For hc-bingo
Aug. 9th, 2020 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Leave Me To Dream
Summary: Kes can’t hold back Poe for long — and he doesn’t want to.
Prompt: Restrained
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Title comes from “Dream” by Imagine Dragons. Warning for mentioned suicide.
“Dad?”
Even standing in the kitchen of the Dameron house, Poe was already bracing himself for his father’s response. After all, this could go either way. This could end in more tears, fighting — or it could actually end well.
“Hello, Poe.” Then, “Ben’s with you?”
Ben, now fifteen, nodded. (It has been two years since Poe had come back from the Spice Runners) “I thought I’d be his support, if you would."
Poe nodded. One didn’t really expect Ben Solo to be the mediator for anything, but still...
“Does your uncle know you’re here?” Kes said to Ben.
“I...might have stolen the Grimtaash and gone there without him knowing.”
Kes sighed. “Stang, kid, you’re gonna give your uncle a heart attack one day.”
“I know,” Ben said. “It’s just...Poe told me a bit about what he’s going to do after graduation.”
Kes closed his eyes. Poe could tell that he was trying to not blow up at Poe. “It’s about the Academy, right?”
Poe nodded.
“I know it’s your dream.” Kes opened his eyes to actually look at Poe. “I know that it means so much to you. Because of your mother.”
Poe swallowed, blinking back tears. It was the first time in a while Kes was actually comfortable talking about her.
“Ben, Poe,” Kes said. “We told you both the bare minimum of how she died. She died on duty.”
“Yeah.” Shara Bey had been part of the Yavin defense force, if only because she wanted to help people. Protecting and serving. Someone had apparently killed her while she was on duty. Poe could remember that the funeral had been closed casket, that whatever had happened to Shara had been so bad that they hadn’t been able to show her face.
“There was this...boy. A year older than Ben is now. He was off stealing something and Poe’s mother...” Kes laughed shakily. “Stang, but that was the kind of woman she was. Trying to help people, even when it endangered her. She joined the war because we both were sick of seeing people suffering.”
Poe swallowed. It did sound like Mama.
“The boy was about to back down,” Kes said. “When she was reasoning with him. His...accomplice didn’t agree with him, and he — he shot her down.” His voice cracked. “The reason we had a closed casket funeral was that there was hardly anything to recognize as your mother, Poe. The one who shot her down — the boy she’d tried to talk down killed the one who shot her. Then he killed himself. He was only sixteen years old. I hate the man who shot her. But I can appreciate the boy who tried to have her spared.”
“Karabast,” Poe said quietly. How did you react to that? Knowing your mother’s death had been preventable? Knowing the truth? Knowing that there had been one boy who’d taken his own life because of it all?
“I thought I might as well explain,” Kes said. “Why I couldn’t bear the idea of you going away. I’d have nightmares about you, Poe...ending up like your mother.”
Next to him, Ben squeezed Poe’s shoulder.
“It won’t have to be an immediate trip into space,” Poe said. “They usually have to train in order to get out there. Learn things, pass some tests...”
“That’s good. I’d be lying if I said I was ready for you to go.” Kes swallowed as he spoke. “But either way, you’ll go. There’s multiple timelines where you’ll go. I’m just hoping this timeline is one where we part on good terms.”
Poe hugged his father. “I’ll come back, Papa,” he said. “And I’ll keep in touch. I promise."
“Just fly safely, little bird.” Kes withdrew from Poe’s hug to turn to Ben. “And you,” he said, smiling, “Should get back to Adani before you give your poor uncle an aneurysm.”
“Point taken.” Ben said. “I’d say this went better than we thought.”
“Yeah,” Poe said. “It did.”
Summary: Kes can’t hold back Poe for long — and he doesn’t want to.
Prompt: Restrained
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Title comes from “Dream” by Imagine Dragons. Warning for mentioned suicide.
“Dad?”
Even standing in the kitchen of the Dameron house, Poe was already bracing himself for his father’s response. After all, this could go either way. This could end in more tears, fighting — or it could actually end well.
“Hello, Poe.” Then, “Ben’s with you?”
Ben, now fifteen, nodded. (It has been two years since Poe had come back from the Spice Runners) “I thought I’d be his support, if you would."
Poe nodded. One didn’t really expect Ben Solo to be the mediator for anything, but still...
“Does your uncle know you’re here?” Kes said to Ben.
“I...might have stolen the Grimtaash and gone there without him knowing.”
Kes sighed. “Stang, kid, you’re gonna give your uncle a heart attack one day.”
“I know,” Ben said. “It’s just...Poe told me a bit about what he’s going to do after graduation.”
Kes closed his eyes. Poe could tell that he was trying to not blow up at Poe. “It’s about the Academy, right?”
Poe nodded.
“I know it’s your dream.” Kes opened his eyes to actually look at Poe. “I know that it means so much to you. Because of your mother.”
Poe swallowed, blinking back tears. It was the first time in a while Kes was actually comfortable talking about her.
“Ben, Poe,” Kes said. “We told you both the bare minimum of how she died. She died on duty.”
“Yeah.” Shara Bey had been part of the Yavin defense force, if only because she wanted to help people. Protecting and serving. Someone had apparently killed her while she was on duty. Poe could remember that the funeral had been closed casket, that whatever had happened to Shara had been so bad that they hadn’t been able to show her face.
“There was this...boy. A year older than Ben is now. He was off stealing something and Poe’s mother...” Kes laughed shakily. “Stang, but that was the kind of woman she was. Trying to help people, even when it endangered her. She joined the war because we both were sick of seeing people suffering.”
Poe swallowed. It did sound like Mama.
“The boy was about to back down,” Kes said. “When she was reasoning with him. His...accomplice didn’t agree with him, and he — he shot her down.” His voice cracked. “The reason we had a closed casket funeral was that there was hardly anything to recognize as your mother, Poe. The one who shot her down — the boy she’d tried to talk down killed the one who shot her. Then he killed himself. He was only sixteen years old. I hate the man who shot her. But I can appreciate the boy who tried to have her spared.”
“Karabast,” Poe said quietly. How did you react to that? Knowing your mother’s death had been preventable? Knowing the truth? Knowing that there had been one boy who’d taken his own life because of it all?
“I thought I might as well explain,” Kes said. “Why I couldn’t bear the idea of you going away. I’d have nightmares about you, Poe...ending up like your mother.”
Next to him, Ben squeezed Poe’s shoulder.
“It won’t have to be an immediate trip into space,” Poe said. “They usually have to train in order to get out there. Learn things, pass some tests...”
“That’s good. I’d be lying if I said I was ready for you to go.” Kes swallowed as he spoke. “But either way, you’ll go. There’s multiple timelines where you’ll go. I’m just hoping this timeline is one where we part on good terms.”
Poe hugged his father. “I’ll come back, Papa,” he said. “And I’ll keep in touch. I promise."
“Just fly safely, little bird.” Kes withdrew from Poe’s hug to turn to Ben. “And you,” he said, smiling, “Should get back to Adani before you give your poor uncle an aneurysm.”
“Point taken.” Ben said. “I’d say this went better than we thought.”
“Yeah,” Poe said. “It did.”
