mandalore martyr | mando x poe

02

The wedding was in two days.

An official gala wasn't what they had in mind for the meeting to take place.

General Leia had a busy schedule leading up to the wedding, to the point where the senate said "screw it" and told them to meet there.

Poe didn't appreciate the people near him. Rich snobs with their suits and dresses. Clothing that if sold, could probably pay to feed ten banthas. Not to mention the fact that he was having yet another incoming bout of anxiety flow through him.

He shivered at Finn's side, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair with a shaky hand.

"Hey, you good?" The ex-trooper asked, placing a firm, grounding hand on his shoulder. It wasn't grounding enough in Poe's opinion. He needed the type of hold that left an angry red mark which would later turn into a bruise. Something to prove that this was real. Prove he was actually about to sign away his life to a king, a brutal one if the rumors heard around the galaxies rang true.

"Yeah, fine." Poe tried to shove as much reassurance as he could in his tone. He tugged at the collar of his formal military uniform. The black tie felt far too tight, practically constricting.

"I, uh, I think I just need some air, buddy." The pilot patted his friend lightly on the back, hastily making his way through the stiflingly crowded room. The quiet clang of his medals as he walked only made things more deafening.

A brunette in a sheer floral dress made eye contact with him and tried to keep it as he moved to walk past her.

"Excuse me a moment, sir?" She sounded posh and of high society but Poe didn't look back, already seeing darkness start to crowd the edges of his vision.

"Just one second." He called out politely, walking quickly. She tugged at the cuff of his suit jacket, to which he turned to look at her, continuing his gait all the same.

That was until he collided into what felt like steel, very violently he might add.

So much so that it sent him, and the hard object he had fallen into, reeling slightly towards the ground.

Before he could even attempt to save himself from the fall, a gloved hand grabbed at his arm with a vibroblade under his chin soon after.

"Was it your glorious idea to attempt to steal from me?" A green armored mandalorian hissed, digging the blade into Poe's skin further. A few beads of blood danced away from the knife and down the pilot's neck.

The party-goers were either too drunk to care or didn't notice. The brunette seemed to have no interest in him anymore as she quickly turned to leave, possibly due to the fact that Poe would very soon be a dead man.

The commander assumed he took too long to respond for the mandalorian's liking as the grip around his arm grew considerably tighter.

Poe grimaced at the man's bruising hold. Yeah, this was definitely real.

"Explain yourself!" He demanded, his visor leaning closer towards Poe's face. He could practically feel the man's glare from beneath the helmet.

"I—"

"Let him go, Fett." A woman with dark hair spoke up from behind the mandalorian. She was accompanied by three other mandalorians.

As in Boba Fett?

"He tried to steal from me."

"I saw it from here, he didn't. You were just too on edge to notice." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment. "Now let him go before we attract more attention."

The mandalorian gave a lasting grip on Poe's upper arm before he let him go, reluctantly retracting his vibroblade from the man's throat with a sneer.

"Apologies," A female mandalorian spoke up, clad in dark blue armor as the group moved to walk past him, leaving Poe with clotting scratch in the middle of his neck.

-

With a much less noticeable scab, the pilot made it back to the gala after few minutes in the men's room.

"Poe," He looked up to see Rey racing towards him. She was effortlessly flawless, as always. "Hey, where were you? The Mand'alor is already here." She gently grabbed his hand, leading him to Leia's table.

Boba Fett was there. Of course he was.

The pilot decidedly chose to not make any eye contact as he moved to sit in the only chair available. It kept Finn on his left and the blue armored mandalorian on his right, though her helmet was off this time, showing intricate bronze braids atop her head.

"As we were discussing," Leia spoke up, gesturing to Poe with a tight smile. "This is the betrothed, Commander Poe Dameron."

"What happened there?" Finn questioned in a whisper. Finn's definition of a whisper was very different from everyone else's.

"I happened." Fett spoke up as he took off his helmet, narrowing his eyes at Poe's bowed head. The pilot bit his tongue, unwilling to get himself into further trouble. Whether he and Leia were on the outs or not, he'd hate to make anything difficult for the resistance.

"It was a simple misunderstanding. We apologize for any distress we might have caused Commander Dameron." The mandalorian next to Poe called out quickly, a sincere look on her face.

"Of course, though I didn't know Boba Fett was mandalorian." General Organa stiffened slightly.

"He isn't."

Okay, that voice was new.

Poe wouldn't easily admit that it made him shiver, but it did.

It was deep, raspy, and gritty. It reminded Poe of sitting by the summer night fires that his mother would start up after work. He always sat too close, loving the smell and the warm heat against his face, listening to the dulcet notes of his mother's singing. It caused the stray embers to fly around him, leaving dotted scars across his arms, while the smoke would gift him a harsh cough that lasted the rest of the night.

The general had only hummed in reply to the Mand'alor, still taken aback.

"Well," A male warrior who sat next to the Mand'alor cleared his throat. "I think it best if we go over the ceremony now. There's a lot to explain."

"Of course," Finn agreed when he noticed Leia made no move to speak. He placed a reassuring hand at the back of Poe's neck, tightening his grip after a moment. The pilot was grateful for it, heaving a tired sigh.

"The vows are in Mando'a, they're rather short and to the point but I'll leave you this card to aid in studying them." The woman who sat next to him smiled, giving him a card with a fine printed foreign language etched onto it.

"There is certain jewelry and armor we need fitted for both the ceremony and the life you'll be living soon after. The armorer is set up just down the corridor, she's very quick at her work." She pointed to the large doors behind her.

"Armor? But I'm not mandalorian." Poe spoke up, turning to Finn with the raise of his brow.

Poe could feel a glare directed at him from beneath the Mand'alor's visor. More accurately, directed to the man beside him. He guessed Finn felt it too, to which he removed his hand from where it lay on the pilot's neck.

"You're a member of the clan." The Mand'alor's voice was quieter than a normal tone yet it commanded the attention of the whole table.

"Yes, as the Mand'alor said, all clan members whether they be spouses or children receive some form of armor. You will not have a helmet, though you can receive one later if you wish to take on the Creed." The brunette supplied helpfully after a few beats of silence.
"As for certain jewelry, only select spouses receive such an honor."

Poe had only nodded at that, not trusting his voice.

"Well, now that things are settled, the Mand'alor will lead you to the armorer. Don't be nervous, she'll only take a moment of your time." The blue armored mandalorian placed a hand on the pilot's shoulder with small smile.