my inspiration has been running low because i've been having a really rough time at work, so i sincerely apologize for the wait time between chapters. also, it recently came to my attention that somebody on Wattpad was posting my story, word-for-word but under a different title, and claiming it as their own. when i saw it, i reported them and emailed the site, but before i could go any further with it, the story and user disappeared completely — i don't know what happened or if the user deleted it themselves, but for the record, should you see this story posted anywhere else, it's not me. this website is the only website i'm posting my fanfic on.

also, this chapter is considerably shorter than the others, probably more of a filler chapter than anything, and i don't feel like it's quite up to par with the previous installments, so please forgive me. i hope hope hope you enjoy it anyway!

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EFFERVESCENCE
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CHAPTER SIX

They didn't talk about it after it happened. And to say that it frustrated Keylara would have been a complete understatement. She could still feel Poe's lips on her hand — and gods knew she couldn't help but to fantasize about what they'd feel like elsewhere on her — and while Poe didn't act as though it hadn't happened, he didn't seem all that keen to acknowledge it either. He played it like he usually did; he was cool and casual and insufferably oblivious to the effect he had on her.

They spent as much time together as they normally did — with him visiting her in her lab more often than not — and though it became quite common for him to take her hand in his, for him to squeeze her fingers affectionately and trace lines and shapes along the inside of her wrist and up her arm, it almost seemed like he was entirely content to keep things as they were.

She couldn't begin to count the number of times she'd been about to bring it up — to ask him what it meant, what they were, if it changed anything between them — but she didn't want to be that person. She'd never really been a confident sort of girl, but she certainly didn't want to come across as insecure or weak in any way. And she didn't want him to think she couldn't handle this…. Whatever this was.

She'd confided in MINI, but after the pocket droid had made an attempt to repeat her lamenting words the very moment Poe walked into the room once, she'd decided that perhaps it wasn't the best idea to share her innermost feelings with it. At least not until she could teach it the value of secrecy and not blurting out things that were meant to be private and confidential because they could be completely and utterly humiliating for the parties involved. She didn't blame the droid — it was still young and had a lot of maturing to do. As far as droids went, at least.

Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Poe — being Poe — was most likely doing this on purpose. He was testing her. Like on the day that it'd happened, just before he'd grabbed her hand for the first time, when he'd made her spell it out for him what she was saying. He was always all about teasing her, wasn't he? Of course he wasn't going to say anything.

And as she lay in her bunk, staring at the darkened ceiling as the realization slowly dawned on her, she breathed out a quick, "Jerk." But she did it with a smile.

She didn't really get a chance to bring it up to him.

The next time she saw him, it was when she, quite literally, ran headlong into him in a crowded corridor. MINI, its head just barely poking out of a big pouch that hung from Keylara's utility belt, bleeped indignantly, as if Poe had bumped into them on purpose. The hall was unusually congested, and she got jostled slightly as people brushed past her on either side of her.

What was going on? Why was everyone rushing around like this?

Poe grabbed her shoulders to steady her after he'd very nearly barreled over her, and his grasp was warm and strong. He ran his hands down her arms. His touch made her skin tingle, even through her long sleeves. "There you are."

She smiled instantly, though it faltered at the sound of his voice. It was steady, but off — distracted — and his jaw was set, his heavy-lidded eyes narrowed, but clearly clouded with thought. Something about it made her anxiety spike.

"You — you were looking for me?"

"Stopped by your lab."

"I'm sorry."

A smile touched his mouth, and his gaze moved over her face, soft as a caress. Someone bumped into him and apologized quickly, drawing his attention away for but a moment, and his expression went grim again. She didn't like the solemnity set in his features — it made him look older, like he'd aged years in just a few moments.

"What is it?" she asked. And then she shook her head and added, "Even though something's telling me I don't want to know."

"And I don't want to have to be the one to have to tell you," he said, half-joking.

"But…?"

"But… Imperial Forces."

Keylara's throat constricted, a cold sweat breaking out between her shoulder blades. "Where?"

"Not close, but headed this way."

"Here?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." The conviction in his voice almost made him sound angry for a moment — fearless, with fire in his eyes. "I'm taking my guys out there and we're gonna take 'em down."

"Saving the day, as usual?"

"It's a thankless job, but hey, somebody's gotta do it." Another attempt at a joke.

Keylara looked around, eyes following an officer as she trotted by, speaking quickly into a comm unit. That explained the traffic, she thought. It was a surreal feeling, standing there like a stone in a rushing stream, hearing that there was a threat of Imperial Forces headed their way.

It was a heavy feeling on her chest, making her feel as if something was squeezing her in a vice, but she didn't want to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. She was here with Poe, they were safe at the moment, everything was fine, right? Just a regular old day at the Resistance base.

Be normal, she told herself. But what was normal in this type of circumstance?

"You've got to make sure your record's as decorated and impressive as your mother's, too, right?" she said.

Surprise flashed in his expression, but it quickly melted into a warm smile that touched his eyes and made him look the way he ordinarily did, the way Keylara was used to. He seemed pleased that she'd remembered what he'd told her about his mother, and Keylara was almost insulted. Of course she remembered — she cared about him.

He dropped his gaze and said, a little playfully, "I don't know, Novan. That's a pretty tall order."

"Well, if anyone can do it, I'm sure it's you. How, uh, how serious is this?" And what she was really asking was, how dangerous will this be for you?

"Not sure yet, but we'll pull through. Tear 'em to shreds. We always do."

And Keylara wanted to joke around with him. She wanted to tease him about the skills they both knew he had — pretend he wasn't as good as he always claimed to be. But she couldn't. Not now. Wisecracking just didn't seem like the right thing to do at a time like this.

Especially not when she already had something she needed to say to him.

"Poe, I — there's something I want to say. You —"

"Commander!"

She looked around him and he looked over his shoulder, and a pilot waved and gestured for him. He heaved a small sigh that sounded frustrated, and when he faced Keylara again, his jaw was clenched.

She opened her mouth to speak again — she needed to get this out. He needed to know. Especially now.

Her legs almost gave out as something solid crashed into her, something that let out a series of familiar beeps and tones. BB-8 apologized profusely to her, but spared her no look as it nudged against Poe's leg like it were trying to push him into moving.

"I gotta go, Key," he said, his voice a low, disappointed rasp.

He reached for her and she tensed in anticipation. As his hand cupped her cheek, she leaned into his touch and felt just a little of the weight on her shoulders lessen. His thumb traced the shape of her lips, his intense eyes fixed on her mouth as he did so, and more than anything, she wanted to be in his arms. But he didn't have the time.

As if on cue, BB-8 bleeped again, this time impatiently. MINI's head swiveled back and forth and it responded with its own irritability. You're interrupting, MINI's beeps said.

BB-8 stopped, turning and finally looking up at Keylara. As it noticed MINI, it looked up at her as if to say, really? You replaced me with this thing? But without another beep, it turned back to Poe and nudged his leg again.

Poe gave Keylara a smile. "You can tell me when I get back, alright?"

She found that she could only nod. What could she say? Her time was up, and if she tried to make him stay any longer, it would be selfish of her.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Commander," she said. Her voice came out about as steady as she'd expected it too.

His eyes were deep and soft and he winked. "Be back before you know it."

He turned to go and BB-8 hurried after him, rolling as quickly as its components would allow. Before Keylara could stop herself, she called out to the astromech droid. It stopped briefly and swiveled to look back at her.

"You take care of yourself, BB-8. And… look after him. I know you're good at it."

BB-8 promised. And then it disappeared around the corner. She knew it would do everything in its power to keep its promise — it had traveled the galaxy to find him after they'd been separated on Jakku, after all.

The hallway slowly emptied, growing silent as the rushing crowd thinned out and dispersed. Keylara stood there for what felt like only a few minutes but could have been hours — she simply couldn't bring herself to move. She didn't know what to do with herself, she didn't know what to even think. Was this all really happening? Perhaps if she stood there long enough, it would all end and Poe would be there to hear what she so desperately needed to say to him.

MINI broke the silence, letting out a lone, solemn beep.

"He'll be alright," Keylara said automatically, though even she could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She didn't know if she was saying it for the droid's benefit or for her own, but she added, "He'll be fine. Back before we know it, you heard him."

MINI didn't seem convinced. But it was quiet. It let her pretend.