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“I don’t see why we’re celebrating something when we should be preparing for our next battle.” Finn wiped some of the decorative glitter off his shoulder with a confused grimace. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see everyone so happy, but it feels like a weird use of our time.”
“Finn, buddy, Life Day started millions of years ago.” Poe wrapped an arm around Finn’s glittery, grumpy shoulders and hauled him in tight as they walked up the ramp and out into the open jungle that surrounded base. “The Wookiees shared it with all of the galaxy, and the Rebellion viewed it as a symbol of the ultimate act of rebellion.”
“Hot chocolate?” Finn asked, wrinkling his nose as they passed a booth someone had set up, with exactly that concoction sitting on the table.
“No. Hope.”
“You and General Organa, I swear. Hope this, and hope that.” Finn shook his head and chuckled. “Really wears you down after a while.”
“I’ll make an optimist out of you yet, Finn.” Poe clapped him on the shoulder. “After all, meeting you is one of the biggest reasons for me keeping hope for as long as I have.”
“Wait, really?” Finn stopped walking and looked at Poe in confusion. “Why?”
“Buddy, a Stormtrooper stepped in and stopped them from torturing me. Eighteen hours I was in that kriffin’ chair, waiting to die - and then you pulled me outta there, stole a TIE-fighter with me, and defected in one of the most glorious, mildly failed escape attempts I’ve ever been a part of, let alone heard of.” Poe gripped Finn’s arm. “You turning your back on the First Order and everything you’d ever known? Why wouldn’t that give me hope?”
“Aw, see, this is why Life Day is weird; everyone starts making these speeches that make me feel all,” Finn twisted his hand in front of his stomach before snorting and pulling Poe into a tight hug. “I guess I don’t mind when it’s you.”
“As long as you don’t mind,” Poe joked.
They broke apart and kept walking, Poe eyeing the festivities being set up - in particular, the giant Life Day tree - and listening to the distant sounds of some people singing pleasant music.
“I wonder if everyone’s coming to the party tonight,” Poe said mildly, and Finn elbowed him in the ribs.
“You mean, you wonder if Rey’s coming to the party tonight.” Finn ducked out of the way as Poe tried to elbow him back.
“It’s not like that-”
“Oh it is so like that. I don’t need to be a Jedi to hear your thoughts, Commander!”
Poe snorted and glanced at Finn’s newly constructed lightsaber. “Why are all my closest friends Jedi?” Poe muttered.
“You love it, flyboy.” Finn teased. “I’m sure you’ll find Rey at some point.”
“Are you looking for Master Rey, Commander Dameron?” Poe bit back a groan as he turned to face C-3PO, who was clanking towards them.
“Uh, yeah Threepio. I guess I am.”
“Damn right,” Finn muttered under his breath, and Poe elbowed him successfully.
“She was talking with Chewbacca a few minutes ago. Right this way, sir.” Threepio gestured to the left, and Poe nodded, but didn’t move. “Perhaps you would like me to show you the way? Or maybe I can tell Master Rey you were looking for her?”
“No!” Poe half-shouted, startling some birds from a nearby tree. “I mean, uh, no, buddy, that’s not necessary.”
“Very good, sir. Right this way!” C-3PO tottered down a path, and Poe pinched his nose and followed.
“Good luck!” Finn hissed at Poe’s retreating back, and Poe waved his hand tensely at him.
They didn’t walk for long; they came upon the Falcon in its designated clearing, and Poe saw Rey sitting on a tree stump, hands clasped, and face upturned to the Falcon. She looked as pretty as ever, the white of her tunic off-setting nicely with her dark hair, which she’d braided today for the occasion. Poe smiled as soon as he saw her.
Threepio made a move as to go into the clearing, but Poe caught his arm when Chewbacca came down the ramp, holding something in his massive paws. Rey stood when she saw Chewbacca, a confused but beautiful smile on her face.
“Hang on, Threepio,” Poe hissed. “Don’t - don’t let ‘em know we’re here. This looks private.”
He turned as if to go, but then he heard Chewbacca warble something at Rey, and Threepio gasped the same time she did.
When he turned around, Rey was tracing a beautiful medallion that Chewie had handed her, and he was still saying something in Wookiee, one paw over his heart, saying something that had Rey burst into tears and wrap her arms around his middle.
“What happened?” Poe demanded, prodding Threepio in the side, as if he could feel it. “What did he say?”
“You don’t speak Wookiee?” Threepio asked, and Poe almost bit his tongue in half so he wouldn’t snap at him. “Well, it appears that Chewbacca has pledged a life-debt to Master Rey.”
“He did?” Poe asked, shocked that he would make such a huge gesture: a life-debt meant Chewie had promised to die for Rey, promised to protect and defend her through any means necessary, a thought that scared him when remembering that they were, in fact, at war, even if they’d taken this one day to celebrate peace and hope.
“I believe in Wookiee-culture, Wookiees make these life-debts on Life Day to symbolize the connection between themselves and those they consider part of their family. In essence, Chewbacca has told Master Rey that she is his family now.”
“Oh.”
Rey was still crying into Chewbacca’s fur, and Chewie tilted his head back and howled something at the sky, clearly overcome with emotion himself. Poe’s neck burned; he was definitely intruding.
“Let’s go, Threepio.”
They headed down the path, and Poe was sitting quietly by himself in the main clearing near base when Rey returned, her eyes red, wearing the medallion.
“Hey, Sunshine,” Poe greeted her. He’d made a promise to himself not to engage in their typical verbal sparring matches today, what with the holiday and all. Poe didn’t think Rey was honestly ever bothered by their squabbling, but it still felt wrong to get into mini-arguments on a day reserved for peace...and love.
Love that he might definitely totally feel for the Jedi.
Yeah. That was great.
“Hello, Poe.” Rey sat down next to him on the bench and watched the Resistance members putting the final touches on everything. The sun was beginning to set, and the clearing was growing dark.
Across the way, Finn had his arm slung around Rose’s shoulder, and he was talking animatedly with a few other soldiers, all of them laughing at something Finn was saying. Poe smiled at their easy comradery.
“My dad’s coming tonight,” Poe said suddenly. His face heated up when Rey turned to look at him. “Uh. I think you should meet him.”
“You do?” Rey asked, her voice soft, a rarity for her.
“I do.” Poe smiled at her, slightly shaken by how beautiful she looked, her eyes luminous in the lanterns that had been lit around the clearing. Her freckles dashed across her skin like constellations, and Poe thought he might be able to find a map to something very important if he was ever able to follow them. “He, uh, he’s heard a lot about you.”
“Good things, I hope?” Rey teased, and Poe’s smile didn’t waver.
“The best things,” Poe promised quietly, and Rey’s eyes grew wide with a flash of understanding before she settled with a nervous smile, tucking an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear.
They both smiled at the ground after that, pleased and blushing and shy in the best kind of way, and Poe’s heart fluttered in his chest.
Hope and peace and love: the Resistance was alive and well, despite the First Order’s best efforts, and they were gathered together to celebrate a day where none of the dark and cruel things the galaxy had to offer had any meaning, not in the face of hope. The dawn was coming, Poe knew, and in the light of that new day, he might find the courage to ask Rey a very important question; he might find the courage to give her the ring around his neck and chase that gut feeling he’d had since he laid eyes on her a year ago.
But for now, Poe settled for reaching out and taking Rey’s hand. For now, they had hope, and that was always going to be enough.