[ Freshly showered and shaved, wearing a maroonish button-down (rumpled) over dark jeans (also rumpled) beneath a black motorcycle jacket (already worn in at the elbows), John’s cutting a different figure than usual as he walks up the steps to Poe’s building.
So maybe he tried a little.
They’re going out, after all. It’s an excuse to wear something other than his uniform. John’s not the type of guy who wears cologne on a day to day basis, but there’s a spritz of something orangey-woody-leathery-smoky against his skin. Rodney complained about it on his way out. It’s not John’s fault if he smells good enough to kill.
John runs a hand back through his hair (still messy) and knocks on Poe’s door. Clears his throat, and tries not to feel nervous, because they’re just two friends, who sometimes kiss, and sometimes do a lot more than kiss, hitting the town.
They fly shuttles and shoot things for a living. Sightseeing and dinner is nothing to get stressed out about.]
[ Poe comes out of the little apartment he and Finn found wearing... what he mostly wears when he's not on duty. Pullover shirt, this one red with an actual collar. Jeans, combat boots, brown leather jacket--the one Poe specifically had altered to include the Resistance insignia on one shoulder. ]
Hey. [ John looks... good. Okay, Poe thinks he often looks good, but a uniform can do nearly any man some favors. Seeing John out of uniform and not in a t-shirt and jeans is unusual enough to be notable. ]
Uh, thanks. [ It’s already half untucked and unbuttoned to the chest, his jacket slouching down over one shoulder. John doesn’t know how it happens. He makes an attempt to put himself together, and everything comes apart within the hour. The hair he gave up on a long time ago. Teachers tried to varnish it to his head in boarding school, but the cowlicks won in the end. They always do.
Poe looks amazing. As he always does. Impossibly handsome, in that granite-jawed wavy-haired ‘I woke up like this’ European fashion ad kinda way, but better. If John didn’t enjoy looking at him so much, and wasn’t reaping the benefits of that handsomeness, he might get jealous. As it is, he just grins.]
You look great. That jacket. [He should stop, before he drools on himself, because that would be embarrassing.] The thing opens in an hour, do you wanna hoof it, or call a cab?
[ And Poe is clearly delighted by it, because it's the first time he's outright grinned in two weeks. It's enough to lift his spirits in general and makes him think that maybe this was a good idea after all. He doesn't do well away from people for too long, and god knows he's been avoiding them.
[John smirks, eyes crinkling. Poe's smile is contagious. John's glad to see him looking bright again. The past few days, he's been a shadow of his usual self. Elbow deep in a machine, or rushing from one mission to another. Between keeping an eye on Jim, and his own missions, John's barely had a chance to say hi.
Going from a week of non-stop sex and conversation to nods in the hallway hurt John more than it should've. He doesn't have any right to Poe's time, and it's none of John's business how he chooses to spend it.]
He's doing better. It's been a rough week, but he'll make it through. Mostly we've been eating a lot of pizza, and playing a lot of video games. I think he'll be back to work soon... He can't stay away for too long, that shuttle's his baby.
[The cab rolls up, and John opens the door for Poe. He's just being polite.]
[ Poe doesn't climb into the cab so much as he kind of... sprawls sideways into it and then drags himself into the far seat, because he's genteel and mannerly like that.
He's actually starting to look forward to this, to the caves. The wildlife in this place is fascinating, even if so much of it wants to eat them. Yavin 4 isn't exactly a peaceful paradise as far as the creatures are concerned. He still loves every one of them.
Except for piranha beetles. Fuck those things.
Anyway, he's as excited for the crystal flora as he was to see the Riverview zoo the first time he went, and it's starting to filter through. ]
Yeah, they're brand new. Just opened to the public. I tried looking online, but there aren't even any photos yet.
[John slides in beside him with only slightly more grace, slamming the door behind him.
He prefers to drive, but he's also comfortable being driven. For most of his childhood a stern man in a sharp suit drove him to school and back, until he was old enough to be sent to boarding school and live on campus.
John used to remember the names of his many drivers, nannies, and maids, but now it's as if his entire life pre-Atlantis is just a blurry home video on VHS.]
I've heard the crystals glow, and there's nothing like it. Thought it sounded up your alley. I know you're into naturey-type stuff.
Photos wouldn't do them justice. They never seem to.
[ Even holos never come close to showing what it's like to see a whole flight of whisper birds banking in silent unison. There are some things a person just has to be present for. Like the prisma storms on Yavin, or the first snowfall on Hosnian Prime.
Poe blinks, turning away from the window to look at John in surprise. He does like naturey-type stuff. He hasn't exactly hidden it. He just didn't think anyone else had noticed. ]
Oh. [ It always strikes him oddly when people say something that means they've been thinking of him. He never expects it, outside of ships, maneuvers, mission objectives. He's Commander Poe Dameron--
Captain. Captain Poe Dameron. He might not remember the demotion, but it doesn't make it any less real. He's Captain Poe Dameron, and that's all he's had time to be for years now. ] That's... thanks.
[John thinks about Poe. He thinks about him a lot. Really, he's all John's been thinking about, other than Jim's well-being, his job, and Atlantis.
He thinks about him as a pilot. A captain. A comrade. Mostly, when he's lying awake at night, on sheets that still smell like Poe, he thinks about him as a man.
It reminds John he's a man, too. That there's more to living than just leading, surviving, and fighting tooth and nail. For years, that's all he's been doing. Everything else on the back-burner. In a lot of ways, it was easier. Simpler.
Now, there's so much more to think about than the next battle.
John doesn't know what to say to the look on Poe's face, but he thinks he understands.
So he smiles at Poe, and leans across the backseat to graze his lips against the corner of Poe's mouth. Not quite a kiss, but close. The closest they've ever been outside of the privacy of John's housing, in daylight.]
[ Poe stays very still. He can't help remembering the way he thought about kissing Karen almost a month ago now, the way they did kiss later. This is dangerous ground, it's foreign territory, it's something he wants and he doesn't know what to do with it in either case.
But he doesn't want John to think he did something wrong. Not when the man so rarely seems to show this part of himself. Poe's never seen it outside of the bedroom. The change in context means more than it should.
So Poe reaches out and brushes John's leg with his fingertips, another silent thank you.
The driver interrupts the moment. "We're coming up to the walkway to the caves. That's as far as I can take you."
Poe drags in a breath and looks to the front of the cab. ] That's fine.
[The touch is enough. More than enough. John smiles at Poe, then out the window. It's a quiet drive until they arrive at their destination.
John pays the cabbie and climbs out.
The weather is good. Clear, and breezy. They'll be able to see the stars from the path. It's just cool enough to need a jacket, and They'll warm up walking on the way there.
John looks at Poe, and the start of many, many, many stairs leading from the walkway crossing the wall and out into the rocky jungle terrain on the other side.]
Who doesn't love a good hike?
[John grins at Poe and starts down the path.
He feels good about this. About Poe. The sex is great, but this is something else he's been craving for a long time. Years. Spending time with someone he likes, just in their company. Not having to be anyone but themselves for a couple hours.
My dad and I used to go hiking in the jungle out behind the colony. We'd spend days up there. He could find whisper bird nests and woolamander colonies like he was born to it. Used to tell me he could find them by smell and I believed him for the longest time.
[ Poe tucks his hands into his jacket pockets, enjoying the breeze. It feels good to be out here already. Centering. He got used to city life on Hosnian Prime (the thought hurts, it always hurts, it's always going to hurt), but his heart will always belong to Yavin and its jungles.
I bet I can beat you to the top, John says, and once again Poe thinks of Karen. He tries not to think about why. But there they are, that barefoot run through the snow, laughing and slipping and pushing at each other, taking that last tumble into a snowbank and laying there eye-to-eye while their toes went numb.
It would feel strange and disloyal to race John and Poe... hates the feeling. He can't do it. He can't tangle these two memories up together. ]
Maybe outside of a cockpit. [ He slings an arm around John's shoulders, casually tactile, hoping that settles something between them. He cares about John, he cares about him a lot. He just...
Yavin sounds like a nice place. And your dad sounds like he was a good dad.
[John means it. He’s always had a weakness for storytelling, and Poe paints such a vivid picture with his words. If John closes his eyes, he can almost see it. The planet. Wilderness. Father and son.
John wishes he had something to share, a story of his own to tell Poe in exchange, but there’s nothing. His father wasn’t a bad man, he just wasn’t there. Always away on business. When he was home, before boarding school, the family would eat at the same table, but then it was every man for themselves. His father to his study, his mother to sleep, because chemo was a hell of a drug, and John and his younger brother to their schoolwork. John’s childhood wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t worth talking about.
They don’t run, because Poe doesn’t want to, and John accepts Poe’s arm over his shoulders. That feels good, too.
He was probably being childish, anyway. John can’t quite let go of what he’s never really had. That's why he skateboards to work, and grasps at relationships he doesn’t understand.]
You say that like you could beat me in one. [They start down the first flight of stairs, one of twenty.]
He's the best. It was just him and me, after my mom died. [ Poe's smile is a little distant, a little sad. ] He'd like you. He was with the Pathfinders, during the war. Special forces.
[ He's tempted to tell some of his dad's stories, or more accurately the stories he's heard about his dad. His father never told them himself. He left Poe to learn from other veterans, the things Kes Dameron accomplished. There were a few stories Kes didn't mind sharing, but it had never been enough for a younger Poe.
He doesn't want to miss his father any more than he already does, though. Right now, in particular, when he could use a hug and Kes's advice more than anything. ] I wish you could meet him.
[ Then the melancholy is gone, and Poe smiles sideways at John. ]
[John smiles too, shyly. He's not sure what's more surprising, that he actually wants to meet Poe's father, or that Poe wants John to meet him.
John never wanted to meet Nancy's parents. He stalled for as long as he could, and made every excuse not to visit the in-laws even after they were married. Probably because Nancy's parents were carbon copies of his parents, give or take a few houses. Upper middle-class WASPS. John's been stung too many times.]
My old man- my father, he was all about business. Good at it, too. One of the best. His funeral was a Forbes list who's who. My little brother, David, is just like him. He took over the family business when my father passed away. The stocks didn't even take a hit.
Me? Well. You know what I'm like. More or less.
[It's more than John's ever said to anyone about his family. He doesn't talk about them. Sure, he'd reconnected with David, but they'd always lived in two different worlds, even before John had his mail redirected to a new galaxy.
The stairs are steep and slippery. John walks slightly ahead of Poe by force of habit, one hand lightly skimming the wet guard rail. He can already feel the cool damp of the cave on his cheeks.
Truthfully, ever since the 'turning into a giant man-eating bug' incident, John's never been a big fan of dark, enclosed spaces. He can still hear the scratching of claws against stone, smell the sharp chemical scent of pheromones, driving him crazy, how tempting it was to crawl on the floor or climb up the walls with the others, in search of the best place to build a nest-
John shudders and shakes it off. They're at the entrance now, and it's really not the time or place to revisit that particular nightmare.
[ Poe doesn't quite have context for the way John describes his family. Forbes is completely meaningless to him. But he gets the 'all about business', one of the best, who's who. Poe gives John's shoulder a little squeeze.
It's hard to imagine John in that environment. Race horses (he looked those up), wealth. Poe has encountered enough politicians with that kind of money that he has a pretty dim view of wealth in general.
But they're approaching the cave, and Poe feels a little prickle of excitement that's immediately tempered by John's shudder. Yeah, he saw that. John's sudden apprehension couldn't be more clear. Poe moves in front of him, studying John's face. ]
We don't have to go in.
[ He can always come back later. He's not about to force John into a space that makes him uncomfortable. ]
[John lifts his chin stubbornly, meeting Poe's eyes with what he hopes looks like confidence. He might be puffing up his chest a little, not that it makes much of a difference. He's been inside plenty of caves since the incident. He can handle a tourist attraction.
Backing out at this point would be embarrassing. That, and he doesn't want Poe to think he's a chicken. They're here together, to have a good time, and John will be damned if a little dark and damp stop him.]
[ Poe blinks when the tickets boop his snoot. Because somehow that was entirely unexpected. Resolved or not, Poe's going to be keeping an eye on John once they get inside. He's not about to let his own excitement overshadow a friend needing a break.
I don't like being closed in, Poe had told John, and John had adapted without hesitation. Poe owes him that same favor. ]
If you're sure.
[ Poe leads the way inside, immediately taken with the shimmering walls, fascinated by the play of color, homesick with the memory of the prisma storms on Yavin. He reaches out to touch one glassy surface, breathless. ] Reminds me of home.
[Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard will not be outmanned by a hole in the ground.
John falls in close behind Poe, and pretty soon, any lingering memories of a darker, damper, slimier cave are all but forgotten. It's beautiful. John touches the crystal too, dragging his fingertips lightly over the surface as they walk.
He could get lost in the endless facets of colour and refraction of light, but then there's Poe looking at the crystal, and the sparkle reflected in his eyes is more than beautiful. There's a look of boyish wonder on his face, and John can't help but smile to see it. He's glad they're here, and even more glad that Poe can get in touch with this side of himself, the nature-lover, because he's important, too. He deserves to exist.]
Yeah? I'd like to see it. Yavin. Who knows, maybe I could visit someday.
[ That startles a small laugh out of Poe. ] Because that'll be some time soon, right?
[ Never mind the question of separate universes, separate galaxies.
He tucks his hands in his pockets, standing aside as another pair walks past hand-in-hand, his focus on the ripple and warp of rainbows inside the crystals. ] It's not refraction, either. The patterns move independently of the light sources in here.
[ On he goes, feeling lighter and calmer than he has in a week. There's something about being around things like this, natural phenomenon, objects that created themselves outside of sentient influence, that reminds him that Light exists even outside the actions taken by sentient species. Where there's life, there's beauty and hope, and it's worth it to remember that.
Places like this make him think that maybe things will turn out okay.
Then they come out into the larger chamber, echoing softly with low-voiced conversation, and Poe has to stop, grabbing John's shoulder. ] Wow.
[John's more silver at the temple than brunette these days. He doesn’t remember when that happened. After Ford, and before Elizabeth. The only measure of time that’s ever really mattered. He woke up one day, and went to shave, and there it was. The stress and age catching up with him. Greying hair, fine lines, and all. He’d made a point to surf that weekend.
His eyes catch on the two people walking by hand in hand. John isn’t brave enough, but he thinks about it.]
You’re right. I’ve seen a lot of things, but never anything quite like this. There was this one planet, but those things were closer to kaleidoscopes from hell than crysta- wow.
[The antechamber has nothing on the central cavern. The ceiling is stories high, dripping with crystalized stalacites, matched only in brilliance and size by the man-sized stalagmites pointing up like glittering teeth from the floor. There’s no need for artificial lighting, despite the size of the cavern, because it’s lit from within by the reflections of glittering reflections. Everything is shining.
John reaches blindly for Poe’s hand on his shoulder, to make sure he’s still there, and seeing this.]
Yeah. [ Poe laughs under his breath. Then yanks John's jacket, pointing to the nearest open cluster, one of the crystals nearly twice as tall as Poe and John. ] Race you.
[ Poe guns it for the formation, like a kid who just spotted a free swing on the playground. Win or lose, he doesn't really care--he just wants to stand in the light cast from that crystal. He wants to be close to something that grand. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2018-01-24 07:11 pm (UTC)I'll bundle up, don't worry.
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Date: 2018-01-24 08:13 pm (UTC)So maybe he tried a little.
They’re going out, after all. It’s an excuse to wear something other than his uniform. John’s not the type of guy who wears cologne on a day to day basis, but there’s a spritz of something orangey-woody-leathery-smoky against his skin. Rodney complained about it on his way out. It’s not John’s fault if he smells good enough to kill.
John runs a hand back through his hair (still messy) and knocks on Poe’s door. Clears his throat, and tries not to feel nervous, because they’re just two friends, who sometimes kiss, and sometimes do a lot more than kiss, hitting the town.
They fly shuttles and shoot things for a living. Sightseeing and dinner is nothing to get stressed out about.]
Yo.
[ Nailed it.]
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Date: 2018-01-24 11:19 pm (UTC)Hey. [ John looks... good. Okay, Poe thinks he often looks good, but a uniform can do nearly any man some favors. Seeing John out of uniform and not in a t-shirt and jeans is unusual enough to be notable. ]
I like the shirt.
[ He does okay. ]
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Date: 2018-01-25 12:00 am (UTC)Poe looks amazing. As he always does. Impossibly handsome, in that granite-jawed wavy-haired ‘I woke up like this’ European fashion ad kinda way, but better. If John didn’t enjoy looking at him so much, and wasn’t reaping the benefits of that handsomeness, he might get jealous. As it is, he just grins.]
You look great. That jacket. [He should stop, before he drools on himself, because that would be embarrassing.] The thing opens in an hour, do you wanna hoof it, or call a cab?
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Date: 2018-01-25 04:07 am (UTC)(Somewhere, Chyler sits up straight and yells NO IT'S NOT and doesn't know why.)
Poe stretches, considering. ] Cab. BB-8 was mad I told him to stay home. He'll be even madder if he finds out he could have kept up with me.
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Date: 2018-01-25 04:27 am (UTC)[John honestly likes BB-8. The droid's kind of like a dog, minus the need for pee breaks and brushing. John's kind of pet.
He dials them a cab, fixes his jacket, only for it to slide right back out of place, looking sidelong at Poe.]
It's good you're getting out. Any longer in that engine room and you're bound to blow a gasket.
[Yes, that was a lame mechanic joke. Just for you, Poe.]
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Date: 2018-01-25 04:36 am (UTC)[ And Poe is clearly delighted by it, because it's the first time he's outright grinned in two weeks. It's enough to lift his spirits in general and makes him think that maybe this was a good idea after all. He doesn't do well away from people for too long, and god knows he's been avoiding them.
Speaking of avoiding people. ]
How's Jim?
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Date: 2018-01-25 04:49 am (UTC)[John smirks, eyes crinkling. Poe's smile is contagious. John's glad to see him looking bright again. The past few days, he's been a shadow of his usual self. Elbow deep in a machine, or rushing from one mission to another. Between keeping an eye on Jim, and his own missions, John's barely had a chance to say hi.
Going from a week of non-stop sex and conversation to nods in the hallway hurt John more than it should've. He doesn't have any right to Poe's time, and it's none of John's business how he chooses to spend it.]
He's doing better. It's been a rough week, but he'll make it through. Mostly we've been eating a lot of pizza, and playing a lot of video games. I think he'll be back to work soon... He can't stay away for too long, that shuttle's his baby.
[The cab rolls up, and John opens the door for Poe. He's just being polite.]
After you.
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Date: 2018-01-25 05:01 am (UTC)He's actually starting to look forward to this, to the caves. The wildlife in this place is fascinating, even if so much of it wants to eat them. Yavin 4 isn't exactly a peaceful paradise as far as the creatures are concerned. He still loves every one of them.
Except for piranha beetles. Fuck those things.
Anyway, he's as excited for the crystal flora as he was to see the Riverview zoo the first time he went, and it's starting to filter through. ]
They just discovered these caves?
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Date: 2018-01-25 05:30 am (UTC)[John slides in beside him with only slightly more grace, slamming the door behind him.
He prefers to drive, but he's also comfortable being driven. For most of his childhood a stern man in a sharp suit drove him to school and back, until he was old enough to be sent to boarding school and live on campus.
John used to remember the names of his many drivers, nannies, and maids, but now it's as if his entire life pre-Atlantis is just a blurry home video on VHS.]
I've heard the crystals glow, and there's nothing like it. Thought it sounded up your alley. I know you're into naturey-type stuff.
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Date: 2018-01-25 05:43 am (UTC)[ Even holos never come close to showing what it's like to see a whole flight of whisper birds banking in silent unison. There are some things a person just has to be present for. Like the prisma storms on Yavin, or the first snowfall on Hosnian Prime.
Poe blinks, turning away from the window to look at John in surprise. He does like naturey-type stuff. He hasn't exactly hidden it. He just didn't think anyone else had noticed. ]
Oh. [ It always strikes him oddly when people say something that means they've been thinking of him. He never expects it, outside of ships, maneuvers, mission objectives. He's Commander Poe Dameron--
Captain. Captain Poe Dameron. He might not remember the demotion, but it doesn't make it any less real. He's Captain Poe Dameron, and that's all he's had time to be for years now. ] That's... thanks.
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Date: 2018-01-25 06:13 am (UTC)He thinks about him as a pilot. A captain. A comrade. Mostly, when he's lying awake at night, on sheets that still smell like Poe, he thinks about him as a man.
It reminds John he's a man, too. That there's more to living than just leading, surviving, and fighting tooth and nail. For years, that's all he's been doing. Everything else on the back-burner. In a lot of ways, it was easier. Simpler.
Now, there's so much more to think about than the next battle.
John doesn't know what to say to the look on Poe's face, but he thinks he understands.
So he smiles at Poe, and leans across the backseat to graze his lips against the corner of Poe's mouth. Not quite a kiss, but close. The closest they've ever been outside of the privacy of John's housing, in daylight.]
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Date: 2018-01-25 06:23 am (UTC)But he doesn't want John to think he did something wrong. Not when the man so rarely seems to show this part of himself. Poe's never seen it outside of the bedroom. The change in context means more than it should.
So Poe reaches out and brushes John's leg with his fingertips, another silent thank you.
The driver interrupts the moment. "We're coming up to the walkway to the caves. That's as far as I can take you."
Poe drags in a breath and looks to the front of the cab. ] That's fine.
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Date: 2018-01-25 03:38 pm (UTC)[The touch is enough. More than enough. John smiles at Poe, then out the window. It's a quiet drive until they arrive at their destination.
John pays the cabbie and climbs out.
The weather is good. Clear, and breezy. They'll be able to see the stars from the path. It's just cool enough to need a jacket, and They'll warm up walking on the way there.
John looks at Poe, and the start of many, many, many stairs leading from the walkway crossing the wall and out into the rocky jungle terrain on the other side.]
Who doesn't love a good hike?
[John grins at Poe and starts down the path.
He feels good about this. About Poe. The sex is great, but this is something else he's been craving for a long time. Years. Spending time with someone he likes, just in their company. Not having to be anyone but themselves for a couple hours.
Maybe, just once, it'll work out.]
I bet I can beat you to the top.
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Date: 2018-01-25 05:22 pm (UTC)[ Poe tucks his hands into his jacket pockets, enjoying the breeze. It feels good to be out here already. Centering. He got used to city life on Hosnian Prime (the thought hurts, it always hurts, it's always going to hurt), but his heart will always belong to Yavin and its jungles.
I bet I can beat you to the top, John says, and once again Poe thinks of Karen. He tries not to think about why. But there they are, that barefoot run through the snow, laughing and slipping and pushing at each other, taking that last tumble into a snowbank and laying there eye-to-eye while their toes went numb.
It would feel strange and disloyal to race John and Poe... hates the feeling. He can't do it. He can't tangle these two memories up together. ]
Maybe outside of a cockpit. [ He slings an arm around John's shoulders, casually tactile, hoping that settles something between them. He cares about John, he cares about him a lot. He just...
He keeps thinking about Karen. ]
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Date: 2018-01-25 05:49 pm (UTC)[John means it. He’s always had a weakness for storytelling, and Poe paints such a vivid picture with his words. If John closes his eyes, he can almost see it. The planet. Wilderness. Father and son.
John wishes he had something to share, a story of his own to tell Poe in exchange, but there’s nothing. His father wasn’t a bad man, he just wasn’t there. Always away on business. When he was home, before boarding school, the family would eat at the same table, but then it was every man for themselves. His father to his study, his mother to sleep, because chemo was a hell of a drug, and John and his younger brother to their schoolwork. John’s childhood wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t worth talking about.
They don’t run, because Poe doesn’t want to, and John accepts Poe’s arm over his shoulders. That feels good, too.
He was probably being childish, anyway. John can’t quite let go of what he’s never really had. That's why he skateboards to work, and grasps at relationships he doesn’t understand.]
You say that like you could beat me in one. [They start down the first flight of stairs, one of twenty.]
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Date: 2018-01-28 02:12 am (UTC)[ He's tempted to tell some of his dad's stories, or more accurately the stories he's heard about his dad. His father never told them himself. He left Poe to learn from other veterans, the things Kes Dameron accomplished. There were a few stories Kes didn't mind sharing, but it had never been enough for a younger Poe.
He doesn't want to miss his father any more than he already does, though. Right now, in particular, when he could use a hug and Kes's advice more than anything. ] I wish you could meet him.
[ Then the melancholy is gone, and Poe smiles sideways at John. ]
And I say that because I could.
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Date: 2018-01-28 02:56 am (UTC)[John smiles too, shyly. He's not sure what's more surprising, that he actually wants to meet Poe's father, or that Poe wants John to meet him.
John never wanted to meet Nancy's parents. He stalled for as long as he could, and made every excuse not to visit the in-laws even after they were married. Probably because Nancy's parents were carbon copies of his parents, give or take a few houses. Upper middle-class WASPS. John's been stung too many times.]
My old man- my father, he was all about business. Good at it, too. One of the best. His funeral was a Forbes list who's who. My little brother, David, is just like him. He took over the family business when my father passed away. The stocks didn't even take a hit.
Me? Well. You know what I'm like. More or less.
[It's more than John's ever said to anyone about his family. He doesn't talk about them. Sure, he'd reconnected with David, but they'd always lived in two different worlds, even before John had his mail redirected to a new galaxy.
The stairs are steep and slippery. John walks slightly ahead of Poe by force of habit, one hand lightly skimming the wet guard rail. He can already feel the cool damp of the cave on his cheeks.
Truthfully, ever since the 'turning into a giant man-eating bug' incident, John's never been a big fan of dark, enclosed spaces. He can still hear the scratching of claws against stone, smell the sharp chemical scent of pheromones, driving him crazy, how tempting it was to crawl on the floor or climb up the walls with the others, in search of the best place to build a nest-
John shudders and shakes it off. They're at the entrance now, and it's really not the time or place to revisit that particular nightmare.
Sure is a cave.
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Date: 2018-01-29 02:25 am (UTC)It's hard to imagine John in that environment. Race horses (he looked those up), wealth. Poe has encountered enough politicians with that kind of money that he has a pretty dim view of wealth in general.
But they're approaching the cave, and Poe feels a little prickle of excitement that's immediately tempered by John's shudder. Yeah, he saw that. John's sudden apprehension couldn't be more clear. Poe moves in front of him, studying John's face. ]
We don't have to go in.
[ He can always come back later. He's not about to force John into a space that makes him uncomfortable. ]
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Date: 2018-01-29 02:49 am (UTC)[John lifts his chin stubbornly, meeting Poe's eyes with what he hopes looks like confidence. He might be puffing up his chest a little, not that it makes much of a difference. He's been inside plenty of caves since the incident. He can handle a tourist attraction.
Backing out at this point would be embarrassing. That, and he doesn't want Poe to think he's a chicken. They're here together, to have a good time, and John will be damned if a little dark and damp stop him.]
Besides. I already bought the tickets.
[He taps Poe on the nose with them, smirking.]
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Date: 2018-01-29 09:03 pm (UTC)I don't like being closed in, Poe had told John, and John had adapted without hesitation. Poe owes him that same favor. ]
If you're sure.
[ Poe leads the way inside, immediately taken with the shimmering walls, fascinated by the play of color, homesick with the memory of the prisma storms on Yavin. He reaches out to touch one glassy surface, breathless. ] Reminds me of home.
[ And they're barely ten feet inside. ]
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Date: 2018-01-29 11:11 pm (UTC)[Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard will not be outmanned by a hole in the ground.
John falls in close behind Poe, and pretty soon, any lingering memories of a darker, damper, slimier cave are all but forgotten. It's beautiful. John touches the crystal too, dragging his fingertips lightly over the surface as they walk.
He could get lost in the endless facets of colour and refraction of light, but then there's Poe looking at the crystal, and the sparkle reflected in his eyes is more than beautiful. There's a look of boyish wonder on his face, and John can't help but smile to see it. He's glad they're here, and even more glad that Poe can get in touch with this side of himself, the nature-lover, because he's important, too. He deserves to exist.]
Yeah? I'd like to see it. Yavin. Who knows, maybe I could visit someday.
You know, when I retire.
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Date: 2018-01-30 12:13 am (UTC)[ Never mind the question of separate universes, separate galaxies.
He tucks his hands in his pockets, standing aside as another pair walks past hand-in-hand, his focus on the ripple and warp of rainbows inside the crystals. ] It's not refraction, either. The patterns move independently of the light sources in here.
[ On he goes, feeling lighter and calmer than he has in a week. There's something about being around things like this, natural phenomenon, objects that created themselves outside of sentient influence, that reminds him that Light exists even outside the actions taken by sentient species. Where there's life, there's beauty and hope, and it's worth it to remember that.
Places like this make him think that maybe things will turn out okay.
Then they come out into the larger chamber, echoing softly with low-voiced conversation, and Poe has to stop, grabbing John's shoulder. ] Wow.
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Date: 2018-01-30 12:36 am (UTC)[John's more silver at the temple than brunette these days. He doesn’t remember when that happened. After Ford, and before Elizabeth. The only measure of time that’s ever really mattered. He woke up one day, and went to shave, and there it was. The stress and age catching up with him. Greying hair, fine lines, and all. He’d made a point to surf that weekend.
His eyes catch on the two people walking by hand in hand. John isn’t brave enough, but he thinks about it.]
You’re right. I’ve seen a lot of things, but never anything quite like this. There was this one planet, but those things were closer to kaleidoscopes from hell than crysta- wow.
[The antechamber has nothing on the central cavern. The ceiling is stories high, dripping with crystalized stalacites, matched only in brilliance and size by the man-sized stalagmites pointing up like glittering teeth from the floor. There’s no need for artificial lighting, despite the size of the cavern, because it’s lit from within by the reflections of glittering reflections. Everything is shining.
John reaches blindly for Poe’s hand on his shoulder, to make sure he’s still there, and seeing this.]
It’s… beautiful.
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Date: 2018-01-30 01:07 am (UTC)[ Poe guns it for the formation, like a kid who just spotted a free swing on the playground. Win or lose, he doesn't really care--he just wants to stand in the light cast from that crystal. He wants to be close to something that grand. ]
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