Chapter Text
"Okay, so let me recap." Snap begins, quietly, as he watches his commander walk from one side of the room to the other. "Finn and Rey have never eaten anything other than horrible tasteless food portions." It's been a while since he's seen Poe Dameron get nervous, and... No, scratch that, it's been a while since he's seen Poe show how nervous he is. It's a little unnerving, but Snap keeps the poker face steady, - he has to, Poe's about to open a hole on the floor with his relentless walking, and Jessika Pava's not being any help with her laughing so hard she almost falls from her chair. He needs to keep it together for their sake. "It's nice that you want to introduce them to new flavors, - Jessika snorts at that, Poe groans, and Snap feels very proud of his choice of words,- and a home cooked meal, but you don't know how to cook. Poe, you spent your first two years in the fleet only eating noodles because you didn't know how to cook and had no time to learn!"
"Yes, I'm aware of that." Poe sighs and turns to him, closing the door to the pilots' quarters behind him, while trying to maintain whatever's left of his dignity. "That's why I need your help."
"He wants you to cook for his boyfriend and girlfriend." Jessika offers, with a smile that explicitly conveys how much she's amused by the whole situation.
Poe has been trying his best to ignore her since she's made it pretty clear that she's not there to help, she's only there to laugh at him.
"Come on, Temmin, you're a great cook, you're the best cook in the Resistance! You saved me from overdosing on noodles, you can save them from food portions." Poe's way too eager, but as soon as Jess' words sink in, his face reddens, and he goes into full denial mode. "And they're not... We're not dating!"
"Yet." Jessika fakes a cough and Poe glares at her.
"I'm glad you appreciate my cooking skills, Poe, but things have been so crazy lately, I don't think I have the time to make them a nice meal, maybe I could spare a few minutes to teach you to..."
"No way Dameron's going to be allowed back in the kitchen!" Jessica interrupts, throwing her hands up to the air in an exasperated gesture, and getting up from the chair for dramatic purposes. "He almost blew it up yesterday, and he was trying to make cookies! Cookies!"
"Testor, that's..." Poe begins, outrage in his voice, but he stops in the middle of the sentence when the memory comes back to haunt him. "That's actually pretty accurate." He has the decency to look ashamed when he turns back to Snap. "Please help."
"I wish I could, man." Snap tries again, disappointed at disappointing his commander. "But I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a recon mission on the Outer Rim. It's gonna keep me away from the base for at least two weeks." Poe's face falls and Snap immediately adds: "Maybe when I come back?"
"That won't do. Rey's leaving on a mission of her own in five days." Poe closes his eyes and softly bangs his head against the nearest wall. Then he suddenly opens his eyes, and they're shining with a newfound determination, that takes over his entire face. "Wait, wait, I got it, buddy, I got it! I have a brilliant idea!" He mumbles excitedly, but instead of looking at Snap, his eyes are fixed on Jessika.
"No." She immediately shakes her head. "Whatever you say, my answer is no."
"Listen, listen to me." Poe takes a few steps towards her, and takes her hands in his. "You could take over his mission, so he'll be free this weekend."
"I could, but I won't. Honestly, Poe, have you met me? Why would I change my downtime here at the base to go on a boring-ass recon mission?"
"Yes, I have met you! I know you, Testor, and here are four reasons you're going to do it! Number one, you hate being grounded and you're dying to get back on your xwing. Two, as queer pilots we need to look out for each other and have each other's back no matter what, right?" He gets a scoff from her, but it's fond. "Three, you love me and you'd do anything for me?" He bats his eyelashes at her, and she pushes him away, cracking up.
"In your dreams, commander!"
"And number four: you owe me." Poe pulls her back to him, teasingly. "Or have you forgotten that time I got your concussed ass back home?"
Snap actually blinks when he hears it. Having Jessika Testor Pava owe you a favor is equivalent to hitting jack pot on life, and Poe's wasting it just to get a home cooked meal for two people he's not even dating, why would he do that? Jessika seems to share his concerns, because she frowns at him.
"Poe, you saved my life then, you could ask me for literally anything in return, and you're going with this? This is nothing, this is..."
"This is what I want. Do this for me and we're even." Poe assures her. "Plus, I trust you not to be petty and refuse to save my life in future missions just because you won't owe me anymore."
"Fine." She bites on her lower lip and studies him. He's her commander, but he's also her friend and family and she really would do anything for him, she'd follow him right into hell with only mildly complaing. She already has, countless times, so, in comparison, taking on a recon mission is nothing. Plus, she knows he'd never really ask anything of her if it wasn't important. "Fine, I'll do it. But first I'll give your boyfriend and girlfriend a shovel talk." Finn and Rey need to know how lucky they are to have Poe Dameron caring so much about them, and Jessika needs to know if they're worth it. She strides out of the room; a woman on a mission.
"What? No, no, no, don't... Don't you dare!" Poe yells, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Snap watches Poe run after her, and laughs for about ten minutes. When he's done, he starts working on the menu for the romantic meal he's apparently cooking Finn, Rey and Poe this weekend.