WARNING: This contains homophobia/biphobia.
This is inspired by a line from chapter 5 of my other story, Oh Yes Sweet Darling and is set in the same universe. Enjoy xx
Becoming a father wasn't something Han had ever planned for. Even after he'd met Leia, he'd never planned on settling down and starting a family. Sure he'd thought about it; thought about how beautiful Leia would look like carrying their child; holding a tiny baby in his arms, a small and beautiful life that they had created together; a little boy or girl who looked just like Leia, trailing after him as they worked on the Falcon together. But he'd never imagined, after everything they'd been through, that they'd get to a point in their lives – that the galaxy would get to a point in their lifetime – where they would be able to have children and not fear for their safety.
He hadn't even become a father in the conventional way. He thinks of little Poe, playing with his blocks completely unaware that his parents Shara and Kes were never coming back. He'd been so terrified that day, looking down at this small little person whom he was now responsible for. Leia had been right though, no situation for him was going to be ideal; but he had a better chance of survival with them, a better chance of one day having a life. Looking back, who knows what would have happened to him if Han and Leia hadn't stepped in.
And Breha. Gods she is wonderful. They hadn't been there to see Poe as a baby, and Han finds everything about her fascinating. She's just getting ready to walk. She's constantly trying to pull herself up to stand, no matter where she is. Be it on the Falcon, in their apartment, when she attends the Senate with Leia; wherever she goes she's always latching on to the nearest piece of furniture. Her little face scrunches up in concentration as she watches her brother try to show her how to stand. She looks around at each of them cheering her on, and then she bursts into a fit of giggles and falls down. But she'll get there eventually, he knows it. And he can't wait; can't wait for every part of watching her grow, just like they did with Poe.
He swells with pride every time he thinks of his family; his wife, his kids. He'd never foreseen this for himself, but he can't imagine a life without the three of them.
They're traveling home from a visit to Kashyyyk to introduce Breha to Chewbacca's family. He's sat in the pilot's seat on the Falcon, Breha fast asleep against his chest as they travel through hyperspace and Han thinks there isn't anywhere he'd rather be than on his beloved ship, his baby girl asleep in his arms, and his son and wife back in the lounge playing cards. They've gone quiet, but he could hear their voices traveling down the corridor a few minutes ago, and the sound of their voices and laughter had soothed Han. He hears soft footsteps approaching the cockpit.
"She asleep?" Leia asks behind him.
He nods. "Dozed off 'bout 10 minutes ago."
Her fingers curve around the back of his neck as she leans over his shoulder to place a kiss on Breha's head.
"Anything for me?" he mutters, tilting his head up towards her. She smiles coyly before leaning down. Her lips meet his softly and he thinks it might be the best thing that's happened all day. She goes to pull away but he slides his free hand into her hair, holding her there as he deepens the kiss, craving more. He's always craving more of her, never satisfied. His tongue snakes into her mouth to meet hers and she sighs contentedly. Breha shifts in his arm, letting out a little cough and pushing her face into his chest. Leia hears and finally pulls away from him, and he groans at the loss of contact. Maybe there's one downside to these kids, he thinks. Leia looks at him with half lidded eyes, sneaking one last kiss before pulling away. Her hand still on his neck rubs soothingly in apology.
"Poe's getting ready for bed," she says. "How about you go tuck him in and I'll put her down."
"And then?" he asks hopefully.
She rolls her eyes at him, reaching to take Breha out of his arms. Breha's eyes open as she's moved, but as soon as she's in her mother's arms she closes them again and snuggles closer. "And then we can see about finishing what you so eagerly started."
She's out the door before he can make a comment back. Ten years of marriage and nearly 13 in a relationship, and she still likes to pretend she's not as crazy about him as he is about her. He knows better though. Even after all these years she still can't get enough of him, he thinks smugly.
He stands and stretches before making his way his way towards Poe's cabin. On his way he detours through the galley for a quick glass of water. He finds Poe's datapad on the counter, picks it up, and continues on. When he enters the cabin, he finds Poe all ready for bed, rummaging through a drawer and tossing clothes out as he goes.
"Looking for something?"
"I can't find my datapad. I wanted to read the next chapter of 'Captain Arlo' before bed," he says, not taking his eyes off his task.
Han rolls his eyes. He can't believe Poe still reads those stupid books. 'The Adventures of Captain Arlo and Sketch', a book series based off Han and Chewie, were Poe's favorite books. The first one had come out nearly six years ago and to Han's mortification, Winter had deemed it the perfect birthday present for young Poe. There was no going back after that. Poe had loved the book, and had subsequently ordered each new one upon its release. Han had read a few chapters out of curiosity and had decided it was awful. He remembers thinking the character was nothing like him; Leia had disagreed.
Actually dear, I find it to be pretty spot on," she'd said, flicking to the next page.
Han clears his throat to get Poe's attention, holding the datapad up for him to see. Poe crosses the room with a grateful smile and takes it from him, but instead of climbing into bed right away as he usually does he hesitates. He looks like he has something on his mind, and Han thinks for a moment to ask but he's slowly adjusting to having a 13 year old and he's learned it's best to wait for him to bring it up instead of pressing. Poe appears to have a small internal debate before relenting.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Before you and Mama got together, did you like anyone else?"
Kriff. Those damn books. It's embarrassing enough that the books are about him but it is worse that even though the books are geared towards kids, his character has love interests. Every single book has a different love interest. It isn't something he is bothered about in a general sense - Leia knows she isn't the first person he'd been with and is okay with it and that's what really mattered - but when he'd realized his son would be reading them he'd panicked slightly. Other people reading about it was one thing but his son? He was no saint, but he'd hoped to stave off his son knowing any sordid details about his life before Leia for some time.
"Uh, yeah a few," he says, sitting down on the chair next to Poe's desk. "Nobody, you know, special or anything. Just a relationship here and there."
"Did you... Did you ever like boys?"
"No, just girls - er women. Why, does my character have a male love interest?"
Poe looks taken aback by that question. "What?"
Now Han's confused. "Is this about the book?" He gestures to the datapad in Poe's hand and Poe looks down at it as if he'd forgotten it was even there.
"Oh no. Um it's about… Never mind it's nothing. Forget I said anything," he says quickly, turning from his father and getting into bed.
It hits Han suddenly that this is an entirely different conversation then what he'd originally thought. And if it's what he thinks now, it's certainly not nothing. He gets up from the chair and moves to sit on Poe's bed. "Hey pal, I'm sorry I had my wires mixed up. Thought you were asking 'cause of those books." Poe doesn't say anything. He looks like he wants to, and Han decides to throw his 'let him bring it up' mentality out of the air lock. "Do you like boys?"
Poe nods, pulling at the blanket. "There's a boy in my class," he mumbles.
"Yeah? What's he like?"
Poe looks at him, unsure of himself. "He's smart," he says quietly, finally looking up at his father as if to gage his reaction. Han nods encouragingly. "He's the smartest in the class. He wants to be a banker like his papa. Sometimes we each lunch together and he tells me about money and stuff and I tell him about working on the Falcon with you and he thinks it's really cool even though he doesn't understand most of what I'm talking about." He's sitting up a bit now, talking animatedly about this boy and Han feels so incredibly happy for him. "I don't know if he likes me though."
"Well have you asked him?"
"No. I'm afraid to. I don't know if he likes boys." He looks down again. "Is it okay? To like boys?"
"Hey, course it is," he says, nudging at Poe's chin lightly until he looks back up. "I've known people who like boys, girls, heck even other species."
Poe's nose scrunches up and he laughs. "Other species?"
Han nods, and the sudden thought of Poe bringing home a Bothan crosses his mind. "Yeah, on second thought ignore that. Stick to humanoids if you can."
They both laugh at that. Poe seems more at ease than he did when Han first entered and as he settles back against his pillow, Han tucks the blankets in around him.
"I like girls too," he says with a shrug. "But, I don't know anyone who likes boys too."
"You can like whoever you want, son. There's nothing to be ashamed of, ya hear?" Poe nods and with a kiss to the top of his head, Han stands. "Good. Get some sleep and when you wake up we'll be nearly home."
He's making his way to the door when Poe calls out. "Papa?" He glances back. "I love you."
"Love you too, junior. Goodnight."
Leia is leaving the fresher when he enters their cabin. She grins at him as she toys with the sash to her robe. She's making her way towards him and beginning to tug it loose and Han calls on all the willpower he has to put his hands over hers to stop her.
"I just had quite the conversation."
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He doesn't dwell on his conversation with Poe for long. It's not that he doesn't recognize the seriousness of it; he understands how important it is that Poe talked to him about it. It's just that the way Han sees it, it's not that big of a deal. Like he'd told Poe, he's known people who like all different genders, races, and species. It's nothing new to him. Leia frets of course; she tends to when it comes to their oldest. She doesn't want to see him get hurt. Han thinks everything will be fine.
So a week later when his assistant pulls him out of a high command meeting to tell him there's been an incident at Poe's school, their conversation aboard the Falcon never crosses his mind. Instead, he thinks of just over a year ago when he'd gotten a similar message; it had been the tenth anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Endor, and a small pocket of Imperial sympathizers had marked the occasion by attempting to attack Poe's school. Thankfully due to increased security they had been thwarted and no one was harmed, but Han had rushed to the school regardless.
He does the same this time, sending his assistant back into the meeting and rushing to his speeder. He comms Leia on the way but he can't get through to her. Her assistant isn't answering either and Han tries not to worry about what that could mean.
When he pulls up to the school, there is no chaos to greet him like last time and it helps to calm his nerves. But when he's ushered into the dean's office, the sight that greets him there is just as awful. Poe is sat in a chair near the door and when he turns to look up at his father, Han has to stop himself from gasping. Poe's sporting a massive black eye and the rest of the left side of his face is swollen and red. He's crying, and the tears come harder when he sees Han.
"I'm sorry, Papa," he chokes out through his sobs. "I'm so sorry."
Han drops down in front of him and gingerly reaches up to touch his face. He flinches, and Han pulls his hand away and instead rests it on his shoulder in comfort. Poe's never been a fighter and from what Han's gathered from his teachers, he's a very well liked kid. It doesn't make sense. "What happened pal? Who did this to you?"
"Cormax," he says quietly. "I told him that I liked him. And he hit me."
It takes Han a second to realize what Poe's talking about but it catches up to him and his fear turns into rage. Poe's apologizing again but Han hushes him softly and cups his uninjured cheek, wiping his tears away. "It's okay pal, it's okay. There's nothing to be sorry about." He turns and glares at the dean's secretary. "Did nobody think to get my son medical attention?" The man scrambles out the door, presumably to go get a medic droid and Han turns back to Poe. His left eye is nearly swollen shut and by the looks of his cheek and nose, Han wouldn't be surprised if he's got a broken bone or two.
"He told me he liked me," Poe says. "And I just thought he meant like that, you know? Like more than a friend. So I told him I liked him too and when he realized what I meant he got really mad and punched me." Poe leans forward slightly. "I didn't think he'd get so mad, Papa. You said it was okay."
Before Han can answer, the door to the dean's office slides open. Out walks a short, portly man dressed in a finely tailored suit, followed by a boy Poe's age. Both are wearing matching looks of disdain, and Han feels his upper lip curl in disgust. He's ready to say something when the dean steps between him and the others.
"General Solo," she says, "you and Poe can come in now."
He stands and helps Poe to his feet. The assistant has returned with what he assumes is the school's medical droid, and the group of them pack into the dean's office, but not before Han eyes up the Cormax's father. The man watches them go with an air of contempt and it makes Han's blood boil. No one's dared to look at him like that since before the Rebellion. Who the hell is this scumbag? The dean ushers them into her office and gestures for them to sit, but Han chooses to remain standing. The droid begins tending to Poe and after a moment to make sure he's alright, Han turns on the dean.
"You better tell me that kid's getting kicked out," he says gruffly.
"General, let me start off by saying I'm terribly sorry to both you and Poe for what's happened here today," she begins.
Han's heard this talk before; he's married to a woman who's perfected this talk. And just like that he knows what's coming. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"General-"
"Is he gonna be punished at all? Or are you just gonna let this one slide? Let me guess, his father's on the board?"
She folds her hands and sits a bit straighter, staring him down with a defiant look. She's in the wrong profession, he thinks. "No," she says quietly, "but he is the head of our largest source of funding."
Han's hands curl into fists and he turns away. He's half tempted to point out that Poe's mother is an important member of the Senate, a celebrated leader of the Rebellion; the reason this woman can sit there in that chair with her cushy funding in the first place. But he bites his tongue. He knows Leia would hate it, and he refuses to stoop to the other man's level.
"Mr. Iwobi and I discussed the possibility of the boys apologizing to one another and moving on."
Han turns back, furious. "Apologize? What the hell does my son have to apologize for?"
"Papa it's okay," he hears Poe say behind him. "I'll apologize."
Hearing those words breaks his heart. He moves to kneel in front of Poe again. The medical droid has finished and Poe's face is covered in bacta gel. It's still swollen, but he can see it already has gone down. His eye is opened more, and Han can see the tears gathering there. Once again he feels as though he's let his son down. Leia was right; he'd gotten hurt and maybe if Han had just encouraged him to be more cautious – no. He can't afford to think like that. He won't think like that. Encouraging Poe to be cautious would have been encouraging him to hide who he was and he'd be damned if he allowed his son to think he couldn't be himself. He puts a comforting hand on Poe's shoulder.
"Listen to me son," he says, "You don't ever apologize for who you are. Not to me, not to her-" he gestures to the dean - "and certainly not to some Sith spawn piece of shit-"
"General!"
"- who has the breeding of a slork. Kid might be book smart but he's dumb with everything else."
Poe cracks a smile. "What's a slork?"
"Ugly lookin' things. Huge hooves and a snout and they eat garbage. Stink like you wouldn't believe. Next time we're on Corellia, we'll go lookin' for one, yeah?" Poe nods and Han turns back to the dean. "I think we're done here."
He doesn't wait for the dean to respond, just puts his arm around Poe and leads him gently through the door of the office. Cormax and his father are sat where Poe had been moments ago. Han tightens his hold on Poe as they make their way towards the exit.
"It isn't right," he hears the other man - Mr. Iwobi - mumble. He tenses, halting his steps and turning around. He can practically hear Leia in his ear telling him to walk away, that it's not worth it. But he can't stop seeing Poe's battered face, the tears falling down his face. He'll be damned if he lets this bastard get away with saying that. He leaves Poe stood by the doors and strides purposefully over to stand in front of the Mr. Iwobi.
"Excuse me?"
Mr. Iwobi stands, straightening to full height in the hopes to match Han's size. He turns his chin up in disgust as he eyes Poe. "I said, it isn't ri-"
Han's fist connects with Mr. Iwobi's jaw, sending him staggering backwards. He doesn't bother to stay and see the damage. Straightening his uniform, he turns and heads back towards Poe, wrapping his arm around his son once again and leading him out of the school.
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Han calls his assistant and cancels his plans for the rest of the day. They swing by their favorite Corellian shop and grab fried ice cream on their way to the Falcon. They sit quietly in the cockpit, eating their snacks and watching the bustling hangar through the viewport. Han eyes Poe warily. His face seems to be healing okay, but he's more worried about the emotional damage this incident will have on his son. He wishes he could go back and change something, anything to keep Poe from facing this awful situation. He's let his son down, he feels and he isn't sure what to say or do to make up for it.
"Don't ever be ashamed of yourself, Poe," he blurts out. Poe turns to look at him thoughtfully and he continues. "You're gonna encounter a lot of shitty people in this world, but you're gonna encounter a lot of good ones too. People who won't care about who you choose to love. And those are the people you need to hold onto. Don't pay any mind to the Cormax's of the world. They ain't worth it." He leans forward and rests his hand gently on top of Poe's head. "You are who you are, son. And if anyone has a problem with that then they'll be dealin' with me."
They spend the rest of the afternoon working side by side on the Falcon. Poe's laughter rings throughout the ship once again and Han's grateful to hear its return.
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He knows he shouldn't really be surprised at the crowd of reporters outside of their apartment building, but their presence throws him slightly. He tucks Poe closer into his side as they exit the speeder. Members of Leia's security meet them instantly, pushing the crowd back to make room for Han and Poe to get to the door. The crowd are shouting at Poe, asking him questions about his sexuality and Han can feel his blood boiling. Who the fuck asks that of a 13 year old? One security guard must sense Han's rage because he's ushering them faster towards the building. They're asking about Han punching the other father but he's paying those questions no mind. Those he expected.
A short time later they're walking through the doors to their apartment and they find Leia and Breha in the sitting room. Breha is on the floor crawling across the blanket Malla had made for her while Leia is stood off by the windows on her comms unit. She ends the call as soon as she sees them, rushing over to wrap Poe in her arms.
"I've been so worried," she says softly, pulling away slightly. "Are you okay?" She's running her hands gently over his face, careful to avoid the already fading bruise.
"I will be," he says with a hesitant smile.
She returns it before pulling him back into her embrace. "My brave boy. My brave, sweet boy." She kisses the side of his head and holds him tighter. She keeps talking but she's lowered her voice so that only Poe can hear her and she's speaking Alderaani.
He turns away - not wanting to intrude on their moment - and makes his way towards Breha. She's studying her toes with great fascination but as soon as he sits down next to her she squeals and crawls over him. He lifts her up and showers her with kisses as he leans back to lie down on the blanket, settling her against his chest.
"Miss me Breha-bear?" She babbles excitedly and mouths at his chin and he takes it as a yes. "Yeah I missed you too. You gotta come to work with ime/i tomorrow. We'll work on the Falcon and you can throw up all over General Amadán again. It'll be great." He closes his eyes and revels in the comfort of his daughter snuggled into his chest. She babbles softly for a bit and he finds the little noises soothing and familiar. After a while, he glances over to check on Leia and Poe but finds only Leia, staring down at him with a solemn look. "Where's Poe?"
"I sent him to wash up and get ready for bed," she says as she makes her way over to them. "I'll go put her to bed."
He hesitates to hand Breha over. He's just gotten home and he's missed her terribly. As great as their family trips are, he finds it hard to adjust to life when they return and he can't be with the kids all day. But Breha's nearly half asleep on his chest already and she's just starting to sleep through the night so with a kiss to the top of her head he hands her up to Leia.
"Don't go anywhere," she says as she turns to head down the hall. "We need to talk."
He sighs. Of course they need to talk. He should've known he'd be in trouble for this. Why, he has no idea. Sure the reporters are in a frenzy so he's no doubt made the news but for what? Protecting his son? He lounges out across the blanket, stretching his legs and arms to relieve the tension built up from a long afternoon of work.
He must doze off at some point because the next thing he knows he's jolted awake by a sharp kick to the leg. He starts, hand reaching for his blaster which hasn't rested on his thigh in years, a habit so old and engrained in him that he's never truly been able to shake it. His eyes open and focus in on his wife, towering over him. Her arms crossed and her face is contorted with her anger.
"You're an idiot," she whispers sharply.
"Me?"
"No the other fucking idiot lounging across my sitting room floor."
Uh oh, he thinks. She's cursing. And not just small curse words either. He'd been surprised to find when he and Leia had first gotten to know each other that she had quite the repertoire of curse words. She could swear in nearly seven different languages. He'd been fascinated to say the least, always doing his best to tease the words out of her. However, his princess was the kind of person who worked her way up to the fiercer words.
"'Fuck' is such an exceptional word, isn't it?" she'd said once, after a few too many drinks on an especially cold night on Hoth. "You can't overuse it. You have to save it for the special moments, so you can savor it."
If she was diving right in now, it surely meant he was in more trouble than he originally thought.
"Listen sweetheart-"
"Don't you 'sweetheart' me Han Solo. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
He huffs and stands up on wobbly legs. Just great. He didn't feel like explaining himself to her. "He had it comin' Leia," he says gruffly. "You didn't hear what he said. I ain't apologizing for defending Poe." This is ridiculous, he thinks. He'd done nothing wrong.
"Punching a civilian is not a proper way to defend him. Certainly not if it was unprovoked."
Unprovoked, she says. She hadn't been there. He sure as hell was provoked. He waves a dismissive hand and wanders over to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a glass of whiskey. He can feel himself getting angrier by the second and he hopes having something to do will distract him from that anger. Besides, he needs a damn drink after the day he's had.
"It was stupid and reckless," she continues. "It's already all over the HoloNet, I'm getting calls left and right, those reporters have been camped outside for hours-."
"Oh who cares?" he cuts her off angrily, turning back to her. "Let him come at me, I don't care. I'm a godsdamn decorated general. If he thinks he can bring me down I'd like to see him try." He could take it, he thinks. He can take anything they'll throw at him. He'll be given a slap on the wrists and then he'll be able to move on. Better they focus on him than on Poe.
"There's more at stake then him attacking your reputation Han."
"Yeah well this isn't about your fucking politics Leia," he snaps. "It's about our son." She visibly recoils from his words, as if they had reached out and hit her, and her reaction sobers him. Gods. What's he doing? When did this conversation get so off track? She's looking at him with a mixture of shock and disappointment, and he can't remember the last time he had done something to warrant that look. Sure they fight occasionally, but that look; he hasn't seen that since the rebellion days. He feels the guilt wash over him, as he realizes what he's said. He moves to cross the room, reaching for her. "Leia-"
"Don't," she says, holding up a hand. "Just- just don't."
She leaves him standing there in the middle of the lounge. He wants to follow her, to hold her, to apologize and take it all back. He shouldn't have snapped like that. He shouldn't have insinuated she didn't care. He hears her check in on the kids before retreating to her study, the door sliding firmly shut behind her.
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Some time later, he checks in on Poe and assesses his injuries. The bruise is fading and Poe assures him it doesn't even hurt anymore. He fiddles with the datapad in his hands for a moment, before sliding it over to Han.
"I've been on the HoloNet," he says sheepishly.
Wonderful. "You know you're not supposed go on there without our permission. How'd you even get past the password?"
"It's just mama's birthday in Corellian," he says with a shrug. "You didn't even really try."
"Fair point. So, you've been on the HoloNet. And?"
He smiles and gestures for Han to pick the datapad up. "People are saying really nice things about me."
Surprised, Han lifts the datapad to find the HoloNet opened to a news article supporting Poe and condemning those who try to invade his privacy. He scrolls through it, reading bits and pieces. He reaches the comment section at the bottom and it's filled with words of praise and support for Poe. He's crawled over and is leaning against Han's arm as he points different comments out.
"These people wanna take me to lunch so I can meet people like me," he says. "And this guy says if the school doesn't lift my suspension he's gonna keep his daughter home too in protest and a bunch of people agreed with him. And this lady," he pauses, nose scrunching up in disgust, "well she's impressed you're not only attractive, but honorable. Which is gross."
Han laughs at that but it's choked off. He's so overcome with emotion. He's fighting to hold back the tears as he scrolls through the messages of love for Poe. "The good ones," he whispers, turning to Poe. "Told you they were out there." He reaches an arm out to pull Poe into a hug. They stay there for a moment, and Han is finally convinced that his son may truly be okay. "One more chapter of 'Captain Arlo' and then lights out," he says pulling away. "And I'm changing that password in the morning, iom rivel."
"You can try," Poe says, laughing as Han heads to the door, "but I'll probably crack that one too."
He rolls his eyes and says nothing. There's no point denying it'll likely happen. He checks on Breha before heading to their bedroom to wait for Leia. He's sitting on their bed, trying to resist the urge to seek her out, when she finally comes in. He straightens at her presence and his fingers flex at his urge to reach out to her.
"Leia."
She moves closer to the bed but remains out of his reach. They stare at each other for a brief moment and if she doesn't speak soon he thinks he might burst.
"Don't you dare act like I don't care," she says quietly.
"I'm sorry-"
"I love him." Her voice breaks slightly as she cuts him off. "I love him so much. And I'm terrified of what he'll have to face going forward, now that this is out in the open. That's my only concern. It's only ever been my concern. Keeping them safe, keeping them from people who want to harm them."
"I know. I know. I want that too," he says. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just so angry. And I took it out on you." She seems to accept his apology but still doesn't move forward. "Sweetheart, come here," he says softly, holding his hand out to her. "Please."
Finally she relents, moving near enough for him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. He settles his head on her abdomen and runs his hands soothingly up and down her back. They enjoy the silence for a time; there isn't much more to be said. He's not finished apologizing yet and she's not finished worrying over Poe. There will be time for that later; when they're able to step away for a moment and get a hold of their emotions. For now, he presses a kiss to the fabric covering her stomach and tightens his hold on her.
"He'll be okay," he tells her, lifting his head up to look at her. "He's already okay."
She nods but says nothing and he takes it as approval to hold off on the conversation. Instead he reaches a hand to the back of her head and pulls her down into a kiss. She deepens it almost instantly, her tongue snaking past his lips as she runs her hands under his uniform jacket, pushing it from his shoulders. He groans into the kiss and slides his free hand down to the hem of her dress. She pulls away, breathing heavily. "Did you really punch the father?" she whispers, tracing the scar on his chin.
"Yes."
She grins, fingers working on the buttons of his shirt. "Tell me about it."
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They keep Poe out of school for the rest of the week. The dean comms to apologize for the situation and inform them that Poe is allowed back whenever, but they both agree he deserves a few days off.
Instead, he spends his days working on the Falcon with Han. Breha joins them for a while, but she ends up doing more harm than good (if she pulls out the wires powering the deflector shields one more time-) so they send her back to the Senate with her mother.
Leia gives a rousing speech at the Senate on equality and encourages her counterparts that more must be done to safeguard such equalities for all, regardless of whom they may love. One senator questions whether Leia is too close to the cause to be neutral.
"Of course I'm too close to the cause," she says. "Isn't that why we're all here? To make a better galaxy for our children?" Breha giggles from the spot next to her mother and from the audience balcony, sat next to Poe, Han beams with pride.