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The fact that Poe Dameron, of all people, ever became a commander of anything was a fact which baffled you to no end.
Every time he gave an order, or a briefing, all you could think about was the time he dared you to climb one of the trees surrounding his home on Yavin.
You had gotten stuck and he, ever the loyal friend, came up to get you. Unfortunately, he hadn’t thought of a way to get back down. His brilliant idea was then for the both of you to jump out of the tree at the same time, aiming for a bundle of bushes at the bottom.
He grinned at you with the confidence only an eight-year-old could have as he reached out his hand.
“You ready?”
With one hand still clinging to one of the branches, you leaned in just enough to take it. You then looked downward, taking a shuttered breath as the distance between you and the ground only seemed to grow. You then turned you gaze back to him.
His smile never wavered and you felt yourself become braver at the sight of it.
You gripped his hand tightly before giving him a firm nod.
“Lead the way Dameron.”
You leapt together and the pair of you ended up with broken arms and one hell of a story.
He had of course grown up and became the best pilot the Resistance, or anyone for that matter, had ever seen. But that image of the young boy grinning at you just before the leap never seemed to leave your mind. It didn’t help that he maintained that same smile well into adulthood, usually just before he was about to do something heroically stupid.
It was a combination of all these things that made you incapable of calling him Commander. You called him Dameron, Poe, Flyboy, Idiot, Nerf-herder, even Captain when he held the title, but Commander never could make it past your lips.
At first it annoyed him. He had worked hard to become Commander, and friend or not, he expected to be addressed by his position.
You tried. You really did. But every time you addressed him you always slipped back to Captain or just his last name.
Eventually he gave up, deciding instead to address you by just your last name and call it even.
You all but forgot about this unofficial agreement of yours up until you heard the hard snap of Leia hand slapping him across the face.
His blind determination has cost you all of your bombers. He tried to justify it by reminding her that they also destroyed a Dreadnought, but she didn’t budge. She immediately demoted him in rank, ending the conversation with the chilling reminder that the men and women of those ships may have been heroes, but they were still dead heroes.
He rubbed his jaw as Leia walked away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
“Are you alright,” you asked, taking a position next to him.
“Been better,” he admitted.
You nodded in understanding, when an odd thought struck you. You felt the sudden urge to laugh, but pushed it down into a repressed smile.
Apparently, he noticed, and gave you a strange look.
“What are you smiling about?”
You shook your head, as the smile grew wider.
“It’s just…good thing I never called you Commander,” you said.
Poe frowned, looking mildly insulted.
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny,” you shrugged.
He opened his mouth to respond when the whole ship shook. Alarms started blaring as First Order fighters suddenly appeared on the monitors.
Everybody was up and moving in a matter of seconds and the call was sounded to for everyone to man their ships.
“General,” he said, turning to Leia. “Permission to jump in an X-Wing and blow something up?”
Leia gave him a half smile and a firm nod.
“Permission granted.”
Poe then turned to you.
The look was back, along with that all too easy smile as he reached out his hand.
One of these days, the man was going to get you killed, but you just sighed took it anyway.
“Lead the way Dameron.”