Chapter Text
As per usual, Ben awoke ten minutes before his alarm went off, a habit he had developed during adolescent due to a fear of being late. He stared up at his gray ceiling, blearily eyed and somewhat sore, and got up with a groan in order to get ready for the day. Today was his first day back at work and his first day ever at the New York branch of the FBI. His parents, who lived in Brooklyn, had been ecstatic when he had told them he was being relocated from Quantico to the Empire State after the incident, it meant that they would be able to assist him in his recovery.
In his parents’ minds, that translated to Leia fretting over every single thing he did even though his arm was just in sling and half of his face was bandaged as Han sat on the couch drinking the beer from his refrigerator while watching television after he fixed everything in Ben’s new one-bedroom apartment that needed attention. Part of Ben wondered if his parents’ overbearingness stemmed from the fact that they were always far too busy with work to pay any attention to him as a child. Leia was a big time lawyer while Han managed a trucking business, leaving Ben to fend for himself most of the time. But now that his mother was retired and his father had chosen to open up a mechanic’s shop, they had a lot more leisure time and began making an effort to spend as much time as possible with him, sometimes to his displeasure.
Freshly showered with blow-dried hair, Ben opened up his closet and examined its contents briefly before choosing one of many black two piece suits. He normally wouldn’t dress so formal in his old office, but today he was meeting with Director Snoke for the first time in years and needed to give off a good impression so that he could finally get his next field assignment. Snoke had been one of Ben’s mentors back at the FBI Training Academy, had taken a liking to him, wrote him letters of recommendation, and was even the one to suggest that Ben use another name when he finally became a full-fledged agent, which came in handy when criminals and drug lords threaten to kill everyone in your family. There was nothing to worry about, Ben was sure that Snoke would knew how valuable of an asset Ben was to the task force.
He picked up a tie and held it out, flipping it over in analysis. It was one his mother had gifted him for his last birthday, which he had spent in the hospital. The only problem was that Ben didn’t know what color it was. In his pain-killer addled state he had forgotten to ask his mother, and after he was released he had pushed the question out of his mind completely.
In his twenty-nine years of life, Ben Solo had never once seen color, not even a splash or a hint of any such hues. That ability was reserved for people who had soulmates, like his parents. Instead, like everyone else who hadn’t found their soulmate, he saw the world in various shades of gray. He made his purchasing decisions, such as furniture or clothing, solely based on what the sales associates said looked lively and choosing something the complete opposite of that. As a result, he was stuck with a lot of black clothes and gloomy looking furniture that his mother assured him matched.
Somedays, there were people who pitied him and his limited sight. It was getting rarer and rarer to get his age without ever meeting your soulmate, especially with the internet and dating apps making it so easy find your bonded person, even if they were someone living on the other side of the world. Whenever this came up, Ben would just scoff and inform them that being colorblind was just fine by him, he didn’t need the extra distraction of being tied to someone for eternity. Considering his line of work, it was probably better that he remained alone for the rest of his life. He liked the way things were now.
Putting the tie of unknown shade back, he picked out another one, one he knew for certain was black, and put it on. On his way out of his bedroom, Ben grabbed both of his phones, his work phone and his personal cell, pulling them off their chargers and going through his emails as he ate the sugary cereal he had bought on a whim and become addicted to. When he was done, he grabbed his briefcase, keys and wallet and headed out the door, but not before stopping in front of the mirror that hung in the apartment’s entryway.
Ben regarded his reflection with scrutiny. He had never been what one would call traditionally handsome, he had a nose that was slightly too big with teeth that were somewhat crooked and large ears that he never managed to grow into, but he was tall, physically fit and had thick, wavy hair that girls always fawned over and covered up his problematic ears. There was never really any reason to feel overly self-conscious during his adulthood, puberty was another story, but looking at his face now made him a tad bit nervous. Starting at his brow, going down the right side his face and onto his shoulder was a long and barely healed scar. Memories of a blade being dragged down his face shot through his mind as quickly as the bullet that embedded itself into his shoulder mere moments later, he was only grateful that he didn’t lose his eye.
With quick and precise moments, Ben didn’t waste any time in taking down the bothersome mirror and shoving it, none too gently, into his coat closet where he didn’t have to look at it anymore. Then, he put on his jacket and went to work.
The commute to the FBI headquarters of New York didn’t take very long, his apartment was only a couple of subway stops away and despite his preconceived notion of New Yorkers not giving a fuck on their morning pilgrimage to their jobs, many people seemed awfully willing to get out of his way and let him pass. Maybe it was his height that intimidated them, or perhaps the scar? Ben didn’t want to linger too much on the thought.
Outside of the FBI building waiting for him was his partner, Armitage Hux, wearing a suit similar to Ben’s and his signature scowl evident on his face. Hux, like Ben, had been reassigned to New York after the incident, only he hadn’t been so agreeable with the decision, but wherever Ben was sent so was Hux, mostly because he was so difficult for anyone else to work with. Although, if you asked Hux, Ben was the difficult one. The two had a rivalry that dated back during their years in college which extended during their time at the Academy and now they had an uncanny partnership that worked far better than anyone had expected, together they brought down a wide variety of highly sought after and extremely dangerous criminals.
“Your face looks disgusting, Kylo,” Hux sneered in his accented voice as he held out a coffee for Ben to take. Kylo Ren was the name Ben had chosen to use whenever he was at work, call him anything if not cautious.
He took the outstretched coffee from the man, it wasn't his favorite drink but the caffeine was welcomed. “So does yours, but you don’t have an excuse,” Ben fired back. Hux rolled his eyes so hard Ben was sure they’d fall back into his head. The two men went through security, yawning through the necessary pat downs and metal detectors. Then, they waited, sipping their coffees, for someone to escort them to their new desks. “Did you read your email this morning?”
Hux snorted. “What do think I am? Some unprepared buffoon?” He made a show of chugging down the rest of his hot drink, not caring whether he burnt his tongue or not. “Director Snoke is going to give us our new assignment as soon as we settle in. Thank god, I hated sitting on my arse all day waiting for you to suck it up and get better.”
“Damn it, Hux, I can’t just will my shoulder ligaments to heal,” Ben snapped at him. Eventually, a sheepish looking man by the name of Mitaka came and led them to an elevator. The young man tensed up as he got into the small space with the taller irritated men, he had probably heard of them. Under his breath, Ben hissed, “And I hate coffee.”
Hux smiled. “I know.”
Their desks were side by side, predictable, but a headache for Ben nonetheless. At least, there was something of a divider between each person and their neighbors. The desk came with all the necessary amenities: a phone, a stapler, the bottom drawer had a lock on it which he had the key for, and a state of the art desktop computer. Ben and Hux sat in their respective chairs, adjusting them to their above average heights. These chairs were much more comfortable than the one at their last office, they even came with back support.
“I’ll tell Director Snoke that you two are here,” Mitaka said nervously and then hurried away.
Hux leaned into Ben’s personal space and whispered, “I heard that mouse can see color.”
“Him?” Ben asked incredulously, watching as the jumpy man knocked on a door and stuck his head in.
Nodding, Hux continued. “Pity the poor girl who got stuck with that as her soulmate.”
Ben narrowed his eyes, giving Mitaka the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe he isn’t so skittish around people who haven’t killed before.”
“Maybe.” He finally leaned away. “I don’t like how he can do something I can’t though. Hate people like that.”
His comment made Ben snort. “You hate everyone anyways.”
“True,” Hux admitted and then he looked around. “Have you noticed how quiet everyone is being?”
Ben followed his gaze around the room, seeing that he was right. Everybody was far too busy to talk, focusing their attention intensely on their computer screens. All of them, Ben realized, were wearing some type of noise cancelling headphones, which he found more than a little strange. Ben didn’t have time to comment on it before Mitaka returned and showed them to Snoke’s office.
“Boys, come in. Sit down.” Director Snoke gestured to the two leather chairs in front of his desk and dismissed the other man. “Thank you, Mitaka.” All three men did as they were told, leaving Ben and Hux alone with Snoke.
“Director Snoke,” Ben and Hux greeted in unison.
Snoke was an old man, bald and with wispy eyebrows that even Ben could tell were white, other light colors were always a little bit off. Some would say that it was far past time that Snoke should have retired, but somehow his old mentor had managed to stay in power longer than anyone expected. Ben had heard that everyone was shocked when Snoke had chosen to stay with the FBI even after an assault that left him disfigured beyond recognition. It was random attack, apparently, some crazed man threw acid on Snoke’s face, melting it away, as the director was exiting the subway. The subsequent botched plastic surgeries nearly caused the man to go insane and left him with a scar running down the middle of his face. One of his light eyes was permanently higher than the other.
“Nice to see both of you again, Agent Hux,” Snoke grinned at Ben. “Agent Ren. I hope you are doing well after your…” He paused, looking for the proper words. “…last mission.”
Ben waved his concerns away. “I’m fine, sir. Hux is fine. We’re ready for our next mission.” Both men looked expectantly at their superior, eager to get started.
Snoke leaned back in his chair. “About that,” he began, “you’re being reassigned. Both of you.”
Their enthusiasm immediately evaporated and it was Hux who sputtered out, “Excuse me?”
“Neither of you will being doing any sort of field work while you are located here in the New York office.” Snoke announced, his voice devoid of emotion. “Your last mission was completely unsanctioned and resulted in one of you being captured and tortured.” He eyed Ben. “Think of this as probationary period until you two are deemed fit for field work again.”
“You’re punishing us?” Ben spat out. “We caught a criminal wanted in nineteen different countries. Sir, I would gladly do it again even if it meant getting my face shredded to pieces.”
“Quiet Ren,” Snoke commanded and Ben stopped speaking. “The fact of the matter is that you two disobeyed direct orders from your superior back at Quantico because some of stupid, barely reliable, anonymous tip. Skywalker was very disappointed in both of you, especially Agent Ren.”
Clenching his teeth, Ben’s hand formed into a fist on his knee. He stayed silent, refusing to react to whatever his uncle thought of him.
“What are we being reassigned to?” Hux calmly questioned and Ben never wanted to punch him more in his pointy nose than in that moment. Armitage Hux, always a sycophant.
“Agent Ren’s degree was in Computer Science and Engineering while you, Agent Hux, majored in Technology and Information Management. It has been decided that both of you will be assigned to the Cyber Surveillance Department which is right outside my office.” The tone in Snoke’s voice meant there would be no arguing, the decision has already been made, but that didn’t stop Ben from shooting up from his chair, furious and defiant.
“Cyber Surveillance?” He snarled. That was a desk job, meaning that Ben would be stuck inside all day creeping on some unsuspecting person through a computer and taking notes on whatever they did or looked up on every piece of technology they owned. He would basically be a federally licensed stalker. “This is unbelievable! We should be in the field!”
“You’ll deserve even less if you continue with your outburst, agent.” Snoke threatened and then gestured for them to leave. “Mitaka will give you the files of your assigned individuals. Go.”
Ben slammed the door opened, causing Mitaka and couple of his other co-workers who managed to hear the noise through their headphones to jump, Hux followed behind him with an exasperated sigh. With shaky hands, Mitaka handed both men a file, which Ben snatched angrily and stormed to his desk. Throwing down the thin file on his desk, Ben violently pulled out his chair and sat down, crossing his arms. “This is insulting.”
Hux strolled up casually, reading his file. “How the hell did someone with your temper pass the mental examination?”
“I don’t fucking know!” Ben barked. He eyed the file Hux was holding in his stupidly pale hands, noticing a striking difference compared to his. “Why is your file thicker than mine?” Hux’s was the size of a book meanwhile Ben’s looked completely empty.
“Don’t know,” Hux answered back, finally sitting in his chair and reading the first page. “It’s some guy named Poe Dameron. Lives in the area. Hispanic. Thirty-two, almost thirty-three. A former Navy pilot. Now he flies commercial airlines. Owns a corgi named Beebee. Apparently, his last handler is on maternity leave. Who’d you get?”
Ben reluctantly reached for the folder, opening it and finding exactly one page of information. He narrowed his eyes to look at the small identification picture next the person’s name, but couldn’t make out any distinguishable details because the image was somewhat grainy and the shades of gray all looked similar. He read out the information on file. “Rey Niima. Nineteen. Lives in New York. She works part-time at a mechanic’s shop and at a diner. Takes engineering classes at a community college. Draws as a hobby and has a roommate named Finn Trooper.” Ben’s eyes drifted to a very important piece of information, explaining the lack of content in her file. “She also just became an American citizen yesterday. British.”
“Congrats to her,” Hux said sarcastically, “she managed to cross the pond and now she’s the government’s to stalk. Hope she’s prepared for the annoying amount of comments people will have on her accent.” He turned on his computer. “Better get to work before Snoke demotes us to coffee boys.”
Ben did the same, quickly finding department issued headphones in one of the drawers in his desk and plugged them in. In his career, he had done a lot of shady stuff. Pretending to be a drug-dealer, befriending pedophiles, and using techniques that were considered more than a little rough during questioning, a person didn’t become one of the FBI’s best interrogators by being gentle, but none of that unnerved him as much as spying on an innocent young woman. This just made him dirty.
He probably would have felt even worse if she was doing anything remotely interesting. The girl only had two devices, an old laptop and an outdated smartphone. She had some social media, the most notable being a blog where she rarely posts anything herself, but likes a lot of different artwork and gifs from television shows and movies, some of them action, others animated, and a small amount of them romantic fantasy. Ben couldn’t find any clear pictures of her anywhere, not on her phone or her computer, although he did find a bunch of algorithmic equations she was doing for homework, one of which was wrong, and there was nothing helpful on her roommate’s social media either. He even looked up her passport photo from Immigration to see if there was a better quality image there, but ran into the same problem before. Why did the picture have to be so light?
Hux was muttering something at his desk before he slammed down his fist in anger. “Whose idiotic idea was it to have cameras on every other part of the plane but not in the damn cockpit? All I have to work with is just fucking audio.”
Ben rubbed his hands against his face, one of his nails catching awkwardly on his scar. He had been at this for hours, and had yet to figure out what she looked like. Activating her webcam or phone camera was one of the last things he wanted to do. He shuddered to think what it would be like if he was on the opposite end of this ordeal.
A notification popped up on his desktop screen, telling him that she had just turned on her computer. Begrudgingly, he started typing in the commands for undetected access to her laptop’s camera and microphone, the last thing he needed was a green light to go off on her end indicating that said devices were on.
He heard her voice first, streaming from in the speaker on his headphones and into his ears, it was unmistakably British. “Wait, Finn! Don’t put in the garlic yet! I’m looking up the recipe!” The virtual console on his computer mirrored what was happening on hers, she was currently looking up how to make homemade garlic bread.
After waiting for what seemed to be forever, the camera finally turned on and Ben was finally able to put a face to the name he had spent the last seven hours researching. She was young, looking exactly how old her file said she was. There was nothing more he could say, he could tell she had nice facial structure because her hair was pulled back into a bun and her clothes looked secondhand. Her eyes darted across the screen, quickly scanning the instructions on how to make the dish. Rey smiled and turned to speak to someone off screen, Finn, probably. “Oh, this is going to taste so good. If we don’t burn it, that is.”
When she finally turned back to the laptop screen, it was as if they made eye contact for the first time, and Ben was fully aware of how creepy that sounded. Suddenly, an explosion of pressure occurred behind his eyes and his hands instinctively flew up to cover them. After rubbing at them vigorously, he removed his palms and groaned in pain. What the hell just happened?
Opening his eyes, he jumped slightly at the sight of his hands, no longer were they a shade of light gray, but something else he didn’t recognized. Ben’s head quickly snapped up and he looked around the office that had been dull and boring this morning and found it still equally lifeless, but not because of its lack of color. The plants in the corner were vibrant, he believed his mother had once told him they were green, and some of his co-workers were wearing colors so bright that they worsened his headache. He hit his knee against the bottom of his desk when he realized his stapler was not black like he once thought, but some very angry, he wasn’t sure how else to describe it, hue.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Hux asked from his left. Ben slowly turned to face the man, his mouth hanging a little bit opened. His eyes widened at the bright mass of hair on his partner’s head, it was easily the most eye-catching of any of his co-workers’ hair.
“Maker help me,” Ben muttered, half in denial of what he was seeing and half afraid.
“Oh, fuck you,” Hux said back. “You’re not nice to look at either, Ren, you know?” He shook his head and returned to his work. “And close your damn mouth, you look like some fool who’s just seen color for the first time.”
Hearing feminine laughter, Ben’s attention was brought back to his computer. Rey was still there, only this time she wasn’t a mixture of very light shades of gray. Her eyes and hair were light but dark at the same, maybe they were what people called a medium tone. She laughed again at something her roommate said, causing her eyes to squint with a sparkle and a faint hue to dust her cheeks. Ben couldn’t help but think she was absolutely amazing in that moment.
He swallowed and looked at the clock, it was almost seventeen hundred hours, meaning he could go home soon. Where according to policy, he could hand over his surveillance duties to a night agent or continue to do so himself on a secured connection with his laptop or government issued phone. Making up his mind, Ben quickly sent an email to Mitaka telling him to send all the necessary data to him and began packing up his things, including the meager notes he had been taking.
Noticing Ben’s movements, Hux regarded him suspiciously. “You’re leaving? On time? You always do overtime even when you get yelled at, which means I always do overtime and get yelled at.”
“Um, yeah,” Ben said awkwardly, shoving items haphazardly into his briefcase, almost taking his stapler with him. Then he quickly shrugged on his coat. “My shoulder, it’s hurting. Bullet wound, you know?” He paused. “Bye.” He briskly walked towards the elevator, barely noticing that Snoke was watching from the windows of his office.
Once alone, he sighed only to be interrupted by the chime of his work phone. His opened the message quickly and found that it had already been connected to both Rey’s laptop and phone with access to her microphone, not really needing the latter because Ben remembered her face very clearly, it was as if it was ingrained in his retinas.
As soon as he got out of the building, the various colors of New York assaulted him, although he was thankful that most of the buildings and streets were still gray. Ben yielded a taxi and was horrified at its disgusting choice of coloring, he gave the caddy instruction to go, not to his apartment, but to his parents’ house. He was exhausted and leaned against the backseat. Ben picked up his phone, his personal phone, and opened up the web browser, quickly typing into the search engine: List of colors.
At the same time, his other phone was spilling out data on what Rey was currently doing. His eyes widened when he saw her latest search.
How do you know when you’ve found your soulmate?