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Evaan lands hard and pops her canopy, untangling herself from the harness in a hurry to get up and out. Her astromech took damage from the same hit that cracked her head against the canopy, and he’s responding, but sluggishly; she wants to check him out, and once he’s taken care of there’s the damage to her starboard pylon to deal with, which looks like mostly nothing serious but she’s definitely drawing less power than she should be, and then there’s all the components that ion blast knocked out–-

She’s not even fully unstrapped before she hears a ladder clang up against the side of her fighter, and a half-second later Leia appears at the top of it, wide-eyed and out of breath. “Ev?”

“Hey,” she says, grinning.

“Are you hurt?” Leia clambers the rest of the way up the ladder and swings a leg over, perching on the edge of the cockpit and leaning in. “You sounded awful on the comm. Stay still, let me look–-”

“I’m fine,” Evaan says-– not that she exactly minds Leia’s hands cupped around her face, but she’d rather it wasn’t just to inspect her for injuries.

Leia doesn’t appear to hear her. “Your fighter’s a mess, I don’t know how you got it back in one piece. Can you get out? Look, are you sure you’re not hurt? I think you should-–”

“Leia, I’m fine,” she says again, and when that doesn’t seem to break through either, lowers her voice and tries, “Ma’am-–”

“–-can worry about your fighter after the medics check you out, I know you don’t-–”

Evaan rolls her eyes, pulls Leia down into her lap and kisses her.

Leia makes an indignant noise into her mouth, which makes her laugh, which makes Leia laugh; they break apart for a moment, Evaan keeping her arm around Leia’s waist to keep her close, butting her face up against Leia’s and seizing the chance for another quick kiss. “I said I’m fine,” she says, and she’s still laughing a little. “But I’d be better if you’d let me get a word in edgewise.”

“Sass from my pilots, every commander’s dream. You’re lucky you’re my favorite.” Leia swings back onto the ladder. “I still want you checked out.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Evaan says, clambering down after her, and then dares, “Maybe someone should walk with me, I did hit my head.”

“Yes, I can see you need someone to lean on,” Leia says solemnly, and tucks herself in against Evaan’s side, letting Evaan drape an arm across her shoulders. “Can’t leave one of my pilots in this condition, my datawork will just have to wait.”