The Resistance's best pilot was sitting in a cantina on the planet Tatooine, as that seemed to be the only planet to get a decent drink anymore. It was nice that the war between the resistance and the first order was relatively quiet so that he could break away, but it was also quite concerning. Poe hadn't had a free weekend in years.

Poe wasn't alone on Tatooine. Sitting across from him were his two friends Finn and Rey, and beside him was you. Poe's arm was slung lazily across your shoulders and you leaned against his frame. He was comfortable and warm and he shook with his honey-sweet laughter as he chatted. Poe was doing a dramatic retelling of a mission that the two of you had taken months prior, and you were laughing and reacting as though you hadn't heard it five times and as though you hadn't actually been there.

 Now, you and Poe were very close friends. So close, in fact, that he was always finding way to touch you in some way or another. His arms around your waist in a hug, holding you against him in briefings and meetings, an arm over your shoulders, or lifting you up when you returned home from missions. It only added to the Married Couple suspicions that everyone on base seemed to possess. You didn't mind it, though. You were particularly fond of the curly-haired pilot and his ways.

  "Wait, I'm confused," Finn paused and sipped on his blue beverage, "the last time you told us this story you had to dress as Troopers find Y/N. But this time you just dressed as Troopers with Y/N. What's the truth?" You glared up at Poe and snorted. You knew he had a problem with stretching stories to make him sound cooler and much more heroic, but you didn't realize to what extent.

"Poe," You sighed. "Are you painting yourself as the hero again?" Poe's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and the two sitting across from you burst into stifled laughter. "I didn't get captured and Poe didn't dress as a StormTrooper. He's much too short, it'd be too obvious." The laughter continued. Poe glared down at you with his bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "If you want a real heroic story, how about the time that you saved that avian that had its wing stuck in a vine? I bet they haven't heard that one fifty times." Poe chuckled and squeezed your shoulder.

 "You're better at telling that one," he insisted. "I'm going to get a refill. Anyone else?" Finn had slurped up the last drops of blue juice in his cup, and he scooted out of the booth to follow Poe to the bar. You scooted your glass in Poe's direction, too, as there was no alcohol left.

 "Can you get mine? Please," You batted your eyelashes at him, and he didn't even think twice. He scooped up your glass and winked at you before trekking towards the bar with Finn at his side.

Rey turned to you, her lips curved around the straw in her drink and her eyebrows raised.  You mimicked her by raising your eyebrows, too.

"What?" you inquired. Rey sipped the remains of her blue drink until she was slurping air, before she finally decided to respond.

"That man is putty in your hands, Y/N," she noted, nodding her head in the direction of the smiling pilot at the bar. You watched him for a moment before scoffing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you retorted. Rey narrowed her eyes at you. Of course you knew what she was talking about. Poe would worship the ground you walked on if it meant that you would be happy. "Seriously. That's ridiculous, Rey."  Rey just rolled her eyes at you. She slumped against the cold fabric of the booth with her arms crossed over her chest. You could sit there and argue about it all day long, and yet you would still think that you were right.

Finn and Poe were trailing back to your table and so your quick quarrel with Rey was over. Poe smiled and slid into the booth beside you. 
"What'd we miss?" Poe asked as you took a sip of your new glass of liquor. He was quick to drop his arm over your shoulders and again, you were happy and warm and comfortable. It was Finn's turn to relay a story, surprisingly one that you hadn't heard before. You laughed and reacted and enjoyed your time with your friends, as you knew it would be over too soon. You would be back on base on D'Qar, in the darkness of your sleeping quarters, just waiting for a mission to soak up your free time. You were getting antsy.

Two days later, you were in a mission briefing. You would finally have something to do rather than tinkering with your X-Wing or rereading an old book that Poe had gotten you for you birthday one year. Apparently, some hackers on base had gotten word that The First Order was planning a cyber attack on The Resistance, which would then turn into a full fledged attack on base.

"So, they're going to wait until we're vulnerable to actually attack us," Poe tested, and General Leia nodded her head. Poe scoffed. "Typical." Leia narrowed her eyes at Poe and clasped her hands together in front of her. She didn't have time for trash talking. Not today.

"Thank you for your input, Commander Dameron," General Leia said. You snorted beside him, and he nudged you in the side. Leia pressed her hands on the frame of the table in front of her. Her face was illuminated by the white and green of the hologram before her. Her mind was whirring and spinning and she knew what she had to do. She always did. "I have decided to appoint Y/N for this mission. With her particular expertise in this field, and not to mention that she is one of the best damn fighters the Resistance has seen, I think that she will do a mighty fine job." Everyone in the room nodded with agreement. You were awestruck. General Organa was trusting you to go on this mission all on your lonesome to protect your republic. Leia smiled at you. She could tell that you were completely caught off guard by the way your cheeks turned a bright red. "So it's settled. This briefing is complete. Y/N, if I could chat with you privately that would be great." The silence of the room turned into a very quiet hum of activity and chatter as the room slowly cleared out. Rey beamed at you, Finn clapped a hand on your shoulder, Jessika sent you a thumbs up. Everyone seemed very happy and pleased with Leia's choices.

All but one person. Poe Dameron. When your name was even just mentioned, his jaw tightened and his fists clenched by his sides. A wave of nausea washed over him when he realized what this could entail. As the room was clearing out, he glared at General Organa with cold eyes before stalking out of the room.

Leia made her way to you quickly and elegantly. She ran her hands down the sides of your arms before holding your hands firmly in her grasp. Her smile was loving and inviting, and she stood there in front of you with the authority of a General and the warmth of a mother.

"You're going to need a good night of rest," she said simply. "You should leave tomorrow before sun up. I'll have maps and everything you need sent to your quarters tonight." You nodded. She could tell that you were nervous. In her hands she could tell that you were shaking, and she also saw that your eyes were shining with anxiety. She squeezed your hands. "I believe in you, Y/N. I wouldn't trust you with such a difficult mission if I didn't think that you could do it."

You cracked a smile before she pulled you in for a hug. "Thank you, General. I won't let you down."

You found Finn and Rey in the mess hall for dinner. You sat across from them with your tray and furrowed your eyebrows, because Poe wasn't sitting there. He was always there. He was always there before you, and you were always eating your meals together. It was strange that he wasn't sitting there, welcoming you with his sweet smile.

"Where's Dameron?" You inquired as you stabbed a straw into your beverage.  Finn rolled his eyes.

"He had a hissy fit and decided to take his meal to his room," Finn said. You cocked your head to the side inquisitively. "I don't know, either."

Rey chuckled. "You should've seen his face." You went about your usual dinner conversation with Finn and Rey, but you just could not get the thoughts of Poe out of your head. It was weird that he wasn't sitting there with the three of you, and it wasn't like him to have a 'hissy fit', as Finn had said.

"I'm going to go see what his deal is," You said once you had finished your meal. You rose to your feet and popped your knuckles. Rey raised her eyebrows at you. "Like you said, Rey, the man is putty in my hands." Finn snorted.

"She actually said that? Outloud?" Finn asked through his laughter. You nodded your head, though your cheeks had dusted pink. Did Finn think so too? "Ha. that's true."

"Finn," you groaned before finally trailing off to find Poe.

You banged your fist on Poe's door and waited for any noise from inside. You finally heard rustling, followed by a "Who is it?", and you sighed.

"It's me," You called. Inside, Poe groaned. He did not want to talk to you, but he knew that you had to. Poe opened the door, and you pushed yourself inside. "Hey, are you okay? Finn said you had a hissy fit and escaped to your room like an angsty teen." Poe narrowed his eyes. "Okay, maybe I added that last part. But what's up?" Poe sat on his bed with a huff.

"Nothing," he said. You sat beside him on his bed and furrowed your eyebrows at him. You didn't believe his angsty "nothing" at all. There was no way that cold glare that he shot at General Organa was nothing.

You let out a sigh. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the mission. Leia's sending maps and everything to me tonight." Poe tugged at the curls on top of his head angrily. He wanted to stop this from happening, wanted to stop you from going on this mission.

He kicked off of his bed. "I don't know why Leia chose you for this." Your jaw went slack.

"Can you rephrase that? Because it sure makes you sound like a dick when you say it that way." Poe threw his head back angrily.

"I don't think you should go on this mission, Y/N. It's too risky." You were on your feet then, your arms crossed over your chest.

"Poe, that's crazy. You do crazy shit all of the time and I don't say anything. Leia's appointed me to go on this mission and I'm going to fight for my republic in the same way you would. I don't know why you think you can tell me what I can or can't do. It's very selfish of you, actually. Why do you care so damn-"

"Because I'm in love with you, Y/N!" His words pushed you backwards against the wall, and you blinked. You were stunned. Poe Dameron? Commander of the Black Squadron? Your best friend? In love with you? It couldn't be, it really couldn't. But also, it could. It would make all of the hugs, all of the touching, all of the cheek kisses make sense. "I love you, Y/N, and I couldn't imagine anything happening to you. Especially if I'm not there to protect you."

You didn't hesitate. You pushed yourself forward and grabbed the collar of Poe's jacket, pulling him to you in a kiss. Poe tastes of coffee and liquor and he smelled like his X-Wing, which he had been tinkering with earlier in the day. There you stood, in the center of Poe Dameron's room, lips locked in a way that you had never imagined before. You pulled away, breathless from the activity you had just taken part in. He held your face in his hands, his calloused thumbs grazing your cheeks like lightning bolts. Everything was so right and meant to be.

"Poe, I love you, too," You pressed your forehead against his and watched him smile. His smile could light up the darkest planet. "You have to let me do this, okay?" Poe kissed you again.

"Okay," he said between his kisses and his smile.

You left for your mission the very next day and returned three days later, successful. The minute that your toes hit the hard concrete of the runway, a sense of relief split through your body. You let out a sigh and stretched your hands above your head.

General Organa was on the tarmac with almost everyone on base that you had seen at least once, each one of them applauding the excellence and success of your mission. Rey was first to hug you, followed by Finn, and finally Leia.

"Please go find Poe," she said through a laugh in your ear. "He has been driving me nuts these past few days." You chuckled. You couldn't help but scan the crowd for the one person that you wanted to see most. Finally, you saw him. Quickly weaving his way through the crowd to you.  He had missed you so much and he so proud of you.

There he was. His hands found your waist and he lifted you up, your feet dangling above the concrete. You laughed pushed your fingers into his hair, staring down at him happily. He set you down on the ground and hugged you, his face in the crook of your neck.

"Hey," he said when he pulled away. You beamed.

"Hey." His thumb grazed carefully over a cut that stretched from your temple to the middle of your eyebrow. He stopped when you winced, letting his thumb trail down your cheek.

"You're okay," he mumbled. You nodded.

"Of course I'm okay, Poe. In the General's own words, I'm the best damn fighter the resistance has ever seen." Poe smiled at you, a lopsided, puppy-love sort of smile that made your weak knees from the flight even weaker.

He kissed you and he kissed you, again and again and again until you were giggling into his smile.
"You are such a nerd, Poe Dameron." he only continued to press kisses to your lips. Rey and Finn watched, arms crossed over their chests and eyebrows raised. Poe and Y/N? Since when? Was that what Rey meant when she said he was putty in your hands?

"Rey," Finn started, waving his hand out. "You owe me some tokens." Rey groaned and slapped the correct amount of tokens into Finn's hands. For some reason, she was not upset that she had lost this bet.