Green and gold sparks shot up into the air and burst into magnificent colour. A cheer rang out at the sight as small gathering celebrated their victory. The members of the Resistance – although that name might not be appropriate anymore since there was no longer a First Order to resist – were assembled at the summit of a mountain, staring out over the rolling hills and deep ravines that dotted the landscape below. Everywhere Poe looked, the view was enough to take his breath away.

But his mind wasn't focused on the merriment or stunning scenery. Instead, he was weaving through the cheering crowd, searching for a familiar flash of brown hair.

He hadn't seen Rey since the start of the revelry. At first, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming that she was with Leia and Chewie or Finn and Rose. But then he'd seen all four of them talking by the fire, and she'd been nowhere in sight.

An uneasy feeling bubbled inside him. The battle hadn't been easy for her; they all knew that she'd been holding out hope that Kylo Ren would turn back to the side of the light. There was something admirable about her determination and idealism, even if Poe had long since written the man off for dead.

As he broke free of the crowd and started walking around the periphery of the gathering, he spotted a figure sitting off to the side, gazing into the distance. His pace quickened, and as her features came into focus, he let out a breath of relief. He hadn't been worried, exactly; anything that managed to get a drop on her was sure to regret it. Still, he hadn't liked the thought of her having to work through everything alone.

'Mind if I join you?'

Rey looked up, her gaze unfocused for a moment before it began to sharpen. 'Not at all,' she said, moving across to make more room.

Carefully, Poe dropped down to sit beside her. 'I take it you're not in the mood to celebrate.'

'I know we won,' she said. 'He definitely didn't. But at the same time, it feels like a loss. I honestly thought I could turn him.'

'You did.'

She shot him a disbelieving look. 'How can you say that? If I did, he'd be here right now, talking to his mother.'

'Because you did.' Poe still didn't know how she'd done it, but Kylo Ren had agreed to a deal. He would go to some distant planet where he could learn more about the ways of the Force as long as he stopped using it to subjugate others, and in exchange, they would leave him alone apart from a monthly check-in. 'Maybe it wasn't in the way you intended; he'll certainly never fit into places like this. But he's still alive, isn't he? You got through to him enough that he's no longer a threat.'

Rey looked out over the edge of the mountain, her gaze fixed on some point in the distance. In front of Poe's eyes, several emotions flitted across her face; regret, sorrow, longing, hope. It had always amazed him to see how expressive she was. For her, there had never been a reason to conceal what she was feeling, and so she never tried to.

'I just feel like there was something more I could have done. Something I could've said; something I should have said.'

'You can't be everything for everybody, Rey,' Poe said quietly. 'Just because you couldn't save everyone, it doesn't mean you're not a hero.'

Her reply was almost instantaneous. 'I'm not a hero.'

'Are you sure?' He jerked his head back over his shoulder. 'There are plenty of people back there who would disagree.'

There was a flash of yearning in her eyes. It transformed her face, and in that instant, he could see how she must have looked back before she realised that her parents were never coming back for her. Back when she believed her solitude was only temporary.

Ever since they had started spending time together, he had come to learn just how much she longed for a place to belong, where she would fit in and contribute and be valued. It was, he figured, why she was taking her failure to turn Kylo Ren completely so hard. She saw her own past in him, and moreover, she saw a way of being to somebody else what she had always wanted somebody to be to her.

Poe reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder. 'Without you, we – '

Her body tensed at the contact, and he let his hand fall to the ground between them. 'Sorry,' he said. 'My family was very tactile, and I sometimes forget that other people aren't.'

'No, it's okay,' she said. 'It's just… On Jakku, people don't touch each other unless they want something. I know you're not like that, but…'

'But old habits die hard?' he asked with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

'If they die at all.' She glanced over her shoulder, looking back at the gathering as another loud cheer rose into the night. 'I'm not ready to celebrate, but I wouldn't mind something to eat. Do you want to come with me?'

'Of course.' He stood and moved to give her space to get to her feet as well. 'You need to try the bread; it's amazing.'


A/N: Prompt: green and gold