4. Of monsters and men

Like he predicted, Rey laughed hard holding her stomach. Ben felt absurdly stupid and was so grateful his male friends at least tried to keep a straight face. Poe said that condolences are due to all of them as long as they wore white shirts. None of them dared to comment Ben's pony tail.

"Rey, you look like a comedienne!" Finn caught hem of her dress.

"Hands off!" She struggled.

The truth was, they all looked a little funny. Rey's wild hair was hobbled in nice plait and her nails were clean. Poe tried still to look casual, so he rolled up his sleeves and opened the last button. Only Finn was presentable - no wonder, his mother was a seamstress.

They stood in front of school and Poe gave them reading of what grade they were this year. It seems Ben was on the same level as Rey, although she was younger. He wasn't surprised, at least he missed two classes while changing orphanages. Poe and Finn were a level higher. They went into the building already arguing who will be better this year. Rey was sitting on dyke and Ben pressed his back against the wall, busy with counting small clouds above his head.

"Look, there he is!" Rey walked up to Ben and pointed at someone.

Next to main path stood adolescent with creamy jacket carelessly throw over his left shoulder. Girls in lacy dresses crowded him like if he was some idol. His red hairs was perfectly slicked at one side. Ben observed his profile with little pang of jealousy. The ginger had nice nose, at least half the size of Ben's. The other turned his head slightly as he sensed someone regarding him.

Ben caught up a glint of amusement in icy-blue eyes aimed at him. Raven haired man had unpleasant hunch that he was inwardly laughing at his up-do.

"Yup, that's general Hux." Rey watched Ben's reaction with sly smile.

"Do you like him that much? He is rather very ordinary…" He lied, obviously.

"Everybody likes him, silly. Ya will be liking him too." Rey pushed him toward the entrance. "It's time."

There was only one classroom, so all younger children were sat down on one end, and older on the other. In the middle there were white screens separating the two parts. Miss Padme was welcoming students with big honest smile. She was a French teacher and was also taking care of small kids in class. Rey and Ben joined Poe and Finn. The trio of his friends in unison picked up separate desks. Ben was ready to sit next to Rey, but a bald teacher appeared from nowhere.

"My son, delinquents have to sit apart of everyone, in other way they bother the rest of class." Mister Snoke grimaced. "Find another seat."

So Ben, liked it or not, choose one of the desks near the blackboard.

"That's Hux's place!" Hissed some girl behind his back. "You can't sit here!"

"I don't mind." The redhead walked in. "Little company doesn't kill."

Damn, he really is good looking! Ben watched him openly. Wow, he is really… unique… Hux thought at the same time his eyes trace dots on other's face.

"I'm Hux." He offered a hand. "And you are…?"

"Ben Organa…"

"But he likes to be calling 'Kylo'!" Rey barged in while Ben squeeze the other's hand. "Ben, you are near the same height as him!"

"Did you land face into some peppercorns, Kylo?"

That was all, when it came about Hux being nice person. Ben let go of his hand ready for sharp response, but he didn't make it on time.

"Alright, class, everyone in their seats." Snoke's voice creaked through the hall. "Let's start. I expect, you will be working hard to improve your grades this year. I also want to present to you your new classmate, please, stand up, Ben Organa. Thank you. Armitage, I expect from you to take good care of him, while he is not on as advanced level as you are. Today's lesson will be about…"

Snoke continued but neither of the two was listening him.

"Armitage?" Ben chuckled. Hux's pretty nose and chin only went higher.

"Look at his ears…" Raven haired boy heard from behind. Of course, those nasty girls of Hux. They whispered quite loud.

"Grandma, what big ears you have…!"

"…and what a big nose!" They giggled.

It didn't help the ginger was watching him out of the corner of his eye. Ben felt his face and outstanding ears burning, though Hux didn't say anything more.

5. Lasting days

Ben liked his life in Green Gables. He enjoyed going to church every Sunday to listen Obi Wan and meditate. But school was something different. He was agonising there, sitting with his grand rival. The maths was too easy for both of them, so they were bored and pestered each other, while Snoke flaunted over some simple questions. For Ben, English was bigger problem. He could read and write fluently, but he lacked vocabulary as he didn't have many books and hardly ever talked to someone before he met Leia, Luke and Rey. He constantly mistook more complicated words which was source of class amusement. The worst happened when Snoke asked him, why on earth did he spill an ink on his notes. Ben was just put out by Hux and accidentally poked the bottle. Now he had to excuse himself before the teacher.

"I was just mad about Hux and…" He couldn't finish sentence because of his every classmate's giggling. Hux restrained himself from smiling, but his lips trembled. Ben's face and neck went red when Snoke gave him charitable look.

"You should say 'I was mad AT Hux', you see, because in other way you imply, that you are rather in love with him."

"Don't worry, just stand in line." Hux said in low voice flicking some imaginary dust from his arm.

"I will, only to wipe off your appalling smirk." He barked quietly while cleaning his desk.

"Ah, you did it again. You mean appealing, don't you?" The redhead always had the last clever word.

That's why Ben didn't feel self-confident at school. He was little clumsy, and younger brats always used it against him and then they were running with screams. The other story were Hux's cheerleaders, like Poe used to call them (with justified amount of jealousy). Those four girls' favourite thing was messing with Ben's books and writing stupid rhymes on desks or the wall in the backyard. Nothing more complicated they were able to come up with. But it was frustrating, every break reading some new doggerel like 'Ugly Ben cant count to ten' or 'Roses are red and Hux is to, Ben, he is to good four siting with you', all spelled very ill.

"I'm fed up with it!" Ben kicked a rock while walking back home with Rey.

"Oh, come on, some of them are even funny, ya know!" She shrugged off his humors. "Did ya hear, what Hux said to Phasma on our physical training?"

"I don't want to know that!" Ben yelled.

"Well, but I'll tell ya either way, it was too good to remain without echo."

"You pest."

"He said, that today he'd remind himself multiplication table calculating your moles!" Rey snorted.

"Funny like hell." Ben didn't really pay attention to his looks and knew well all his beauty shortcoming. It was magical how Hux, in one phrase, could ruin his good mood. Ben was angry at his every mockery, but what's more, he felt also very ugly for real.

"Surely he is after your beauty spots. I think he likes them." Rey narrowed her eyes.

"Surely you're ill and babbling nonsense." Ben grumbled while pulling his hat deeper on his ears, what looked ridiculous because of his ponytail. "It's cold! Is it always so cold here in winter?" He asked in disbelief.

"Boy, the winter isn't here yet!" Rey explained. "Wait for snow and temperatures dropping below 260 K! We're going to slide on sledges, ya know!"

Ben went home. Luke was warming himself near the fireplace. He smiled above his pipe at young man.

"How was school?" He asked like he always did.

"Not bad. Professor Snoke caught a cold and we had silent-lessons with miss Padme. Next month we will also be having literature with her."

"That's good. A book is great companion on long evenings." He reached for a tea mug, but his bionic hand shivered and the liquid spilled on the floor. "Ah, what a mess I did, Ben, pass me some rag…"

"No need, I already have…" Leia dried the floor in quick moves.

"These days my hand tend to crash… But don't worry…" He added seeing his sister troubled face. "It doesn't hurt." He joked lightly.

"You old geezer. Ben, get yourself a chair and eat."

After dinner his aunt went to feed porgs at poultry-house while he and uncle drove banthas to the barn. Late at evening, Luke put on the table some mysterious piece of metal. It looked like a holder for something.

"It's a light sabre." Luke turned it on. Green laser lightened the room. Ben was totally captivated by this device.

"How's it working?" He was curious.

"The light source is crystal. You controll it using your force." The sabre buzzed lightly while he moved it. "Tomorrow you will start your training with Obi Wan. It doesn't mean you can neglect meditations, remember that."

"Yes, master Luke!" Ben beamed.

"Brother, what did I say about the weapons at home?! Get out with it!" Leia shouted at him.

6. Double trouble

Gosh, school again. Ben was sitting trying to focus on his task. It wasn't easy since all he could think about was another lesson with Obi Wan. Learning how to use a light sabre was his favourite activity. He could light it without a trouble already, which was great achievement in such short period of time. Next coming proper holding and… something tugged his hair.

Hux was pretty bored by listening Snoke's lecture about biology. He didn't find anything special in reptiles, so all the time he was trying to catch Ben's attention. In vain. The warrior on his right (Hux was thinking about his muscled companion) was captured by some complicated thoughts. The redhead had to take radical steps.

He faked stretching and let his hand find itself behind Ben's shoulders. He pulled hard one of his dark waves and quickly took his arm back, pretending to be busy with his notes.

Ren got up suddenly ripped out of his thoughts. Luckily, Snoke was writing something on the board already. Ren turned around quickly while he heard muffled laughs.

"Silence!" Shouted Snoke never averting his watery eyes from the chalk.

Ben was ready to sit, but his sight landed on suspiciously calm Hux.

"You…" He started and Hux chuckled sending him innocent look.

He didn't know why his blood boiled at the moment. Without thinking he raised his leg and kicked ginger's seat. Startled Hux found himself on the floor. He hit his elbow lightly, but girls screamed like he was no less than dead.

Obviously Snoke ripped himself off the blackboard and was transferring his heavy eyes from Ben to Hux, back and forth.

"What happened?"

"He attacked him!" Some girl hurried up with explanations. Ben rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I saw that!" The other accompanied her.

"He dashed himself on Hux!" Some other liar added.

"He is dangerous, he could kill him!"

"That's a lie!" Some absolute voice interrupted them. Ben didn't believe his hearing. "Professor Snoke, that was my fault only. Ben acted on his instinct." Hux got up from the floor and straightened his clothes. He shoot a quick glance at Ben.

"Not another word!" Snoke commanded. "You two are staying after classes. Tomorrow I want to see the wall in backyard cleaned. Understood?"

They both said short 'yes' and came back to their desk. None of them darted their eyes to another. The rest of class went silent, even if Rey made rude gestures toward Hux's fangirls.

With the last bell ringing one of the school droids waited for them with two buckets and brushes. Rey was still swearing at some 'pigs' so much, that Pahsma, Hux's friend, covered her mouth with her hand while miss Padme was passing by. Poe and Finn wished them good luck and promised they will wake up at the crack of dawn in order to add some new poetry before the lessons. Ben tossed the brush at them, when Hux snorted.

"Try not to kill each other." Phasma waved on goodbye.

Ben filled his bucket with water and aimed his steps to front of the wall. He sighed and started to scratch the rough surface. Hux soon joined on the other end.

"What was that in class, Kylo?" He brought up the reason of their penalty.

"You pissed me off." Ben simply said.

"I didn't know, I had such abilities." He whistled. "You have rather explosive personality. I wonder, how you behave when you get really mad."

"Listen, can we just finish it and go home?" Ben furrowed.

"Impatient, aren't you?" Hux half-smiled. "So, is simple talk a no-go?"

"Whatever…" Ben furiously brushed a quote about his big nose. "First you see the nose, then the rest behind it's Ben".

"Listen this, it's funny." Hux cleared his throat. "Roses are red, violets are blue, I can't stand other boys, Finn, I only want you." He laughed out loud. "Sounds totally like Poe."

Ben somehow restrained himself from smiling with effort. Undaunted, the redhead continued.

"The next is even better! Roses are rose, violets are violet, I love you, my piglet. Someone has future in writing poems." Hux looked at raven haired man. "But you don't laugh, you pepper-soiled muffin."

"Excuse you?" Ben misheard.

"Overgrown elf" Hux winked at him. Ben's mouth fell open.

"Oh, come one, Big Foot. You have cribs all over the wall, if you can't come with something brilliant by yourself, dummy."

"Get lost!" Ben offered him his middle finger.

"Coward."

"That isn't even counting! Try something better, you… toddler." He gave up.

"Ha! What a pathetic try!"

"Ginger toad."

"Stray mongrel."

"Putrid fox."

"Teapot."

Ben laughed out loud, so did Hux. After a while, they worked still with unwanted smiles. Silence was stretching between them.

"Kylo, I'm sorry for what happened today." They looked at each other. His eyes are like blue diamonds, Kylo was ready to choke himself for his own thoughts.

"It's all right…" He murmured.

"No, it's not. Your ponytail provoked me." Hux put a hand on his hips, the other with brush aimed at Ben's hair.

"What…?!" Bet touched it. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's looking… very pull-able."

"Some excellent suggestion then?" Ben was angry now.

"Yes! Can I…?" The redhead pointed at his hair again. Ben hesitated.

"Do not try to make me bald as Snoke is." He agreed in the end, because he was curious, what Hux intended to do. He hoped, he didn't have some knife.

"Better sit." The general commanded and took gloves off.

His agile hands teased the black hair out. Heavy locks dropped on Ben's rosy face. Shapely fingers found their way into dark cascades. Hux's palms brushed Ben's ears too. He stopped for a moment.

"You look nice like that." Hux said quietly and Ben's heart skipped a beat. "But Snoke will get a heart attack, if you march into the class with loose hair."

"Maybe it's worth a try then." The younger boy joked faintly.

The ginger smiled. His hands worked quickly and firmly. He pulled together all raven hairs, wrapped them around a couple of times and tangled them in top-knot without hanging tail.

"Here you go." Hux admired his own work. "What a surprise, you look like a humnan." Ben bespattered him with dirty water from bucket.

Today Ben on his road home didn't put his knit hat on in order to keep his hairs untouched. He sneaked into aunt Leia's bedroom and stared back in the mirror. Later he went to bed with his bun still on. He didn't know why he wanted to keep it so desperately.