AN: Crossposted from AO3. Done for the TFA Kinkmeme.
Rey blinked in disbelief at the bathroom, seriously contemplating shutting the door and re-opening it to ensure that her eyes were not deceiving her. The room seemed a fantastical impossibility, like she opened a door expecting to see a toilet and bathtub and was actually the wardrobe of fucking Narnia, only instead of a snowy backdrop she had revealed the most ridiculous bathroom she's ever witnessed.
Her mouth opened and she closed it before the strangled "Kylo!" could make it out past her throat. Her instincts had kicked in before her mind could, but now that she had taken a closer look at his bathroom, a grin replaced the shocked look on her face. Oh, she was going to milk this for all it was worth.
Their relationship had been a perpetually rocky one. The whole Kylo-despising-his-parents thing led to some rough times when she was younger and the tall, brooding teenager that always argued with her father had become something of a fascination to Rey – but she had, surprisingly, never been inside his apartment before tonight. He'd always manage to weasel his way into showing up at her place, and she never particularly minded. (He always seemed to mind, though, which never ceased to confuse her. Why show up at her apartment frequently if he was just going to act vaguely disgusted with her every time he went to the bathroom? She wasn't the cleanest or girliest of girls, but she kept a tidy house, and the sneer he developed after using her facilities always put her a bit on the defensive.)
It was a series of unmitigated disasters that led her to Kylo's apartment tonight, involving a class presentation requiring semi-formal wear, a pair of high heels that Rey despised even before she tried them on and one heel broke as she was walking out of class, a freak rainstorm, and the lack of an umbrella or vehicle to avoid the sheet-like onslaught of freezing rain on her usual walk back home.
So, taking pity on her, Kylo had driven up next to her barefoot, pathetic self as she marched petulantly down the sidewalk, and offered her a ride and a place to dry off. It was a nice gesture, but Rey was too irritated to thank him properly, or even apologize for dragging her sorry self into his car and dripping all over the nice black leather seats.
Sensing her ire, he had remained quiet for the duration of the ride, only speaking to say he'd grab her some dry clothes to change into once they got into his apartment. As she'd made her way towards the bathroom, well, the rest was history.
"Kylo Ren, you have about four seconds to explain to me who the girl is and why I've never met her before." Rey figured the slight pinch of jealousy in her voice was well-hidden by her amusement, and when she walked back out to the living room, cold water still dripping off of her hair, Kylo looked up with confusion evident across his features.
"What do you mean, Rey? You know I live alone," he responded, standing up as he noticed her still-wet form. "Why haven't you changed out of your soaking clothes? You're going to catch a cold."
"You don't have to lie to me just because you think I'll tell your parents you're seeing someone," she quipped, leaning up against the wall as she saw his expression shutter at the mere mention of Leia and Han. Well, maybe she should tone back the teasing, Rey thought, but it was just too much fun.
Kylo felt a growl push up through his throat, and he forced it back down. Scowling, he moved past her to grab a towel from a nearby cupboard. He dropped it unceremoniously onto her head with a muttered, "I have no idea what you're even talking about."
With a sputter, Rey grabbed the towel off of her head and wrapped it instead around her shoulders. The dry cloth did help a little with her freezing skin, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up and was worth the chill settling deep in her bones. "There is no way that you have a bathroom looking likethat without having a secret girlfriend that you never told me about," she responded with a mischievous smirk. "So, 'fess up. Who is she?"
The look he gave her could have killed, and Rey started to wonder if her playful teasing had been a mistake. Yes, their friendship had lasted several years, and she was probably one of his closest allies, but sometimes friends could go too far. Especially with Kylo, who was volatile enough even without her goading. He'd never been physical towards others before, preferring to take out his frustrations on inanimate objects, but Rey was beginning to feel a bit unlucky.
"Rey," Kylo began slowly, his glare catching her eyes. "Everything in my bathroom belongs to me. There is no secret girl," and with the last few words his tone turned repulsed.
Rey's eyes widened, and she felt the beginnings of fear prickling the bottom of her spine at his voice before his words actually permeated his thoughts. "Wait a second, you're serious."
"Wha – of course I'm serious, why would I lie about the contents of my own bathroom?"
"Oh my god," she breathed out, a giggle trembling to bubble past her lips. She grabbed his hand, missing the startled look that passed over his features at the action, and pulled him to aforementioned bathroom. "Kylo Ren," she stated clearly, because saying his full name seemed entirely appropriate, "You own more products and accessories than any girl I have met in my entire life."
And it was true: from the sink covered in hair sprays, gels, and mousses, to the bathtub's shower rack filled with products that had purposes that Rey couldn't even fathom – hell, what the fuck was a hair mask and why didn't he have any 2-in-1 products for convenience – the bathroom looked like a teenage girl had taken over it. Perhaps there was no pink or glitter, but the carrier with a hair curler, hair straightener, and hair dryer, seemed straight out of a college girl's dorm room. Rey was also fairly sure she could find bobby pins and hairties in the basket perched on top of the toilet if she dug through it.
The blush that spread across his high cheekbones was really quite attractive, and it made Rey's stomach do an unpleasant flip, but she was far too into this to stop quite yet. "I mean, why does anyone even need a leave-in conditioner?" she asked, grabbing at the closest bottle on the countertop. It was some brand that she couldn't even pronounce, bragging about "no parabens" or "sulfates" (and really, Rey only knew the latter because of her chemistry classes), and almost frantically, she turned to the dark-haired male. "Who even leaves conditioner in their hair without washing it out? What is all of this shit!?"
In an aggressive movement, he yanked the bottle out of her waving hand only to carefully, almost reverently replace it back onto the sink's countertop. His eyes glinted dangerously, and he ran a hand through his hair before straightening up to his full height.
It never ceased to make her stomach stir interestingly whenever he utilized his tall frame, and Rey tamped down the spark of attraction that jolted through her body as her short height was juxtaposed against his. He looked down on her, and she willed her blossoming blush to fade as their eyes locked.
"First," he started, his voice deep, "You will never insult anything in this bathroom again if you value your life. Second, there isn't anything wrong with caring about yourself, even if you're too much of a tomboy to value top-notch hair products."
The insult hardly phased her. She knew well enough that she'd never compare to the girls who could flawlessly apply makeup or curl their hair to look like models, but his voice, underneath the raw anger and seething, seemed almost hurt at her prodding. "Wait, Kylo," she started as he turned away from her. It looked like he was conflicted, wanting to lash out at something, but unwilling to damage his precious (and probably very expensive) products. "I'm sorry if I went too far, you just –" and then she froze, because look so cute when I tease you would reveal way too much about how she really felt, but no other thoughts passed through her mind to replace the words.
"I just what, Rey?" he asked with a hard exhale, frustration tensing his entire body.
"Y-you take things too seriously," she said instead, moving to place a hand comfortingly on his arm. She didn't realize how small the bathroom was, packed with all of those products and the two of them, and the realization of their closeness hit her hard. She gulped before continuing, "You know I grew up around guys, I was just having some fun..."
Kylo closed his eyes, breathing through his nose, and Rey recognized the technique as a calming one that her father had taught her when she was younger. She counted down in her mind along with him, and when she hit 0, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. "I know. I suppose I just thought you wouldn't mock me for something like this."
And then she felt bad, because she was privy to his younger self, when he was constantly self-conscious about being too tall, having a crooked nose, peculiar features, and wildly out-of-control hair. The complaints and angsty days may have been in their past, but Rey knew he didn't reveal himself like that to many others. His insecurities had not vanished, but rather he had merely learned to cover them up better. "I'm sorry," she said softly, and without consciously realizing it, she had snaked a hand up to cup his chin. What had started out as playful ribbing had clearly struck a deeper chord within him, and Rey wasn't cruel enough to ignore his pain, especially if she was the cause.
"Rey," he started, gazing into her hazel eyes. The dusting of a blush made an appearance again on his face, and she couldn't find it within her to pull away.
"Shh," she responded, standing up on her toes to press her lips gently to his. He seemed frozen for a moment before bursting into action, hands scrambling to find purchase on her waist, and he pushed her up against the wall.
Their lips parted, and he murmured, "Oh god," before kissing her fiercely, nipping at her lip to demand entrance. Rey panted against his mouth, coming back to herself to see that both of her hands were tangled in his dark, curly hair (which did feel incredibly soft and strong, but that was neither here nor there) and Kylo's hands perched on her ass.
Resting his head on the bathroom wall, Kylo seemed disheveled, and Rey couldn't help but feel immense satisfaction at his reaction. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he started, breathing hard. "Although I have no intentions of continuing this in the goddamn bathroom."
"Finally, something we can agree on," Rey chuckled, before finding herself bodily thrown over his shoulder as the exited the small space. "Oi!" she yelled out, perhaps a bit too loudly, because, as she was carried through the apartment, Kylo spoke sensually, "As much as I'd love to hear how loud you can be, my neighbors may not appreciate it. Keep it down until we can do this at your place?"
Rey felt the blood flushing into her face, but she nodded. It was time to turn the tables, she thought, and started stripping as soon as he let her down in his bedroom. He stared disbelievingly at her as she tugged her sopping wet shirt off, and she said innocently, "All my clothes are still so wet, Kylo... Would you care to help me change?"
"No," he growled, a throaty noise that sent a shiver down her spine as she found herself locked in his predatory gaze. "But I can certainly help you out of them and help you warm up."
The knock at her door startled her out of the the half-doze she found herself in after reading The Mechanical Engineer's Handbook, and Rey stifled a yawn with one hand as she got up to answer the door. Briefly, she hoped whoever was on the other side of the door didn't mind greeting her with her baggy sweats and faded shirt.
"Hey," she said to Kylo as he stood in her apartment's threshold.
"Hey yourself," he responded as he stepped in and bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"
"Nah, doing some reading for Thursday's class," Rey said, locking the door behind him and moving to sit back on her couch. The thing was a second-hand, dark leathery mess of scratches and well-worn patches, but damn if the piece of furniture wasn't the comfiest thing she owned. "What's all that?"
"Oh, this?" her boyfriend asked as he held up a canvas bag that looked filled to the brim. "Just a few supplies, I'd like to stay the night and some of the horrors" - and with a magnificent shudder that Rey thought had to be faked – he continued, "of your bathroom need to be replaced. Forever."
"It's not that bad, you priss!" she yelped out indignantly. There was nothing wrong with cost-effective bars of soap purchased in bulk from Costco!
Kylo made his way over to the couch, enveloping her in his arms as she fell back against his chest. It was an effective distraction tactic – both from his words and his safely-forgotten stockpile of hair and body products hidden in the bag, he inwardly smirked. Her ire faded as he rested his chin on her shoulder, and he murmured, "Is the reading important? I'd like to spend some time with you, but not if you need to do your schoolwork."
"No, I can do it tomorrow," Rey yawned, moving to kiss him. Now that she finally had him, she was absolutely going to take advantage of abusing those full, plump lips. The kiss deepened until he carefully pushed her away.
"You're too tired," he said. "Come, you need some sleep before your classes tomorrow."
She frowned, but the mention of bed did seem rather appealing, and she trailed after him towards her comfortable bed.
"Oh my god, what is this?" a horrified voice rang out across the dark apartment as one nosy, scavenging girl rummaged through her boyfriend's belongings. A shiny black, triangle-shaped hair dryer laid in her hands, and she looked puzzled at its complexity.
Sensing the urgency of the situation, a tall, lanky male raced across the room to grab at his possessions. "It was custom-made! If you throw it out, I'm breaking up with you! Your hair dyer looks like it came from an old hotel room and it will not be used on my hair!"