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fairytales-and-folklore · 4 months ago

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Java Empire and The Rebel Café

Star Wars » Reylo

Title: Java Empire and The Rebel Café

Author: fairytalesandfolklore

Fandom: Star Wars (Masterlist)

Relationship: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren x Rey

AO3 Rating: Teen & Up (a complete collection of author's notes, inspiration credits, content warnings and tags can be found on AO3)

Summary: Ben Solo was the head barista at his parents' coffee shop, The Rebel Café, until a falling out sent him halfway across the world. Now he's back in town studying for his master's degree and head barista at Java Empire, the shiny new rival coffee shop that just opened up across the street. The Rebel Café is the first place Rey has ever truly felt at home, Han and Leia like the family she's always wanted. Little does she know, the cute guy she's been crushing on all semester is actually their estranged son.

"Welcome to Java Empire, what can I—" he recites in a robotic fashion as three new customers approach the counter, his arms laden with about a dozen half-empty cartons of spoiled milk and coffee creamer. And that's when he sees her, the smart-mouthed, silver-tongued firecracker with the quirky three-bun hairstyle from his writing class, bounding toward him with a positively heart-clenching smile on her face, and the rest of his words die in a pathetic whimper at the back of his throat as he promptly spills rancid milk all down the front of his shirt.

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"There he is, the dirty little traitor."

"Nah, can't be. He doesn't look a thing like them."

"Yes he does. Look, he's totally got Han's jawline."

"Huh. Guess the rumors are true. He really is back in town."

"Sorry, but who are we talking about? And why are we hiding from them?"

The sharpest corner of Rey's journal digs into Finn's and Poe's thighs as the three of them crouch behind a set of massive black and red leather armchairs, backpacks and laptop satchels slumped in a puddle on the pristine silver-flecked white marble floor.

It was supposed to be a quick in-and-out surveillance mission. Scope out the competition, maybe lure a few of their employees over to their side with the promise of locally sourced coffee and an atmosphere that doesn't make you feel like you're in an interrogation room, and then back in time before their evening shifts start at 5PM. But no, the universe just had to go and drop this massive bomb on them.

"Welcome to Java Empire. What can I get started for you?" he says, and the sound of his voice makes Poe's lip curl.

"Look at him, the smug bastard, working for the enemy," Poe growls under his breath.

"Oh, here we go," Finn sighs, rolling his eyes and clapping a hand to his forehead. "Sweetie, it's just a little competition."

"This is serious! We could all be out of a job if this…this…evil conglomerate keeps taking all of our customers!" Poe insists in a harried whisper.

"It's just a fad," Finn assures him. "The Rebel Café has been a staple of this town for nearly thirty years. It's not about to go under just because some shiny new coffee shop moves in down the street. Besides, Coruscant's a college town. It's like, a necessity for there to be a coffee shop on every block."

"But Java Empire has only been here since summer break, and revenue's already gone down by twelve percent. Twelve. Percent. The numbers don't lie, Finn!" Poe groans in exasperation. "And what's worse, he's working for them! I can't believe he'd do that to his own—"

"If the two of you could stop bickering like an old married couple long enough to tell me who and what the fuck we're talking about, that'd be great," Rey interrupts them with an irritated scowl, clutching onto the back of the armchair for dear life as her ballet flats slide across the excessively polished marble floor.

Poe stares at her, wide-eyed and incredulous, blinks a few times, and then shakes his head.

"Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting you're new. Feels like you've been working with us for years," Poe says, his tone softening. "Okay, you see the surly-looking MCR reject over there working the main register? No, don't stand up, he might see us!"

With an immense amount of effort, Rey pushes herself up off the floor just high enough so that she's nose-level with the back of the armchair, and peers over at the coffee bar, eyes sweeping back and forth between the only two baristas currently bustling about behind the counter.

One, barking orders to an underling through a handheld radio, and then immediately switching to a saccharine tone as she takes the next customer in the drive-thru on her headset. The other, with his back turned, stirring milk and peppermint syrup into a steaming cappuccino.

"Are we talking about the tall blonde warrior goddess in the silver jumpsuit, or the grumpy ginger with the sign taped to his back that says 'Hux Sux'?" Rey asks with a smirk.

"What? No! That's…hang on—"

There's an agitated sigh and a rustle of jacket sleeves, and then the upper halves of Poe's and Finn's faces are popping up on either side of Rey from behind their oh so surreptitious hiding place. With a gentle nudge, Poe tilts Rey's chin in the direction of the stockroom, where a towering, dark-haired figure has just emerged, arms laden with cake pops, pumpkin cookies, and holiday paninis.

"Oh, that guy," Rey says as casually as she can muster, willfully ignoring the prickle of heat burning beneath her cheekbones at the sight of his familiar face. "Yeah, I've uh…got a class with him, actually."

"No shit, really? Which one?" Finn asks, looking far more amused than the situation calls for.

"Fiction Writing 311," Rey replies, arching a suspicious eyebrow.

"So, not only is he back in town, he's enrolled at Corellian U? He's one of our fellow fucking classmates? Ugh," Poe groans dramatically.

"Or worse," he adds in a horrified whisper. "Rey, please tell me he's not the professor."

"No, he's a student. Masters program, I think."

"See, Poe? I doubt you'll ever even cross paths with him," Finn reassures him with a smile and hearty clap on the shoulder. "Undergrads and grad students don't usually share classes unless it's an upper-level requirement for their major."

"Speaking of which, how the hell did you get into a 300-level course? Aren't you a freshman?" Poe asks, petty grudge momentarily forgotten as he stares at Rey with equal parts shock and awe.

"Sophomore, actually. So, only a year behind you and Finn. But I've…kind of been taking college courses since I was in high school, so I've racked up a lot of credits over the years, and surpassed a lot of the prerequisites," Rey clarifies with a modest shrug. "I didn't really have a lot of friends growing up, so I spent most of my time reading."

"Oh, my poor sweet summer child. Come here," Finn coos, slinging an arm around Rey's shoulders and tackling her into a bear hug.

"Well, now you've got us," Poe says proudly, wrapping his arms around his two best friends and snuggling in. "We're like the big brothers you've never had."

"And never wanted," Finn chuckles, ruffling Rey's hair.

"Oh shut up. You know I love you both," Rey giggles, rolling her eyes.

"So, what's the deal with Kylo Ren?" she asks, eyes darting back to the bar as she hastily fixes the mess Finn has made of her trio of hair buns.

"Kylo Ren? Seriously?" Poe exclaims, torn between a scoff and a snort. "Is that what he's calling himself now?"

"Must be a pen name he's trying out," Finn says thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Rey asks, thoroughly confused.

"That's Ben Solo," Poe elaborates, pointing an accusatory finger toward her big, burly classmate.

"That's Ben Solo?" Rey practically shouts, loud enough for the classmate in question to perk up and glance in their direction. Rey immediately dips down behind the armchair, followed swiftly by Finn and Poe, broad shoulders knocking into hers as they struggle to contain their laughter. She shoves rather indelicately at the pair of them, her face flushing scarlet. Once they're sure the coast is clear, the three of them pop back up and continue their stakeout.

"Okay, no. You're not seriously telling me that that's Ben Solo? Goofy-looking kid with the giant ears and freckles in all of Han and Leia's photos? He's…changed," Rey muses in a hushed whisper, thinking back to the Polaroid collage scattered across every available blank space of drywall in the shop owners' shared office, and comparing it to the massive wall of muscle in skinny jeans and a form-fitting black t-shirt standing in front of her at the coffee bar.

She supposes there is some resemblance, now that she really gets a good look at him. Difficult to do whenever they're in class, always got his nose buried in a book or his shoulders hunched over his spiral-bound. But now…yes, she can see it. Awkward, gangly high school kid, all grown up. Amazing, really, how much a person could change in just four years' time.

Tousled jet black hair spilling over his eyes as he leans down to scribble a customer's order on a notepad. A smattering of moles and freckles dappling the surface of his skin like flecks of paint across a canvas, or constellations in the night sky. Soft, dark brown eyes, like caramel swirled into espresso. Full pink lips that look like they're caught in a permanent pout, lower lip just begging to be bitten—

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh no, he's hot.

And that's not even the worst of it.

Turns out, the weird brooding guy from her English class that she absolutely does not have a crush on is actually her bosses' estranged son.

Because of course he is.

Fucking hell.

"So, that's Han and Leia's mysterious missing son I keep hearing so much about," she says, trying her damnedest to keep her tone cool and casual.

"Yup," Poe and Finn confirm in unison, eyes fixed on the coffee bar, hardly noticing the sudden swarm of angry red blotches painting the pulse points along Rey's neck and collarbones like an everlasting sunburn as she shifts awkwardly between them. She's honestly surprised she hasn't set them both on fire at the rate she's going.

"I don't know all the details," Finn admits. "Poe's the only one who was actually there when it all went down, and even he doesn't know the full story."

"I was still in high school when I first started working there," Poe recalls. "Ben was the head barista before I took over. I actually worked with him for a couple of months before he quit. God, he was such a snarky little shit. He and Han were constantly at each other's throats, and Leia was always caught in the middle. In the end, I'm guessing it was a pretty big fight that caused the fall-out, because apparently, Ben left the country not long after, and hasn't spoken to them since."

"All we really have to go off of is rumor and hearsay," Finn says. "Han and Leia…they don't talk too much about what happened…but you can see it in their eyes, how much they miss him."

"Oh," Rey sighs softly, taking note of the tense curve of Ben's shoulders, the hard line of his mouth as he waves goodbye to an older couple holding hands with their small son, laughing and smiling as they lean down to help him take a sip of his hot cocoa. The look in Ben's eyes as he watches them go makes her heart ache. Rey knows that look. She's spent her whole life living that look.

"And now the bastard has the nerve to show up after all this time, working for this shoddy excuse for a coffee shop that's single-handedly running his parents' business into the ground," Poe snarls, startling Rey out of her reverie. "I'll bet the coffee isn't even that good."

Rey glances back and forth between the rival trio at the bar and her two best friends, a wonderfully brash idea forming in her mind.

"Well then," she says, springing up from the floor and slinging her backpack over her shoulder, a mischievous smile curling across her lips. "Why don't we go and find out?"

• • •

It's a cool, crisp October evening. Brushstrokes of gold, grapefruit, and blood orange slip beneath autumn-kissed, flame-gilded leaves as the sun sinks below the mountains in the distance. The intoxicating aroma of pumpkin spice and orchard apple fills the air as a flurry of whirring machines craft delectable confections with spirals of whipped cream and caramel drizzled on top. Happy families and lively groups of friends giggle and cheer as rapid-fire discussion turns to upcoming Halloween parties, costume contests, haunted hayrides, and apple-picking.

And Kylo can't appreciate a goddamn thing about it, because he's been having an absolutely rotten day, stuck behind a counter with two of the biggest asshole coworkers he has ever had the great displeasure of working with.

His shift only started an hour ago, and already, he's been shouted at by a grand total of twenty-seven different customers, endured three full-fledged temper tantrums from Armitage Hux for allegedly stealing all the generous-tipping customers, been on the receiving end of dagger glares and silent treatments by Gwendoline Phasma for god knows what, which…if looks could kill, he'd be dead twice over.

And now, apparently, it's his fault that the dumbass new hire he just got finished training yesterday left the fridge open all fucking night. So now, he's got to scramble to quietly dispose of all the stuff that went bad in the dumpster behind the alley before the owner, Supreme Asshole Snoke, finds out and fires them all.

And that's when Kylo sees her, the smart-mouthed, silver-tongued firecracker with the quirky three-bun hairstyle from his writing class, bounding toward him with a positively heart-clenching smile on her face, and the rest of his words die in a pathetic whimper at the back of his throat as he promptly spills rancid milk all down the front of his shirt.

"Oh fuck. Shit. Sorry. I, uh…" Kylo flounders, remaining milk cartons crashing to the floor in his frantic attempt to grab a handful of napkins and stem the flow of curdled creamer before it spills over the customer's side of the counter.

"Is there anything I can…um…what can I get started for—" he begins, a furious blush creeping up the back of his neck as he vehemently avoids making eye contact with her.

And that's when he registers that she's not alone, that she's got two big, burly friends standing on either side of her like bodyguards in matching leather pilot jackets, sporting vaguely threatening make one wrong move and I'll fuck you up big brother scowls. Worse still, he's pretty sure he knows one of them, and has been on the receiving end of that same brand of glower in the past. Sure enough, the familiar-looking face of Kylo's ex-coworker steps out from behind his cute classmate, and Kylo immediately frowns.

"Dameron," Kylo huffs, his expression souring worse than the milk and creamers.

With a resounding thwack, Poe splays his hands on the countertop, no doubt leaving greasy fingerprints on its freshly-cleaned surface, and leans forward.

"Crylo," he smirks, squinting down at the name tag pinned to Kylo's apron.

Kylo narrows his eyes.

"It's Kylo," he deadpans.

"Uh huh," Poe quips sarcastically, his tone dripping with condescension. "What is that, like, an edgy misspelling of the name Kyle?"

"Says the guy named after a fucking teletubby," Kylo retorts, lips twisted in wry amusement. "Look, are you gonna order something, or are you just here to be a dick and waste my time?"

"Wow. Moody," Poe exclaims with a mock-offended, pearl-clutching gasp, theatrically clapping a hand over his heart. "I've gotta say, if this is how Java Empire treats its customers, I don't think you guys are gonna last very long."

"I think I'll take my services somewhere better," Poe proclaims loudly, clearly hoping to make a scene and attract the attention of as many of Java Empire's customers as possible. "Somewhere like…oh, I don't know…The Rebel Café."

The self-satisfied little smirk that curls across Poe's lips as he oh so casually drops the bait is positively maddening. Kylo's pulse quickens, heart thundering against his ribcage as a collection of bittersweet memories floods his mind at the mere mention of the name. With a frustrated sigh, Kylo quickly dismisses them. He's not about to have an emotional breakdown in the middle of a fucking coffee shop and let this snarky usurper have the last word.

"Yeah, because one customer out of literally millions is really going to make a difference," Kylo replies, determined to wipe that smug, shit-eating grin off of his ex-coworker's face. "Take a look around, princess. We're packed, just like we always are. Full house, just like we've had literally every day since we opened."

"Yeah, whatever," Poe says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Maybe you've got greater numbers now, but that's only because you're new. It'll never last. Soon, the unfathomable appeal of this place will fade, and then they'll all come running back to Rebel."

"Doubtful," Kylo laughs coldly. "Why settle for pewter when you can have platinum?"

"Hmm, well maybe some of us just prefer a place with actual charm and personality, instead of a cold, dark dungeon with a sub-par roast," Poe remarks in a would-be offhand, observational tone laced with slow-simmering venom.

"Maybe. But anyone with half a brain would probably prefer a place that's actually clean, whose couches don't have questionable decade-old stains and broken springs, and who's Wi-Fi doesn't crap out every five minutes, while they sip perfectly proportioned, machine-crafted confections made from the finest Arabica beans," Kylo counters pompously, petty passive aggression masked by casual indifference as he heaves a melodramatic sigh and shrugs his shoulders. "But hey, as the head barista of the coffee shop ranked #1 in Coruscant three months running, what do I know?"

Poe opens his mouth to fire off another scathing retort, but all that comes out is a series of high pitched choking sounds. A villainous smile twitches at the corners of Kylo's lips.

"Well, as thoroughly entertaining as this little verbal sparring match has been," the guy to Rey's right interjects, eyes roving back and forth between Poe and Kylo with equal parts apprehension and amusement. "I think it's time we bury the hatchet, and try to just—"

"It's like comparing the Gryffindor common room to the Slytherin common room!" Poe splutters, earning a long-suffering sigh from his friends. "There's no competition."

"You're right," Kylo says without missing a beat, smug smile growing impossibly wider. "Slytherin's better."

"Or maybe you're both wrong, and it's Ravenclaw who's got the best one," Rey chimes in, stepping between her bickering bodyguards and bouncing cheerfully up to the counter.

"Hi, I'm Rey. I'll have an Irish cream latte, please," she says, and with that, all of the unbridled tension locking Kylo's shoulders and curling his hands into fists unravels and melts away, replaced by a warm, happy glow that settles in the center of his chest.

"Coming right up, Rey," he replies with a spellbound smile, pivoting back to relay her order to his coworkers.

A series of shocked gasps and outraged cries of disapproval erupt behind her. Even Finn looks surprised, though whether it's because she so effortlessly broke up the fight, or because she has the audacity to actually order something from their rival, Rey isn't sure.

"What?" Rey asks with mock innocence, pursing her lips to keep from laughing at the dumbstruck expressions on Poe's and Finn's faces. "We came here to scope out the competition, did we not?"

"Oh, so now you're just going to give them your money?" Poe huffs.

"It's only $2.75," Rey argues defensively.

"Unbelievable," Poe scoffs, shaking his head. "Come on, Finn. We're leaving."

Finn stands there for a moment, eyes narrowed as he stares back and forth between Rey and Kylo, Cheshire cat smile winding across his face as he puts two and two together.

"You're dead to us," Finn quips, and then a teasing smile curves across his lips. "Just kidding, we still love you. But seriously, Rey. Have some standards."

Finn tilts his head meaningfully in the direction of the coffee bar, where a sheepish looking Kylo Ren has just reappeared at the register, and Rey has to wonder if Finn's words have a double meaning. Heat floods her cheeks as she waves goodbye to her friends, and slowly turns back to face her classmate.

"So," she says, absentmindedly drumming her fingertips along the black and white granite countertop. "How's your story coming along?"

Kylo's eyes grow wide.

Holy shit, she's actually noticed him.

"Oh, gr— good," he stammers, nearly dropping her card as he swipes it through the reader. "It's grood. How is it— how are y— how's yours?"

"Stuck after the first few paragraphs, I'm afraid," Rey sighs. "I can write beginnings, and I can write endings, but I'm absolute garbage at writing middles."

Kylo barks out a laugh. Well, that's complete nonsense. He's read her work during critiques, and she's nothing short of brilliant. Then again, he's kind of biased.

"Funny, I'm the exact opposite," he replies.

"Maybe we should team up and write something together," Rey suggests with a nervous chuckle. "Then we'll actually get at least one story finished."

Wait, what? Kylo is pretty sure his brain just short-circuited. There's no way in hell the girl he's had a massive crush on for the past month wants to collab with him on a creative project. Compared to her, Kylo's writing is fucking trash.

Is he dead? Were the collective death glares of Hux, Phasma, Poe, and a slew of random customers whose names he misspelled powerful enough to actually kill him and send him to…okay, let's be real, there's no way he got sent to the good place, given all the shit he's pulled over the years, but still.

He's so lost inside his own head that it takes him a few seconds to realize Rey is still talking.

"It's just hard to get into the right mindset, you know?" she says dreamily. "For me, it's all about finding the right kind of atmosphere. You'd think a coffee shop would be the perfect place to write, but as it turns out, work's just far too cheerful and bright. I need a more mellow ambience to help me focus."

"Plus, Finn and Poe can be pretty distracting," she adds, smiling fondly.

"Yeah," Kylo agrees distractedly, his mood instantly tarnished at the reminder. "I don't think your friends like me very much. What's the deal with them, anyway?"

Granted, he's pretty sure he knows why Poe hates him. Kylo was, admittedly, kind of a dick to Poe back when they used to work together. But that was such a long time ago, you'd have thought he would have moved on by now. And the other guy...Finn, was it? Kylo's never even met him. So why would they—

"Oh, they're just upset because they think you're, and I can't stress this enough, in their words, working for the enemy," Rey says with a sardonic smile and a sarcastic roll of her eyes.

"We work at The Rebel Café," she elaborates when Kylo looks confused. "You know, the little coffee shop across the street."

Kylo freezes.

Of course.

The one and only person Kylo has ever fallen for just happens to work for his parents, no doubt hearing all manner of vicious lies and slanderous stories about their disappointing progeny.

His parents, who Kylo hasn't spoken to in over four years, and who don't even know he's back in town.

Their only son, employed by their competition.

Out of all the coffee shops and retail establishments in this stupid fucking city, those are the two places Rey and Kylo just had to choose.

Honestly, fuck his life.

"Oh yeah?" he asks in the most unaffected, casual tone he can muster. "You work there, too? All of you?"

"Yup!" Rey replies jovially. "Literally started the day before fall semester. Finn and Poe were actually the ones who interviewed me."

"Oh, well that's…yeah. That's cool, I guess," he says, struggling to keep his tone light and conversational. "How do you like working there? Are your bosses nice?"

His words are stilted, forced, a little too polite to mask the all-consuming panic and curiosity bubbling underneath the surface.

"Oh yeah, they're the best. I've only been there a little over a month now, and they already treat me like family, which is…I'm not really used to that, so it's nice," Rey trails off, dulcet disposition dwindling at the nagging reminder that before she came here, she basically used to have no one.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rey watches Kylo Ren…or rather, Ben Solo, she supposes…grip the nozzle of the steam wand a little tighter as he fills her venti cup with a nutty blend of chocolate and vanilla infused milk, jaw tightening in the same way Leia's does whenever she's stressed and uncomfortable.

With a jolt, Rey realizes that she's not the only one so deeply affected by the word family, and that she might have just made a huge mistake. Backpedaling, Rey chooses her next words very carefully, hoping it'll make up for the accidental implication that Ben had been replaced.

"It's just like this really fun, friendly, salt of the earth kind of atmosphere. A real mom and pop shop, you know?" she says with overcompensating cheeriness, pretending she hadn't noticed the subtle shift in his mood. "The owners have even got pictures of their son all over the back room."

Ben stumbles, nearly spilling the contents of Rey's Irish cream latte all over the counter as he presses a lid over its steaming contents.

"Do they really?" he asks softly, and Rey feels her heart fracture at the genuine surprise and hopefulness clinging to his tone.

"Yeah," Rey replies with an encouraging smile. "It's kind of a sad story, actually. I don't know all the details, but I guess they had a falling out a few years back. They don't say too much about it, but you can tell they really miss him and want to reconcile."

Ben's answering smile is bittersweet, his voice thick with unshed tears as he hands Rey her drink and gives her a standard retail script, at a loss for what to say.

"Anyway," she says, biting her lower lip to hold back a smile when she notices he'd drawn a little heart next to her name. "It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah, you too," he replies, a little dazed.

"Catch you in class, Ben," she says, flashing him an impish smile before turning on her heel and bolting out the door.

He stands there for a moment, waving after her with a stupefied expression on his face, and then the realization of what she'd just said crashes down around him, and his heart leaps into his throat.

It's the first time in nearly four years that anyone has called him by his real name, and he swears it's never sounded so sweet.

• • •

In the weeks that follow, Rey keeps making excuses to show up at Java Empire, coincidentally whenever Ben happens to be on shift. She'll claim that it's only because he sneaks her free chocolate chip cookies to dip into her peppermint mochas and Irish cream lattes, or because the quiet, modern, simplistic atmosphere and soft lighting helps her concentrate on her homework, but Finn and Poe know better.

Judging by the full-body blush, the face-aching smile, and the starstruck look in her eyes every time she rushes into the shop a few minutes late for her shift, Rey's two best friends are willing to bet good money that their girl has got it bad for Ben Solo. Now it's only a matter of time before one of them lets it slip in front of Han or Leia.

Outside of Rey's impromptu visits to Java Empire, the two of them only really ever see one another during class, tragically missing each other's not-so-subtle glances and secret smiles, avoiding eye contact as they compliment each other's work whenever they're in a critique circle.

One day, Ben comes to class in an ill-tempered mood, all huffy and irritated, throwing himself roughly into the chair next to Rey, before burying his head in the crook of his arms and heaving a frustrated sigh. Frowning, Rey rips a page from out of her journal, scribbles a short note asking him what's wrong, and pokes it through the gap between his arms.

Startled, Ben lifts his head, glancing around bleary-eyed for the source of the nettlesome thing that had just effectively poked him in the eye. It's only then that he realizes he'd absentmindedly chosen the desk next to Rey's, despite the fact that there's about a dozen other free spaces with a better view of the blackboard.

Ben's expression softens immediately as he reads her note, a fiery blush creeping up the back of his neck as he peers over at her and offers her an apologetic smile. He sets to work composing a response, explaining that the reason his morning had been such an utter shit show is because one of his coworkers, Armitage Hux, who has always been tiresome at best, recently got a promotion, and has become downright unbearable ever since.

Basically, he writes. Hux sux.

Ginger guy, right? The one who looks perpetually constipated? Rey giggles as she writes back. She's about to slip the note into Ben's outstretched hand, when the memory hits her, and her eyes widen.

Wait, so you're the one who taped that sign to his back! she scribbles, face growing hot as Ben leans over her shoulder to read her addendum. Ben chokes, trying his damnedest not to burst out laughing in the middle of class during what's supposed to be a quiet poetry reading, earning himself a reprimand from Professor Holdo.

The two of them exchange notes like this back and forth for the entire hour, giggling as they walk out of class together, only parting when Rey realizes she's late to yet another shift. Ben simply stands there, frozen to the spot for several minutes after Rey gets on the bus, a blissful smile blossoming across his face.

After that, stealthy note-passing quickly becomes tradition every time they have class together, even going so far as to reserve seats for one another, and getting territorial if someone else tries to sit next to them. They share snippets of stories and poetry they've been writing, talk about their favorite authors, recommend books, music, movies, and tv shows for one another to check out, coming back the next day with a note clutched in their hand that simply says OH MY GOD THAT FUCKING CLIFFHANGER or I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WOULD DO THAT TO OUR SHIP written in all caps with about a thousand exclamation points filling up the remaining lines on the page.

On the very last day of classes for the fall semester, Rey notices that Ben is wearing what she assumes is an old, worn out band t-shirt, and wonders why he hadn't put them on his music rec list for her. Curious, she rips a page from her notebook and scribbles, Starkiller…is that like a band or something?

Ben unfolds the memo, careful to keep his expression blank and pretend he's taking notes on the material, lest Professor Holdo confiscate their correspondence (again.)

It's a school, actually, he writes back. Starkiller Academy.

Oh, gotcha. Where is it? she asks. I've never heard of it.

Heart of the English countryside. Beautiful place. Kinda lonely, though. I'm surprised you don't know it, given that cute sexy awesome accent you've got going on. We must have just missed each other while I was over there.

Ben blushes, hastily crossing out the bits that might make him sound creepy or desperate, and hands the note back to her. He sucks in a breath when he looks over and sees her trying to squint and make out his writing through the strikethroughs.

Sounds lovely, she replies. Except, you'd have missed me by quite a few years, I'm afraid. My parents died when I was a little kid, so I got shipped off to the US to live with my godmother. Auntie Maz is cool. Bit eccentric, but sharp as a tack. You'd like her.

I don't doubt I would, Ben writes back, smiling at the fact that Rey had at least toyed with the idea of introducing him to one of the most important people in her life, and then pauses, struggling to figure out an appropriate response to such a weighted statement.

I'm so sorry to hear about your parents. Were you close?

Honestly? Not really. They…well, they weren't exactly the best parents in the world.

Ben's lips press into a hard line, biting back a cascade of sweet and sour memories as he writes, Ugh. I know the feeling.

Despite their covert correspondence these past two months, the subject of Ben's troubled past with his parents had never actually come up in conversation before. It was like this unspoken agreement between them. They'd always been so careful to avoid it. Now, it felt like Ben was giving her a thread to pull.

If you don't mind me asking, she writes. What exactly happened between you and your parents?

Rey folds up the note and slips it in between the pages of Ben's book of poetry, chancing nervous glances over at him every few seconds. She watches as his eyes scan the words, jaw clenching as he chews at the inside of his cheek. He takes so long to answer that Rey nearly snatches the paper back from him. After a few moments, his shoulders sag, he breathes a soft, resigned sort of sigh, and begins writing.

They wanted me to go to law school. Follow in my uncle's footsteps. Become his apprentice. But I wanted to be a writer, study literature, travel the world. Every time I tried to talk to them about it, they'd change the subject, or laugh it off and tell me I was being ridiculous.

Then the acceptance letter for Starkiller came in, and when I told them I'd already booked my plane tickets, they didn't exactly take it well. Dad had a fit, told me I was throwing my life away, and stormed out. Mom told me that she just didn't want to see me spend my whole life struggling and barely scraping by, like they did.

At the time, it just sounded like she didn't believe in me, didn't think I could actually succeed and make something of myself. But I didn't want the life they wanted for me. I wanted to make my own way. So I left, got as far away from them and from my uncle's legacy as I possibly could. And…yeah, I haven't really spoken to them since.

Rey pauses to consider this, momentarily stunned. She couldn't imagine Han and Leia being anything other than amazing parents. They were friendly and kind and clever and funny, the kind of parents Rey always wished she'd had. In the short time she'd worked at Rebel, they'd become something of a surrogate mother and father figure to her. They even affectionately referred to Rey as their daughter sometimes, and it filled her with a warmth she couldn't put into words. Rey wavers for a full five minutes before responding, carefully deciding how best to proceed.

I don't know what to say, Ben. I'm so sorry.

Her pen tip halts, a hundred different questions poised on the tip of her tongue as the vague silhouette of a plan unfurls inside her mind.

But you're here now,she writes. Does this mean you're back for good?

Turns out, Corellian U is the best place to get a master's degree in writing and literature. Who knew? Go Falcons lol. So yeah, I guess you could say I'm back…for now, anyway, Ben smiles as he pens his reply.

Rey sucks in a breath, hesitating for a fraction of a second, and then just decides to go for it. It's now or never.

You should give them a call sometime, she writes. They miss you so much. They talk about you all the time, ask me how you're doing, if you're happy. I know they'd really love to hear from you, Ben.

Ben quirks an eyebrow, curious as to what's got Rey so frazzled all of the sudden. Rey places the folded-up letter in his outstretched hand, a jolt of adrenaline twisting down his spine as her fingertips graze his palm. And then he opens the letter, and his smile instantly drops. He turns to look at her, a flurry of conflicting emotions skating across his features as he stares into her bright, hopeful eyes.

And then the bell chimes overhead, a monotonous, deafening groan reminding them that class is over, and then they're getting swept up in the commotion of students packing up their bags, a collective cheer ringing out across the classroom celebrating the end of yet another grueling course. And then Kylo's alarm is going off, an ear-piercing stock ringtone radar, reminding him that he's late for work, because Hux is in charge of scheduling now, and decided to fuck him over when he knows it's exam week.

"I…" Ben falters, eyes flitting between Rey and the flashing notification on his phone, his heart clenching in his chest, at a loss for what to say.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," he says with a rueful sigh, jamming his thumb against the kill switch for the blaring alarm and pocketing his phone. Without another word or a backward glance, Ben turns on the spot and bolts out of class, leaving Rey rooted to the spot, the hopeful spark in her eyes flickering and fading like dying candlelight as she watches him go.

• • •

The last day of exam week finds Ben off the clock on his half hour lunch break, huddled in a corner behind the coffee bar, thumb hovering over the call button to his parents' shop, same as he'd been doing every single day since Rey had written him that note. With a frustrated sigh, he clicks the off button and slips his phone back into his pocket, tallying yet another failed attempt at reconciliation in his mental ledger.

Just then, the little bell above the shop's door jingles, and in walks Rey, phone pressed to her ear, clearly in the middle of a heated conversation.

"Finn, calm down," she sighs, squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose, a habit she'd picked up only after she'd incessantly teased him for doing it time and time again, Ben notes with a wry smile. He doesn't want to pry, but…

"Listen, everything's going to be okay," she says, switching ears as she slumps down into one of the ornate leather armchairs closest to the counter.

Ben shuffles a little bit closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. His hand flies to the breast pocket of his button-down flannel, pawing at a folded-up note nestled underneath a little white button, and carefully withdraws it, twiddling it between his fingertips as he waits for her conversation to end, deciding he'll just have to cut his lunch break a little early today.

And then Rey says something that makes his heart plummet into his stomach, and his blood run cold.

"No, of course not," Rey says in a soothing voice. "You're a wonderful boyfriend, Finn."

Finn.

Boyfriend.

Finn is her boyfriend.

Rey has a boyfriend.

She's had a boyfriend this entire time, and Ben was stupid enough to think that he actually had a chance with her.

He knows he has no right, knows perfectly well that Rey doesn't owe him a damn thing, that it's his own fault he'd gone and caught feelings and made up all of these grand assumptions inside his head…but in that moment, he's stopped seeing reason, and is just blinded by hurt and confusion.

He'd finally worked up the nerve to ask her out, had written down all the things he's been dying to say to her these past two months, how he feels about her, everything he loves about her, including the fact that she had cared so much about his happiness that she'd tried to bridge the gap between him and his parents. In keeping with their note-passing tradition, he'd written it all down, and was planning on handing it to her along with her usual coffee order. Instead, he crumples it up and lets it fall to the floor, kicking it into the cobwebs under the counter.

And because Ben's life is an absolute shitstorm, it's at that exact moment that Rey ends her call, stows her phone into a side pocket in her backpack, and peers over at the coffee bar, eyes lighting up at the sight of him. It makes his heart ache for what could have been.

But instead of simply sucking up his pride and treating her with the kind of respect he should be granting his new friend, Ben treats her like a perfect stranger, shoving his feelings into an overflowing box at the back of his mind, and plastering on his most basic, bare minimum customer service smile, as he says, "Welcome to Java Empire. What can I get you?"

"Hi," she says, her smile faltering as the overly formal, clipped tone of his words breezes over her like frostbite. "The, uh…the usual, please."

Ben merely cocks an eyebrow, staring at her expectantly, not daring to let it slip that he'd memorized a rolodex of her holiday favorites.

"Oh, uh…sorry," she amends after a rather lengthy awkward silence. "Irish cream latte, please."

"Coming right up," he responds with stilted cheerfulness, scrawling down her order, ripping it off the notepad, and sticking it onto a docket for Phasma to collect.

"So," Rey drawls, drumming her fingertips along the edge of the counter as Ben swipes her card through the reader.

"How's exam week been treating you? Did History Of The English Language cover the section on the absolute necessity of the Oxford comma, just like we thought it would?" she jests, reminiscing about the time just two weeks prior when she'd helped him study for his final, and they'd laughed their asses off Googling all manner of hilarious examples.

Ben gives a noncommittal shrug in lieu of a response, and the counterfeit smile Rey had been struggling to keep in place wilts just a little bit more.

"Ben, I'm sorry if what I said the other day was out of line. I didn't mean to let it slip that you're back in town, but Han and Leia overheard me talking to Poe and Finn about you one day, and the whole thing kind of just came out. I really didn't mean to meddle, I just…I hated seeing the three of you so unhappy, and I guess…I thought I could help fix things," Rey explains, lowering her voice to a near whisper as she leans in close.

Unable to bear it, Ben whips around to hide his tortured expression, pretending to clean the steam wand and a phantom milk splatter. With a shaky breath, he schools his features into an unreadable mask, and turns back around to face her.

"It's whatever," he says with an apathetic sigh, shoulders sagging under the weight of conflicting emotions he's never had to fight so hard to suppress.

"Would you like whipped cream on that?" he adds, reverting back to retail mode.

"I…what?" Rey asks, startled by the drastic shift in conversation. "Um…sure, I guess."

"Alright, here's your order," he deadpans, sliding the drink along the counter with her name written in plain lettering along the side, no hearts, stars, or smiley faces this time. "Have a nice day."

"Ben, could we please just talk about—"

"Have a nice day," he repeats with a little more emphasis.

Rey opens her mouth to speak, lower lip quivering in a way that makes Ben's heart shatter to pieces, blinking back tears as she grabs her drink and bolts out the door. The force of the winter wind slams the little jingling bell, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. Ben watches her go through clouded vision as tears sting the corners of his eyes, swallowing back a painful lump lodged at the base of his throat, and cursing his fragile pride.

• • •

For Ben Solo, winter break is an absolutely miserable affair. He spends the first two weeks chastising himself for how badly he'd handled things with Rey, meticulously typing out all manner of apologies and explanations in a little text bubble, only to erase them and pocket his phone with a rueful sigh, and the second two reigning in the New Year with all-consuming melancholy and regret for how he'd left things with his parents.

When spring semester rolls around, he's disheartened to learn that he doesn't share any classes with Rey, and sadder still that she's stopped coming to Java Empire, though he can hardly blame her. He sees her pass by the window every so often, on her way to work at the nostalgia-summoning rival coffee shop down the street.

After three long, arduous weeks of the relentless tug-of-war raging inside his head, devil on his shoulder chanting that he's a monster who doesn't deserve Rey's forgiveness, angel arguing that he'll never know unless he swallows his pride and actually makes the effort to try, Ben finally makes up his mind.

At the end of his shift, he's going to march his sorry ass over to The Rebel Café, apologize to Rey, and make amends with his mom and dad. But before he even gets the chance, the door to Java Empire bursts open, and in comes Rey, followed swiftly by Finn and Poe, who practically have to frog march her up the front register. Thoroughly confused by this sudden intrusion, Ben opens his mouth to speak, a thousand different apologies and explanations poised on the tip of his tongue, but Poe holds up a hand to silence him, and for once, Ben doesn't fight it.

"Look," Poe says gruffly. "I still don't like you, and while I personally think that Rey is way out of your league and could do so much better, it's obvious you make her happy, and ultimately, that's all Finn and I want for her."

Finn gives Ben an assenting nod, which only serves to confuse him further.

"She won't shut up about you. It's exhausting," Poe adds with a long-suffering sigh, scooting out of the way just in time as Rey aims a swift kick to his shins, skin flushed scarlet from her forehead all the way down to her collarbones. "But our best friend's happiness is more important than some childish grudge. So, if you're going to be in Rey's life, then we'd better figure out a way to get along."

"Truce?" he asks, holding out a hand for Ben to shake.

"I don't…um…underst—" Ben stumbles, utterly bewildered by this startling turn of events as he grips both of Poe's and Finn's hands in turn.

"Yeah, okay. Pretend all you want, for all the good that's going to do, but we've seen the way you look at her. You aren't exactly subtle," Poe smirks. "So, both of you, get your heads out of your asses and just fucking admit you like each other, okay?"

"And then we'll finally have someone to go out on double dates with!" Finn chimes in, an absolutely delighted smile spreading across his face.

And that's when Ben notices that Finn and Poe are holding hands, and it all clicks, and he realizes what a supreme dumbass he's been. For a few moments, Ben simply stands there, the tips of his ears burning bright red, mouth hanging open in shock. Hand in hand, twin satisfied smirks etched across their faces, Finn and Poe make their way to the front door, leaving Rey standing there awkwardly in the middle of the queue, eyes fixed to the floor.

"Oh, and call your mom, asshole. She misses you," Poe shouts over his shoulder, the sound of his and Finn's laughter echoing through the café as he closes the door behind them.

Rey watches them leave with a half-exasperated, half-affectionate smile on her face, hands stuffed into the pockets of his Corellian University sweatshirt he'd let her borrow a few months back (it's so big on her, she's practically swimming in it, and it's just about the most adorable thing Ben has ever seen) absentmindedly kicking scuff marks into the freshly-waxed floor with the heels of her All Stars as she swivels on the spot, not quite sure what to do now that her brazen wingmen have left her to fend for herself.

"They really are the big brothers I never had and never wanted, but I love them all the same," she laughs, chancing a glance over at Ben, shoulders relaxing a little when he returns it in kind. She rolls her eyes and gives an amused little shake of her head, and a stray lock of chestnut hair falls loose from her meticulously kept trio of hair buns. Ben's fingertips twitch at his sides, longing to reach out and brush it back.

"Rey, I…" he falters, the perfect string of words he'd been rehearsing for weeks suddenly stuck in the back of his throat. "I'm so sorry, I—"

"Ben, it's fine, you don't have to—"

"No, I really do," he insists, contrition crinkling the corners of his eyes. "I acted like a complete jackass. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I treated you like shit, all because of a stupid misunderstanding."

Rey tilts her head to the side, eyebrows arched in confusion.

"What misunderstanding?" she asks.

Ben heaves an embarrassed sigh.

"For a little while there, I thought…or I guess maybe I hoped…that there was some small sliver of a chance that you felt the same way I do," he admits around a sheepish smile. "I was planning on telling you…wrote you a letter…but then you came into the shop, and I overheard your phone call with Finn, and I…well, I jumped to the conclusion that you were dating him. Didn't exactly handle it well, which, I know, understatement of the year. I was hurting, and I took it out on you, and I'm sorry."

"Turns out, I was wrong about everything. You were just being a good friend, trying to help the people you care about resolve their differences and find their way back to each other. Seems you've got a knack for that," he says softly, offering her a small smile, which Rey tentatively returns.

"So…you're not mad at me for meddling?" she asks.

"Of course not. You were just trying to get me to do the one thing I should have done the moment I came back into town. I've just been putting it off, too chicken shit to work up the nerve," Ben admits, huffing out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I've been meaning to thank you for that," he adds, his smile warm and genuine as he presses his palms against the smooth crystal-flecked countertop, and leans forward.

Rey bites her lower lip to hold back a smile, and Ben's eyes immediately glaze over, the briefest of fantasies flitting across his mind as he imagines what her lips might feel like pressed against his own, the taste of her tongue between his teeth, the rumble of her laughter against his chest as he holds her close, and—

Nope. He can't allow himself to think of her like that anymore. It doesn't matter what her friends said, or what little hope it might have stirred inside his chest, because Ben is still convinced that he doesn't have a shot in hell with Rey, not after the way he'd acted. So he'll just have to do his best to try to make it up to her, to prove to her that he's sorry, and maybe, if he's lucky, he'll at least earn her friendship back.

"And look, even if you were dating someone else…as your friend, I should have supported you. I should have been happy for you, regardless of my feelings for you," he amends, raking his fingers through his tousled mess of hair out of nervous habit, and patently avoiding her gaze, altogether missing the curious spark lighting up behind her eyes. "Because they're right, Finn and Poe. All that matters is your happiness. And I'm sorry I let some stupid crush I harbored for you get in the way of that. You deserve better than—"

Ben freezes, his heart skyrocketing into his throat, every nerve ending in his body lighting up like roaring flames in a wildfire. For in that moment, Rey had closed what was left of the space between them, tugged him toward her by the collar of his button-down, and pressed her lips against his, swallowing the rest of his words with a kiss.

Blatantly ignoring the surprised gasps and rowdy wolf-whistles issuing from the surrounding crowd of customers, Ben melts into the kiss, leaning forward and threading his fingers through her hair, palm gently grazing the side of her cheek, an intoxicating elixir of dark chocolate, peppermint mocha, and Irish cream dancing on the tip of her tongue as Rey sighs against him.

It ends all too swiftly in a rush of breathless giggles and contented sighs as Rey pulls back to gauge his reaction. For a moment, Ben forgets how to function. He's so stunned, so caught off guard, that when Rey lets go of him, he nearly loses his balance and topples over the counter, silently cursing the thick layer of granite separating them.

Still, he can't help the ridiculous smile that spreads across his face at the sight of her, can't help but somewhat smugly think I caused that as he watches a rosy blush blossom beneath the pulse points of her cheekbones. The hint of a smile tugs at the corners of Rey's lips, and Ben finds himself enraptured by it, wanting nothing more than to make it bloom.

"So," he says in a vain attempt to summon that famously infectious Solo charm, only to be betrayed by the big, goofy grin plastered across his face as he leans forward, chin tucked into his palms, elbows propped up on the counter, and stares at her like she's the sun after a thunderstorm.

"As much as I'm looking forward to that double date, I was thinking that the first one should be just the two of us. You free right now?" he asks.

Rey's answering smile is like pure sunshine thawing out a frozen lake.

"Aren't you literally right in the middle of a shift, though?" she laughs.

"Right," Ben frowns, mulling over his options. "Hold on a second."

"Hey Hux!" he shouts into the void of the back room. "I quit!"

In one swift, fluid motion, Ben propels himself up from the countertop, strips off his apron, and throws it directly into the scowling face of his coworker, who's just appeared in the doorway to the stockroom, clipboard in hand. Ben lets out a bark of laughter as he loops around the counter, narrowly avoiding a steaming mug of espresso to the back of the head.

"Shall we?" he says, offering Rey his hand, a radiant smile lighting up his every feature as she laces her fingers with his, and together, they make their way through the front door and out into the brisk winter air, effectively silencing the colorful string of obscenities Hux had been hurling at their retreating backs.

"So, I guess I'm going to have to look for a new job now," Ben chuckles as the two of them forge a familiar path down the street to a bright bustling little café, tucked in between a collection of antique book shops and an old, rundown movie theatre. "You think maybe Rebel has an opening for a returning barista?"

"Tell you what," Rey says thoughtfully, a teasing smile curling across her lips. "I'll put in a good word with the owners."

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