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Han eyed his son in the rearview mirror as he pulled into the parking lot at High Rollers. He could wave it off and tell the princess he wasn't worried, he could shrug it off and try to convince Chewie at the garage he wasn't worried, he could act to Ben as if he wasn't worried, but Han was worried--for a number of reasons. The first reason, or perhaps just the most superficial (and hopefully the least applicable) was that this rollerdrome had been around since he had been a kid. In fact, it had been at a roller disco night here many years ago that he'd met his princess. Meaning, he knew exactly what used to go on in the bathrooms, behind the building, and even sometimes in a booth at the snack bar, and the thought of Ben being involved in any of it made him twitchy. Ben wasn't too young to knock someone up, unfortunately, and Han was definitely too young to be a grandfather.
A little deeper down, he was worried about Ben. While he had shot up like a weed over the summer, and was big enough now to potentially scare off the kids who had picked on him for his sensitivity, Ben had never been the most coordinated child even before puberty had hit him like a runaway semi. He could be so touchy about things, and so anxious, that Han was pretty sure he wasn't actually skating for fear of looking like a fool.
Han did what any good father would do, and embarrassed the hell out of his son by clearing his throat and asking meaningfully if he was meeting someone and he needed to be safe and smart and did he have one in his wallet? Ben, naturally, turned a miserable shade of red and mumbled something like oh my god dad please can we not talk about this?, which was more than Han usually heard out of his boy. Of course, he gave Ben a few bucks for concessions or the arcade or what have you, so that he wouldn't be completely bored, but Ben had his game consoles at home. So why did he insist on coming here?
"If you don't call by 8, I'll be here by 8:30 to pick you up, ok kid?"
Ben nodded and accepted the cash from his dad with a mumbled 'thank you' and got out of the car before Han could say anything else that would cause him to combust from embarrassment.
He made it up to the front desk and handed over his dollar to get in the door without skates, and he was grateful for the low lighting that hid his receding blush while he made his way to the sign that read 'Admiral Snackbar.' He ordered a red cream soda and sat in a booth that gave him a good view of the rink. There were a few other students there already, mostly the ones who took skating way too seriously and the ones who were desperate to get out of their houses for as long as possible. Ben was pretty sure Rey didn't fit into the first category, but it made him frown into his soda cup to wonder how she fit into the second.
Rey was one of those girls who seemed at home anywhere, and Ben envied the ease with which she breezed between social groups, bringing her sunshine with her. Every now and again, she'd even grace him with it, at which point he would try to maintain a chilly exterior for fear of humiliating himself. He failed as often as not, and his occasional thaw only seemed to encourage her. A change in the music pulled Ben out of his thoughts; the beat became more insistent, and the rink was suddenly crowded with people. He scanned the faces, looking for Rey's, and he found her skating in a circle with Jess and Kay, the three giggling as they lip-synced and danced to "Funkytown." It took everything in him not to grin at her bubbly happiness; he settled for rolling his eyes at disco music.
After a couple more 'retro' dance tunes, the music changed to something a little slower, the beat more of an R&B strut, and a squeal went up from several of the girls. Couples broke off to skate with one another, and the single girls bopped in small packs, singing the lyrics as they bounced. Some of the single guys showed off, skating backwards or making figure eights, and the rest took to the carpeted edge of the rink to ogle the girls. Ben frowned; Rey was skating with Finn, who was supposed to be her best friend and half the class thought was gay anyway. They were holding hands, Rey skating backwards as Finn managed to do a credible job of dancing on skates. Not for the first time, Ben cursed his shyness and his physical awkwardness. Then again, even if he were a little more agile, he's probably still never skate in public. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the blonde who was on the sidelines, scowling at Finn every time the pair went past.
With a sigh, he got up and made his way over to the X-Men arcade game, popping in a quarter and choosing Storm as his character. At home, he preferred to play Wolverine, since the guy was the consummate brawler. At the arcade, though, the buttons on Wolverine's controls were always worn out from being slapped by too many guys who had no idea what to do other than mash buttons. Besides, Storm's ability to clear the screen was no joke. Focused as he was, he was startled when Dazzler joined the game, and lost his first quarter to shock when he realized it was Rey beside him. He dropped a second quarter in and did his best to keep his eyes on the game. She was pretty good, and Dazzler was an unusual choice, but her targeted burst powers made a good complement to Storm's tornado. (The fact that she was close enough for him to smell her, or to notice the way that the tip of her tongue peeked out when she got serious, did nothing to help his gameplay, but it did make the experience more enjoyable.) They rescued Kitty Pryde and nearly managed to defeat Juggernaut before their supply of quarters ran out.
"You're pretty good at this," she smiled, her tone warm.
He grinned, unable to help it. "You're not too bad yourself."
She blushed, then made eye contact and smiled. "I had good help."
He had no idea what to say next, or what to do, and he immediately began to panic. "I'll--I'll be right back?"
"Oh," she said, losing some of her effervescence. "Alright." She smiled again, but it wasn't as big or as bright as before, and he retreated to the men's room for lack of any other option to freak out in relative privacy.
Ben got a shove from behind as he walked into the restroom, and he spun around to find a blonde upperclassman he didn't know, pinning him with a death glare.
"You stay away from her, Solo," he snarled. "Rey's with me."
Ben blinked at being called Solo; he had no idea who this asshole was or why he would know Ben's name, but his anxiety vanished, replaced by a simmering anger. Ben drew himself up to his full height and stood his ground. When Ben didn't shrink, the other boy's eyes narrowed, and he backed out of the restroom, never taking his eyes off of Ben until the door closed. Only then did Ben heave a shaky sigh. Rey was with somebody?
Ben deflated. Well, her having a boyfriend wasn't really surprising, but the idea that she would go for someone like that made Ben's heart cave in. As soon as he walked out of here, he'd go to the payphone and call for a ride home. He wasn't going to watch her be with somebody who treated her like a possession.
A moment later, he had pulled himself together somewhat and walked out of the restroom, but before he could make it to the payphone, the sound of Rey in distress cut through the noise of the crowd. That same asshole blonde had her wrist in a tight grip, and she was struggling with him. Ben didn't know what he was going to do once he got there, or what possessed him to think he could do anything, but seeing someone hurt Rey made his blood boil. Something or someone else took over from the shy, awkward, lanky Ben, and this other person cut through the crowd, using Ben's height and his burgeoning width to his advantage.
"Hey!" Rey cried, trying to wrench her arm away. "Teedo, get off of me!"
"You don't talk to him or to anyone else," the boy snarled. "You're mine!"
Ben had nearly made it to Rey's side when she and the other boy collapsed to the floor.
"Bitch!" Teedo groaned, cupping his crotch as he writhed. The volume suddenly dropped, and a whistle blew.
Ben blinked, impressed, and crouched down to offer Rey a hand. (If, in the process of helping Rey back up onto her skates, should Teedo find himself with a size 12 shoeprint on his ribcage, or with a couple of fingers run over by skate wheels, he should chalk it up to the hazards of laying on the floor, Ben decided.)
"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Ben asked as Rey regained her feet--just in time for Poe, one of the rink guards, and Finn, Rey's best friend, to come flying off the rink. Poe gave him and the still-crumpled Teedo a no-nonsense glare as Finn reached for Rey. The rink guard said something to Finn and pointed at the snack bar; Finn nodded and pulled Rey over to the nearest booth.
That left Ben standing between Poe and a rising, angry Teedo. Before the upperclassman could take out his humiliation on Ben with a sucker punch, though, another of the rink guards materialized from behind the blonde and grabbed his bicep, hauling him backwards.
Poe, a college student who was a few years older than Ben, and whose parents were friends with Ben's parents, crossed his arms. "What happened, Ben?"
Ben explained that this guy who he didn't know had come at him in the restroom, trying to intimidate him into staying away from Rey, and that by the time Ben had finished his business, he'd come out to find the other guy hurting Rey. Before he could do anything, Rey seemed to have kneed him in the balls, and he had pulled her down with him. Then Ben had come to help Rey up.
Poe hummed, sounding skeptical. "I'm going to need you to have a seat in one of the booths. Don't try to leave or I'll just come over after work and chat with Han and Leia about it."
Ben shrugged and nodded. He ordered another soda and some cheese fries at the snack bar, then sat down to wait as Poe went over to Rey and Finn to hear their version of the story. A few minutes later, Finn and Rey glided over to where Ben was sitting.
"Can we sit?" Rey asked. She winced as she flexed her wrist--she must have landed on it when she fell--and Ben's heart twisted. He nodded.
Finn looked contrite. "I'm sorry, man. I thought you'd knocked her over."
Ben looked baffled. "Why would I do that?"
Was Finn blushing?
"Well, I mean... you're huge--not fat--oh my god why did I say that?--you're just--!" Finn waved a hand to indicate all of Ben-- "I'm not really looking, I swear!"
Ben cringed, bowled over by an avalanche of awkward, and was glad for the excuse of picking up his fries from the counter to walk away from that for a moment. He returned to his seat, and saw Rey eyeing his plate. His lip quirked into a grin.
"Want some?"
Finn shook his head while Rey chirped a cheery 'thanks!' and reached for the first of many.
"So..." Ben began, but got lost. How do you ask your crush about her dick boyfriend? You didn't. "How's your wrist?"
Rey frowned. "I think I've sprained it."
"Shit, Rey!" Finn said. "Why didn't you say something?"
"I'm just figuring it out, Finn!"
Ben leapt up and went to the counter, returning with an icepack for Rey, who gratefully accepted it--along with another handful of fries from Ben's plate.
"Are you going to break up with him?" Ben asked quietly. He didn't know what he would do if she said no, but he had to know.
"We're not together!" she insisted, her brows gathering in anger.
"What did he say?" Finn asked, puffing up a bit like an angry cat.
"He cornered me in the bathroom and told me to stay away from his girl," Ben shrugged. "I couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like he told you not to talk to me or Finn anymore, Rey."
Her eyes rolled heavenward and she snarled. "His mother hired me to tutor his stupid ass in geometry this summer because he'd already failed, TWICE, and got kicked off of the football team! I wouldn't date him if he was the only other person on the planet!"
Finn snickered, and Ben's heart soared--until he realized just how red and bruised her wrist was. Something in him shifted, and black flames burned in his dark eyes.
"Uhhh... are you ok, Ben?" Finn asked. "You're looking kinda scary, there, dude."
"That," Ben said, pointing at her wrist, "will not stand."
Rey's cheeks were puffed up to chipmunk proportions with the rest of Ben's fries, and her eyes went as round as her cheeks. She swallowed, wincing at the volume of food, and grabbed Ben's finger.
"That already did not stand, Ben. If you remember, I put his ass on the floor. Thanks, though. This--" she indicated her wrist-- "will be just fine in a few days." She shifted the topic. "Maybe next weekend we can go to the arcade?"
Ben lit up like a pinball machine. "Yeah, I think I could do that."