Leia Organa: the General, the Princess, the Living Legend; a woman whose claim to those titles and more is overshadowed only by the fact that she doesn't need a single one of them to inspire devotion. Poe Dameron, Darling of the Resistance: can't remember a time he didn't hero-worship his General, wears his heart on his sleeve, is the subject of base-wide betting pools on whether he's even aware that he flirts as automatically as breathing. Organa's favourite, the one she's toughest on, the one who comes through for her every damn time. Of course people talk.
When (and only when) Poe finds out Leia kinda likes rumours that they're sleeping with each other (maybe she finds it amusing, maybe she infinitely prefers people speculating about what's going on with Poe rather than what's going on with(out) Han, maybe she enjoys how it annoys particular stuck-up people, maybe she initially trolls Poe with it then it becomes a fond inside joke) he plays it up a lot, because of course he does. The rumours start to get a little more varied, more detailed, and be taken more and more seriously, and not just within the Resistance.
So: five times General Leia Organa explained that the affection between herself and Poe Dameron is strictly platonic and one time she chose not to OR five times she let people believe that she and Poe are sleeping together, and one time she didn't.
(totally up to authornon whether the rumour has any truth or not. I am delighted with either option, just so long as a bunch of people believe it's true)
+ bonus for different types of reactions: who loves the idea of the two of them together? who hates it? who is concerned about the power imbalance? who is jealous? who has already started incorporating their grand romance/scandal into a multimedia galaxy-wide PR campaign? who explains the innuendo to BB-8?
Poe&Leia or Poe/Leia, 5 times fic, did not have sexual relations with that pilot
When (and only when) Poe finds out Leia kinda likes rumours that they're sleeping with each other (maybe she finds it amusing, maybe she infinitely prefers people speculating about what's going on with Poe rather than what's going on with(out) Han, maybe she enjoys how it annoys particular stuck-up people, maybe she initially trolls Poe with it then it becomes a fond inside joke) he plays it up a lot, because of course he does. The rumours start to get a little more varied, more detailed, and be taken more and more seriously, and not just within the Resistance.
So: five times General Leia Organa explained that the affection between herself and Poe Dameron is strictly platonic and one time she chose not to OR five times she let people believe that she and Poe are sleeping together, and one time she didn't.
(totally up to authornon whether the rumour has any truth or not. I am delighted with either option, just so long as a bunch of people believe it's true)
+ bonus for different types of reactions: who loves the idea of the two of them together? who hates it? who is concerned about the power imbalance? who is jealous? who has already started incorporating their grand romance/scandal into a multimedia galaxy-wide PR campaign? who explains the innuendo to BB-8?