Who: Yondu and Poe Where: Local dive bar What: Post 5 Cent Junkyard tour drinks When: Sometime in April Status: Complete
Yondu leaned back in the worn wooden chair as he lifted the cold, sweating glass of beer to his lips. Despite owning Lucifer’s bar, he had to admit he still preferred to get his beer here, at the little seedy dive bar a few blocks away from the junkyard. Somehow he felt the beer tasted better and was much colder.
Plus, these were his people. Ruffians, scoundrels, the odd blue collar worker, and women whose professions he didn’t question, especially if they caught his eye. Lucifer’s place was too polished, the clientele too high class.
“So, normally I’d charge for stowing your ah, vehicle, at the yard. But seein’ as you’re a veteran, and a Dreamer, I ain’t gonna.” Yondu said to the young man seated across from him. Dark haired, olive skinned, with the sort of looks that would give Peter - Yondu’s adopted son - a run for his money when it came to the ladies. He knew already a few heads had glanced in their general direction. “Gotta take care of our own.” He sipped at the beer. Yondu was a Marine veteran himself, Poe was by extension family - in a professional sense anyway. That sort of unsaid understanding between folks who had served in the military.
Dive bars weren’t usually Poe’s first choice, but he’d been to his fair share of sketchy bars over the years, especially when he was deployed so when Yondu had suggested the place after the tour of his junkyard, Poe hadn’t had any objections. “Thanks. I really appreciate that.” Poe was also quite used to the attention he got from women as well as men so while he noticed the people noticing him, he wasn’t there to flirt with anyone at the moment, “When and where did you serve?” He asked, taking a sip of his beer as he sat back in his chair.
“Marines. The eighties. Probably back ‘fore you were born.” he smirked, taking another sip of his beer. “Didn’t do no tours. Just Okinawa.” He shrugged. He wasn’t like other men who would tell stories of Okinawa or training as if it were on par with a tour of duty. He’d done his time, straightened out, and gotten on with his life.
He leaned back in his chair and looked at Poe, measuring the man. “I bet you’ve probably seen a thing or two in your time. Seems like every damn decade some shit’s goin’ down.” He wasn’t all that bitter he’d missed seeing combat, not after seeing friends return from the Gulf War all messed up - or not return at all.
“Well that depends on when in the eighties. I was born in eighty five.” Poe smirked, taking a swig of his beer then nodded an affirmative to Yondu’s statement, “Yeah, I definitely saw some things in ten plus years.” Like Yondu there were some things that Poe shared and some he chose not to talk about, “When did you get out? I was honorably discharged last year.” Sometimes Poe wished that he was still on active duty, but he had gotten lucky when he’d been offered the flight instructor position because it meant that he could still fly, which was really all he cared about right now.
“Shoot, now you’re tryin’ to make me remember…” Yondu frowned, brow scrunching as he tried to recollect. He gave up and shrugged. “Did my four years an’ got out. Went back home to become a cop. Congratulations on the discharge. What’re you up to now?”
“I just didn’t want to give up the chance to fly.” Poe said, taking a sip of his beer, “That’s all I ever really wanted to do, but after ten years, it was time to get out.” It had been an experience that Poe was never going to forget nor one that he regretted, “Flight instructor on the base. I got offered the job not long after I was discharged. Gives me the chance to still fly and teach others to do the same. Are you a cop now? My friend Finn is also a cop.”
“Nice. Had a few buddies that flew in the Corps. Once it’s in your blood seems impossible to get it out. So I hear.” He smirked. “Good for you teachin’ others. Sounds like good work.”
He finished his beer and plucked a handful of nuts from the dish between them, then saying around the mouthful, “Retired. Couple years back. Didn’t stick.” He swallowed and said a bit more clearly despite his Alabama drawl, “Moved here an’ was a bounty hunter a while ‘till Lucifer hired me as his bodyguard.” He paused a moment, unsure whether to tell Poe about the club. Then again, he’d announced it on the Network so why not. “He left town and gave me his club.” The words still sounded weird coming out of his mouth every time he said it, like it was something happening to someone else. “Your buddy Finn doin’ all right? I hear Cali cops got it rough ‘round these parts.”
Poe nodded, smirking, “It really is. Once you get a taste for it, staying on the ground is really hard.” And now he was dreaming about being a pilot in space, which just proved that it was in his blood, “Oh, wow. Sounds like you’ve had a pretty colorful resume.” He took a sip of his beer, “What club is it?” He wondered if he’d been there before; Poe liked going out when he had the time, which was usually on the weekends. “Far as I know, he’s doing alright.”
“Good. It ain’t easy bein’ the law.” Yondu stretched a little. “But yeah. Can’t say this old man hasn’t seen a thing or two. Specially round these parts.” Settling more into his seat he continued. “Ol’ Lucy was good people, even if he was a pretentious Brit.” He sniffed and shifted, leaning back. He missed Lucifer. Yondu didn’t have a crew or a lot of friends here. “Place is called Lux. Upscale sorta joint. Still don’t know why he left it to me of all people. He knows this is my kinda joint. Hell, this is where we met and he hired me.” A waitress with skintight jeans sauntered by and Yondu gave her rear a healthy slap. She gasped and with lightning speed whipped around and smacked him upside the head just as hard. Yondu let out a roar of laughter and she grinned before continuing on her way. “Love you too, darlin!” He called out.
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Lux.” It wasn’t exactly the type of place that Poe frequented; he wasn’t one for the fancy clubs, if he were honest. When Poe went out he usually just opted for beer or sometimes a cocktail, depending on where he went. He didn’t need to spend an arm and a leg when he went out. The fancy places just weren’t his thing.
Poe took another sip of his beer as he watched Yondu interact with the waitress, a brow raising slightly as the older man slapped her ass. Somehow the other man’s behavior didn’t exactly surprise him, “So, what’s space like?” Poe was very much looking forward to the day when he’d have Black One in working order and could actually go into space.
“Well if you ever feel like droppin’ by just tell ‘em I sent ya. I’ll set ya’ up nice like.” Yondu smirked. Drinks. Girls. Whatever. He had Lucifer’s model to go by, more or less.
“Space…” he sighed and leaned back, seemingly nostalgic. His body almost seemed to relax at the thought. “Damn. It’s perfect. Just you an’ the stars. The rest of the universe. All the limitless places you could go. Or just hangin’ out in the big empty, with nowhere to go. No noise, no people, no fussin’. Hell, ‘fore I had Lux to take care of I spent more’n half my time up there some days.” He knew Poe knew he had a ship in orbit, not that he’d shown him yet, but Yondu wasn’t about to reveal how he got to that ship lest it suddenly get taken out for a joyride. He’d yelled at Peter on more than one occasion for doing so already, he didn’t need another hotshot pilot taking the Meredith out through the stratosphere.
With the dreams feeling as real as they did, in a way Poe felt like he’d already been to space many times, but whenever he woke up from the dreams, he was reminded that the closest he had been to space was the wide open sky and while that was exhilarating in and of itself, the thought of flying in space was something he simply couldn’t wait to do. “I can’t even believe I’m going to have the opportunity to go to space. It’s still a little mind boggling.” He took another sip of his beer.
Yondu chuckled. “Just let me know when you’re launchin’. I’ve got pointers to keep the airports n’ government looky-loos from spotting your craft.” He had a cloaking device on the Meredith, thankfully. Poe’s ship at least could be mistaken briefly for a jet or something; Yondu’s M-Ship? Not so much.
Poe nodded, “Of course. And I’ll make sure to let you know when it’s finished being assembled so that you can see the finished product.” The thought of putting together an entire starship was very daunting, but Poe was sure that with BB-8’s knowledge, the knowledge he himself had from the dreams about X-Wings as well as his knowledge of jets and Michael’s help as a mechanic, he was sure that they would be able to do this with minimal problems.
“Appreciate it.” Yondu nodded. He drained the rest of his beer and fished out his wallet. Pulling out a bunch of bills he flagged down a waitress, who happened to be the same one he’d just exchanged whacks with. She threw him a smirk. Yondu matched it. “Keep the change, darlin’.” He’d easily overtipped, probably by about forty bucks or so. With the amount of money he was making with Lux, he could afford to be generous. The waitress grinned at him and thanked him, also casting an appreciative smile at Poe before heading off to her next table.
Yondu got up and stretched, popping a few joints loudly. “So, I’m gonna head off. You good headin’ out from here? Or do you need a Marine escort?” It was a military joke - the Marines constantly teased the Navy about being their mode of transport and that the Marines, technically a part of the Navy’s branch of service, were the Men’s department of the Navy.