Chapter Text
“So, who is the little hottie you hang around with after school?”
Fucking Hux.
Hux was always known to get straight to the point whenever he made conversation. No ‘Hey Ben, how are you finding the History essay’ or ‘Ben, keen for the season?’ It was nearing 5pm and the basketball team were finishing their weight session, Ben was ready to head home and get away from all the Testosterone. Not that Ben could ever escape it, attending an all boys school and all. He was just thankful he never needed to board seeing his Mother was Head Mistress living only a few streets away.
Packing up his gym bag, Ben felt his phone vibrate in the side pocket.
“What’s it to you Hux?” Ben grunted back without lifting his head. He knew exactly who he was asking about. Almost everyone at Naboo Academy knew Rey. She was Professor Kanata’s adoptive daughter and could be found quite often sitting in the library or waiting in the Organa wing for her Mother to finish. She also happened to be Ben’s next door neighbour and best friend for the last 8 years.
“Just interested in making a new friend” Hux smirked. Hux was new to Naboo Academy, already making a name for himself for being an insufferable jerk and getting right on Ben’s nerves.
“Who wants a new friend? Hugs! I told you already I am up for a play date whenever you are”.
“Fuck off Poe” Hux spat. “Ben here won’t tell me about the legs for days chick I saw him walking out of the school with yesterday.” “Who, Rey?” Poe questioned.
Hux smirked “Young Rey hmmm, care to introduce me?”
Rey had become Ben’s neighbor when she was adopted by Maz.
Ben ignored Hux pulling out his phone from his bag. Knowing already who would be texting him.
Rey: Bennnnny. Where r u? I have been waiting forever.
Ben sent back a quick reply.
Ben: Coming now
“Hux, you have two legs and a heartbeat, introduce yourself” Poe commented.
“Oh I intend to. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t, how do I put it…cutting Solo’s grass”.
Ben barked out a laugh, “You wouldn’t even know what a lawn mower is. Do what you want”.
Ben swung his bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the gym and to front of the Library step. He saw Rey sitting on the top step with her legs crossed and staring intently at her phone. “Still can’t get past that level in Candy Crush?” Ben joked. “Honestly, this game is consuming me. It has been 5 days on the same level Ben!” Ben laughed and grabbed her phone from her hands “Rey, I have no idea why you are even still playing this shit. There are so many others you can obsess over now”. With a few moves from Ben, they heard the sound of levelling up. “Oh, you have to be kidding me! How do you do that every time?” Rey grabbed the phone from Ben and watched in disbelief. “I am just a man of many talents, Rey” Ben chuckled as he walks back down the stairs.
Ben and Rey’s friendship had always been easy. They meet at the skate park a few blocks over from Ben’s home. Ben was so excited to try out his new Tie Fighter 1000 push bike. He eagerly watched the other kids zooming past him, up and over ramps some racing each other and Ben wanted nothing more than to join them in the fun.
That is, until a little girl with three buns fell off her bike, and changed his life forever.
She was sitting in the grass sulking, refusing to even go pick up her fallen bike when he walked up to her. Ben was always known as being extremely shy but something about this girl was different.
“Um, hi. I’m Ben. Are you ok?” He asks quietly.
“I don’t need your help!” She quickly yelled, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. Her cheeks redden as if she realises she may have over reacted when she looks up at him. “It was those stupid boys who made me fall off in the first place”. Ben looked over at some older boys snickering to each other. He held up his middle finger to them and the little girl gasped, “you’re not supposed to do that” when Ben turned around her noticed a small smile. “I don’t care, they deserve it”. She smiled brightly.
“I’m Rey” she held out her hand. Ben stared at it for a second until Rey laughed. “I don’t have cooties!” she then looks at her bike noticing the chain had fallen off. “Oh no, Maz is going to kill me”. Ben perked up at that name. “Hey I know Maz, she lives next door.” It was then Ben remembered the conversation he had overheard between his Mother and his neighbour Maz have a few weeks ago. A young girl who was the same age as Ben was coming to live with Maz and her husband. He could only make out bits of the conversation but knew he should not have been eavesdropping.
Ben looked down at the bike, “you know my Dad is real handy with fixing stuff, I’ll help you push it home?”.
From then on, Ben and Rey had been joined at the hip. Rey had even tried to cut her hair to convince Maz she could also attend Naboo Academy. “Why does EVERYONE get to go there and I have to go to the stupid girls school across town?!” Rey threw her hands up in the air dramatically. Maz sighed, “Rey, I work there. I have to go. Don’t worry, you get to catch the bus every afternoon and meet Ben there. It won’t be so bad”. Once school started Rey and Ben found a new routine. Rey would meet Ben at the Library every afternoon after school or basketball training and walk home together.
As they started to cross the campus together, Ben heard his name being called. “Ben, you realise someone is trying to get your attention?”. Ben looked up and saw Hux striding towards them. Ben’s gaze hardened and his fists clenched. Rey looked down at Ben’s hands and turned around to try and see the cause of his distress.
Hux stopped a few feet away and gazed up and down Rey’s body tactlessly. He really wished she would listen to Maz when she had told Rey she needed a new skirt for her last year of school. Of course Rey would not take notice of how long her legs were… Ben certainly noticed. The compulsory knee high white stockings did nothing to conceal her shapely, tan legs. He internally groaned.
“Hello, Solo here said I should introduce myself, Armitage Hux.” Rey looks over to Ben quizzically. “Um, hi. I’m Rey”. She held out her hand, it reminded Ben of their first meeting. She had told Ben she was always taught to shake someones hand when introducing herself. Ben was shocked Hux didn’t lean down to kiss it. “And what is a lovely young lady like yourself doing in our boys only school” he asked innocently. “My Mom, Professor Kanata, works here. You must be new to not know that” she laughed.
Ben’s shoulders were starting to tense listening to Hux try and flirt with Rey. He wasn’t blind or stupid, he knew how gorgeous Rey was. That was the problem. He also noticed his not so ‘she is just my friend’ feelings two years ago during one of their sleepovers. He was happy his Mom had enforced the ‘no sharing a bed rule’ from the start. She had come over already in her sleep shorts and hoodie with her favourite snacks. Ben had set up the futon in his room for her like usual. He always loved the fact Rey had the same taste in movies as him so there was never an argument on which movie to watch. Ben started to take note of all the things that were easy with Rey.
That night was the turning point. When she removed her hoodie claiming his room was too hot, Ben noticed it pull on her top underneath and ride up her bare stomach. Knowing her eyes were covered by the hoodie, he continued to watch her top creep up her toned stomach and show the curve of her breast underneath. It was then Ben had realised Rey had not put on her usual crop top. Ben’s face heated when he heard himself whimper and quickly turned his attention back to the movie. At age 16, Ben had seen plenty of breasts on his many nights searching the web for Porn, but none in real life. And none being that of his best friend. It was just under boob for christ sake.
He thought it would feel awkward to think of Rey that way. It wasn’t until he felt the twitch of his cock that he knew he was in trouble. Later that week, when Rey told Ben how thankful she was he was her friend, he decided he never wanted to push Rey into something she would not want. But, it also did not stop his Porn searches to now filter ‘small and perky tits’.
Now at age 18, watching Hux eye Rey, he felt a primal need to throw her over his shoulder and stake his claim. Instead he remained silent, staring Hux down. “Actually yes, I am new. Transferred over from First Order a few weeks ago. Was looking at making new… friends.” The smile on Hux’s face was nothing short of predatory. Ben was waiting for Rey to tell this wanker off. That she had enough friends, but what came out of her mouth next nearly made Ben’s jaw drop. “Oh, sure. Maybe we could hang or something when you are free?”.
Ben knew Rey had never had a boyfriend. He knows that because he spends every available hour with her. He was also aware that nobody at Naboo Academy would dare try with the fear of Professor Kanata and her cooking knives. He has also never really had a girlfriend. Nobody would ever compare to Rey. He had attempted a date once or twice but they always ended short. The fact was, at age 17 (soon to be 18) he had never even kissed a girl. Rey had always told him she was never really interested in going on dates or boyfriends (another reason he never really pushed the friendship). So why has this all of a sudden changed? And with fucking HUX of all people?
While Ben had been mentally stewing he had missed the conversation between Hux and Rey and their plans. When he came to, he saw Rey entering her number into Hux’s phone. What the fuck is happening right now? Ben knew that one day this would happen, but he didn’t have to be here to witness it.
“Rey, I got to get going. Need to walk Chewie”. Ben had already started walking before he could hear Rey’s response or see the smug looking on Hux’s dick face. By the time he had arrived home and had a shower his thoughts were swirling in his head. He knew that one day Rey would find someone that she was interested in but he always held onto the hope that one day she may see him as something more. Sure his features weren’t conventional and too large but he always felt he had a strong and attractive body. He worked hard for it. Rey was always telling him he had nothing to worry about, his mind was brilliant and he was caring towards those he loved and that’s what counts. Plus he was a great friend. Always being reminded he was a FRIEND.
He groaned and threw himself into bed. Curling himself around the pillow, burying his face in his sheets nearly asleep, ignoring the insistent knocking at his door.
“Go away Han, cook your own dinner tonight!”
“Well, with that kinda greeting I think I’m gonna have to eat all this ice cream on my own.”
Bens head shot up so fast at the familiar voice he loses his balance and falls off his bed with a loud bang, his pillows and blanket tumbling after him.
“Well, that’s one way to fall for a girl.” Rey quips. Ben rolls onto his back wincing slightly to see her standing over him a carton of ice cream in one hand and a tub of ice cream in the other. Her eyes seem to widen when she catches her own words and she pinks up, “Not that I think you are falling for me...I meant from fall from the bed….Hi.”
Ben sits himself up and rubs his neck. “Hi”.
“You left so quickly this afternoon I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to do ice cream Wednesday.” She looks down at the tub and back up at Ben with a look he couldn’t quite place.
“Yeah sorry, Ma has been onto me about my homework…” Ben replies quickly.
One of Rey’s eyebrows raises, “I thought you were coming home to walk Chewie?”.
Ben’s ears start to heat and he thanks his long dark hair for hiding the pinkness that would be showing he has been caught in a lie. “Er, yeah. Han is onto me about that too so thought I better head home.”
“Uh-huh,” Rey comes to sit by Ben on the floor, grabbing one of the pillows that tumbled with him to use as a table in her lap, “So, you wanted Hux to introduce himself?”.
Ben looks everywhere but Rey’s eyes when he thinks of how he is going to explain this one. “Yeah, he asked about you so Poe and I thought he would be better off getting to know you on his own”. Ben sits to contemplate where this conversation might be going and how to get himself out of it without sounding jealous. “Honestly I didn’t think much would come from it”.
Rey’s eyes snap from the ice cream on her spoon to Ben’s face. “What is that supposed to mean?”. There have been many times when Ben has put his foot in his mouth. Too many to count with Rey. This was another one to add to the chart. “Well I didn’t think he would actually do it because you’re, you know, you. I thought it would just be a laugh”.
Ben knew as soon as he had finished the sentence, it was not going to bode well. “Because I am, me? A laugh?” Rey says quietly, almost to herself. “So Benjamin,” Ben knew as soon as he heard that he was in more trouble than he had previously thought, “what you are telling me is that someone who wants to meet me is… funny?”. Despite Rey’s calm voice, Ben could see the fury in her eyes. “So someone shows interest in me and it’s what, a joke? Because I am me?”.
“No Rey, I don’t think you understand” Ben said frantically. Rey was already getting to her feet.
“No Ben, I understand perfectly. ‘Let’s all watch the new kid try and introduce himself to Rey, won’t it be funny when he realises who he is actually talking to’.” Rey’s voice began to raise with every word she spoke.
“Rey, please just listen…” Ben attempts to move towards Rey when she jerks her shoulder back and moves towards his door.
“Well if you want a REAL good laugh, Hux wants to take me out Friday night. Would you like front row tickets to that comedy show too?”. She snapped.
“…And you said yes?” Ben asks.
“Oh fuck you Ben!”. She reaches for the door and slams it on her way out.
Ben’s brain was still catching up when he realises Rey had left her phone. He reaches down for it and saw an incoming text from Hux.
Hux: Looking forward to seeing you again.
Fucking Hux.