blushingoreo said: Could you do number 13 (co-stars) for Reylo please? :) thank you xx

600 word drabble courtesy of tumblr numbered AU prompt post. Embrace ALL the tropes!

Rey sits at the newsdesk, steaming.

"We're live in five… four… three… two…"

"It's all true," she insisted. "I've got three named sources–"

"Disgruntled former employees."

"–and dozens of more women too scared to go on record. It happened, Hux. Snoke is a predator."

"And he owns this station." Hux's lip curled. "I'm the executive producer of this show, Ms. Niima. "Leave the journalism to the professionals."

"Welcome to WCPO Evening News. I'm Ben Solo, with my co-host, Rey Niima. Tonight's stories…"

She will not cry on camera. She will not cry on camera. At least the pancake television makeup will hide the angry flush in her cheeks.

"It shouldn't matter who the perpetrator is," Rey insisted, trying to regain her footing. "Even if he's the head of our network. We can expose Snoke as the creep that he is. He'll never see it coming. It's newsworthy, and important to our viewers."

Hux's smirk widened to a smile. "That's cute – but it isn't why you're here. You're here to sit behind the newsdesk, smile, and read what we put in front of your pretty face."

Her breath caught in her chest.

"Isn't that right, Solo?" Hux turned to Ben, who had stood silently by the office window through the entire conversation. "You were part of the hiring process. 'She'll raise the 18-34 male viewership', weren't those your exact words?"

Ben said nothing. And a lack of denial was as good as a confirmation.

"Get out." Hux pointed at the door. "And if I hear about this story again, it will be the end of your very, very short career."

Her resignation letter is written. She'll turn it in tomorrow. She just has to make it through one last broadcast without–

"–but first, we begin with a subject of a national debate. For this special report on the epidemic of workplace sexual harassment – including how it affects our own station of WCPO – we turn to Rey Niima."

Rey blinks at the paper Ben slides to her across the newsdesk.

It's her story.

He's added himself as a confirming source.

And at the top is a handwritten note: Read fast, before Hux cuts the feed.

"Thank you, Ben. In this age of Me-Too revelations, confronting the realities of one's own place of employment can be…"

Rey's cleaning out her desk by the end of the night.

"Social media's blowing up in support," she hears over her shoulder. She turns to see Ben doing his almost-smile thing that has made her think – more than once in the last six months – that maybe he… maybe he and she could… "You'll have another job by morning."

"It won't be the same," she admits.

"Yeah." He clears his throat. "Well, if there's any offers you pass on, maybe toss them my direction."

"You got fired, too?"

"Technically I quit. Hux was too busy trying to find his front teeth to actually do the firing." He shrugs. "I've got about two minutes before security arrives, so… I wanted to apologize."

Rey blinks. Ben Solo has never apologized for anything.

"When you were hired, Snoke and Hux asked me what I thought you would do for ratings. I answered. I shouldn't have. And I should have walked out ages ago." He shrugs again, not meeting her eyes. "I'm not looking for forgiveness. I just wanted you to know that I regret my choices. And I'm sorry."

He makes it halfway to the elevator before Rey calls: "Do you have time for a coffee? I need help updating my resume."

(They get caught by security in the lobby.)

A/N: Everything I know about broadcast journalism, I learned from Murphy Brown. Please ignore basically all the things.