Happy May The 4th ^_^
Disclaimer: I know nothing about motorbikes and mechanics…
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Han opened the workshop door, flashing Rey a bleary smile. "What's up, kiddo?" Rey's smile faltered as she suddenly remembered it was relatively early on a Saturday morning. "Sorry, did I wake you?" Rey suddenly felt awkward, a blush colouring her cheeks as she realised this may be a bit of a weird request.
"Nah, I was awake, just not up. And I should be, so don't feel bad. What can I do for you?"
Rey looked at her boots, "I was wondering if I could come have a look at the K2 speeder? I'm feeling kind of… itchy, you know?" She flexed her fingers by her sides, "I've missed working with engines… would it be okay?"
Chewie lovingly shoved his head in Rey's hand then slipped past her, presumably to take himself off on the call of nature.
Han gave her a smile, "I know what you mean. Yeah, sure knock yourself out. I'm making coffee, you want some?"
Rey smiled, "Err, yeah, thanks." She hated coffee but it felt rude to refuse Han's hospitality after she'd got him up and he was going to let her work on the speeder.
"How do you take it?" Han asked as he moved back into the workshop. Rey had no idea, so she just shrugged, "However it comes, I don't mind." Han looked surprised but shuffled off, and Rey went to get an apron. She was already in her oldest, roughest clothes and her battered old boots had steel toe caps in.
Excitement bubbled inside her as she approached the neglected speeder. The familiar, comforting smells of hot metal and engine oil were ingrained in the concrete walls and floor from years of use, making her warm inside.
She was already lost in her own little world when Han brought her coffee. She jumped a little as he set it down on the workbench where she had spread out the tools she was going to need.
"Thanks," she said, still a little shy. Han nodded absently as he surveyed the bike she was working on. Rey dutifully took a sip of her coffee: it was surprisingly milky and frothy, not nearly as gross as when she'd tried coffee previously.
"What kind of coffee is this?" She asked curiously.
Han blinked and then refocused, "Oh, ah, it's my version of a latte, it's Leia's favourite." He seemed a little awkward too.
Rey hid a smile behind another sip of the latte. "It's nice," she told him and he looked pleased before wandering away.
It was somewhere around eleven when she felt Kylo wake up; they'd been up till late last night and she'd wanted to let him sleep, but she instantly felt guilty over the sudden alarm that spiked through the bond when he realised she wasn't in the dorm. Maybe she should have left a note before she had gone back to her room? Rey?!
She winced, that was loud! Kylo, it's okay, I'm in the workshop. She could feel his sleepy panic recede as he woke up fully, which made her smile.
Oh, okay. Shall I come find you when I've had lunch?
Rey shrugged before remembering he couldn't see her. If you want, I'm just working on the K2 Han has, you might get bored.
But he just sent, I'll see you soon. And his presence faded somewhat as he got up.
Rey happily sunk back into work mode. The world fell away and it was just her, her tools and the speeder.
She jumped when Kylo put his hand on her shoulder. He smirked down at her, where she squatted on the floor, filthy hands picking over the bike. "You look like you had an argument with a swamp," he said helpfully.
Rey rolled her eyes, "If you're going to be rude, I will put my swampy hands all over your pretty face."
Kylo laughed, but stepped away a little too. "I could give you a hand if you like?"
Rey chuckled, then realised he was being serious when he frowned a little. "Oh, ah, yeah sure… Do you know anything about speeders?"
Kylo shuffled his feet a little, "Not really," he admitted, "and isn't that a motorbike?"
Rey shrugged, "Yeah, but in Jakku we called them speeders… I guess you can hand me stuff? But you will need an apron and to pull those sleeves up." Kylo made a grumbling noise. "Or you can go off and do something without me, we can do stuff apart, you know." That made him glare at her, he stalked off to find himself an apron.
He was gone longer than it should take to find an apron and when he came back he was carrying two mugs. "Han insisted on making you coffee as well as me, I was going to tell him you don't like it, but he mentioned you'd liked it this morning, so I didn't."
Rey blushed, "I kinda like it, the way he makes it anyway. Thanks." She stood to take the cup but Kylo put them down on the workbench and pulled her into his arms. "Hey! I'm dirty!" she protested before his mouth met hers.
I don't care, he told her smugly as he kissed her.
It was a slow, hot kiss, full of promise, and Rey felt her body flush in response. Quit it! Han might see us! But she didn't push him away, she never could, damn him, not when he kissed her like this. A chuckle rumbled in his chest, it was low and dark, and oh stars! She couldn't stop herself from melting into him.
He finally let her go, looking insufferably smug as he looked down at her, "Coffee is getting cold," he explained, as if he needed to. Rey looked up at him then giggled. She tried to keep it in, but for some reason that made it more determined to come out. Kylo had a dirty partial black handprint on his jaw and cheek and a small black mark on his nose. The look of confusion as to why she was laughing only made it worse and Rey completely lost it. Gasping as she giggled uncontrollably.
"What?" He asked her and it just made her laugh more as he looked around, trying to see if there was something he'd missed. What the hell are you laughing at?
Rey carefully didn't wipe her damp eyes with her dirty hands. Go to the bathroom and get me some tissues would you? And while you're there, take a look in a mirror.
He scowled at her, which again, only seemed to make him look more ridiculous, like a dirty, angry toddler.
As he went off, Rey wiped her hands on a rag to get off as much of the oil and grease as she could, then used her forearms to wipe her face as she tried to calm her hiccuping breath.
When did you touch my face?! Kylo asked indignantly. He had found a mirror then. Rey started laughing again.
I have no idea, she told him honestly. But you brought this on yourself.
Han strolled up, Chewie padding happily behind him. "Are you okay?" He asked Rey curiously, and Rey tried to settle her face out of its ridiculous grin.
"Yeah, err, Kylo got some oil on his face... He's not happy."
Han smirked, the expression identical to Kylo's familiar one. "He never did like this kind of work," he said as Rey took a sip of her cooling coffee.
"You look like you've made a lot of progress," Han said as he looked more closely at the speeder. Rey felt a flush of pride at his words.
Kylo interrupted them as he stomped back into view, his face still had a black smudge on it, his skin rather red where he must have tried to scrub it off. Rey tried to hide her smirk behind her coffee cup.
Han looked up and chuckled, "Didn't know you wore makeup, Ben," he said as Kylo went to pick up his own coffee.
Kylo treated him to a glare but its effect was ruined by his dirty face. Rey spluttered into her latte.
Rey worked steadily for the next four hours, Kylo handing her tools (usually after she had to point them out) and asking questions about what she was doing and why. She found she didn't mind the interruptions though, he seemed genuinely curious and his company wasn't intrusive. And everytime she looked at him, she couldn't help but smile… Though that was partly due to the stubborn smudge on his face.
By the time she was done her back ached and her knees hurt, but her satisfaction made them unnoticeable.
She stood, grinning down at the speeder, patting her knees down as she took it in. She had made some… modifications to the original engine, similar to the ones on the speeder she had had to leave behind in Jakku.
Rey nervously made her way to where Han was working, Kylo trailing behind her. "Han? I'm done... could I have the key to see if it works alright?" She asked shyly, slightly worried that if he said yes, and they tried it, something would go wrong and she'd look foolish, inept…
Han smiled, "Sure." He disappeared into the office then returned and handed Rey a key. She felt her stomach flip nervously as they walked back to the speeder. Kylo gently brushed her fingers with his, such a small, brief touch, yet it contained so much. The bond hummed with warmth.
Before Rey started the speeder Han inspected her work to make sure it wouldn't blow up once the ignition was started. He frowned down at the engine, "What did you do here?" He asked curiously. Rey shuffled slightly, wanting to grin but not doing so in case what she had done didn't work out. "I bypassed the compressor."
Han laughed appreciatively, "Interesting... Well okay, let's take it outside shall we?" Han took the handle bars, kicked the stand away and started rolling it out.
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Kylo had been fascinated watching Rey work. Usually he couldn't wait to get away from the workshop, but he could watch Rey all day. He knew enough to know that a lot of what she was doing was unconventional, but not enough to know whether it would work or not. The bike looked like a beast. He dimly remembered when Han had acquired it for students to work on: it had been basic and run down, and he'd assumed it was more ready for the scrap yard than being fixed.
He hoped that it worked. He could feel Rey's excitement and nerves; they were looped together, knotted in her head, pulling this way and that. It was very different to the calm contentment she had been awash with as she worked.
They were out on the tarmac of the car park and Han was offering the bike to Rey. "I think you should do the honours, kiddo," he said, and Kylo felt a spike of anxiety shoot through her as she took hold of the bike.
He was nervous now too, or maybe her emotions had bled through into him; he wasn't sure. Sometimes he didn't know where she ended and he began.
Rey took a deep breath, put the key in the ignition and turned it. There was a tiny sputter, and then nothing. Rey frowned, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she stood back slightly to look at the bike. Then she tried again with the same result. Kylo was just opening his mouth to say something conciliatory, when she muttered to herself, "Oh no you don't." And aimed a kick at the engine, then turned the ignition again. And to Kylo's astonishment and Han's obvious delight, the bike roared to life. It sounded hungry; furious. Rey looked at it in satisfaction for a moment before turning it off again. She turned to grin at Kylo and Han and gave them a small shrug, "If in doubt, kick it." Kylo gave an incredulous laugh. That sounded like a rule he could live by.
Han looked at them carefully, then around the area, before focusing back at them, "You want to take it for a spin, kid? You can't do all that work and not take it out, but just don't tell anyone I let you."
Kylo gaped at Han in surprise, (Han had never given Kylo that kind of offer), as Rey's face split into the biggest grin he had ever seen on her, her eyes shone in the gathering dusk. "Oh, hell, yeah," she immediately looked embarrassed at that and added quickly, "Err, I mean, yes please."
Han disappeared to get Rey a helmet, while she excitedly bounced on the spot. "You know how to drive one, don't you? It will be safe?" Kylo asked her slightly nervously.
Rey grinned even more, which Kylo hadn't thought possible. "Of course I do! I had my own, but I had to leave it behind." A wistful look crossed her face.
Han arrived back and handed her a helmet and a leather jacket and gloves, and to his surprise, handed larger duplicates to Kylo. Han smiled at Kylo's surprise. "Just don't tell your Mother."
Rey was already seated on the bike, helmet on and visor down, Come on, come on! Kylo winced as she almost shouted in his head.
"I want you back in one hour, and don't go too far," Han called before Kylo fully settled his helmet on and climbed onto the bike behind Rey. He felt slightly stupid - shouldn't it be him driving?
He heard Rey snort in derision at that thought. Hold on tight and don't let go… Trust me. And move when I move, she said, then turned on the ignition and kicked the bike to life.
It roared beneath them, giving Kylo a chance for one gulp before they were off. He should have known that speed limits were something Rey would take no notice of. Whatever the hell she had done to this bike, he was fairly certain the Devil was involved. It was like riding a raving monster, a throbbing beast, a speeding demon.
Soon the school was gone and they hit the open road. Rey's ecstatic glee was like a wave, and he could feel an answering grin spread over his face too. The speed, the sheer, Hellish velocity of her creation was pure madness, and was absolutely the most exhilarating thing he had ever done.
And their combined laughter echoed in their heads as they roared off into the twilight, together.
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I had Demon Speeding in my head, by Rob Zombie.