Rey hears a song she just can’t get out of her head.
Pentadrabble Challenge – Prompt #4: Surprising/hidden talent
The first time Rey heard the song, Poe was singing it. Poe singing, of course, wasn’t unusual. It was fairly common for him to sit down with some old hallikset he found and entertain whoever wanted to listen on evenings when he was on base. But this song was different from his typical ditties.
It was sad and it was beautiful and Rey loved it.
The next day, she set out to find out the name of the song, then she looked it up on a datapad during a rare break, memorizing the lyrics.
Afterwards she started humming the tune during the day, and then a few weeks after she heard it the first time, Poe sang it again. She found herself focusing on him intently, paying close attention to the nuances of voice and breathing that he used to give the song such beauty. She noticed other things as she watched him: the way his hair looked so soft in the firelight, the shadows that played with the hollow of his throat, the brief flash of his tongue as he licked his lips, the gleam of the chain around his neck.
She pulled herself away from the fire that night confused and more than a little embarrassed.
The next day before heading out on the training course, Rey found herself singing the song, trying to grab onto the emotion of it as Poe did. When she was done, she heard the sound of a branch break behind her. She turned in time to see a glimpse of a white shirt and a dark head.
That night, she wandered over to the firepit, where a small group of people had gathered while Poe strummed the hallikset. Suddenly, he looked up at her.
“Rey, come here.”
“What?”
“Come here,” he repeated, and she slowly walked over to him.
He started playing the intro to the song. “Sing for me,” he told her softly.
She shook her head. “I can’t!”
He smiled, and his eyes were warm and inviting. “Yes, you can. I know you can.” He continued playing, leaning forward and looking her in the eye. “Just look at me,” he told her.
“And sing.”
Her voice was tentative at first, but as Poe continued to hold her gaze, his look encouraging, she became bolder, singing out the way she had done earlier in the day, when she thought she had been alone. As she reached the impassioned final of the song, she noticed that Poe’s eyes were wide and full of emotion. He smiled broadly as she finished and sat back.
There was a moment of silence as something undefined passed between them, then there was a roar of applause behind her. Startled, she turned to see almost everyone on the base surrounding the clearing, having been drawn in by the new voice.
“That was amazing, Rey,” Rose gushed. “I didn’t know you could sing!”
Rey turned her wide eyes back to Poe. He just smiled at her.
“I did.”
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