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Summary: On her first flight, Rey found herself sitting next to Matt the radar technician. Matt—also known as undercover hopeful heir to First Order Airline, Kylo Ren—had no idea how one flight would affect his life. AU
Straight to the Heart
Chapter 1
Nervous anticipation twisted and tumbled in Rey Finn's stomach with an undercurrent of excitement. This was the day that one of her dreams came true—flying. A smile slipped through where her teeth were tenderizing her poor lower lip a moment ago. The queue moved forward, and then it was her turn. The woman at the counter wore a white skirt and jacket with black accent details, along with a white pillbox hat with safari ear flaps. The flaps were not complementary, almost giving the hat the look of a helmet, which possibly explained the sour look on the woman's face. She took Rey's passport and boarding pass, and with a quick glance and a scan later, she returned the items.
"Thank you for flying with First Order. Enjoy the flight. Next!"
Sheesh, not even a glimmer of friendliness, Rey thought. Maybe I should've chosen to fly with Skywalker instead.
She'd chosen First Order, however, because their advertisement and reviews said they were first order—in other words, the best. The marketing company might've been trying too hard. Skywalker was known for "resisting" inflated prices. Sounds good when someone is on a budget, but when that person had been dreaming of flying for as long as Rey had been, then the best though slightly more expensive price seemed preferable. It had taken years of saving and a gift from her brother to make the trip happen. The gift meant even more considering that he had been fired a couple of months ago and found new employment only recently.
With a quick "thank you," Rey walked past her and entered the tunnel leading to the plane. A flight attendant, dressed similarly in white with the safari flaps, looked at her boarding pass and directed her towards the back of the plane.
Rey followed the queue through the first class section. The further along she went, the more crowded it got. She was trying to move past a small, older woman in business class when an unexpected push on her back sent her forward, almost into the woman.
"I'm so sorry." Rey smiled apologetically at her before feeling a second strong suggestion to move forward on her back; clearly, someone had little patience and even less consideration or manners. Ducking as something grazed the back of her head, Rey almost hit the sweet lady with her forehead. Frowning, she looked back to see a man with red hair and a clear superiority complex place his carry-on into the overhead compartment before taking his seat.
Glaring at the rude man, she turned back and placed her hand on the woman's arm. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault, Darling." The woman swiped her cane through the air, accidentally knocking the man on the side of his head. Grabbing his head, he turned and glared at her. She smiled a little too sweetly in response. "I'm so sorry. Tight quarters and getting my cane in the right place is difficult, you know."
Rey got the distinct impression that she wasn't talking about the overhead compartment. Sweet and advanced in years, but not frail, she thought.
The man stood. "Well, let me help you, then," he said through gritted teeth.
"No need, thank you." She hit his ankle as she turned to Rey.
"Oww!" The man glared at the older woman, and he was clearly about to say something when he suddenly sat down, continuing to glare at the seat in front of him. For some strange reason, a man in an expensive suit seemed to be cautious of a man in green overalls and a bright orange vest; the latter was tall and a bit further up in the queue behind Rey.
Shaking off the weird exchange, Rey turned to the woman when she spoke to her. "Would you be so kind as to assist a little old lady like myself?" she asked with mischievous twinkle in her eyes, which were behind large round spectacles.
Rey accepted the cane with great self-control as she tried not to laugh. "Sure, I'd love to help."
"Thanks, Darling," she replied. In that moment, Rey realized that woman reminded her of someone—Edna in The Incredibles. "My name is Maz. And you are?"
Rey couldn't help but smile. "I'm Rey." Noticing the people waiting to move along to their seats, her smile turned apologetic. "It was lovely to meet you, Maz, but I have to go find my seat."
Maz waved. "Of course, of course. Will you just help me with my bag as well, please?" She swung a big tapestry bag toward Rey from behind her, narrowly missing the redhead. Once again, he glared at Maz.
"Sure." After stowing the bag and closing the compartment, Rey smiled and waved goodbye before continuing down the aisle.
Moving forward through the separation between business and economic class, Rey looked for her number. Finally finding her window seat, she sat down with her backpack at her feet. There was a smile on her face as she looked at the sun setting over the desert of Jakku, which was visible behind a fence through the window. I can't believe it. After so many years, I'm going to Naboo. I'm going to see the mountains, the jungle, the lakes and, most all, the ocean with my own eyes.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a small commotion in the aisle drew her attention. Apparently, the man in the green overalls had tripped over the strap of someone's backpack, causing him to fall in the aisle and his old briefcase to fly open, sending papers over the floor. He stood up while pushing his glasses up his nose, and his eyes never left the young college-aged guy whose bag it was. "If the size of your luggage doesn't fit below the seat in front of you, stow it in the overhead compartment," he said, jaw clenched.
"Did you memorize that out of the manual or something?" the guy responded. Then, he and his friends burst out laughing.
If desire for retribution were ever painted as a facial expression, it would be the face of the man in the bright orange vest. Rey's heart went out to him; with his unfortunate-outcome-bleached-blond hair, which didn't fit his skin tone at all, and unflattering pair of glasses, it was not hard to imagine him having a hard time in his workplace. People could be very insensitive.
A few memories of being called "Stingray" popped into her head. Whenever she'd stood up for those that the popular crowd had picked on, they would turn their attention to her. That never stopped her, though. Some would even say the nickname was a backhanded compliment—the popular crowd didn't always know how to respond to something she'd said. Still, it stung. And yes, her surname had played a factor, which led to fish related jokes. She pushed the memories away with determination. High School was over, and she would not let that crowd follow her for the rest of her life.
Rey got up and kneeled as best she could in the narrow space between the seats. "Let me help you." It didn't look like he'd heard her, so she reached up and touched his arm. When he turned to her, she said, "Let it go. I'll help you."
"These are private," he responded, taking the papers she'd already gathered from her.
Raising an eyebrow, she continued to help and replied, "You're welcome."
He paused for a moment, stared at her, before picking up the broken briefcase. "They'll regret this," he muttered.
Her hands stilled before handing him the last of the papers. "Just let it go. What would it get you to say something? They'll probably just laugh more."
"I have empl— friends who work in security. They can keep them busy for the whole layover, assuming they have one."
Rey's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?" she whispered. "You can't do that."
"By the strong smell of their cologne, I would be doing other people a favor by keeping them from duty free shopping." His tone was serious.
First one corner of her mouth lifted, and then she began to laugh. "Good one." She shook her head, still smiling. I can't believe I fell for that… well, for a second at least. Who can influence security like that?
Standing up, he adjusted his glasses and then nodded toward the seat numbers. "This is actually my seat."
"Oh!" Rey's cheeks warmed as she noticed people waiting behind him. Looks like I'm part of snags today. She smiled past him at the family waiting, especially as she saw the sleeping baby against the father's shoulder. So sweet …
She moved past his seat and sat down. Sighing, he placed his briefcase in the overhead compartment, and she could only guess that he hoped that it would stay closed. Then, he stared at his seat, all the while holding up the queue and patience was fading fast.
"Do you want a wipe?" Rey asked.
His head snapped in her direction. "What?"
She shrugged. "A wipe… so you can wipe the seat. You look like you want to pick up the seatbelt with chopsticks."
I wonder if he's a germaphobe …
For a second, a grimace appeared on his face before his expression changed into a smooth mask. "Do you have one?"
"Sure." After digging around in her backpack and finally finding the small travel size pack at the bottom, she pulled out a wipe with a smile that said "success."
He wiped the seat thoroughly, and then he held the wipe toward her. "Thank you."
"No problem," she replied, staring at the wipe before taking it hesitantly. Her backpack's side pocket became a recycling bin.
His broad shoulders filled the seat as he sat down, causing his arm to brush against hers. Rey looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling a little awkward, and then the nervous twist in her stomach let her know that anxiety was still present. Noticing that her backpack didn't really fit under the seat in front of her, she grabbed it and stood with a mumbled, "Sorry."
He didn't say anything as she opened the overhead compartment and put away her backpack. With her back to him, she began to return to her seat when something unexpected happened—the guy in front of him decided to check out the recline feature, and the seat's backward motion caused her step back instinctively where there was little space. Before she could process what was happening, she lost her balance and found herself sitting on the lap of a man she'd just met. For crying out loud, she didn't even know his name! Not to mention, the seat was pressing against her knees painfully.
Overalls, for lack of a better name—Blondie certainly wouldn't do—leaned past her as best he could and pushed the seat to draw the guy's attention. The guy immediately apologized and corrected his seat, but all Rey could focus on was one thought: This is the most awkward moment of my life.
She returned to her seat as fast as she could, with no doubt that her cheeks looked like a clown had done her makeup. She fumbled with the seatbelt as she tried to fasten it.
"Like this," he said before showing her with his own.
He has a deep voice. It's nice. Shaking her head inwardly at the thought, she smiled tightly. "Thanks. I'm… I'm sorry about…" Her hand vaguely gestured toward his lap.
He kept his gaze forward. "There's no need to apologize."
Her eyes widened slightly. He looked so serious that she wasn't sure whether or not he was flirting with her. "What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath before turning toward her. "Did you do it on purpose?"
"Of course not!" she replied indignantly.
He shrugged and returned to looking ahead. "Then, there's no need to apologize."
Rey leaned forward to catch his eyes. "I was being polite."
His gaze locked onto hers with an intensity that she hadn't expected. "So you didn't mean it? You just said that you're sorry because you think it's what you're supposed to do?"
"Yes, no… I mean, no. I meant it. I didn't mean to land on you like a bale of hay."
Rey wasn't sure what she said that caused it, but there was a shift in his expression—as if shutters closed. "That's a lot of meaning."
"Is everything always a debate with you?" she retorted. He didn't respond, instead focusing on the seat in front of him. "I didn't know the back of a seat could be so interesting."
He turned to her, frowning. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you."
Sighing, Rey rubbed her eyes for a moment before looking at him. "I'm sorry. This is my first time flying. I'm excited but also nervous, and I think conversation would help, except it feels like you want to start an argument. No offense."
"Some taken." Then, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. Not much, but Rey could see it. "I think I should apologize. I wasn't … in the best of moods when I boarded."
She returned his barely there smile with a full, toothpaste-commercial-worthy smile. "Let's start over." She held out her hand. "I'm Rey, and why weren't you in the best of moods?"
For a moment, he just stared at her hand before taking it. "I'm … You can call me Matt," he replied, focus returning to the seat in front of him.
"It's nice to meet you, Matt." She tried her best to ignore the tingles in the hand he had shaken. The sensation was a surprise, and she decided first-time-flyer-jitters must be affecting her nerves. Or something like that, she thought. "And? What happened? Does it have something to do with the overalls you're wearing?"
The slight uptick returned to the corner of his mouth. Leaning his head back, his gaze met hers. "You don't let something go, do you?"
She followed his example, leaning her head back with eyes on him. "Like I said, a distraction would be appreciated," she replied, smiling.
"Statistically speaking, flying is safer than driving."
Rey's eyes closed tightly before locking onto him. "Have you seen the actual statistics? Because from what I've seen in the movies, that's what they say before the plane crashes in a remote location and we can only hope that we'll be able to stick to a herbivore's diet!"
For a moment, it appeared as though he was surprised and wanted to laugh, but the neutral mask returned quickly to its place. "What movies have you been watching?"
"Air crash and survival movies, as well as Air Crash Investigations. My brother and our friends surprised me that way—birthday weekend marathon. Then, he asked if I still wanted to fly. He gave me the ticket after I said, 'Yes,'" she replied with a small smile.
"That's … terrible." He looked stunned. She couldn't help but laugh.
"They didn't mean it like that. The ticket was supposed to be completely unexpected and it was. My brother and I are both adopted, so I know he was just struggling to let go. It's fine, really."
"It's not. You're nervous about flying."
"Aren't all first time flyers nervous?" she countered.
"I wasn't," he mumbled, something in his facial expression shutting down again. That's when Rey suspected it might be memory associated.
"We're getting off topic." Rey intertwined her fingers and rested her hands against her stomach. "Why were you in a bad mood?"
He sighed and didn't look her. "I'm a radar technician. I—"
Rey's eyes widened and she placed her hand on his forearm. "What?! A radar technician was in a bad mood to get on a plane? Why are you here? You're dressed for work! Shouldn't you be …?" Her other hand pointed in the direction she thought the flight control tower could be.
"I'm not really good at it—"
Her hand covered her eyes. "Oh, this just keeps getting worse."
"I was only observing. The actual technician seemed adequately capable."
"Adequately capable?" She stared at him, eyes wide.
"I can't really say. I'm not an expert in this area. But he was hired and has done the job for years." It was clear that he didn't understand why she was concerned.
"And why are you here now? If you just observed, doesn't that make you his supervisor? Which would mean you—who are not good at it—previously did the job. That's a scary thought." She swallowed. Don't panic. Do not panic.
"No, my … job description differs from his. I just checked in, and I'm heading back to headquarters with a rapport. I was supposed to fly back tomorrow, but then I was … notified that I have to return tonight. There wasn't time to change."
"Oh, well … that's better." Rey took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm feeling better."
Unfortunately, that feeling only lasted until the rough takeoff due to a strong wind. The grip Rey had on his forearm was sure to give him a glimpse into the future—what it might be like if a woman held onto him during labor. As if to confirm, at that moment, the sweet sleeping baby Rey had seen earlier began to cry loudly.
This is going to be a long, bumpy flight, Rey thought.
AN: I hope you had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it. This is my first Star Wars story, and I'm a little nervous about uploading it. Thanks for reading!
*Update: I've decided to continue the story, though it will probably be just a few more chapters.