Chapter Text
Rey jolts awake at the sound of someone practically pounding on the office door. She groans softly while burying her face into her pillow and knows that the impatient knocking belongs to her--unfortunate--housemate.
Kylo has been on edge for the past few days since telling her she'll be meeting the First Order's leader. Truth be told, Rey is incredibly nervous as well, but Kylo has been avoiding her like the plague.
It's been both a relief and...slightly unnerving. She had been used to him lingering just out of sight, his gaze hot upon her skin whenever she managed to catch him looking.
The knocking grows more persistent (if it's even possible); Rey smiles slightly, enjoying that she's annoying him. "Rey, wake up. I'm being nice by not breaking in, but my patience is running out."
Rey bites back a retort and gets out from under her blankets and pulls on the pair of pajama pants she had kicked off sometime during the night.
Kylo's huge frame is dark behind the frosted glass, and when Rey yanks open the door his face is pinched in frustration. "What do you want?" She asks on the end of a yawn, eyes trained on his micro-expressions for any tale tell sign of violence. There aren't any, but she's seen his sudden bursts of anger against random people who report to him.
Kylo looks down his hooked nose at her and pushes his dark hair out of his face. She tries not to think the action endearing in anyway because this man is a violent criminal who's keeping her hostage.
(She thinks about running but the possibility of him sending the cops after her--or worse--coming himself leaves a cold stone of dread weigh in her gut).
"Get dressed." He says after a moment of them staring at one another.
Rey blinks, her eyebrows furrowing. "I thought Phasma was out of the country?" The woman had told her that she'd be gone for a week or two and that Rey's 'training' would be postponed until she got back.
Kylo rolls his eyes, "She is. You and I are going clothes shopping." He says this as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
Rey lets out a small laugh but then notices the serious expression on Kylo's normally dower face. "Wait, you're serious? Why?"
He rolls his eyes again and then gestures to her state of dress. "You're going to be meeting the leader soon. You don't look the part."
She crosses her arms over her chest defensively, her face heating in anger and embarrassment because she's now very aware that she's not wearing a bra. "I'm wearing pajamas! A-and anyway, I have clothes."
Kylo huffs out a smug sounding laugh and pins her in place with his dark gaze. Rey's knees wobble from the weight of it, but she bites the inside of her cheek to keep from doing something embarrassing. "Tiny shorts and revealing tank tops aren't the best impression to give a distinguished man like the leader." He tilts his head and a small smirk curls a corner of his mouth. "Though I suppose he'd pay you more if you showed up like that."
Rey lets out a noise of disgust and shuts the office door in Kylo's face.
()()
Rey glares out the passenger window as Kylo drives like a bat out of hell. Her knee bobs up and down when he takes a too sharp turn, no doubt trying to get a rise out of her. Some sort of indie band plays from the car's speakers, the bluegrass feel soothing some of Rey's frayed nerves when they pull into a mall parking lot.
She glances at Kylo from the corner of her eye. He's sporting ridiculously dark sunglasses that perch high on his aristocratic nose, and looks the part of a normal man even with the pink scar running over his pale face.
When they climb out of the car and begin to head toward the entrance, Rey is surprised when Kylo shortens his strides so she doesn't have to practically run to keep up with him.
He holds the door open for her.
"What are you doing?" She hisses, glaring up at him when he falls into step with her. People don't look at them as they pass, but Rey feels like every eye is on her.
Kylo hangs his sunglasses on the collar of his shirt and smiles down at her. It's annoying the way in makes her cheeks heat, so she turns her glare down to her feet and instead glares at her chipping toenail polish. "Blending in." He hums.
"Stop acting like you're--" She grits her teeth and tries to speed up her stride, but his stupidly long legs make it easy for him to keep up.
He snickers softly. "Like I'm your what, Rey? I honestly don't know what you think I'm doing." Rey stomps into the nearest store just so she can ignore him.
The bastard is acting as if he's taking her out on a date rather than looking for a 'suitable' outfit to meet a gang leader.
Rey violently rifles through some clothes hanging on a rack while Kylo hovers behind her like her enormous shadow. She notices some women glancing at him and has to fight the urge to warn them away. "That would look nice on you." She jolts when his voice sounds out just by her ear.
"Shut up." She grinds out and pushes away the dress she had been clenching in her hands. Kylo hums in amusement while she goes to another rack in order to get out of his unnerving presence.
()()
The sales woman behind the counter smiles brightly at them when she rings up Rey's purchases. "Did you find everything alright?" Rey mumbles an affirmative and digs through her ratty purse for her wallet.
Kylo's large hand drapes over her thin shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Rey, I've got this." Rey looks up, an argument building up on the tip of her tongue but watches as he swipes his card. The sales woman's smile turns less forced as she glances between the two of them.
"Oh! You two make a cute couple." Rey's scream of frustration is building inside of her; she wants to tell this woman the truth, ask--scream, beg--for help, but Kylo's fingers tighten on her shoulder in warning even though his mouth curls into a bashfully affectionate smile as he accepts the receipt.
"Thank you, I'm a lucky guy." He steers Rey out of the store before she can say anything.
Rey wrenches out of his grasp, body trembling as she rounds on him. He stares down at her, the amusement and fake affection gone from his face; he looks as if he's daring her to say something. She sucks in a breath, but a surprised cry of her name has her pausing. "Rey!?"
They both turn to the source; relief washes over Rey like a warm shower as Finn comes practically running over to her. Kylo pulls her to him, his body hard and unyielding; his fingers grip the top of her arm in a bruising grip. "If you say anything he's dead."
The relief turns to fear as her coworker/friend makes his way to them. Kylo's hand has loosened, but he keeps it wrapped around her bicep. It looks as if they're embracing, but Rey feels the warning in every tense line of him. "Rey! Oh my god, you're okay?!"
Finn's eyes are wide as he glances between the two of them. There's something like recognition that flashes over his face, but it's gone before Rey can analyze it. She pulls herself away from Kylo, who's gone silent as he sizes up the other man. "H-hi Finn!" Her enthusiasm sounds incredibly forced and far too loud. Rey internally winces, but plasters a large smile on her face. "How have you been?"
Finn pulls his gaze from Kylo's looming figure to stare at Rey as if she's a ghost. "How have I been? Rey! What...what happened to you? You've been gone for weeks." He steps closer to her, eyes darting over her face. "The address you gave Poe and I was fake, you didn't list any phone number...we tried to call the cops but they said they couldn't do anything."
She knows he deserves an explanation, and she's touched that he and Poe had been concerned enough about her that they tried to find her. It's something that her parents never had the courtesy to do.
Kylo's warning rings in her head.
Rey sucks in a breath and does what she's been doing for years: lie. "I'm sorry, Finn...I've been kind of all over the place. I should've called you guys and put in my two weeks, but I've been just--" She feels tears threaten to close up her throat; she was so close to being able to escape the phantom hovering just behind her, but her fear of his threats coming true keep her silent. "M-my dad died and I've been a wreak."
Finn's expression turns sympathetic, but she can see the distrust swimming behind his eyes. Rey blinks away her tears and clears her throat. "Um, but yeah--I'm fine! No need to worry!" She tries for a bright smile, and knows that it's frayed at the edges.
Finn's eyebrows furrow and he turns his full attention onto Kylo. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Rey." The two men stare at one another, "I'm sorry, have we met before?"
Kylo steps up behind Rey and rests his hand on her shoulder. He looks down his nose at the other man, arrogance clouding around him while they glare at one another. "I don't think we have. My name is Ben, I'm Rey's boyfriend." Rey tenses, and Kylo's grip tightens in warning.
Finn frowns briefly and flicks his gaze to Rey before meeting Kylo's. "That's funny, she never mentioned you before."
The air around them crackles with animosity; dread claws its way up Rey's throat, and she knows she has defuse the situation somehow. "Um, you know how private I am Finn!" Her laugh is hollow. "But it was great seeing you! Ben and I have to go though."
The tension breaks when Finn looks away from Kylo's probing gaze. He smiles more genuinely at her, "I'm just glad you're safe." Rey pulls away from Kylo's death grip and is gathered into a warm hug. "If you need anything, you know where I am."
They pull apart and Rey is suddenly being dragged away. "Keep in touch!" Finn calls after her.
"I will!" She smiles brightly and waves at him even though she feels like she's drowning.