Work Text:
“Nooooooo,” Rey croaked when her ringing phone woke her. Her head pounded, her eyes felt glued together with last night’s mascara, and a small puddle of drool lay under her cheek. The shiny little green top had twisted itself around as she slept, and the hair plastered to her face smelled like cheese fries.
The phone kept ringing, but Rey refused to have any dealings with it. That could wait. She sat up and found that she was trapped in slinky fabric. Rose had not told her that a “Friday-night top” would become a Saturday-morning straitjacket. Once she’d freed herself, she shuffled to her kitchen and filled a mug with water, which she chugged.
She guzzled another mug while she walked to the bathroom, then left it next to the sink as she showered. Rey hadn’t even glanced into the mirror as she went by it; she knew she’d look like the Ghost of Nightclub Past. That wasn’t something she wanted to see. Instead, she let the hot water rinse away the funk of cheap beer and horribly delicious late-night food.
Once she stepped out of the shower, she finally felt more human. Wrapped in a towel, she made some toast, then munched on it as she finally checked her phone. She wanted tea, but sipped slowly on another mug of water. Hydration was important. Once she’d finished that mug, she rewarded herself by filling her kettle and turning it on.
Rose was persistent and determined. Rey had forgotten that she’d been roped into a shopping trip, but her enthusiastic friend was only too glad to remind her. As much as she dreaded it, Rey figured it was probably best to accept help with her outfit for the ceremony where the plans for Ahch-To Tower would be unveiled. Rose had a much better eye and wouldn’t steer her wrong. To Rey, it was worth the price of a meal to make sure she’d look good next to Amilyn and Larma and Mayor Organa.
*******
Waking up shouldn’t have been so difficult for Kylo. He hadn’t had a drop to drink last night, but he still felt hungover. All of his muscles ached. At least he’d thought to free himself from his harness and bondage pants before he’d faceplanted nude on his bed.
He’d slept hard . When he finally managed to sit up, he actually felt quite good--energized and refreshed, smiling as he remembered that this was his day off. Kylo had a stack of hours to fill with whatever he pleased. He grinned to himself as he rose naked from his bed and made his way to the bathroom.
The warm water of the shower soothed his tired muscles as he lingered, turning under the spray, sighing as he lathered his hair and found himself humming. Every time he thought of her, indeed. That wild flight of fancy was his cue to shut off the shower and step out, grabbing at towels for his body and his head.
Dried to his best efforts, his hair rubbed wild and his body still glistening, he moved quickly to the small second bedroom that served as his studio.
Thankfully, he had a canvas ready. Kylo contemplated the white space as he prepared his palette with the colors that filled his mind. The white space was potential, patiently awaiting his ideas. Or, more truthfully, his idea . There was only one. A singular lithe figure, swaying and bending, dancing only for her own pleasure. Hers certainly hadn’t been the most skilled body on the floor, but hers was the one that drew his eye like a magnet.
Kylo worked quickly, nearly frantically, as if he’d combust if he didn’t commit his vision to canvas right away.
It had layers--it started with her dancing, but was enhanced by the powerful grace of her body as she’d helped him fight off the punks on the subway, was embellished by the lines of her bones as she stood still on the train, waiting to arrive at her stop.
He was a flurry of brushes and colors, trying to temper the speed of his urgency with the precision of the details in his mind’s eye.
It could have been hours; it could have been minutes. Time had slipped away while he painted. Finally, he stood back, contemplating his work. It wasn’t perfect, but nothing short of the real thing ever could be. Kylo decided he liked it well enough, so he set down his palette and brush, then exited the room before he could change his mind and slash the damp canvas to ribbons.
Suddenly, he found himself quite hungry, as if his body had rediscovered its basic needs once he’d scratched his itch to create. A grilled cheese would really hit the spot, and it was a dish for which he had all the necessary ingredients. Once the studio door was closed, though, he suddenly remembered his nudity when a breeze wafted through a drafty window, chilling his bare skin.
*******
“What?! It’s comfort food, and that’s what I want right now!” Rey picked up half of her grilled havarti on nine-grain and dipped the point into her tomato bisque. “You did not tell me it was going to be like this! I wake up with the devil’s own head, nearly strangled by my own shirt, and then I have to go out?! ” She took a vicious bite of her sandwich.
Rose sipped her mimosa and rolled her eyes at Rey’s outrage. “You had fun, you mean, and now you’re out to find an outfit worthy of your immense talent, right?”
Rey, her mouth full of toasted cheese, simply held up two fingers.
“You’ll thank me later.” Rose turned her attention to her Eggs Benedict.
Rey returned Rose’s eyeroll with interest, then took an obnoxious slurp of her soup. “I’m sure I will. That doesn’t mean it’s pleasant now. I know you want to take me to one of those stores with two names and help me spend a whole paycheck on one outfit.”
“Well, yes, that’s the point. You need my guidance. Left to your own devices, you’d wear some badly-stitched thing from last year. And you’re so good with your finances that it’s okay to splurge.”
Rose was right, and Rey knew it. She’d just recently stopped having palpitations every time her direct deposit hit. She saved like a miser, always primed for a rainy day. This, however, was the rare sunny day that justified a loosening of the purse strings. Rey didn’t want to look gauche or dowdy next to her bosses--stylish Amilyn and subtly classic Larma. And Mayor Organa was a perennial fashion icon in Coruscant City.
Dressing well and expensively would help Rey blend in, would keep her appearance from being an issue, would let her work speak for itself. Bullshit, yes, but this was where things were.
Ah, well. The food was good, and their server was great at keeping the cold water coming. Rey had no idea how Rose could sip the bottomless mimosas without a care in the world, but she supposed Rose’s head was Rose’s problem.
Rey paid for brunch, just as she’d promised, and attempted to keep her complaints to a minimum for the remainder of the afternoon, even though the scope of the project was far larger than she’d thought.
Apparently, everything that was going to touch her body had to be bought new, from underwear--”there’s no point in buying nice clothes if you’re gonna put some Hanes Her Way horror underneath them, Rey”--to jewelry--”bold but tasteful” was the goal there--to shoes--”there’ll be a lot of standing around; you’ve got to be comfy for that.” She couldn’t argue with any of the reasoning. Constructing an outfit was a bit like constructing a building.
*******
For once, Kylo managed to slide his sandwich off the griddle while it was still in the perfect stage of golden. Usually, he got distracted and wound up frantically opening windows, then dropping a sad square of charcoal into the trash, all to the earsplitting tune of the smoke alarm.
Today was already special. He’d created something he liked in his studio and made something tasty in his kitchen. Kylo finished the last point of his diagonally-sliced grilled cheese, then decided to chase it with a big green apple from the bowl on his table. A bit of juice dripped onto his chest, reminding him again that he was naked.
Once he’d tossed the apple core, he went to his bedroom to dress in workout clothes. It had been quite some time since he’d made it to a Saturday session at his Krav Maga gym. The Major would be glad to see him and would welcome his help with the beginners.
He left his building and walked down into the subway with his gym bag, knowing he probably wouldn’t see her, but half-hoping anyway.