Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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When Rey Kenobi had graduated from her university with summa cum laude honors, and a degree in journalism no less, she never imagined she'd be using it to relay the downfall of his highness Prince Ben Solo. She also never imagined that she'd be watching it from such a close proximity: drunk and by his side in the back of an armored SUV.

Getting into her career field of choice had been difficult, even with the impressive resume she'd presented at the time of her interview. When word got back that she had been accepted to work for The Daily Blade, a major newspaper downtown, Rey Kenobi had been over the moon. Years of hard work and persistence, both inside the four walls of a classroom and out of it, had finally paid off. Rey couldn’t believe her luck. The Daily Blade wanted to take her on as an intern in a department that was highly sought after: entertainment. Rey tried not to have grandiose expectations of the role, given that their job listing had detailed mostly grunt work, but it would give her the foot in the door to reporting back on the empire’s finest in movies, music, and celebrity news.

After she’d received the congratulatory email from the publisher, Rey along with her friends Rose, Finn, and Poe had ventured downtown for drinks and dinner. They spent the evening dancing and partying, throwing up toast after toast to their good friend.

In their minds, nobody deserved this victory more than Rey Kenobi did.

Little was known about Rey’s life before university. She didn’t talk about it openly, and she never volunteered the information without having been asked. Rose, Finn, and Poe had never pressed her for more details beyond what she was willing to share, but they knew the bullet points. Rey had grown up in the foster system, and even though she had never been in contact with her real family, she held out hope that one day she’d be able to track them down and explore those roots. Despite this, she had excelled in academics, and had landed a full scholarship to nearly all of the universities she had applied to. Any school would have been hard pressed to find a girl more willing to put in the work. Although Rose, Finn, and Poe had met Rey in their collective first semesters in their core classes, Rey had quickly acclimated to their friend group and seamlessly navigated the journalism program once she had been accepted early on in her sophomore year. Her friends were her family now. They couldn't be more proud of Rey. Rey couldn't be more proud to know them.

They had all crossed the stage that previous May, collecting their degrees and throwing their caps into the air together as they had vowed they would. Rose had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Finn with a bachelor’s degree in theater, Poe had snagged a degree in aeronautics/aviation, and finally, Rey proudly held up her bachelor’s degree in journalism with high honors.

Standing at the finish line together, they had all been brimming with optimism and hope for what was next. Rose had been the first to receive good post-grad news, having been accepted for the master's program at the same university. She was due to begin immediately that following fall. Finn had killed an audition with the major theater downtown for an upcoming production, which was set to begin showing the following summer. He had been gearing up for the first round of rehearsals, staying up late pouring over the hefty script as well as any notes he'd made. There were many mornings Rey had come out of her room to find Rose and Finn asleep on the couch together after pulling a late night together.

Poe had gotten word back from a few of the companies he'd applied to, but nothing had panned out quite yet. He’d speculated it was because he needed more flight hours logged, and had reasoned that it never hurt to clock more. Poe was something else when he was navigating the sky. None of his friends were worried, least of all Poe himself. He knew he was an excellent pilot and everyone was confident he'd be sitting in a captain's chair in no time.

Then there was Rey. Celebrating her new gig had been short lived after Rey learned that her starting position would be in tabloids. The Daily Blade would have never outright called that department what it was, instead using coded language on their job posting to mask the responsibilities which Rey would now be sacked with. Sure they’d advertised that she’d be doing coffee runs and making copies, with the prospect of shadowing other journalists heavily implied. However, when Rey had looked closer at who had been CC’d on the congratulatory email, she’d done a bit of research and had found only sleazy articles posted online by those same people. She put two and two together. She’d be working in freakin’ tabloids.

"I know you have certain moral objections to the position," Rose began, which brought Rey's head up from where it had been resting between her folded arms on the table in their shared apartment, "but think of the exposure. Think of what having their name on your resume could do for you, Rey."

"Yeah," Finn cut in, reaching across Rey to grab another slice of pizza from the open box seated between them, "you can get a lot out of dropping a name like The Daily Blade, you know."

Rey groaned, burying her head back between her arms. Frankly, it was embarrassing to be working in that department. Nothing good could come from working a position that profited off of the drama of the rich and famous.

"I don't see any issue," Poe finally said, leaning back against his chair with his arms folded over his chest. "Frankly, I think it'd be fun finding dirt on these people. Especially the royal family."

Rose and Finn collectively glowered at Poe, who threw his hands up in defense. "Don't look at me like that!"

Finn's hand darted out to smack at Poe's arm playfully, to which the fly-boy recoiled. "Ow!"

"You're not helping," Finn commented, taking a big bite of the pizza in his hand.

The royal family. Rey's lifted her head as her eyes cast to the pizza before her on the plate, thoughts wandering to the famous Solo family and what media coverage surrounding their lives had always consisted of: speculation. Nothing could be confirmed or denied on the family's part, who were notoriously tight lipped and diplomatic. In the family itself, there was Princess Leia, who was also a successful and well-established senator in the government. Then there was her husband Han Solo, a man of no royal lineage himself with a very murky background. Despite multiple publisher’s best efforts, very little could be found out about Han before he met and married the princess. Rey assumed they’d put their wealth to good use and scrubbed a number of records that may indicate what it was he had done before royalty.

Then there was their son: Prince Ben Solo.

Prince Ben was a few years older than Rey if she remembered correctly. It wasn’t that difficult for her to find out information about Ben, but she had never had much of an interest in the lives of the rich and famous before. Celebrity gossip did nothing for her, personally.

What she did remember vividly though, was that he was handsome, wealthy, and single. Everyone knew that. Even someone as out of touch as Rey. After a hushed, although publicly acknowledged, separation from his fiancée Bazine Netal, Prince Ben Solo had become the most coveted single man on the entirety of the planet.

He was in a league all his own, Rey thought with a sigh.

"I don't like Prince Ben," Poe said, as though reading Rey's mind. She looked up from the pizza, curiosity coating her features as she blinked in response. "Why's that?" Rose asked, leaning forward on her elbow which was propped on the table. "Not your type?"

Finn and Poe exchanged a look then, and although the exact nature of their relationship was unclear, Rose and Rey knew that there had been a long standing attraction there even if neither men would admit to it.

"Yes, please elaborate," Finn continued, mimicking Rose's pose exactly. "I'll wait."

Rey had to bite her lip to suppress the laugh that threatened to bubble up. This, having pizza with her friends on an otherwise normal Sunday night, was the pick me up she had desperately needed. It was the night before her first day at The Daily Blade, and they had come over to comfort her.

She really had the best friends in the galaxy.

"I just don't, okay?" Poe said with a huff, becoming expressive the way he always did when he was growing flustered. "From what I've seen, he's arrogant, self absorbed, and boring!" He was talking with his hands now, motioning up and outwards with every excuse he muttered about not liking the prince. "Oh come off it," Finn said with an incredulous laugh, having put down his food to talk expressively back. Flattening his hand and pointing his stacked fingers at Poe's face, Finn stood. "You're only talking about yourself now, mate!"

Not one to ever stand down to an argument, Poe stood as well, beginning to shout over Finn's defenses of Ben. "If you like him so much, why don't you marry him?" Poe spat back, clutching his stomach to laugh when a look of shock crossed Finn's features. "Alright, I will, and you're not invited!" Finn retorted, only a moment before Poe playfully took his friend by the shoulder and they began to scuffle. By this point, Rose and Rey were wiping tears from their eyes, their collective laughs lighting up the room.

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Rey had gotten in an early night after Finn and Poe had left, but despite her preparedness, she had given into the sickening nervousness that was plaguing her. Although she'd gone to bed early enough, she had been unable to sleep through the night. She got up an hour before her alarm, using part of that time to sit and have a quiet cup of coffee alone in the living room to try and quell her fears.

The caffeine had done nothing to wake Rey up, only skyrocketing her heart rate (and anxiety) as she combed through her closet trying to settle on an outfit. She’d had a few ideas about what to wear, chewing her cheek as she flipped through the tops she’d bought at Rose’s suggestions. They were ruffled chiffon tops, perfect for throwing over a pair of black slacks for an effortlessly cute - but polished - first day look. Rose’s words, not Rey’s. She sighed, pulling a black top from the lineup that had a soft boat neckline, capped sleeves, and red polkadots decorating the top. It was cute, Rey thought, and it’d be paired perfectly over her black work slacks and the glossy black heels she had bought herself. When she’d put the outfit on, she found Rose perched on the couch, still wearing pajamas with her hair thrown up in a messy bun. “Fashion show!,” Rose called out as Rey approached.

“Is this too much black?,” Rey asked, looking down before doing a small twirl to show off her choice. “Do I look like I’m going to a funeral?”

“Yeah, the funeral of your unemployment,” Rose quipped, clapping her hands together and grinning. “You look perfect!”

With Rose’s approval, Rey knew she was ready to go.

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Cover up was an amazing invention, and Rey had packed on quite a bit to hide the bluish tinted darkness that lined her under eyes.

"You're as ready as you'll ever be," Rey muttered to herself as she washed her hands in the lobby bathroom of The Daily Blade. Peering up, she caught her reflection under the harshness of the fluorescent lights which lined the top of the mirror, scrunching her nose in distaste at what she saw. Straightening up as she wiped her hands dry on a paper towel, she gave herself a once over.

Rose had advised Rey not to go too heavy on the makeup for her first day, and had gone so far as to gift Rey some product to help her get started on what was an incredibly spare (and old) collection of makeup.

"They don't even make this foundation anymore," Rose said in disbelief, lifting the trash can up as she dropped the stained and aged product into the bin. "Oi, that was my only foundation!" Rey cried out, which earned her a deadpan from Rose.

"Honey... let me upgrade you."

What Rose had presented her with was makeup that was far more expensive than what Rey was willing to spend on cosmetics. Rey twirled the shiny packaging between her fingers, in awe of her tiny reflection staring back from the gold tube.

"That's a stick foundation, and don't worry, it actually matches your skin," Rose said, placing another pair of products into Rey's free hand. "This one is a brow pencil. Low maintenance, just to fill in the sparse bits. And this is a 2 in 1 product, you can use it as cream blush and as lipstick."

Rey liked the sound of that -- the less product she fussed with, the better.

"And finally, some mascara," said Rose, who pulled an unwrapped black tube from the Sephora bag hanging from her wrist. "This will make those beautiful eyes of yours pop!"

Thankfully, not only had Rose been gracious enough to give Rey brand new (and high quality) cosmetics, but had also even sat down and shown her how to use them.

This reflection staring back at hers had been the result of a joint effort. Rey had settled on soft waves for her first day, which she tucked behind her ears to reveal a pair of pearl earrings.

The combination of matching blush and rouge pulled her look together, thought Rey, who blinked and swiped at the little bits of crumbled mascara on her low lash line. Rose had been right -- this mascara had done wonders to accentuate the length and volume of her light brown lashes, tinting them black and elongating them to give her an almost doe-like appearance.

"We got this," Rey muttered to herself again, collecting her purse from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder as she walked out of the bathroom and into the brightly lit lobby.

"Ready?"

Rey looked up, half alarmed, at the secretary who stood just a few feet before her with a grin. Although the secretary's voice was soft and welcoming, Rey had not been expecting to hear it. Clutching her chest with a tiny laugh, Rey nodded.

"Ready," she replied.

"Right this way," the secretary said, turning on her expensive looking heels. "I'll show you to your desk."

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Had you told Rey that she would be finishing her first week as an intern on an assignment, she would have laughed in your face. She would have said, there’s no way they were going to saddle an intern with the responsibility of an inside scoop, and there’s definitely no way they would have chosen her specifically to do it.

But here she was, at a black tie gala event rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.

“I just can’t believe it,” Rey mumbled softly, holding her arms up and staring herself down in the mirror. “This has got to be illegal right? There’s no way a business can do this.”

“I don’t think they’re doing anything technically wrong,” Rose replied, sighing sadly as she fluffed the fabric that was sitting just below Rey’s decolletage. “I mean… they’re sending you in on an assignment. I don’t think there are any laws prohibiting you from getting cozy with a prince in order to get an ‘inside scoop’.”

“But that’s so... ” Rey started, trailing off.

“Deceitful? Slimy? Gross?” Rose continued without missing a beat. “Yeah. I think so too.”

“Ugh!” Rey finally said, letting her arms fall to her sides, clearly exasperated with the entire thing.

“Be careful! You’re renting this dress, remember?” Rose had a point, though. On her third day as an intern, she had been paired with a well known stylist to choose a gown for tonight’s charity event. She’d be renting it, and although ultimately the choice had not really been her own to make, she couldn’t knock the dress she’d gotten. It was, in fact, stunning. It was probably the most expensive thing Rey had ever put on her body.

Peeking at the label in the back as Rose zipped her up, she gave another laugh of disbelief. “You do know how much a dress from this designer costs, don’t you?” she said, and Rey shook her head. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

The dress was a floor length gown, and definitely not the kind of thing Rey would have gone for had the choice been her own. For one, it was far too fluffy, especially around the neckline which had been adorned with large white flowers and accents of the same green which flowed through the rest of the gown. “My chest looks like a bouquet,” Rey said with a huff, and Rose couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped her. “I think it hugs you in just the right spots,” Rose contested, stepping back to do a once over, “you look beautiful.”

Biting her lip, Rey lifted the skirt only slightly from the floor and dropped it, allowing the material to cascade and shimmer beneath the lights in her room. The event she was preparing for was a charity event hosted by the major financial contributors of the institution: the royal family. They were to make an appearance and it was guaranteed that Prince Ben Solo would be there. After all, he had to be seen out and about after his separation from his ex-fiancée, not avoiding his princely duties of making important appearances. The public had to know that a break up wouldn’t set back the man who was destined to become king. In reality, the family was doing everything they could for good PR and to ensure that their son could be passed the baton, so to speak. In the event of her majesty’s passing, Prince Ben would be given the responsibility of carrying on the work that his family had so carefully cultivated over the past four decades of their reign over the empire. The public had to be sure they could trust him.

“It’s almost time to go,” Rose said quietly, glancing at the clock on the wall. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous,” Rey admitted, smoothing the fabric over her legs and turning away from the mirror. “But I can do this.”

“Yes, you can,” Rose said with a reassuring smile. “If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

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The beginning of the night had been a blur so far. Rey had an uneventful trip to the venue, and because she was press, she had been allowed to slip in through the side entrance with her issued badge. Clearing the entrance meant that Rey would be in the lobby, where she would be able to enjoy a cocktail hour while waiting for the main ballroom to open up. Once the press, guests of honor, and other contributors took their seats inside, there would be dinner and an awards portion of the evening to celebrate the milestones achieved by the Alderaan Prince’s Trust over the year.

After making it into the lobby, she tucked the badge into the small clutch purse that she’d brought with her and secured it around her wrist. Now that she had finally cleared security, she could take a moment and bask in the grandeur of it all. The novelty wasn’t lost on Rey; it was rare for interns to be allowed to attend these events and it was even more rare that interns were allowed to attend with an assignment. Lifting her chin, Rey’s eyes caught sight of the chandelier above and her jaw dropped slightly. Everything about this situation was exorbitant.

“Champagne?”

Rey snapped back to reality when she heard the question, dropping her gaze to meet that of a young man in an all white tuxedo, easily identifiable as one of the waitstaff. “Sure,” Rey replied softly, taking a flute from the tray he presented and bringing it to her lips, “thank you.” The waiter moved on, leaving Rey to go back to taking it all in as she waded slowly through the crowd.

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“Do you see anyone of interest?” Hux’s voice brought Ben Solo’s attention back from where reverie had previously taken it. “What?” the young Prince asked, straightening up and pushing away from the banister where he had been leaning over to look out across the lobby. Hux was not one to repeat himself, and he allowed his hands to collect behind his back as he cast his gaze over the crowd below them on the ground floor.

“No,” Ben finally replied, shoving one hand into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone to check the time, “you’re the one who’s in charge of keeping me in line, or have you already forgotten why mother hired you?”

The question made Hux, royal advisor and confidant, wrinkle his nose in disgust. “I’ve been reduced to babysitting you,” he shot back, allowing his shoulders to drop with the sigh that then left him. “I was meant for more than this.”

Ben couldn’t help but snort back a laugh, shoving his phone back into his trouser pocket and raising his eyes. In that brief moment, Ben’s scrutiny of the crowd flickered to one person in particular, and it was a woman he had never seen at these events before. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and his throat bobbed with the lump he swallowed before he spoke. “Her,” Ben whispered, almost too low for Hux to hear over the buzz of the people below. The prince raised a finger and pointed to the brunette woman in the green and white gown.

“Who is she?” Ben muttered, unable to look away in fear that he may be unable to locate her again.

“Who?” Hux replied from behind him, taking a step forward to lean over and try to see who the prince was referring to.

“Her,” Ben said, annoyance tinging his voice as he jutted his finger forward in emphasis, “that woman in the green dress.” When Hux took too long to come up with an answer, Ben broke away from him, trailing his hand on the banister as he made a break for the stairs.

“Your highness!” Hux called after him, taking off in a small run to try and catch up. “Wait!”

Ben’s stare never left her, even as he made his way down the staircase and into the crowd.

He just had to know who she was.

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Oh shit did ya girl just write that?!

Anyway here's the dress inspo for Rey's gala event: this bad boy right here! Any and all feedback is welcome! Thank you for reading! <3