Aunt Bey - Stormpilot Week 2017 - Day 2: July 2nd - Fake married/Fake dating OR Alternative Meeting
Also on AO3 http://archiveofourown.org/works/11373210
Poe supposed he should be grateful that the General decided to give him any warning before the next expected delegation arrived on base. It gave him time to prepare, mentally, time to clean the quarters he shared with his bunkmate, that sort of thing.
“Who am I kidding?” Poe asked himself, a note of exasperated despair as he slipped back into his room and dropped onto his bunk.
General Leia Organa-Solo had called Poe into her office on what was ostensibly a rest day to inform him that one of her old contacts through the late and great Han Solo had heard of the Resistance's plight through Lando Calrissian and was willing to meet to discuss a possible alliance that would allow the Resistance access to more supplies.
Whether all of the supplies were acquired through strictly legal methods might be a different question, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Poe had dealt with his share of smugglers during his time in the Resistance, so he didn't really have any real moral quandaries about it, so long as they weren't deliberately out hurting people.
The problem wasn't with what was coming, it was who.
Shandra Bey was a fairly notorious smuggler, one who always managed to stay ahead of the First Order and Republic authorities.
She was also the oldest sister of Poe's mother, Shara Bey, and technically the matriarch of the Bey family now. He hadn't seen her in years, not since a year after he'd first defected, but after business with the General was concluded, because Shandra Bey knew how to keep business matters and personal matters separate, she would come looking for him and demand to know why, at 34, he still wasn't married, or at least in a serious relationship with someone. Surely there was someone in the universe that he wanted to eventually settle down with and adopt children.
Poe's last serious relationship had been with Muran, back when they were both still fighting for the Republic. Poe'd hit a tailspin after Muran had been killed by the First Order, and hadn't sought out even a one night stand since. No single person Poe had met drew him in the way Muran had, and without that emotional attachment, he didn't particularly feel the desire for copious sexual encounters, no matter what his reputation might allude to.
Poe Dameron was generally a very nice and open person, but some people took what he thought was just being nice as flirting. It had earned him a reputation his pilot's occasionally ribbed him about. But they all knew his nature, and that he hadn't been with anyone since Muran.
When Finn had first joined the Resistance two years ago, Jessica Pava had giving him a fair amount of grief, but Poe didn't believe in love at first sight, not for himself. Finn was aesthetically pleasing, and Poe was certainly grateful to, and fond of Finn. Over the first six months Finn was with the Resistance after he'd first been released from the medical ward, they'd become fairly good friends.
Since they'd moved from D'Qar to their current base a year ago, he and Finn had bunked together. They got along well, and Poe enjoyed the other man's company, but they were just friends, no matter how much grief Pava gave him. Finn had his quiet hookups (Stormtroopers, Finn had advised Poe, were not the innocent, uneducated virgins the Resistance seemed to assume they were), and was always courteous and quiet when he returned to their shared quarters at night.
But they were most certainly not in a relationship. If they were, Poe wouldn't have this dilemma with his aunt's upcoming visit.
“Poe?” Finn's voice floated in from the onsuite refresher and he stepped out into the living quarters, towel slung low over his hips. He took a look at Poe's expression and his eyes filled with concern. “Hey, you alright?”
Poe huffed. “Yeah, find, really.”
“Huh uh,” Finn snorted. “With that tone, I don't believe you. What's up, man?”
“New set of potential allies will be coming in two days from now,” Poe explained as he ran his fingers through his thick brown curls. “My Aunt Shandra Bey will be among them.”
“And?” Finn lifted a brow. “Shouldn't you be happy to see a family member, unless you don't get along with her?”
“It isn't that I don't get along with her, its that she has certain expectations of a nephew who is already in his mid thirties,” Poe replied.
Finn frowned. “Like what?”
Even after two years of watching normal people interact, there were still some things Finn didn't quite grasp.
“Serious relationship, marriage, that kind of thing,” Poe heaved a sigh. “And there hasn't been anyone since..”
“Muran,” Finn supplied, remembering the way that Poe had described his late husband. “And you've said yourself you really haven't been able to fall in love since then, soo...”
“Yeah,” Poe replied, rubbing his forehead.
Finn looked thoughtful, chewing on his lower lip. “Okay, so why don't you find someone who is willing to pretend they're in a relationship with you, at least as long as your aunt is here? You can always pretend to break up later. Find someone your Aunt isn't likely to ask many questions of.” His eyes brightened. “You can ask Rey. No one but Skywalker or the General are willing to argue with her.”
“My Aunt kind of knows I'm not into girls, Finn,” Poe replied gently, though he was turning the general idea over in his mind. Snap was happily married, but Bastian wasn't dating anyone right now and maybe he'd be willing to..
Bastian had once had a mild crush on him though and he really didn't want to lead the kid on.
“Yeah but who?” Poe asked aloud.
Finn gave him a bit of an odd look. “Well, I'd do it if you asked.”
Poe felt his heart flip a little, an odd sensation around Finn. “Yeah, but buddy, you're my best friend.”
“And as your best friend, I'm willing to help you out in whatever way I can,” Finn replied calmly. “I mean, we're already bunking together, so it would make the lie easier.”
“Everyone around base is going to assume we're lying,” Poe frowned.
“Or that we kept it a secret,” Finn shrugged. “Because you're a private person and all, and so am I. And even if our friends know, I doubt they're going to out us to your aunt.”
Poe chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip. “Okaayy...it might be worth a try.”
Two days later Finn and Poe stood with the General, watching an old CR90 Corvette settle on the tarmac and watched a tall woman with a confident stride disembark, along with a tall Zabrak and a Twi'lek. She had the same dark curly hair as Poe, though liberally streaked with gray and pulled back into a no nonsense tail. Her dark eyes fell briefly on Poe as she greeted Leia as an old friend.
Poe smiled at his aunt, taking Finn's hand firmly in his own as they stood there. Shandra Bey's eyes lingered on their joined hands for a moment, and she smiled, before being swept off by Leia.
A few hours later, the determined Shandra Bey sought them out in the mess hall where Finn and Poe sat with the pilots and a couple Pathfinders, just like they normally did, their knees pressed just as closely as ever.
Poe had told Finn he didn't think they'd need to change much of their normal behavior. Poe was naturally affectionate with his friends, so casual touches were the norm between him and Finn. Poe was slinging an arm over Finn's shoulders while Finn recounted a tale of one of his latest missions when Shandra Bey approached them with a tray, settling into a spot the pilots on the other side of the bench readily made for her.
“Been too long, Young Poe,” Shandra told him, shaking a finger lightly at her nephew. “Would've given you a proper hug earlier but had to meet with the General. Fine lady, always was. But I expect one after dinner.”
Poe smiled at his aunt, for a moment feeling vaguely anxious that she wouldn't by the lie he and Finn had prepared, but he shoved it down, just as he was used to shoving down uncomfortable emotions.
“Of course, Aunt Shandra,” he promised.
Shandra's deep brown eyes focused on Finn then and she lifted a brow. “And who is this young man? Your father mentioned you haven't written home lately.”
“Aunt Shandra, this is my boyfriend, Finn,” Poe introduced him, and marveled at how easily the lie slipped from his mouth.
“Finn?” Shandra asked, taking in the muscular build of the dark skinned man beside her nephew. She whistled then. “Finn the former Stormtrooper, the one who managed to get my nephew here out of a tight spot and then defected from the First Order.”
Finn blushed a little but offered a hand. “That would be me. And your nephew saved me as much as I saved him, Ms. Bey.”
“Aunt Shandra to you,” Shandra advised him with a grin. “Glad he's found someone who cares about him as much as you. I can see it in the way you look at him.”
Finn feigned a smile and leaned into Poe's side. It was a little closer than they usually got, but they were trying to convince Poe's aunt that they were in a very serious relationship.”
Poe flashed him a grin and Finn felt his heart melt a little.
As Poe chatted with his aunt, Finn watched his bunkmate and best friend, his heart flipping a little every time that Poe glanced at him like that.
Who was he kidding? Finn had spent the past year and a half having quiet one night, maybe two night stands, but he'd honestly never had any emotional attachment to those lovers. It was just sex, fulfilling a need they both had.
But Poe? Poe was the first one that Finn had seen when he woke up from a coma. Poe had been with him every step of the way through his recovery.
At first, Finn had sworn it was just residual infatuation, but the more time he spent around Poe, the more he was forced to admit he was in love with a pilot.
But Poe didn't feel the same, and Finn wasn't about to jeopardize their friendship, so he kept his mouth shut.
This was going to be a long three days.
As the next few days wore on, Poe was finding it more and more difficult to emotionally detach himself from the loving gestures that Finn was bestowing on him in public for Poe's aunt.
A couple of his pilots were giving him strange looks when his aunt wasn't looking.
Poe had always been fond of Finn, from the moment they met, but he was beginning to realize he might feel something a bit more serious for the former stormtrooper. He'd always enjoyed spending time in Finn's company, but now it made him almost giddy with joy.
Every moment without Finn made him a little wistful when the man wasn't around.
Even more disconcerting was the dream that Poe had the night before.
Poe never had wet dreams. He did get aroused sometimes, not by thoughts of any particular person, just from basic biological need. He dealt with it alone and he moved on. But last night? Last night he'd had a dream involving himself, Finn, and a lot of bare skin that had him gasping in his sleep and waking up as he came.
That had been a bit embarrassing. Thankfully Finn had slept right through it, even with their bunks pushed together in a way they normally weren't, something they'd done for his aunt's benefit when she asked to see their quarters.
Poe had never really wanted many people in his life, not sexually anyway. Muran, certainly, but no one since.
But now he wanted...craved Finn.
And Finn was just doing all of this as a favor for a friend.
What in kriff was he going to do?
Poe and Finn were there when the General said goodbye to Shandra Bey.
“You two take care of each other,” Shandra instructed them as she took hugged both men and turn. “And remember what I told you, Finn, you're family. You two need help, don't hesitate to ask.”
“I won't, Aunt Shandra,” Finn promised with a smile, using the title she'd told him to. She'd smacked his shoulder the second time he tried calling her Ms. Bey, or Captain Bey, and he'd learned.
“Be safe, Aunt Shandra,” Poe told her as he hugged his aunt.
“This one's a good one, Poe,” she whispered seriously to him. “Make sure you don't let him get away.”
Poe and Finn both eyed each other a little awkwardly after Shandra's ship was gone.
Poe rubbed the back of his neck. “Umm, can we talk, Finn?”
Finn shot a glance at him, feeling strangely nervous. “Er, sure. Where, here? Somewhere else?”
“Our room, somewhere private?” Poe asked.
Finn nodded and let Poe lead the way to their bunk.
They were both quiet as they entered the room, BB-8 off somewhere else, so they were completely alone.
They both stopped. Poe sighed. “You go first, Finn.”
Finn couldn't quite meet Poe's eyes, but he nodded. “So, these last few days, they've sort of made me realize I like you as more than a friend...I can find a new roommate because I know you don't think about me like that, but I-”
“Wait, what?” Poe stopped him. Finn's gaze jerked up, and he was astonished at the relief on Poe's face.
“Finn, I think I love you,” Poe said. “I mean, you're still my friend, my best friend. But I'm starting to think I want more than just that. Everything about you just..kind of blows me away.” He smiled a little sadly. “I haven't felt like this since Muran, and it's been so long that it was hard for me to recognize.”
“Poe, can I kiss you?” Finn asked, his eyes hopeful.
“Yeah, you can,” Poe replied with a smile.
Finn leaned forward, tentatively at first, and brushed his lips against Poe's. Then Poe deepened the kiss, pushing Finn back onto their bunks and kiss him him firmly.
Sometime later they lay in each others arms, just cuddling, dreamy smiles on their faces.
“I may want more than just cuddling and kissing from you, you know,” Poe admitted as Finn played with his curls.
Finn smiled. “I'd like that, Poe. I would like more from you, when you're ready. I've..never felt anything like this for anyone else. And I'm tired of one night stands.”
“Exclusive then, boyfriends?” Poe asked. “Maybe more in the future?”
Finn's smile lit up the whole room. “Boyfriends, and maybe someday, husbands?”
“I like the sound of that,” Poe said. “I gave you a first name, and I think sometime in the future I want to give you a last.”
“Sounds good to me,” Finn said, leaning in and kissing Poe again.
Then words were lost in kisses and gentle caresses as they lay together, each more content than he'd been in a very long time.
