━━ CHAPTER ONE / out of the sky

The flight back to base on D'Qar was one Eliana knew well. Even with the unfamiliar controls of the new X-Wing, she could navigate the path with her eyes closed. The X-Wing had only been slightly modified and the controls were more sensitive than she was used to. It wasn't a hard adjustment to make for Eliana but the fact that the sublight engines had been modified at all made landing smoothly difficult.

But she managed it. There was a moment where she thought she was going to collide with the hangar wall but she didn't. And she felt like she could breathe again. The X-Wing was fresh from the workshop and Leia had specifically requested Eliana test it. It would be embarrassing if she crashed it only a few hours after it had been completed.

A soft breath escaped her lips as she powered the engines down. She then settled back in the chair. The ladder to get out had likely been placed the second she had landed but she wanted to take a moment. Her head rested back against the durasteel wall as she tried to swallow back the nausea. The sudden change in gravity fields was making her feel a little sick.

The nausea had been something she'd never been able to kick. Even after growing up on Coruscant which had so many changes in gravity field in the shuttles and when moving between sub-levels, she was never used to the sharp change while in flight. It made her head spin for at least ten minutes after she got her feet back on the ground. And her feet weren't even back on the ground yet. She knew she had to get out.

So, she pulled the helmet off, letting it clatter into her lap. She then reached up and pushed the glass viewport up. The humid air of D'Qar swarmed the interior and the nausea seemed to double in strength. She took a few calming breaths before she pushed herself to her feet. The change in position only made her stomach turn and she swallowed back the sick in her throat.

With her helmet in one hand, she jumped onto the ladder and clambered down to the runway. The whole world seemed to spin as she let her body try to centre itself. The ground briefly fell under her before it stabilised. She turned around and none other than Poe Dameron was stood a few feet away. There was a smirk on his face.

"You nearly knock yourself out of the sky?" He called. Eliana had to fight back the smile as she walked over to him. She shook her head. That was a mistake. It made the nausea worse and she took another deep breath.

"No," She responded. Her voice on a normal level now there was only a foot between them, "I know my way around an X-Wing," She shot back, emphasising the 'I'. He narrowed his eyes teasingly at her and she smirked right back at him,

"What are you tryna say, sweetheart?" He asked. She chuckled and shrugged. The conversation served as a good distraction from the nausea and she felt a little better already.
"Nothing." It was such an obvious lie but that was intended. Her and Poe always had a joking rivalry. He endlessly flirted and she mostly ignored him. She would never understand how he found her attractive - even jokingly - when she was dressed in such an obnoxiously orange jumpsuit. She felt like a traffic warden's light.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that," He said as he nudged their shoulders together. The pair had begun to walk away from the hangar now, towards the inner base. Eliana knew that she had to report directly to Leia but she was waiting for the message from the older woman on the comm. Eliana wouldn't be so presumptuous as to go to her office without direct communication. It was bad form - or at least that's what being in the Senate had taught her.
"Be like what?" Eliana asked as she glanced around. The whole base was teeming with life. People rushing back and forth. They were planning an overhaul of the X-Wings, modifying them if the one Eliana had just tested turned out to be more reliable. It would take months but it would be worth it. At least, that's what Eliana had been told, "Would you rather me swoon at your feet?" Her gaze turned to Poe and she cocked an eyebrow.

"Only if that's what you want, baby." His words were teasing and the smirk on his face showed it perfectly but it didn't stop the way Eliana's face heated up. She had never dealt with flirting well. No matter who it was, no matter why. It made her turn bright red and her stomach turn in that funny way that she could never quite pin an emotion to.

"Shut up," She bit back, trying to hide how the flirting affected her. By now, Poe knew what it did but she still liked to pretend. She had always put up a front, hoping that one day it would stop him. It didn't, "Did Leia choosing me for the test flight bruise your ego? Is that why you're being so relentless?" Poe's face dropped slightly and Eliana smiled victoriously. They reached the door into the interior base and Poe swiped his hand in front of the sensor. It slid open and they walked through.

"No. I just love watching you flush when I flirt," Poe shrugged. She glared at him and he merely shrugged in response. He then added, "And Leia is saving me for something more important," He responded. Eliana rolled her eyes, adjusting the helmet in her hand.

"Oh, baby, whatever you tell yourself." There was a teasing lilt to her tone and calling Poe 'baby' felt odd. Not uncomfortable but it felt strange rolling off her tongue. Poe didn't say anything as they continued to walk through the base. They headed towards the changing rooms and Eliana would be glad to get out of the flight suit. The orange was far too obnoxious. Her change of clothes was in the locker in the changing room but she was debating whether to shower.

In the end, she decided not to and grabbed her clothes from the locker before walking to the changing cubicles. She pulled one open and stepped inside. Poe sat on the benches besides the lockers and in front of the cubicles. She wasn't sure why he was waiting for her but she assumed that he wanted to hear about the new X-Wings. He hadn't heard a peep about them until he heard about Eliana's test flight the night previously. She closed the cubicle door and dropped her clothes onto the chair in the corner.

"How was the flight?" Poe asked. His voice turned up a few levels so she could hear him properly. Eliana unzipped the suit, letting it drop around her ankles. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a sports bra underneath. It was light and stopped her from getting too warm in the suit. It was always oddly warm in her ship despite how cold space was.

"Fine. The controls are a little more sensitive," Eliana responded as she threw the suit over the door. She pulled her shorts off, discarding them beside her boots and socks in a pile. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head, knocking her ponytail out, "The sublight engines have clearly been modified since the gravity repulsor is sensitive so be careful on take-off and landing," she added as she grabbed her pants from the side. Poe let a smirk appear on his face at that little warning, his gaze turned up to the ceiling.

"That why you nearly smashed into the wall?" He asked. She could hear the amusement in his tone and Eliana pursed her lips. She had hoped that nobody had noticed but Poe of all people would see. He would notice and never let her forget it. They had a board of mistakes for a reason and he could name every single one she had made.

"Yeah. It's very sensitive," Eliana emphasised as she pulled her socks on and slipped her work boots over them. She then pulled the door open, holding her hand out for her jacket. Well, his jacket but he had given it to her once while she had bacta fever and he'd never asked for it back. She was beginning to wonder if he even remembered it was his.

"Oh, I know just how to deal with sensitive controls." He winked. He then chucked the jacket to her and she pulled it over her shirt. The jacket was the most colourful part of her outfit. Her top was off-white and her pants were a deep brown. The jacket was also deep brown but covered in patches that gave a pop of colour. It was comfortable.

"Do you talk to all the girls like this?" Eliana asked as she pushed her hands into the pockets of the jacket. Her shoulder leaning against the door. He shrugged.

"Only the special ones." Eliana rolled her eyes and grabbed her suit, boots and socks. She shoved them back into her locker, knowing that it was her turn for the laundry cycle. Each row of lockers was given a day and it was hers. It needed a wash. It stunk of sweat and sulphur and charred metal. It wasn't particularly pleasant but when it lingered on Poe's clothes, it was addictive.

"Did I get any comms?" She asked as she glanced over to the device she'd left next to him. It was a small communicator that was only used in base. It made it much easier to get the attention of key individuals. He chucked hers to her and she caught it, glancing over to see there were no new messages. She then slipped it into the pocket of her pants, "Want to play Dejarik?" Poe shrugged and she stared at him, "What scared to lose again, Dameron?"

"No, just don't wanna ruin your win streak." Eliana scoffed and Poe gave her a half-smile. She rolled her eyes and they headed down the corridor towards the rec room. They both needed to unwind before their scheduled test flights later in the day and Eliana wanted some down time before her meeting with Leia.

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NOTE
they're here, they're flirting and i love them. i hope u did too <3