I'm gone for two years and then the first thing I post is THIS stupid thing. Star Wars has ruined me.
Ben felt like his lungs were going to explode.
He had never run this fast in his life, he was positive, and yet somehow Rey with her tiny legs was still ahead of him which was probably for the best, because if that Twi'lek kid caught up with them he would want to kill her first. Skidding on the stone floor, he managed to put on enough speed to grab Rey's arm and yank her into the doorway of someone's room.
They stood there, frozen and silent as the Twi'lek boy ran right past them, and Ben thanked whatever deity who might be listening that the new guy hadn't been around long enough to know the Praxeum floor plans like he and Rey did. They waited with bated breath until the sounds of footsteps had faded entirely, and then, Ben breathing a sigh of relief, crept quietly to the second level dormitory floor.
He was actually quite proud of himself for managing not to say anything, but there must have been something quite unsettling about his expression. By the time they reached safety, Rey was keeping a safe distance away and watching him warily.
Ben took one last look over his shoulder, before turning on the tiny hellion with murder in his eyes.
"You little-"
Rey gave a terrified screech and began sprinting away down the hallway. Lunging after her, Ben caught her in what started off as a tackle and somehow ended with the two of them rolling forward and him clutching her to his chest, arms pinned to her sides. Rey retaliated by licking his arm and attempted to run off again after he reflexively let go in disgust.
"Oh no you don't!" Grabbing the back of her robes, Ben pulled her down into a sitting position. Recognizing defeat, Rey surrendered with a dignity belying her six years of living and flopped face down on the floor. Ben had no sympathy.
"What did I say about starting fights with the bigger kids?! What did I say about starting fights at all?!"
"No!"
"I can't always be around to rescue you. I can barely rescue you NOW! If this keeps up, Luke's going to send you away!"
"I don't need rescuing!"
"Do you understand that?! Answer me!"
"NO!"
"No, you don't understand? No what?"
"NOOO!"
Ben gave up. Letting go of Rey's robes, he began massaging his temples. He used to threaten Rey about Luke sending her away as a joke, but lately he wasn't so sure. This was the second fight she'd gotten into this week, and it was getting harder and harder for him to cover them up. He knew Luke had been keeping a close and increasingly disapproving eye on her, and while Rey was small, loud, surprisingly violent and managed to produce a disproportionate amount of slobber purely because she knew it gave him the creeps, she was still just a kid. More than that, she was a friend, and somebody had to look out for her- and he had a strong suspicion there was no one outside of the Praxeum who would do that.
"You're such a pain," he muttered under his breath. Rey glared at him, getting to her feet. "So why don't you sell me and get wonat instead?"
"At least a wonat would behave better than you!"
"Go ahead! Then you'll be happy, 'cuz it'll be smarter than me, too!"
"And quieter!" He retorted to her back as she stomped down the hallway to her quarters. Almost anything would be.
"You'll like it, 'cuz it'll be stinky like YOU!" She slammed the door.
Oh, that was it. "GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
"I'M ALREADY IN MY ROOM!" She bawled through a crack in the door before slamming it shut again.
Luke had told them all many times that it never helped to lose your temper. There were ways to combat anger and frustration, breathing exercises, silently counting to ten…
Ben yanked his hood over his face and screamed.
From down the hallway, a muffled shriek of rage echoed his in perfect harmony.