Who: Poe Dameron & Tim Drake-Wayne What: Red Portal Adventures Where: Little Wakanda & Endor When: January 24th through March 18th (they only experienced a week) Warnings: allusions to sex, talk of war, nothing explicit Status: complete
Poe wasn’t entirely sure when or how it happened, but he realized that he was spending time with Tim more days than he wasn’t. The age difference didn’t seem to matter much and they got along well, both in and out of the bedroom. It wasn’t unusual for Poe to get back to his apartment after working in the New Asgard hangar and find Tim and PONG hanging out with BB-8 and D-O since he’d given the younger man a key a while back. While he hadn’t expected anything to come from that night at the club when he helped Tim get safely home, Poe didn’t mind how their relationship was growing over time. Having Tim around made him miss Finn and Rey less.
Today, he knew that Tim was waiting for him to come home with takeout. He opened the door to the apartment, juggling a bag full of Chinese food along with his keys, and was in the middle of saying “I’m home” when there was a swirl of red, pulsing energy and he suddenly found himself standing somewhere that was not the living room of his apartment in Wakanda without either item in his hands. “What the…” he held up his hands, looking around in confusion, his eyes falling on Tim and feeling a sense of relief that whatever this was, he wasn’t alone.
“Are you okay? What just happened?” Poe knew that people had been disappearing in portals, but he hadn’t expected it to happen to him, especially not hours after making plans with Loki to get off the planet.
* Tim hadn’t intended on any kind of relationship to happen. But he was comfortable with the other guy and their unique situation. Poe didn’t expect anything out of him, and it was the same for Tim. He liked being able to hang around his place and have somewhere to retreat to that wasn’t just his brother’s place. Occasionally he got pretty lonely there. He was a lot less lonely these days. Especially with the droids all around. He didn’t feel any kind of pressure to act a certain way.
He had just been curled up on Poe’s couch that day, a big fuzzy blanket keeping him company until Poe got home with the food. Unfortunately that cozy day was wrecked once the other man stepped through the door and everything changed. He was sitting on his ass instead on the ground. “..I think so.” He stood, looking a bit irritated for a moment as he looked around at their surroundings. “I’m pretty sure we just got portal-napped.” Tim spent time working in the portal room at the facility, he knew a fair bit about the things. But that didn’t make him feel better. He had no idea where they were. , “What is this place?” He stood and joined Poe with a bit of a frown.
*
This was hardly the first time that Poe was portal napped. Something about this one felt different though and that made him a bit anxious. “I’m not sure,” he said as he took in their surroundings. There was a nagging familiarity that he couldn’t place and he frowned.
In the distance, he could hear what sounded like fighting. After listening for a few long moments, a faint buzzing caught his ear that almost sounded like a blaster. “It seems like somewhere I’ve been before. I can hear noise in the distance, let’s move in that direction.” With any luck, they would find people who could assist them.
*
“Should we really go towards the noise?” Instinct said to not go near it, but Poe seemed to have an idea. The sound of the blaster caused his nerves to be on edge. A hand dipped into his pocket, he had a few metal batterang type toys in there. But would it be enough for whatever was happening?
“If you say so.” In spite of his caution he was prepared to follow the other guy. He had no idea the layout of the land or what to expect. But he knew to keep as quiet as possible. Tim was ligh t on his feet so that part wouldn’t be an issue. Even in an unknown forest he hadn’t made a single sound beyond their voices.
*
“Probably not,” Poe admitted. It was the sort of impulsive decision that Leia would yell at him for making. “But hiding won’t get us any answers.” He wished he had his blaster on him or some other kind of weapon, though he was confident he and Tim could handle any threat they might face.
After traversing the forest for a few minutes, Poe suddenly stopped in his tracks. “I recognize these trees,” he said. “We’re on Endor.” His parents had taken him there once when he was a child and told him the story of the Battle of Endor and their part in it. “I haven’t been here in years, but if we can find a radio, I can get in touch with my people.”
Were the red portals sending people home? If so, why was Tim with him? It still didn’t make a lot of sense, but what else could it be?
* Tim didn’t know any better about the area…he wasn’t exactly the Flash. He couldn’t canvas it in seconds and check things out for them. He was just Tim. He wondered honestly if anyone would even realize they’d been apparently red portalnapped.
Nearly running into Poe’s backside, he stuck his hand up so he didn’t smash his face on the other guys shoulder blades and frowned. “You have people?” The blaster sounds were making every hair on his neck stand up. For good reason too. A stray one struck Tim’s shoulder and caused a lovely sizzle of flesh. It seemed to come out of nowhere. He touched a hand gingerly to it. “Fuck!” A silver thin ninja star looking item was launched in the direction of the blast. A white suited storm trooper fell from the bushes. Weapon stuck in his neck, just between the chest and head piece. Tim had deadly accuracy. Even injured.
*
Poe’s hand automatically went to his hip in search of his own blaster and he swore under his breath when it found nothing. He was about to grab Tim and pull him into a copse of trees for cover when the younger man threw a small metal disc and took out the storm trooper.
“I assume I do,” he said, taking Tim’s arm and studying his wound. “Let’s get to safety and then we’ll figure things out.” The fact that there were storm troopers fighting on Endor gave him pause though. If this was his time, there shouldn’t be anything happening here and he was afraid that not only were they in a different world, but a different time.
They found a small hut not too far away and Poe looked around for something he could use to clean Tim’s wound. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he admitted.
* Tim didn’t flinch at the lost life like he might have as a younger teen. This version that had come back through the portal a second time was a bit more hardened when it came to killing. It wasn’t the first life he’d taken, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. It wasn’t as though he enjoyed it, but he was a fact of life for him as he was now.
“Right yeah.” His arm was angry and bloody behind that short sleeve. But he hadn’t really noticed until they sat somewhere in that hut. He was trained to take pain as it came thanks to Batman and the weird ass training he’d gotten as a teen from the man. The fact that the flesh burned though was an unwelcome feeling. It wasn’t a regular bullet.
He moved a hand to touch it and winced. “Should have seen that coming.” He was always hard on himself though when he wasn’t fast enough.
*
Finding some antiseptic and bandages, Poe moved to sit next to Tim. “I’m guessing you don’t have energy weapons like that in your world,” he said. “I wish I had my blaster on me.” They’d have to look for weapons if they were going to be stuck here a while.
“This might sting,” he warned before using the antiseptic and a clean rag to tend to Tim’s injury. Once he was confident it was clean and not susceptible to infection, he used the bandages to cover it.
Poe leaned back and studied his friend. “We can lay low here for a bit. Then I’ll see if I can find some communication equipment and get in touch with the Resistance.” After a pause, he voiced the concern that had risen after the attack. “Or the Rebellion. I’m afraid we may be in a different time from mine.Well, if this is when I’m afraid it might be, there’s a kid version of me out there somewhere in the galaxy.” Could he possibly run into his parents? Or Leia? That would be bizarre.
* “We should go back and get the ones from that…whatever that was that I took out.” Tim started to get up, but then Poe had found some stuff that made him raise an eyebrow. “You have a weirdly prepared world at least…” A faint smirk on his face as Poe tended to that wound. He didn’t finch at the alcohol on the wound at all, but appreciated the warmth and warning. “You’re kinder than Bruce would have been if I’d been so careless with him.” A hint of warmth to his tone as he sat still so Poe could work on it. He normally was a lousy patient, but this was Poe after all. “We could play doctor later on if you want.” A dumb comment, but one followed by amusement anyway.
Tim had odd timing for humor, but he was an awkward person in general. “Not commonly no.” He thought whether or not they had weapons like this. “My home is more…guns and super powers.” Tim didn’t have any of that. Just a deadly accurate aim.
“We could go at night. My vision is actually better in the shadows.” He admitted. Having been trained in weird conditions, he was basically a ninja like that.
*
“You know, I thought about making that joke,” Poe admitted. That was probably one of the reasons the two of them got along as well as they did. “And I was thinking it might be better to wait until dark.” It should be easier to stick to the shadows and avoid being spotted by anyone who might intend harm.
He looked around the cabin again. “This might be something the Rebellion set up. If it is, there should be food. And maybe even some way to communicate with them.” He remembered his parents and Leia telling him stories about safe houses dotted throughout the galaxy. It wasn’t unlike what he experienced with the Resistance.
* “Then I guess it doesn’t make me entirely an insensitive prick?” He smirked a bit as he let Poe do what he wanted with that injury and tried not to give him such a hard time about moving around or anything. “Knew I picked the right one.” Tim’s humor was usually quite subtle, he didn’t typically make those kinds of jokes unless he was familiar with the person he was with. And he was very comfortable with Poe.
“Pretty sure this is the setting of a dirty movie.” Another tease. “Lost in the woods and stuck in some cave. Then the one guy takes off his shirt.” He tugged at Poe’s shirt with a laugh as he looked behind them at the wooded area. Then Poe mentioned something about a set up and he raised an eyebrow. “That would make sense. We had all kinds of things like that for these situations back home…Though mostly buildings. Secure apartments, that kind of thing….It is pretty clean in here for a cave.”
*
Poe smirked when Tim tugged on his shirt. He certainly wasn’t opposed to passing the time with some fun while they waited for the sun to set, even if it wasn’t the most responsible choice considering they had no idea who or what might be out there or if they’d be discovered. “There was a major battle on Endor,” he explained. “It was an important part of bringing down the Empire. If that’s when we’re here, well… I’ve heard a lot of stories, so hopefully we can avoid getting into too much trouble.” There was no telling how long they would be stuck here, though he assumed this would be similar to the time when he and Gideon ended up in Wonderland.
“You hungry? I can find something for us to eat. Too bad the Chinese food didn’t come through the portal with us.” That was going to be a mess he had to clean up when they eventually returned home.
*
There were possibly better times to tease him about sexy time than in a cave in an unknown forest. But whatever, Bruce wasn’t with them to scold him for it. Poe was far more laid back than him. He liked that about the man, Poe didn’t have crazy expectations for him to be a hardass that lacked a sense of humor. He was just Tim. “Endor…wait, isn’t that not on Earth?” Were they actually in space? He was pretty sure he’d heard that word before.
“Actually yeah, since I was expecting Chinese. “ A gentle tease as he tested his arm a bit. He could still move it apparently. It wasn’t broken by that laser weapon. That was a plus. It just kind of burned a little.
*
Not only were they not on Earth, they were in a completely different galaxy, though Tim might not recognize that even come nightfall unless he was very familiar with the stars in the night sky. “Maybe if we get lucky, I can find an x-wing and take you for a ride,” Poe said. “You’ll get to experience a little of my life before the portal snatched me away.”
Even if it wasn’t exactly the right time or place, it was still a piece of home and he was kind of excited to get to share it with Tim. He watched as the other man moved his arm. “Feeling okay?” he asked.
* “I think we need to do that. Yes.” He wanted to fly in something if this was really where they were. It felt surprisingly like Earth though. Not like the space he would have imagined in his head. They weren’t floating about needlessly or anything. They weren’t suffocating in the deep dark pits of space. “Show me everything.” He wanted to see how they other man’s life was. He was deeply interested in space stuff as a kid, so there was a part of him that was internally giddy about it. But Tim was quite subdued as an adult.
“Sore, but liveable.” He admitted as he let it rest against his knee and looked around. “What would you have been doing if you weren’t in New York with us?” Tim was a little bit disappointed they probably wouldn’t get to see his world any time soon, as corrupt as it was Gotham was something he missed.
*
“Good question,” Poe said. “I’m not sure. We managed to strike a pretty decisive blow against the First Order just before I ended up in New York and it looked like we might actually have a period of peace.” It had been a long time since he wasn’t battling for the fate of the galaxy and he hadn’t given a lot of thought to what his life might look like after they defeated the enemy.
Poe went to look through the cupboards in the small cabin, hoping he’d find some kind of rations so they could eat something, even if it was bland. The food here was nothing like what was available in New York, that was for sure.
*
“That was that sort of..organization of bad wasn’t it?” He remembered the name. But some of the space stuff was confusing. Now apparently he’d be getting educated. Which was good, he wanted to know more about the man he’d come to care for. “This place doesn’t feel too peaceful.” He gave a slight smirk. It was about as peaceful as Gotham was.
When he was handed something he raised an eyebrow at it. “This is food? No wonder you’re in no rush to be back home.” Or so it seemed anyway, Poe had a pretty comfortable life on Earth from what Tim had seen. He made a face at the bland bar he attempted to eat and stood. “As much as I’d like to stay in this cave, actually I’d really rather not. We should probably start from the center of all this.” As opposite as that sounded, they weren’t going to get anywhere at all sitting there.
***************
Two days after finding themselves on Endor, Poe and Tim finally made it to one of the Rebel Alliance camps. It had been an arduous journey, subsisting on food bricks and sleeping under the stars. The one good thing that the time provided was a chance for Poe to search his memories for every scrap of knowledge he had about Endor and the battle that happened there. He’d been young when he lost his parents, but thankfully he’d discussed the stories with Leia more recently and was confident his information was correct.
“Stay here,” he said, as they approached the camp. “Let me make contact on my own first.” Poe was pretty sure he would have to provide some kind of proof that he was really part of the Rebel Alliance and not some Empire footsoldier trying to sabotage them from the inside.
Poe approached, keeping a sharp eye out for any familiar faces. If he ran into anyone he knew in the future, he would have to pretend he didn’t recognize them because he didn’t want to try and explain time travel. It was easy to find someone who was in charge. After giving his name as Poe Drake-Wayne and answering the test questions to their satisfaction, the leadership agreed that he and Tim could join the fight.
It seemed they arrived just in the nick of time because they were barely introduced around when the area suddenly erupted in noise and the sounds of battle were unmistakable.
*
Tim just watched from his spot for now. “Don’t take too long.” He teased. Poe knew good and well Tim wouldn’t stay put if something went wrong, but for the time being he was content to watch him from his spot. This was his world, he knew what was happening here. Tim was clueless.
He only emerged from his spot when he saw more of those white clad soldiers on flying motorcycle looking things appear from the trees behind Poe. Once again a small metal disk thrown at one, it collided with a tree a bit away from them.
*
Poe was grateful that he’d been given a blaster already and he turned, taking aim at a Stormtrooper who was attempting to sneak up on Tim. After taking it down, he quickly closed the distance between them. “You okay?” he asked as more stormtroopers appeared and the group of rebels took up a defensive position.
It seemed like they were in this now and he was at least confident that Tim could handle himself. He took a moment to explain the best way to take down a stormtrooper and then flashed the younger man a grin. “Welcome to my world.”
*
Tim had swiped a blaster off a stormtrooper. He wasn’t exactly sure about how to handle it, but he was a fast learner. He’d always been able ot pick up things and just sort of figure them out. He looked up when Poe came over and smirked. “I apparently am now.” He leaned forward to kiss the man who’d just saved him from imminent doom. Holding him for a minute by the arm before letting him go and looking at him with amusement to see what he’d do next.
“Is it always like this?” He asked as he let go of that arm with a little regret. It was a good arm. “Where are we headed?” What was the goal of all this for these storm troopers? He had so many questions, but next ot no time to ask them.
*
“Always? No. Too often, unfortunately,” Poe said, flashing a grin at the younger man as he took a moment to return the kiss. He had heard stories about this battle and knew that the victory here was a decisive win for the rebels. Getting to play a small part in that was kind of exciting, especially knowing his parents and Leia were around here somewhere.
He gestured for Tim to follow him and headed towards a copse of trees that would give them cover. “Best we can do is keep shooting,” he said. “We cannot let our presence change the outcome of what’s supposed to happen here.” Part of him really wanted to go and find his parents since he hadn’t seen them in so many years, but he knew that was a dangerous idea.
* “Sounds exhausting.” He responded after that kiss broke. He wasn’t entirely sure how to use that blaster, but based on seeing it in action it seemed easy enough. Point and shoot. Couldn’t be that hard right? “Here I thought Gotham was bad.” Though he was still a little disappointed about not seeing it. He wanted to see Poe’s world, but he often was left feeling more than a little home sick in New York lately. Less so with Poe, but it would have been kind of nice seeing the dumpster fire that was home again.
“Not sure this is a situation that two people can really change….can they?” He didn’t know much about the way Poe’s world was. “What is the outcome supposed to be?” He was asking questions as they moved, Tim had the odd sense of making things happen that shouldn’t if he didn’t know-so he asked.
:*
Honestly, Poe wasn’t sure if they could change things. He was just being paranoid. It was a lot knowing he was this close to his parents and that he really shouldn’t interact with them. “The good guys win,” he said with a grin. “And then they party with the Ewoks, which is apparently a good time.” He wondered if they would see any of the giant furry creatures while they were here. Part of him kind of wanted to be there for the party, but mostly he wanted them to get back to New York where they belonged. Sort of belonged. This whole interdimensional travel thing was confusing.
*****************
The fight had been a lot. Tim was full of thoughts when they reached the Ewok village, he got up from the circle of cute looking but fierce little warrior bears to go get a bit of air. It was a lot of people he’d been around in general. He needed the breather. Not from Poe, but from the overwhelming amount of creatures they found themselves in and the rush of adrenaline he felt in the aftermath of it all. He locked eyes with Poe before slipping away for a moment to a very weirdly pretty area of quiet Ewok village, in front of bridges that were suspended in the air leading up to the village. He leaned on the fencing there and looked up at the unfamiliar stars. He’d tried a bit of the strange Ewok alcohol, but not enough to collapse. Just enough to put a bit of redness on his cheeks. Poe’s world was a wild ride.
*
It was simultaneously fascinating and awkward to be participating in an event that he’d heard stories about since childhood. Thus far, Poe had managed to avoid crossing paths with anyone that he knew in the future, but he knew that the longer they were here, the greater chance of that happening. And while none of them would recognize him, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to maintain his composure if he came face to face with someone he lost.
When Tim slipped away, Poe stayed where he was for a few minutes before excusing himself and going to look for his young friend. “You okay?” he asked, walking up behind Tim and resting his chin on the man’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist.
* When he felt the weight of him, he leaned into his embrace. “ Mm yeah. Just a lot of people…creatures?” He corrected with a bit of a soft chuckle as he enjoyed the warmth and sense of security Poe brought just by being there. “Your world is something else.” He smiled as he spoke. His voice was quiet, but Tim wasn’t exactly the loud sort.
“You’re kind of amazing you know that?” He’d only grown in admiration of the guy with his fighting skills on full display.
*
“I do know that,” Poe agreed with a chuckle. False modesty wasn’t a good look on him. “And, yes, my world is crazy. Multiple generations of intergalactic war will do that to a place.” This experience had definitely brought them closer together and Poe was surprised to realize that he was developing genuine feelings for Tim. This wasn’t the time or place for that, not when things were still so chaotic, but it was something to explore when they eventually got back to New York.
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Tim’s cheek. “There are definitely worse events we could have gotten stuck experiencing.” And he was glad there was no chance of them running into any version of him. That would be beyond weird.
*
“And so humble too.” He shook his head in amusement. Poe made him feel something he hadn’t in a long time. Feelings in him had been dead for years until recently. So he thought. He’d gone several with just mind numbing pain, but with Poe it was different. He felt wanted and accepted for who he was. No pressure to be something he wasn’t or to live up to anyone else's shadow. “
That red hue had deepend on his skin at that kiss as he grinned. “I’m glad I got to see your home. Messy as it is. Maybe one day I’ll get to show you mine.” And he’d be glad to even if it was equally not perfect. It was theirs. “The stars are so bright here.” In New York they were hard to see with all the light pollution. He couldn’t help but admire it. It wasn’t something he was familiar with seeing.
*
Poe loved seeing the familiar stars. He hadn’t realized how much he missed them until he saw them again. “I just wish I could take you up there,” he said. “Maybe if we’re here longer, I can borrow an x-wing and take you flying.” They would probably need to leave Endor in a few days with the war being mostly over, though he wasn’t really sure where they should go. Staying with the rebel alliance for too long would call unwanted attention to them and Poe wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
There was a rustling that indicated people were nearby and he let his arms drop from around Tim’s waist and moved so he was leaning against the fence next to him instead. He heard giggling and it sounded like a man and woman were approaching. Poe figured they could make a few minutes of small talk and then excuse themselves.
Except when the couple came into view, he was shocked to recognize his parents, and when they casually greeted Poe and Tim, he froze, unsure of what to say or how to respond.
*
“You’d better. I keep hearing about you being this great pilot so I think I need to see it now for myself.” He spoke with amusement. “Think we better start looking for one then. Who knows how long we’ll be here.” He leaned his head on him, just soaking in his presence.
He’d been so distracted, he didn’t even notice the couple coming up behind them. That part scared him a little if he was entirely honest. He raised an eyebrow “Uh, hi. Can we help you?” Poe was weirdly quiet. He gave a quick scan to Poe’s face. Trying to figure out if he should be defensive or not.
*
The young woman laughed. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said. “Just looking for a private spot away from the festivities. Same as you apparently.”
Poe tried to speak and couldn’t. That laugh. That smile. He hadn’t heard his mother’s voice in so long that he had almost forgotten what it sounded like. He was aware that both of his parents were looking at him, expecting him to say something.
“You look familiar,” his father said. “Have we met?”
He managed to shake his head just as a burst of red energy appeared out of nowhere. The only thing Poe had time to do was grab Tim’s hand. Then they were in his apartment, in the exact same spot where they’d been when the portal took them away. Someone had clearly been in and cleaned up the food he dropped since there was no mess there.
*
“Oh. Plenty of room then.” He didn’t really get who they were, and it seemed like Poe couldn’t find words. So he did the talking for them both. It hadn’t connected that these people meant something to him.
Tim straightened up a bit, about to say something else when suddenly his hand was taken again and things shifted once more. They were back home. Well, Poe’s place anyway. He chewed at his lip nervously and frowned. “Are you okay?” He hadn’t let go of his hand yet, and had no plans to until he knew what was going on.
*
“Yes,” Poe said automatically. They were home. He should be fine, right? “No.” He’d gotten an all too brief glimpse of the parents he lost far too young and then been snatched away. “I don’t know,” he finally said, tugging Tim over so they could sit on the couch. It was oddly quiet in the apartment and he realized that there were no droids around. God only knew what trouble they had gotten into while he and Tim were gone.
He let out a heavy sigh and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. “That was my parents,” he explained in a quiet voice.
* Tim went willingly to sit beside him. This time it was his turn to rest his head on Poe’s chest. “Tell me about them?” Sometimes it helped, but also sometimes it was worse. He hoped for the helping part though. Poe had never mentioned his parents, but on the flip side neither had Tim. Both of them had their secrets, neither one pushed. But he felt like it might help if Poe did talk about them, or what happened to them. He could relate to family drama in a hugely unfortunate way.
*
Poe shook his head even as he slid his arm around Tim’s shoulder. “Later,” he said. It was too fresh right now and he felt discombobulated from the sudden and unexpected return to New York just as he came face to face with his parents. “Right now I just need…” he trailed off, unsure of exactly what he needed at the moment.
After a few moments, he continued, “I just need a quiet night. A hot shower and my own bed.” Another pause. “I’d love if you stayed, but if you need to go to your own place, I understand.” They’d been gone a week, at least as far as he knew, and there were likely people worried about them both. It might be selfish, but Poe figured they could wait until tomorrow to let folks know they were back.
*
“Later is good.” Quiet was even better. He could be awake if he was needed to be awake, but just curled up there with the other man he could also sleep for ten years after all that. “I don’t think I have the energy to go home, and I kind of don’t want to yet either.” His hand rested on Poe’s thigh tiredly.
“No offense, but I think you need one. A shower I mean.” He teased gently, he could respect the man’s need for sorting out the things first on his own time. He wouldn’t push, but he would quietly hover and worry.
*
“Care to join me?” Poe asked. He wasn’t the only one who was a bit ripe after their week long adventure on Endor. There was no underlying tone of innuendo in the question; he simply figured it would be more efficient to share.
* After seeing his parents, it was no surprise that invite wasn’t a sexy one. “With you? Always.” He reluctantly moved and reached for his hand so they could both take a much needed shower. “I’ll call Dick later and at least let him know we’re home?” It wouldn’t be cool to not do that much at least.