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Ben knew deep, deep down that he should have been expecting this. When he took the job as a movie theater custodian, he knew he would be seeing some wild shit. He'd lived through not one, not two, but three Fifty Shades of Grey movies. Yet nothing could have prepared him for the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War. In retrospect he should have seen this coming. An avid comic book reader, Ben knew that with a snap of his fingers Thanos could destroy half of the universe. He hadn't anticipated Thanos ruining the entirety of theater two and the sanity of one small brown haired girl sitting in row thirteen.
"Are you alright?" He asked pushing his glasses up his nose from where they had slipped when he was sweeping.
"Have you seen this film?" The girl cried pointing harshly at the blank movie screen.
"Um.." Ben hesitated before sitting in the chair next to the girl. "Yeah I have?"
"And you're not at all upset by what happened at the end?" She exclaimed turning to face him with tear stained cheeks.
"I mean..I guess not?" He answered, flustered by how upset she was. "I kind of saw it coming, I read the comics."
"I read them too!" She argued, indignant that he would even suggest she hadn't. "I was just hoping they would switch it up a little! It's Hollywood! Surely they could have made some exceptions!"
"I think after The Amazing Spiderman 2 we should have anticipated that Hollywood would be ruthless" Ben answered, preparing to stand up and return to sweeping.
Suddenly the girl next to him started crying again, not quite sobbing but something akin to hyperventilation. Ben's eyes widened as he took in the sight of her. The longer she cried the more uncomfortable he became. Anti-social in nature, Ben had never had the displeasure of having to comfort someone else.
"Oh jeez, are you finished?" He exclaimed waving his arms wildly in a stop motion. "Look, I know it's sad but I'm going to be real with you for a second and say I am one hundred percent not prepared to deal with all of this" He finished his sentence by standing up and gesturing towards her.
"Well excuse me-, " She started, pausing to sniffle, "-For feeling more than one emotion Mr. 'I read the comics I saw this coming!".
"You also read the comics!" He said grabbing his broom, "Supposedly!"
"And what is that supposed to mean!" She asked standing up and wiping her nose before firmly planting her hands on her hips.
"Oh please" Ben said sweeping the floor at the end of the aisle. "You read a couple Wikipedia pages on the comics and suddenly you know everything there is to know about the universe."
"You are so pretentious!" She argued walking to the end of the aisle where he was standing, "You think just because you work in a movie theater and wear hipster glasses you're too cool for everyone else!"
"I do not-" He began before she interrupted him.
"No, no you do!" Reaching over she grabbed his broom and his glasses. Plopping them onto her face she did her best impersonation of him. "Oh look at me I'm-" She paused to look at his nametag, "-Ben. I work at a movie theater! I feel nothing because I read the comics! I'm shite at sweeping the floors!"
"Christ are you British?" He asked squinting without his glasses.
"I've been British since we started this conversation you just didn't notice as you were floating above me on your cloud of superiority" She replied rolling her eyes behind his thick black frames. "Stop squinting at me, it's not like you'll suddenly be able to see my accent."
"If this were one of the comics you claim to have read-" He answered pulling his glasses from her face, "-I would be able to see your accent". Reaching up he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before blushing and walking down the steps to sweep the next aisle.
"Now you just-" The girl said rushing towards him, ears tinted red. "-You just wait just a minute! I have read the comics! I can prove it!"
"Yeah? How are you gunna do that sweetheart?" Ben said rolling his eyes as he squatted to pick up a cup of soda.
"I have all the comics back at my apartment!" The girl said proudly, crossing her arms as if she had bested him.
"Considering the fact that we are not at your apartment, I fail to see how this is proof." Ben said grabbing at an old box of Junior Mints under a chair. "Ugh, nasty!"
"Well then I guess you'll just have to come over!" She said confidently, despite the growing blush on her cheeks.
"I-I don't even know your name!" Ben protested, "And you were just crying four minutes ago so forgive me if I doubt your credibility as a non-serial killer."
"Rey." She said, holding her hand out until he shook it, "Ew, your hands all sticky and gross."
"I sincerely apologize for my occupational hazard" He said glaring at her.
"But seriously," She began, grabbing at a bag of Twizzlers on the ground. "You should come over and see my comic book collection!"
"That sounds like an innuendo for something that is most definitely not a comic book collection." Reaching over, he grabbed the Twizzlers and tossed them in the trashcan by his broom. "I hope you're aware of how fuckboyish you sound right now."
"When do you get off work?" She said ignoring his attempts to change the conversation and firmly planting herself in front of the trashcan he was reaching towards.
"You're awfully persistent" He said reaching around her to grab the trash, her hair brushing the side of his neck. "Suppose I had a girlfriend who didn't want me gallivanting with cute girls who cry at predictable endings?" He finished, pulling away from her space with the trashcan rolling by his side.
"If you had a girlfriend" She answered grabbing the broom and beginning to sweep. "We wouldn't be having this conversation."
"I get off when I'm finished cleaning this theater", He said sighing in resignation. "It was the last showing of the night, but judging from the mess here, I won't be free for at least an hour and a half.
"What if I help?" Rey answered continuing to sweep while he picked up garbage from the floor.
"That estimate factored in your help." He deadpanned as they moved to the next aisle.
"Well I guess we better work faster then!" Rey answered sweeping enthusiastically.
Sighing, Ben continued picking up the various debris that were tossed at the screen following the end of the movie. Rey sweapt all the popcorn in each aisle to the end of the row where Ben was waiting with a dustpan to pick it up. Unsurprisingly they finished cleaning the theater an hour after their first conversation.
”Is there anything else you need to do before we leave?” Rey asked grabbing her backpack and jacket from her seat.
”Just clock out.” Ben called from the closet where he was putting the broom and trashcan. “Are you sure you want me to come over? We just met and it seems like a lot of effort for a silly disagreement...”
”It is not a silly disagreement!” Rey objected meeting him at the bottom of the theater, “You doubted my commitment to comics. You’ve basically insulted the honor of my entire family!”
“Okay, okay.” Ben answered putting his hands up on surrender.
”Did you walk or drive here?” Rey asked tucking her jacket around her as she stepped into the chilly air.
”I walked,” Ben replied ignoring her protests as he wrapped his own jacket around her shoulders. “I live up the road on Cresswell Street.”
”No way! I live on Blackington!” Rey exclaimed zipping up into Ben’s coat. “We’re basically neighbors.”
”That doesn’t really bode well for me if you end up being a serial killer,” Ben said chuckling as they approached Rey’s street.
”You really have to let go of that serial killer thing,” She said reaching into her pockets for her keys as they approached a blue duplex, “Shit’s not healthy.”
“Welcome to mi casa!” She said opening the door and letting him into the apartment.
The space was small, tiny enough that Ben’s six foot frame was cramped against Rey’s smaller self. Looking around he noticed plants. Not just one or two, but what must have been thirty plants in various stages of life all around the house. Plants in the kitchen. In the living room. On the staircase. The entire space was painted green from all the foliage.
”You uh-“ Ben began, taking his shoes off as he spoke, “You certainly have a lot of plants?”
“Oh yeah that’s my roommate Finn.” Rey answered hanging her and Ben’s coats off the side of the couch, “Grew up in a desert that one so now he’s all obsessed with greenery.”
”I see,” Ben said following her as she walked to the kitchen, “And is this roommate Finn home?”
”Now who sounds like a serial killer?” Rey replied winking as she poured the two of them glasses of Coke, “No, he’s not home. He’s on vacation with his boyfriend Poe. I’m plant sitting as you can tell from the sorry state some of these babies are in.”
“Okay,” Ben said cutting to the chase as he quickly downed his Coke, “I was promised proof that you read the comics. I’m ready for some cold hard proof.”
Finishing her drink, Rey nodded solemnly and began to lead him down the hall and up the stairs.
”Dear God your comic book collection actually IS an innuendo isn’t it.” Ben joked as Rey grabbed his hand to lead him down the upstairs hall to a small door.
Glaring over her shoulder, she came to a stop at the door. Turning around she stood on her tiptoes in order to grab Ben by his shoulders. “What I’m about to show you,” She paused for dramatic effect, “May very well blow your mind.”
Gently placing his hands on her shoulders and hunching down to her eye level he jokingly replied, “I think I can handle it.”
Spoiler alert: he most definitely could not handle it.
When Rey said she had a comic book collection, Ben began to imagine one or two boxes filled with some newer comics. He was not anticipating a small office filled with comic books. Bookshelves lined the walls of the room, each loaded with comics. In the center of the room was a plush couch and to the left was a computer that no doubt held a catalog of every book available in Rey’s massive library. To the right of the couch was a small end table with a lamp on it.
”You can come in if you’d like.” She said, softly pulling him from where he was gaping at the door.
”You-I-Just-HOW?” Ben spluttered as he tried to take in the vast amount of literature in Rey’s collection.
”Inheritance.” Rey said shrugging as she ran her index finger across the spines of the books in front of her. “My parents died when I was really young and I inherited their entire comic book collection.”
”You must have everything here!” Ben exclaimed, eyes gleaming as he looked at Rey.
”Oh not everything.” She said pretending to think of a comic she didn’t have, “but pretty close.”
“I just-“ Ben began as he completed his first rotation around the room, “Can I?” He finished gesturing to an exclusive copy of Black Orchid.
”Help yourself.” She answered, picking up a copy of The Eternal Smile. “Marvels to your left, DC to your right, graphic novels and adaptations of classic literature are in the middle.” She finished her sentence by sprawling on the couch and opening her book.
Picking up the copy of Black Orchid, Ben sat on the floor by her feet and began to read. An hour passed before Ben gained the courage to ask the question that had been haunting him from the moment he opened the weather pages of the comic.
“How long have you had these books?” Ben asked looking up at Rey from his spot on the floor.
”I told you, since my parents died.” She said brushing his bangs behind his ears before flipping the page in her book. “Don’t touch your hair, I like your ears out.” She said without looking up as if she could sense that he had raised his hand to hide his ears.
”How long ago did they..” Ben trailed off unsure of how to phrase his question.
”How long ago did they die?” Rey finished, closing her book and patting the space on the couch next to her. “Come sit.”
Obeying her commands, he sat on the couch next to her as she scooted closer to him.
“My parents died when I was four and I’m twenty-two now, so around eighteen years ago?” She began looking up at him as if in confirmation, “After they died I went to live with my grandfather and he kept all of the comics in storage until we could rent a space big enough for them to be displayed. The heroes became my closest friends because no one wanted to be friends with the orphan girl. One day I hope to open a comic book library of sorts. Just a place where kids can come and read about their heroes for free. A safe space,” She paused to yawn, “like this.”
For the first time in a very long time Ben was speechless. Placing his book down carefully on the table, he reached over and pulled Rey into his chest.
”What are you doing?” She asked as they lay on the couch together.
”Cuddling.” Ben answered, yawning as his cheeks turned bright red.
”Didn’t peg you for a cuddler.” She said relaxing in his hold.
”Yeah well,” He said reaching over to turn the light off and place his glasses on the table, “Try not to ruin it too much by talking.”
”Fine,” She said settling in to sleep, “But tomorrow we’re definitely going to discuss the theory that everyone is trapped inside the Soul Stone.”
”Obviously,” Ben laughed rolling his eyes before finally succumbing to peaceful sleep.