You were lucky your date with Phasma had happened in the first place, honestly. Besides the fact that she had even asked you to dinner – something you were still trying to process – it was a miracle you were even both available tonight. You had gotten distracted with your new duties as General. You probably would have skipped dinner altogether if you hadn't had someone waiting on you. And Phasma waiting on anyone or anything was a feat.

You were aware of how regimented she was. She had a schedule to keep to, even for herself personally, aside from work. But it hadn't even bothered her that she wouldn't be eating on time.

She was waiting for you when you hurriedly walked into the dining hall, knowing you were likely late, too afraid to check the time. You easily picked her out of the crowd, her platinum hair glowing in the artificial light.

You froze in the entrance after you processed what you saw. She was out of her quarters without her helmet. As your heart began to race, you realized you hadn't even thought of the specifics of how this date was going to happen, much less a relationship, if that's where this was going. You hadn't had time to be anxious about it with how busy you were. Suddenly, a flurry of questions popped into your mind. How would you be seen with her in public? She couldn't wear her helmet all the time. She had to eat, right? Then, suddenly you were worried you had inconvenienced her. Why was she walking around like this? Did she even want this?

"Y/N?" Phasma had gotten up and walked over to you, noticing you standing in the doorway. "Are you alright?"

You startled from your daze to look at her, and you began to feel at ease. Your shoulders loosened and you took a deep, yet hitched, breath. Not only was she not wearing her helmet, she had traded all of her indiscreet armor for drab First Order fatigues. She looked... normal.

"You... "

Phasma cut you off. "I figured it would be best if I blended in."

"You just look so naked without..."

You stopped yourself, realizing what you had said. Then you closed your eyes, embarrassed, recognizing how much worse you'd made the statement by bringing attention to it. You could feel the heat in your cheeks.

"You're quite adorable when you blush," Phasma said before she walked off toward the table.

You sighed heavily, trying to compose yourself for the second time today. It was going to be a long dinner if you kept this up.

As you sat down with your plates, you couldn't help but stare at her. It was a weird sight to see, an armor-less Phasma. She was still imposing, however, her height not an artificial advantage from the suit alone. The others in the hall didn't seem to notice that their Captain was in their midst. Surely her presence would have changed the atmosphere, if they only knew.

Phasma noticed the way you were looking at her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just.... Are you sure no one knows who you are?"

She shook her head. "There's only two people on this ship that know who I am. You." She took a bite of her food. "And Ren."

Your gut did a freefall. You had completely forgotten about The Commander. The two of you weren't on the best terms, not that he was on good terms with anyone, to your knowledge. But you definitely didn't want to get on his bad side. Especially now that you would have to deal with him a lot more as General. What if he found out you were sneaking around with the Captain? He would absolutely lose it. A man like him did not like fraternization. Something about "attachments," you had heard.

Phasma quickly changed the subject, and dinner continued on, but all the while you couldn't relax. Phasma did most of the talking, which you didn't mind. Mostly about her work life; she had really known no other life besides that in the First Order. You'd ask a question every now and then. Just hearing her talk made your heart flutter in your chest, especially now that you could listen to her voice without her helmet.

Every now and then, you'd catch yourself looking over your shoulder or around the room, anxious for someone to point her out. Or for Ren, stars forbid, to walk in.

Your date proceeded without incident, however. Over the course of the dinner, awkward silences, mostly brought on by you, became less imposing. The quiet was mutually enjoyed. It seemed the both of you were tired, each unwilling to say so.

Phasma broke the silence. "What's wrong, Y/N?"

"I'm just tired."

She glared at you. "There's something else."

You sighed. "I'm still nervous."

She put her fork down and leaned across the table, her face coming close to yours. "No one has to know about this if you don't want them to." The look on her face was sincere, her eyes staring into yours, trying to comfort you. "And if anyone says anything, I will kick their ass."

You smiled slightly and nodded. Her tone was playful, but you knew she meant every word.

Leaning back in her chair, a small smirk crept onto one side of Phasma's face. She seemed so relaxed, unlike you. "As I said, Ren is the only other soul on this ship that knows my identity. So –"

"And that's who I'm worried about," you blurted out.

Phasma laughed. "Don't worry. Ren won't say anything. I promise."

Her laugh caught you off guard. How could Phasma be so confident about this? Maybe it was because she had been here longer than you; she was well established. But she didn't seem to be worried about anything.

Then it hit you. "He 'won't say anything?' Does – does he already know?"

As if she were pleased with your sleuthing, Phasma flashed a smile. "Ren has been trying to get me to ask you out for months."

"What?!" you exclaimed, a bit too loudly. If you didn't want to call attention to your little dinner date, you were doing a bad job. Now it was your turn to lean across the table. Lowering your voice, you whispered now. "Are you kidding me?"

"You should be flattered, Y/N. The Commander thinks highly of you."

"Well, that's the first I've heard of that."

"Ren is no good with words, if you couldn't tell. You have come up in our conversations, though. Quite often, actually."

"Wait, are you his friend? Does Ren have friends?"

"He's like the little brother I never wanted. So I guess you could say I'm his friend. His only friend." She chuckled. Stars, how your heart melted every time she smiled.

You slightly smiled back. That fact made you feel a little better.

As the hall began to clear, you sat in silence, trying to process your newly gained intel, while Phasma unknowingly admired you from across the table.

"Y/N?"

"Hm?" You looked up out of your daze.

"You're tired aren't you?"

You hesitated to answer. "Stars, am I."

"Let's go, then. A general needs her rest."

"No!" you protested. "I'm fine. I want to spend time with –." A betraying yawn interrupted you.

Phasma shot a glare you way, her eyebrows raised. "Come on. I'll walk you to your quarters."

Stubbornly, you remained seated, determined to continue the dinner, though you'd finished eating long ago. The hall was empty now.

Phasma stood up and grabbed your arm, pulling you up from your seat. She held onto your arm even after you stood up, keeping you close. Her grip was tight, but affectionately so. You looked up at her, thinking she had something to say, but she just stood there, silently, staring back at you. To anyone else this would be intimidating, but you appreciated it. Your entire body tensed, and you felt feverish.

"You're blushing again."

Quickly, you broke from Phasma's grasp and strode away.

She caught up with you down the hall and the two of you walked for a bit in silence.

Though she was out of uniform, you both held a commanding presence over the hallway, chins held high, arms dutifully places behind your backs. The few troopers that walked by greeted you accordingly, paying no mind to the incognito captain. She watched your face during the encounters. You were always so gracious, but professional. She loved to watch you work; it made her chest feel a certain way. Something she was unsure she could even feel until she saw you. It made her proud, almost, to be in the presence of another woman, another strong woman, unafraid of power.

Phasma spoke up through a grin. "I personally don't think it would be so bad if everyone knew about us."

She paused, waiting for a response from you. You, however, unsure of how to respond, continued walking, only glancing up at her. You swallowed through a lump in your throat.

"We would make a nice power couple," Phasma finished.

You stopped walking. "Couple?"

Phasma turned around, realizing you weren't next to her anymore, and strode over hastily. As confident as she appeared, she was truly afraid to push you away. "I apologize. I shouldn't have insinuated that..."

You interrupted her. "No. No, it's okay." You put your hand on her arm. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up. I didn't know if you liked me that much. Liked me as much as I liked you."

The last part slipped through your lips before you could even stop yourself, and you immediately felt the flush in your cheeks. The heat reached your ears. This was never going to get any easier.

Phasma placed her hand on your shoulders, looking down into your eyes. "I'm incredibly fond of you, Y/N." She gently kissed your forehead before turning and continuing down the hall.

"Now let's get you home. I believe we have a long day tomorrow, General."

You followed her lead down the hall, only after you were sure your knees wouldn't give out.