Over the next twenty minutes it becomes clear that Rose and Poe have instantly clicked. The conversation rolls; it's kismet, chemistry-at-first-sight, house-on-fire stuff. Finn is ecstatic; Poe can't stop smiling; Rose has the same pink-cheeked look she always gets with Finn, and she keeps glancing back and forth between the two men with an increasingly hopeful and speculative expression.

In other words, one half of the table is in its own little world.

That's great. That's just great for them.

Because Rey? Is not doing great.

Instead of trying to do great, Rey is staying as focused on her beer as possible. She holds her alcohol well, but she crossed into buzzed territory awhile ago - and she notices that Ben is keeping up. She notices everything that Ben is doing.

Which is fair, since Ben hasn't stopped staring at her since the moment she walked in.

Every now and then she meets his gaze. The corner of his eye twitches when she does. Otherwise he's aggressively stone-faced, and Rey is alarmed to realize that - even though she's not in heat - she still finds him attractive.

Like, extremely attractive. Desperately so. She thinks she would even if she didn't know what he looks like under that black jumper that is just a little too tight because they don't really make sweaters for men built like him. She thinks she would even if she didn't know what his hair feels like when it's damp with sweat.

She thinks she'd find him attractive even if they really were meeting for the first time.

When the appetizers arrive they both reach for the potato skins and her finger brushes his. He jerks back like he's been burned. She wolfs the skins down because an interpersonal nightmare will never stop her from eating.

And - and! - they haven't actually started speaking to each other.

So. It's marvelous.

Especially when, during one of the few moments the other half of the table remembers Rey and Ben exist, Poe playfully pushes his plate of nachos towards her with a comment about "knowing how hungry she gets" then turns back to his conversation with Finn and Rose with absolutely no acknowledgement that Ben's entire body has stiffened and now he is looking very much like the kind of man who could stab an evil paramilitary employer for not giving bereavement leave.

Rey responds by gulping the rest of her beer and reaching for another pitcher-

-except Ben grabs it first, refills her glass, then tops his off as well. "Cheers," he growls. It's first word he's said in the last half hour.

Oh, God. This is just too weird.

Rey excuses herself, scoots out of the booth, and practically sprints to the restroom.

You do not need to be nervous. You do not need to run. Your Alpha is here. Let him take care of you.

Rey splashes cold water on her face. "Shut up," she mutters to herself. The last thing she needs is a bunch of Omega instincts fighting their way through the suppressants. It's bad enough dealing with that shit during heat; if it starts trying to take over the rest of her life, she doesn't know what she'll do.

Which is why it's important to get away from Ben as soon as possible. Maybe no one will notice if she-

"Rey."

Rey almost jumps out of her skin.

But it's just Rose, crowding into the bathroom and locking the door behind them. "Wow," she manages to say, breathless, eyes shining. "Wow. Is what's happening out there real? I mean- I just- help! Give me some Omega insight, quick!"

"What does my being an Omega matter?"

"Come on, you notice and smell different stuff than Alphas do. And you're Finn's best friend and you've had sex with Poe-"

"Don't bring that up, for God's sake."

"-so what do you think? Do you think I could- that they could- that we could- are they into that sort of thing? Because I could totally-"

"Rose, if you're asking me whether Poe and Finn would be down for a threesome-"

Rose squeaks.

"-the answer is, I don't know," says Rey impatiently. (She feels bad about being distracted, because this is potentially a very big deal and Rose has every reason to ask her for insight, but Rey's about three inches from her own meltdown.) "I know that's outside of Finn's experience-" (she's had sex with him too, which means that Rose is literally the only one at the table Rey has not fucked) "-but he's pretty open to things. Poe too."

"Yeah, but, are they open to it with me?" Now Rose is the one splashing cold water on her face. "Oh, my God, this is the best-worst feeling, Rey."

"I guess so."

Her tone must give her away, because Rose catches her eyes in the mirror, suddenly sober. "Wait, are things not good for you? I thought it was going okay with you and Ben."

"What made you think that?"

Rose scoffs. "Aside from how he's been gawking at you like you have a halo and you're sending out Come fuck me pheromones?"

"I what?" Rey rubs one of the glands under her jaw and sniffs her palm. "Oh, hell."

"It's okay, I only noticed 'cause you're sitting next to me. I thought you were into him - are you not? Do we need to go? Because we can go."

"No, no. It's fine." It's not fine, but she doesn't want to mess up this newborn thing that Rose and Finn and Poe might have going on. Moments like that don't come along every day. "Listen, I'm just going to go out the side exit. Could you…" Shit. What does she want Rose to do? "Could you give Ben my number?"

"Yeah, but… if you like him enough to give him your number, then why are you-"

So I can talk to him without sending out Come fuck me pheromones. "Just trust me, okay?" Rey smiles bracingly and pats Rose on the shoulder. "Now, forget about my stuff and go have fun."

Rose squeaks again.

It's pouring rain.

Rey slides into the alley, and is ordering a Lyft and applauding herself on this very adult and sensible course of action when she hears a loud crash from the other side of a dumpster.

"Fuck!"

Oh. Oh, shit.

Rey peers out from under the awning just in time to see a large metal trash can clang against the brick wall. "Ben?" she calls. "Could you stop that, please?"

The banging pauses.

Well, she's going to get wet either way. Rey steps out into the rain and edges around the dumpster cautiously.

Ben is soaked to the bone and surrounded by overturned bins and split bags of garbage. It smells awful. He stares at her for a moment, then says, surprisingly steadily: "I promise this doesn't happen much anymore."

"That's good."

"I have a problem where I deal with inner turmoil by trying to control external circumstances. It's a combination of Alpha biology and a particular type of OCD. Runs in the family. I'm working on it."

"Okay."

"The galaxy doesn't let you organize it into a new order just because you're upset, as it turns out."

"It doesn't," Rey agrees.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to go home."

"Through the side door."

"Yeah."

"So you wouldn't have to walk by me."

"Yes. Are you drunk?"

"A little," he concedes. "Are you?"

"A little."

"I see." A pause. "You should go back to your friends. To Poe." Another pause. "I'm going to stay out here and keep breaking things for awhile, I think."

"But it's raining."

"This is Seattle. I'm used to it."

"I'm not. I grew up in Arizona. My parents left me at a pawn shop on Route 66 when I was four."

Ben blinks. "Ah."

"Yeah."

"You don't sound like it."

"Whenever my accent started to fade I'd stay up for weeks watching Masterpiece Theater in the middle of the night."

"Right."

"The funny thing is," Rey continues, starting to ramble, ignoring the sound of water sloshing through the gutters, "I'm sure my parents didn't talk like someone from the BBC. But I didn't know any better, and then it stuck."

"How did you live?"

"The pawn shop owner kept me. I worked there. That's where the Scavenger came from. Arizona is the Sand."

"I thought you liked it when I called you that."

"I did. I don't have a real name anyway. I picked Johnson from a phone book. I don't have a passport or a visa. I don't exist in this country. I don't know what part of Britain I came from."

"Well, you shouldn't say you're from London," Ben advises. "Anyone who's spent time in the UK can tell it's a lie. Your accent is… muddled. It sounds like nothing."

Rey hangs her head.

Yes. She is nothing, isn't she.

"Oh." A couple of splashes as he kicks garbage out of the way, then Ben folds her in his arms. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, stroking her back. "Shh. I'm sorry. I said the wrong thing again. I'm terrible at this."

He smells like rotting lettuce, beer, wet wool, and Alpha; what's more, she doesn't hate it. Which is a very bad sign. She asked him to bite her. They are entirely too compatible and no good can come of that. "It's all right."

"No, it's not. I don't like it when you're upset. It makes you…" He noses her hair to the side and breathes against her neck.

And stops.

Well, shit.

She really should have washed her throat before she left the bathroom.

Headlights flash down the alley, glinting bright off puddles, and Rey's phone pings in her pocket. "That's my ride," she murmurs.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

His hands are heavy on her hips. "Why?"

"Where else would I go?"

"You could come to my home instead." A beat, then- "I would be there too, in this scenario. If you would like that."

She swallows. "You said you were a little drunk."

"So did you."

"I'm sobering up."

"Yeah. Me too. Rey, I want you to come home with me."

Shit. Shit.

Her phone pings again. The driver flashes his lights. There is water running into her shoes.

"Please," says Ben.

Rey texts Rose from the Lyft.

won't be home tonite.
you can use the apt
since finn & poe's cat
would hog the bed.

OMG REY

And to Finn, she texts:

don't forget condoms.

peanut holy shit
this might sound really weird
but i think p and r like each other
and i think im into it
what do i do

i just told you.
don't forget condoms.

wait a minute
 where are u?

going to ben's place.

but i didnt talk to him first
he's okay?
no whiff of douchebag?
how do u know him anyway?

it's a weird story.
we'll talk tomorrow.
have a good nite.

[tomato emoji]
[eggplant emoji]
[winky emoji]