"Kestrel One, Ground Control, you're cleared for landing, watch for departure traffic."

"Look at that," he replied. "No mistakes! You're a regular, old pro now."

"You have no idea. The midday rush was a real baptism by fire, let me tell you. I've even managed to figure out the headset."

"Knew you had it in you," he said, nearing the hangar. The heavy, darkened canopy called for a tricky, low approach. Landings and takeoffs in general are, technically, quite difficult. For Poe, it was second nature.

"So," Rey said, suddenly. Her eyes must be sparkling with something. Enthusiasm. He could tell just by the lone syllable. "How were maneuvers? Rest of your team seemed pretty happy."

"That's because I let them go home early."

Rey only sighed and silence followed as Poe lined up with the column of warm light which spilled out of the lone aircraft entrance. He gently applied the brakes, levelling the nose of his craft as he entered the hangar.

"I don't know," said Rey, "I saw them at dinner and they seemed really- oh, Bay 27, sorry."

"Oof. Bum kriffin' Tatooine." BB-8 concurred with a low alarm.

"Your squadron took all the good parking spots in the front. Anyway, at dinner-"

"You've been staying off that leg right?" She tsked and probably rolled her eyes.

"You sound like Finn."

"Well, Finn is an intelligent man and a personal friend."

"Stop trying to change the subject!" She playfully chided.

Rey had him dead to rights. The rebels had just barely managed to survive, like a small bloom under Evit's sprawling, dense canopy. They were just barely scraping by with what little sunlight they had. The state of existence felt so delicate that Poe was concerned if Rey gave him even a word of praise the entire thing would wither.

"As I was saying, I saw them at dinner and I think they're really bonding." Rey quieted a little, then. "They sat together. Chatting, laughing. Like friends. That means they're a team now, right?" She murmured longingly, as if in a daydream. Poe felt a pang of sadness for her. He knew how badly she had wanted to fly for the rebellion.

"It means they're the loud table in the mess hall."

He neared his assigned bay, slowly lowering Kestrel One as he deployed his landing gear.

"They've come a long way. You should be proud," she said resolutely, like it was an order. It rather perturbed Poe how much it meant that she had said that. He couldn't fight the warmth in his cheeks.

"I am," he replied, smiling down at this hands. "Very."

"Good. Now go get something to eat."

"Roger that, Ground Control." Poe said it emphatically. He was starved and, stars willing, if he was able to survive the long walk from Bay 27, he would eat his weight in honey rolls.


"Refueling?"

His heart leapt with excitement at the sound of her voice, a reaction which he immediately admonished, just like he had admonished the feeling of disappointment he had experienced that morning when he had noticed her absence.

"You must have really stepped on some toes to earn this shift."

He waited a few beats before answering her, trying to play it cool.

"Afternoon, sunshine."

"Commander."

"And I don't know what you mean," Poe said, playing dumb as he addressed her greeting. "What's wrong with refueling?"

"Varnok called it a 'shit detail'," said Rey matter-of-factly. She always tilted her chin upward when she had a point, so she must have done so.

"Well," said Poe, totally unable to hide his amusement at Rey swearing, "that was not very polite of her. Besides," he said, sitting up a little straighter in the uncomfortable, unfamiliar driver's seat of the fuel freighter, "I find it...relaxing."

"What did you do?"

Poe gave in, sighing and dropping his head onto the steering panel.

"I accidentally spilled caf on one of Varnok's consoles."

He could hear Rey sucking in a breath through her teeth.

"She also used the phrase 'shit detail', as it happens," he admitted. She started laughing, almost snorting for how hard she was trying not to. Really, as bad as it was being chewed out by Varnok, hearing Rey laugh with him about it almost made it worth it.

"Is that why the dials on mine are sticky?" She said in between gasps.

"Ha. Ha."

"Wow, and you're not even halfway to Dendri," she marveled. "I can see you on the monitors."

"I know," Poe said, drawing the 'ooo' out while he scrubbed his hands up and down his face. "It's not all bad. At least this beast is roomy." He stretched out his legs to prove the point.

The rebels had managed to amass a small collection of capital ships which they kept hidden on Evit's fifth moon, Dendri. They came and went as they were needed and since the moon was the farthest, and almost always in Evit's shadow, it made for an excellent place to hide the bulk of one's fleet.

The trade-off was that it was quite far from the rebel base, and fuel freighters weren't exactly known for hauling ass.

"Why do you call me that?" Said Rey, changing the subject rather abruptly after a few minutes of dead air. She was using that almost-laughing voice she used when she thought he was being ridiculous.

"Sorry?" He replied, but he understood her question better than he was letting on.

"Sunshine. You called me sunshine."

"I don't know. It fits," he replied with a shrug, using the most infuriatingly glib tone he could muster.

"It fits?" She asked, sounding riled (the exact response Poe was hoping to provoke). "What does that mean, it fits?"

"It's just a nickname," he replied, still not answering her question. "I give everyone nicknames."

Patently untrue.

"What do you call Nien Nunb?" She quizzed.

"Coolbreeze," Poe improvised. "He loves it."

"Uh huh, and what do you call Verna, in engineering?"

"The, uh, Verninator."

"That's-" Rey growled in mild frustration. "Okay, what do you call Varnok?"

"Ma'am."

She snorted but righted herself quickly. "Well, you haven't given Finn a nickname, and he's your best friend, Mr. I-Give-Everyone-Nicknames."

"Have so."

"Oh really?" She said, doubtful. "What?"

"Finn."

There passed a solid ten seconds of radio silence.

"That doesn't count."

"Agree to disagree, sunshine."

"You are ridiculous," she sighed, but the words were fond.

Poe closed his eyes and tried to imagine how many times he made her smile during the short exchange. What a shape, her smile. She had devastated him with it from the moment they first met, looking up at him with the fullest expression of her happiness to see him, a complete stranger except in name.

Sun-kissed, freckled cheeks, crinkling hazel eyes, totally unrepentant ardor. Rey was so dazzling to him and she hardly knew it.

"I am ridiculous," Poe murmured to himself, flicking lint off of his shirt and wondering just what the hell he was supposed to do now.


"Hey, you there?"

Poe stirred, and scratched his nose.

"Hello? Poe, do you read me?"

With an impressive snort and a start, Poe awoke, scrambling to press buttons in an attempt to figure out his comms.

"I'm here, hello, yes" he said, voice gravelly from sleep, "Ground Control, Pelican C447, I read you."

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, feeling quiet and far away.

"Rey?" Still half-sleeping, he rubbed his eyes and spoke, yawning: "You didn't wake me."
Rey hummed her doubt softly.

"Just wanted to check in since I'm leaving the hangar for the night. Only a few more hours until you're home."

"Mmmhome. Home is good," he slurred. "Night, Rey."

"Night, Poe."