A/N: Potential trigger warning for child abandonment and mention of a parent's death.
Nobody understood it, the reason why Ben's apparent possessive nature comforted her instead of creeping her out. She didn't explain it to anyone who didn't matter. The people who did matter, namely Poe and Finn, didn't need to ask. They knew why Ben acted that way and they knew why his actions reassured her.
True friends always understood. If they didn't at least they accepted it. At least they did after she explained it to them.
"He's a borderline stalker," Jessika, one from Poe's circle of friends, said. "I don't understand how you could stand that."
Rey would only smile. She didn't make excuses for him. Not to people who were just casual acquaintances at best.
"You're too good for him," Snap, another one of Poe's friends, said. "But if he makes you happy, who are we to judge?"
Finn and Poe just looked at her in concern whenever these types of conversations happened. The couple had no qualms with Ben, not anymore. Rey had set them straight.
"He doesn't abuse me, this isn't a Twilight fetish," Rey told them when they first voiced out their concern.
They were at her apartment. It was just after their usual Saturday brunches. They had it every other week, alternating between their apartment and hers.
After they finished eating they would usually chat for a bit. Rey would be seated across them, but that hadn't always been the case. Before there was a them, Rey used to sit next to Finn.
"Rey," Finn said calmly. As calmly as she talked to him when he was admitting that he had feelings for Poe. "Are you sure about this? He's a bit different."
"Different?" Poe butt in, not even giving Rey a chance to speak. He and Finn had practiced this beforehand. He was the bad cop to Finn's good cop. "The man dresses in black the whole time. He makes you message him whenever you get home. Whenever you're with him, he tries to dictate your choices!"
Rey blinked at them in confusion. Oh she knew what they were doing, she's done this routine with each of them at one time or another. For Poe it was his drinking. For Finn it was his unnatural addiction to cinnamon rolls. Both habits were now in moderation because of their intervention.
What she didn't understand was why they were so concerned. She was happy, what problem did they have with that?
"First off," she said, crossing her arms to show that she meant business. "Quit the act, I know what you're doing and it won't work on me."
Finn visibly deflated. He and Poe had planned to throw Rey off balance when they switched roles after a bit. He never got to play bad cop.
Poe just furrowed his eyebrows. He was as stubborn as she was, maybe even more so. He'd hear her out, but he doubted anything would change his mind about Ben Solo.
"Secondly," Rey continued, raising two fingers. "When have you ever known me to bow down to anyone's will other than my own?"
"He told you to order a nicoise salad and you did!" Finn pointed out. "You don't even like anchovies."
"No I don't," Rey admitted, cringing at the memory of the taste of that salad. "But he did switch with me when I said I didn't like it."
The couple had to give Ben that. The man bravely ate the anchovies without even looking disgusted. He literally paid for the meal too.
"Face it," Rey said smugly. "Other than that incident, all he does is give me suggestions. If I like it, I go along with it. If I don't, I ignore him."
Again they had to concede. Rey never did things that she didn't want to. Not for them and apparently, not for him either.
"Thirdly," Rey raised three fingers and tapping them with the index finger on her other hand. "He makes me feel safe."
"What?" Finn asked, clearly not making the connection with stalker and safety.
"The hovering, the need to know if I made it home okay," Rey clarified, lowering her gaze. "Those little details that most people find annoying, they make me feel safe. Like I know someone's there for me, you know?"
"Oh Rey…" Finn trailed off. He got off his seat and slipped into the one beside hers just so he could put an arm around her. "We're here for you."
"I know that," she smiled up at them. "But with you two, I'm always going to be a second thought. Ben puts me first. You know how that means to me, given my childhood."
They did. Of the three of them, it was Poe who had the normal childhood. Finn grew up in a foster home, where he was expected to excel or else he wouldn't have dinner. At least he never remembered his birth parents.
Rey had it worse. She was abandoned as a child. Her mother had died and left her with an uncle who was too drunk to care and an aunt who had her own problems. They left her in the park with nothing but the clothes on her back. She lived on the street for a while, surviving due to the kindness of others. An orphanage took her in afterward, but it wasn't any better either. She got by as well as she could being in the system as she was. She beat the odds and became a functional member of society. Some wounds just don't heal though.
"Fine," Poe accepted. "You have been happier recently."
"I guess we should play nice," Finn said, making the other two laugh. Finn didn't know how not to be nice. "But still. His wardrobe needs expanding."
"Finn don't say that!" Poe scolded, but they could all tell he was joking. "Rey might think that we're stereotypical homosexuals!"
Rey laughed. She had the best friends a person could ever ask for. They had a point though. Ben had too many dark coloured clothes in his closet. Perhaps she could suggest that he wear greys and whites more. Or blue.
Ben would look good in blue.
Despite her friends' concerns, she knew that she was the one who actually had more of a say in the relationship. One could even say that she had mind tricks that worked on Ben. Mind tricks that didn't even need her to lift a single finger.
She nodded to herself. Ben would look good in blue and she would make sure that he knew how much she thought so. She wasn't the only one with insecurities.
"She's a bit clingy, don't you think?" Hux said as he watched his friend check his mobile again. "You're girlfriend, that is."
As if Ben needed the clarification. He knew how Hux felt about Rey. Hux was privileged, he had no idea what Rey's childhood was like. All he knew was that she was different. Hux didn't like different.
"She's just concerned," Ben brushed off his inquiry. "She knows I'm out with you after all."
It was a common thing between the two friends, one which Ben had told Rey. Whenever the two of them went out, it was a forgone conclusion that one of them would be crashing on the other's couch, blind drunk.
They didn't keep track about whose turn it was, it usually depended on the need. That night though, Ben had a feeling Hux was trying to get him drunk on purpose. Good thing Phasma was with them.
Despite having worked together and been friends for some time, Phasma did not usually join them for their binges. She was level-headed and quite straight-forward. She had a work ethic that would have made her their bosses, if it weren't for the fact that she was a woman.
That some companies still had glass ceilings for women disgusted Ben.
"I think it's sweet," Phasma said, raising her glass in a salute. "Ben's frenzies have become few and far in between since he started seeing her."
"Hey!" Ben exclaimed. "I don't easily lose my temper."
His friends just laughed at him. Everyone at the office knew how quick he was to anger. Their subordinates knew well enough to stay away whenever they heard him raging in his office.
"She calms you," Phasma continued, taking a long drink. "That's good."
Ben snorted. If it were any other person, he would have said that they were already drunk. But Phasma didn't get drunk. Or rather, her tolerance was way beyond either his or Hux's limit.
"Bah!" Hux scoffed, knocking back his glass. "She's got you on a leash. I still don't like her. Or her friends."
"You're just upset that Finn allowed himself to be pirated by the enemy," Ben said, ignoring his friend's indignant spluttering.
"I don't blame him," Phasma commented. "He was being severely underutilised in his current position, not to mention underpaid."
"He's a traitor!" Hux spat out. "After all First Order Co. had done for him, he went and turned his back on us."
"Woah," Ben said, pulling away Hux's glass. "I think that's enough for you."
"I call dibs," Hux replied, grabbing the bottle. He and Ben stared at each other for a moment before Ben let go.
"Fine," he allowed the other man to drink. "I guess this means that I'll be sticking to water from here on out."
"Indeed," Phasma chuckled, waving at the bartended to get another bottle for herself. "Perhaps we should talk about something other than work? It is the weekend after all."
The two agreed and their conversation turned to much lighter things like office gossip. Much later, when Hux had already passed out and Ben was done settling their bill, Phasma helped him with picking the other man up.
"Call her as soon as you get home," Phasma advised. "Just to let her know you're safe."
Ben nodded. Thanking her for her help with getting Hux to the cab. Getting the man inside his apartment and onto the couch was accomplished with help from the doorman and the cab driver.
As soon as Hux was settled, by settled it meant that Hux was mostly on the couch with a blanket covering some part of him, Ben moved to his room and shut the door.
He shrugged out of his pants and jacket and glanced at the watch. It was past 2 in the morning, he doubted Rey was still awake. But still, it was worth a shot to do what Phasma suggested. He pulled out his phone and dialled.
He told himself that he'd only try calling once. If she didn't answer, he'd just leave her a message telling her that he was home safely, and that Hux was passed out on his couch. Rey liked Hux as much as he liked her, but she knew how important friendship was and so she tried to get along with him.
"Hello?" a groggy voice answered. "Ben?"
"Yeah, it's me," he smiled. Hearing her voice was always such a pleasure.
"What's wrong?" she yawned. "What time is it?"
"A little bit after 2," he answered. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to let you know I was home."
"That's good to know," she replied. He could tell that she meant it. "Was there something else?"
"No," Ben shook his head even though she couldn't see. "Go back to sleep."
"Mmkay," she agreed.
"Oh and Rey?"
"Yeah?" another yawn.
"I…" he hesitated. "You know what? It's nothing. Good night."
"Night Ben," she hung up.
Ben stared at his phone as he thought on what he was about to tell her. He covered his mouth with his other hand, stifling his laughter.
There were some things that were just too important to say over the phone, especially when he just got back from a night of drinking. He'd have to think about it more before he said anything to her.
But as he got ready for bed he knew that there really wasn't anything for him to think about. But he knew that he had to get the timing right.
After all, telling someone you loved them was something special that needed planning.
I went with BAMF Phasma bc, we have to admit, we were expecting a lot more from her. I hope that she'll show up in VIII!
Oh and Finn is too sweet to have any addictions so he's addicted to cinnamon rolls (you are what you eat Finn.)
So how was it? *shifts uneasily from one foot to another* I'd really like to know. Thank you for reading!