How you doing, Kai?" Poe said softly.
I nestled my cheek into his shoulder in response.
"Your ship crashed when the lightening blast hit everyone," he explained softly. "But we won. We did it, Kai. We won." I could feel him smiling as he said it.
"Rey's okay, Finn?" I said.
"Yea, they're all okay," Poe said, the tones of his voice vibrating on my back as I rested on his chest in the cramped X-Wing.
"You know," he began. "You're lucky you're small. I hardly had to move my seat back at all to fit you in here." Poe laughed softly, taking in another breath. "We're on our way home now. Just hang on a little longer. I'll get you to the Med Bay as soon as we're back."
I nodded softly, letting my eyes fall closed again.
"I wasn't the one who saved you," Poe began.
My head picked up slightly, confused.
"It was another Mandalorian," he continued, "called 34. Said that they were glad to finally see your face. And that they hope you are happy, genuinely. Also said to tell you they were saying goodbye, that they understood why you had to leave the Mandalorian."
A small tear slipped down my cheek. 34 and I had been partners. I wished I could've heard their voice, heard them say goodbye.
As I took a deep breath, I winced in pain.
"What's wrong?" Poe asked quickly.
"Bruised ribs, something like that," I mumbled.
"That's gotta hurt," Poe said, pulling off his helmet.
I looked up to his scruffy chin. His hair was shining with sweat and his long eyelashes seemed bent with stress.
He ran a gloved hand over his head, seemingly relieved the battle was over.
Poe's brown eyes flitted down to me then quickly back up to the controls of the ship.
"Still hanging on?" he asked quietly.
I moved my hand overtop of his as it rested on the wheel, breathing in the scent on his vest: machine grease and cologne mixed with stress sweat and leather.
"Kai?" Poe asked again, now taking my hand in his.
"I love you," I said, barely above a whisper. As the words left my mouth, I could feel my cheeks grow pink.
Poe leaned down and kissed the top of my head, gently squeezing my hand.
"I know."
"You're such and idiot," I whispered.
"That too," Poe responded, smiling down at me.
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He leaned down, bringing his face closer, allowing me to see every scratch and scar.
I wanted to run my hand over his jaw but couldn't find the strength to lift up my arm.
Poe pressed his forehead to mine, his breath picking up and his brown eyes open just enough to see my lips.
I closed the gap, letting my eyes shut and my lips to rest on his.
Poe's arms wrapped me in closer as he held me delicately, still mindful of my injuries.
I pulled away from the kiss slowly, feeling a blush roll across my cheeks.
Poe only smiled softly, brushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
