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He knows immediately that something is horribly wrong when they step out of the movie theatre.
Ben and Rey had gone to the midnight premiere of the final Space Battles movie, something she had insisted on when the tickets were available for purchase a few months ago. She had tried to round up their vast friend group consisting of Finn, Poe, Rose, Jannah, Ben and herself to have a night off and watch a fun space movie originally intended for kids. Unfortunately, since the movie was released on a Friday, most of them had their last college final before coming off for winter break the morning after the premiere. Luckily for Rey, her and Ben had already finished for the semester and were able to enjoy what they hoped would be a satisfying conclusion to the saga’s story.
Spoiler: It Wasn’t.
Rey Johnson is well known in their friend group for having a spitfire personality and strong opinions on things she’s passionate about – ranging from politics, to film and movies, to salad dressings (in her words, ‘sometimes restaurants put too much vinegar in their vinaigrettes, okay?’). So, on the walk back to Ben’s car, when Rey is completely silent (with the exception of a muttered ‘thank you’ when he held the door open for her), he knows something is horribly wrong.
As a casual fan of the series, Ben enjoyed the newest movie from a superficial point of view. Sure, some of the terminology and mythology went right over his head, but he didn’t mind too much. The action scenes were enjoyable, the characters had cool interactions and who doesn’t love a good laser sword fight? He only really went to the midnight showing because Rey’s eyes had lit up when she suggested it to him. And since he was hopelessly in love with her, there was no choice in the matter. They were going.
He unlocks his sleek, black TIE Silencer (Rey had called him out for the overpriced car but would happily live in it given half a chance) and opens the passenger side door for her. She half-smiles gratefully and slips in quietly. As he gets in the drivers side and locks his seat belt in place, he glances over at her one more time before asking softly, “Are you okay?”
Rey, gazing out of the window, squints her eyes and frowns a little before answering “I’m not sure. I – honestly I’m kind of confused mostly.” She turns to him. “But, uh, thank you for coming with me. I know it’s not really your kind of movie.”
Ben turns the key in the ignition, and the dashboard lights up reading 2:42 AM. He knows if he drops her off at her apartment and goes back to his, neither of them will be able to fall asleep and will end up texting each other until sunrise. So, he asks “Do you want to come round to my apartment for a little while? I still have that flavoured tea you left at mine a few weeks ago. I can drive you home later.” He’s using his rear-view mirror to reverse out of the space he parked in a few hours ago, but he can feel the weight of her eyes on him. Maybe it’s just because it’s her. God, he has it bad, he realises.
“Would that be okay? I don’t think I’m ready to sneak into my apartment without waking Rose and Jannah yet.” She says. Ever since Jannah moved in with her girlfriend Rose, Rey’s joint second best friend, it has been near impossible for Rey to get up in the middle of the night for a bowl of cereal – they’re both painfully light sleepers. Hopefully she can persuade Ben to let her sleep on the couch so that they get a good sleep before their 9am final.
“Yeah, of course.” He makes eye contact with her for a second before she smiles softly and looks away, mind wandering.
//////////
What a ridiculous movie. I can’t believe they just redeemed Kylo like that and them killed him off almost instantly! While Kira watches! They deserved a happy ending after killing off that wrinkly old evil bastard. And how is he even back, anyway? Dude died three movies ago, for God’s sake. At least they got to kiss. For like ten seconds. And what the hell was with that ridiculous fan pandering-?
Rey’s thoughts were interrupted as Ben parks outside his apartment. She sits up from her position with her head against the window and looks at him, guiltily. He probably didn’t even want to go see the dumb movie with her in the middle of the night. He probably had better things to do, like spending time with his family over Christmas or, realising as she checks her phone, sleeping.
They make their way out of the car and into the elevators in the lobby, taking them to the 5th floor. She’s always thankful whenever he suggests a movie night at his apartment after long days of classes and tutorials at college. Partially because she has to climb 3 flights of stairs to get to her place, but also because, well, Ben was well off. It’s not like she’s horribly jealous of him. It’s what happens when you have a well renowned politician as a mother. She was just a little jealous when she works multiple part time jobs to pay for tuition and rent and he lives like this. At least she knows he doesn.t share the place with anyone who wouldn’t take kindly to being woken up at 3am as she finally begin to say what’s on her mind.
“I cannot believe the audacity, the nerve the director had to make that shit show of a movie! And he calls himself a fan of the original movies!” she kicks her shoes off at the door and slings her jacket and bag over the back of a chair at the breakfast bar in his kitchen.
“There she is.” Ben mutters and smiles. He puts the kettle on the stove and opens the cupboards, looking for the box of teabags Rey is so fond of. Ah, it’s on the top shelf. He must’ve put it there so she couldn’t reach it for when she remembered to steal it back from him.
“And what the fuck was that whole choosing your own ancestry plot? Kylo didn’t get a choice so why should Kira-?” Rey trails off when she looks at Ben, reaching towards the box of tea. A small area of his back is exposed, and it catches Rey off-guard. She’s instantly reminded of that time she accidentally caught him shirtless, having just come out of the shower before answering the door. She flushes at the memory and turns her head away when he looks in her direction. “…it’s ridiculous.” She finishes lamely.
Ben hums while he drops the bags into the empty mugs and waits for the water to heat. “Well when you put it like that, I suppose it’s stupid. I thought it was a nice homage to the older characters but it’s not as if she’s related to them at all so she doesn’t owe them that” The kettle boils and he hands her her mug, their fingertips touching briefly before she wraps her hands tightly around the porcelain.
She distractedly takes a sip of the too-hot liquid while gazing at his massive hands dwarfing his matching mug. She got him a Kira and Kylo Ren set from one of her favourite fan artists for his birthday last year and he insists on using them as much as possible. Not that she minds of course. As her lips touch the mug, she almost instinctively drops it, but Ben’s hands wrap around hers and place the offending object on a nearby coaster where hit mug sits, too.
He takes her hands once more and gives them a quick once-over, turning them for a better look. Rey inhales shakily, scared to break this moment of intimacy. His brow is furrowed in concern. “Ben” she whispers, “I’m okay. Thank you.” She turns her hands so that they lie palm-down in his, enjoying the contact of his warm touch. Bens thumbs trace soothing patterns on her skin and she simultaneously wants to shiver while also taking her thick sweater off. Her eyes travel from their entwined hands up his broad chest, covered by his soft black sweater, to his deep brown eyes. She finds she never wants to look away.