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Every year since before Poe could remember, he’d been going to Leia Organa’s Halloween party. When he was a kid, he went with his parents, and it was his favorite event of the year: there was dancing and costumes and candy and games… To little Poe, it was just about the most magical thing in the world.
That was why even when he was a sullen teenager rebelling against everything, he still went to the Organa Halloween party. Heck, even when he moved away from home and got his first job, he still made sure to make it back for Leia’s party. It was as much a part of Halloween for Poe as trick-or-treating or watching scary movies.
In fact, Leia’s Halloween party was where Poe first met Finn.
Wonderful, smart, amazing, beautiful Finn.
Not that Poe was interested.
He wasn’t.
Finn was just his friend. That was all.
Really.
Even if Jess and Snap thought he had a crush, Poe assured them he didn’t. He just liked hanging out with Finn and he was sad when Finn was gone and he thought about Finn a lot.
And okay, so maybe he had a tiny crush on the guy, but…
Poe wasn’t about to jeopardize their friendship because of a stupid crush.
Besides, for the last four years, Poe and Finn had been teaming up for the Halloween party’s costume contest with brilliant couples costumes (and no, Poe wasn’t going to read into that), and every year for the last four years, they’d won.
But this year, Finn had stopped by Poe’s place bright and early one Saturday morning in September, propped his feet up on Poe’s coffee table, handed Poe a coffee and a cruller, and then dropped a bombshell on him. “Oh, about the costume contest this year?”
“Yeah,” Poe said, trying not to sound too eager. He already had six ideas.
“I promised my friend Rey that I’d do something with her. She’s new in town and I thought Leia’s party would be a nice place for her to meet people, and she’s not really into Halloween, but I thought if we did a costume together, she might get into the spirit of things.”
Poe’s heart broke.
But he couldn’t let Finn know, so he quickly took a sip of his coffee, which was way too hot.
“OW,” he yelped, spitting it out and then fumbling the cup, which spilled in his lap. “Kriffing hell!” He jumped up, trying to brush the coffee off his clothes.
Finn grabbed some napkins and started trying to blot out the coffee, but Finn’s hands on Poe’s legs was a bit too much. Poe jumped back. “No,” he said. “I’ll…I’ll be right back.” He slinked off to his bedroom to change.
He banged his head against his closet door. “It had to end sometime,” he muttered.
And of course, it’s Rey.
Rey had started working with Finn at Skywalker Industries two months earlier and the two had quickly become thick as thieves. Almost every story Finn told these days had Rey in it.
Not that Poe was jealous.
Well…
Okay, not that he was terribly jealous.
Well…
Okay, so he was terribly jealous.
Can you blame me?
And now that Finn had practically confirmed that he and Rey were dating, well... Poe pulled on a new pair of jeans and a tee shirt and went back into the living room with a smile plastered on his face. “Sorry about that!”
“Are you okay?”
“Sure. Great,” Poe said, sitting down and taking a bite of his cruller.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know,” Finn said. He had a funny look on his face.
Poe turned to the tv. “Come on. Stranger Things isn’t going to binge-watch itself.”
“Yeah, sure,” Finn said, studying Poe, “Let’s watch.”
Poe leaned back and pressed play, hating the fake smile on his face and suddenly dreading Leia’s Halloween party.
# # # #
“Halloween party this weekend,” Jess said, leaning against Poe’s plane. “What are you going as?”
Poe sighed. “I don’t think I’m going to make it this year,” he said.
“What?”
Snap turned from his own plane and walked over. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah.” Poe shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal,” Snap turned to Jess, “Is he serious?”
“Poe, you go to that party every year. You went the time you had a 103-degree temperature. You went that year when we had a freak ice storm.”
“Besides,” Snap said, “don’t you have some sort of elaborate costume planned with Finn?”
Poe shook his head. “He’s doing a costume with Rey this year.”
“Oh,” Snap said.
“Oh,” Jess repeated.
“What?”
“No, we get it,” Snap said, pulling Jess with him. “We’ll leave you alone.”
“It’s not like that,” Poe said, following them.
“Not like what, Dameron,” Jess asked.
“He and I are just friends.”
Snap groaned.
Jess said, “And so Finn partnering up with Rey has nothing to do with you avoiding the party this year whatsoever?”
“Nothing,” Poe said. “I just think…I mean, Halloween is a kid’s holiday.”
Jess rolled her eyes and then shot a look at Snap, who nodded. “So you wouldn’t be opposed to going in on a costume with me and Jess then?”
“What?”
“Well, we were originally going to ask Iolo, but then, he decided he wanted to go as Deadpool.”
“Again,” Poe asked, groaning.
“Yeah, I know,” Snap said. “But he loves it, so who are we to stop him?”
“What were you three going to be?”
Jess smiled. “The Sanderson sisters.”
“Hocus Pocus?” Poe closed his eyes. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course, we’re serious,” Snap said. “I’m Mary, Jess is Winnie, and Iolo was going to be Sarah.”
“But now that you’re free,” Jess said with a devilish smile, “how do you feel about corsets?”
“No,” Poe said.
Snap crossed his arms. “So, what? You’re going to sit at home, alone, on Saturday night and pine for Finn.”
“Who says I’m pining?”
Jess raised her hand, so did Snap.
“I hate you two.”
“No, you don’t,” Snap said, grabbing Poe’s arm and dragging him towards the main office area. “Now, let’s see if Iolo’s dress will fit you…”
# # # #
Poe passed by a mirror in the hallway and stopped to admire his costume. He had to admit that Snap and Jess had put together a really good look. With his long, blonde wig and form-fitting dress, he kind of looked like Sarah Jessica Parker. He laughed, flinging his hair over his shoulder. Maybe it’s a good thing I came.
Over in the far corner, Leia’s son, Ben, was dressed in his customary all-black, talking to an equally tall and equally moody red-head, who had also decided to come sans costume. Poe blew Ben a theatrical kiss and smiled as Ben rolled his eyes.
He danced down the hall, bobbing to the loud thumping music, as he made his way to the main room, where most of the party-goers were dancing around a small stage that had been erected for the costume contest. He looked around and quickly found Jess and Snap. He had to admit, Jess made a scarily convincing Winnifred Sanders. He danced over. “When’s the costume contest,” he leaned in and asked over the music.
“Soon,” Snap answered back.
Poe closed his eyes and let the music carry him for a few minutes and then he heard someone clear their throat right behind him.
“Uhhh, Poe?”
Poe stopped dancing and turned, just a bit breathless, to see Finn, dressed as Bert the Chimneysweep and the woman he assumed was Rey dressed as Mary Poppins. “Finn,” he said, hoping he sounded normal.
“Poe, I’d like you to meet Rey. Rey, this is Poe.”
Rey held out her hand. “So you’re the one I keep hearing about.”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
Finn laughed. “Yeah, I guess I should’ve made you two hang out before now, but…” He spotted Jess and Snap. “Oh kriff! You guys are gonna win.” He waved his hands in the air. “Jess! Snap!” The two danced over. “Jess and Snap, this is my friend Rey.”
“Ahhhh, the infamous Rey,” Snap said, holding out his hand.
“Infamous,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow.
“I’m Jess,” Jess said, shoving Snap out of the way. “And I’m single.”
Poe choked on his breath. “Way to be subtle, Pava.”
Rey blushed. “Rey,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m also single,” she said.
Poe swallowed hard at that and looked at Finn, who was smiling, watching how Rey and Jess hadn’t let go of each other’s hands yet.
“Wanna,” Jess said, nodding to the dancing.
Rey nodded.
Jess pulled her over into the crowd.
“What the kriff,” Snap said. “She’s here for thirty seconds and she finds a girl, and I come here every year and I’m still single?” He shook his head. “I’m getting a drink.”
Poe watched him leave and then realized that Finn was staring at his costume. He looked down. “Too revealing?”
Finn shook his head. “No. I’m just…” He leaned in, whispering into Poe’s ear. “Is it strange to say that that’s a good look on you?”
Poe smiled. “You have a thing for the Sanderson sisters?”
“No,” Finn said. He leaned back in. “But I have a thing for you.”
Poe let out a squeak. His eyes went wide and he stared at Finn in disbelief. “You…what?”
Finn opened his mouth to repeat what he’d said when Leia’s voice boomed across the room. “It’s time for the costume contest.”
# # # #
An hour later, Jess was hoisting the first place trophy over her head, giggling with maniacal glee as she danced to “The Monster Mash.” Snap had managed to convince one of the pilots from the field, Karé Kun, to dance with him. And Poe was desperately searching for Finn.
Rey came up and tugged on Poe’s sleeve. “I think he’s in the back yard. He said he wanted to get away from the noise.”
“Thanks,” Poe said. He started to move away and then stopped. “So, you and Finn?”
“Just friends.” She gave Poe a kind smile. “I don’t go for people who spend all of their free time talking about someone else. Besides,” she said, looking over her shoulder at Jess. “He’s not my type.”
“I have to admit, I was jealous of you.”
“Why? We’ve never met.”
“He talks about you all of the time and he wanted to do the costume contest with you and…”
“I didn’t want to come and he told me that if I helped him win the costume contest, he’d introduce me to this girl I’ve had a crush on.”
“Oh,” Poe said, suddenly worrying for Jess. “But what about…” He nodded to Pava.
“That’s the girl I have a crush on.”
Poe’s smile was blinding. “Pava?”
“She dropped some paperwork off at the office at the end of August and…” Rey shrugged and took a long drink.
Poe laughed and then leaned in. “She has a weakness for motorcycles and Hello Kitty.”
Rey smiled. “I’ll remember that.” She started to dance off. “Now, go find Finn!”
# # # #
Finn was sitting on the steps that led from the back terrace down into the gardens. Poe plopped down beside him, shaking his head. “Second place. You’re losing your touch.”
Finn chuckled. “I know. I think next year, I’m going to have to go back to working with my old partner.”
“If he’ll take you back.”
“True,” Finn said. He looked over at Poe. “So, you thought I was interested in Rey?”
“You talk about her all the time and…”
“And?”
“And the costume contest was our thing,” Poe said.
“I thought you’d understand,” Finn said, “but…” He sighed. “Yeah, I probably should’ve been more up front with you. But honestly, I was scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“Well, I just figured that I was just your friend and that was all, and here I had this horrible crush on you and…” He shook his head with a smile. “I didn’t know you’d get all jealous and almost not come.”
“How did you know about that?”
Finn bit his lip.
“Finn!”
“Jessika might have called me last week to tell me that you were pouting about the party, so she and I came up with a plan to…”
“You’re the reason I’m wearing a corset!”
Finn blushed. “Maybe.” He turned and looked Poe up and down. “But it does look good on you.”
“You…you…”
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“You want to go out tomorrow night,” Poe said, his heart thumping in his chest. “On a real date?”
“Stars, yes,” Finn said.
Poe smiled and leaned into him a bit. “I’m thinking next year, maybe a Star Wars theme?”
“Baze and Chirrut?”
“Anakin and Padme?”
“I am not wearing a backless dress, Poe.”
“What about Kanan and Hera?”
“Ohhhhh, I like that.” Finn paused. “Wait, am I Kanan or Hera?”
“Well, I have the facial hair to pull off Kanan, and I owe you for this corset so…”
“You’re the worst, Dameron.”
“Awww, that’s why you love me,” Poe said, playfully shoving Finn.
Finn chuckled. “Well, I guess if I’m going to be stuck in lekku next year, we might as well take full advantage of your corset now while we have the chance.”
Poe raised an eyebrow.
“Care to join me in a dark corner of the garden, Sarah Sanderson?”
“Oh, Bert!” Poe giggled. “I thought you’d never ask.”