Extended notes at the bottom, but I probably won't be able to post the entirety of this fic on because it doesn't allow for explicit content, so if you're interested, head on over to Ao3 and subscribe there (the full title is Butterscotch Goddamn), because that's where I'll be continuing this story.


The air was sweet and Rey wasn't sure whether it was due to the abundance of flowers vining through the nearby latticework, or some sort of synthetic scent meant to enhance the harem-like nature of the receiving area.

What she was sure of was that the air was spiced—something meant to relax the guests and probably lower their inhibitions, she imagined. These parties were rife with that kind of thing and everyone knew it. Hells, it was half the reason some people went.

Fortunately, she was used to this too, so she'd injected an inhibitor before setting out from her ship. The last thing she needed was to end up in some socialite's lap because she let her guard down and, besides, they were here for one socialite in particular. Devrum Fentest was famous for his orgies, which meant that both Rey and Finn were meant to get in, get the credits he owed them, deliver the product, and get the fuck off Cantonica.

It was times like these where Rey wished she could disappear. There really wasn't anything in the galaxy that was worse than an Aristo party. Part of her knew her bad mood was jealousy at the excess and their lack of responsibilities, but another part of her just hated how they got to live however the fuck they wanted when so much of the galaxy suffered.

Finn, for his part, had gone off to work out the particulars with Dev, which meant Rey was on lookout. She normally enjoyed this role, except when keeping a lookout meant watching over a group of misbehaving socialites. It wasn't that Rey was averse to orgies, or misbehaving, but work was work, and these kinds of places had their way of muddling the senses until even gravity seemed optional.

And, more to the point, she sure wasn't dressed to enjoy the present company. Covered head to toe in form-fitting dark leather, and with a holster on her side, Rey was armed with her favorite DL-44 blaster—modified, of course. Capable and prepared for everything, she slowly moved around the room, eyes scanning for any unusual activities or signs that law enforcement had caught wind of their clandestine meeting with Dev.

As luck would have it, Rey was remarkably good at not being seen. It was an ability she'd had since childhood, which made her a great thief and spy. This was precisely why Maz loved her so much. Rey saw things no one else did and could get into places that no one else seemed to be able to and, because of these latent abilities, she passed through the room mostly without being noticed.

Dev payed well, which was why Maz continually did spice running jobs for him, but Rey didn't trust the man. Not that it was uncommon for her to be untrusting. Considering half the galaxy was looking for one alias of hers or another, it was smart for Rey to keep to herself and assume that everyone was working against her—until proven otherwise.

As she waited, Rey slowly weaved her way through the room, dipping and weaving through the revelers as she mentally tallied how many credits she'd get from scavenging a place like this. That chandelier alone would bring in enough to feed me for a month, never mind the spice sticks, she thought as her fingers itched to reach out and claim one from a serving droid.

It wasn't as if anyone would notice, right? Rey was halfway through talking herself into stealing just a little bit of spice to sell on the market when a glimmer caught her attention. Rey slowly turned her head and, had she been less of a professional, her face would have given each and every one of her feelings away.

But Rey was smart, calculating, and above all, calm. She schooled her features and feigned indifference as her eyes scanned over the most attractive man she'd ever seen. He was tall, muscled, and laid in an expanse of pillows as creatures, humanoid and other sentients alike, vied for his attention. A Twi'lek draped his lekku over the man's broad chest in a bid to capture his attention. It didn't work.

Rey stared covertly before she finally realized who the man was. Almost everyone in the galaxy knew of the infamous Ben Solo. Maz had alerted Finn that he'd be at the party prior to their leaving Takodana and, though she wasn't about to admit it to anyone, Rey'd actually looked up Ben before they left on their run, and shit had she ever seen an eyeful.

She should have realized why his name had sounded so familiar to her when she'd overheard Maz and Finn talking—it was because not only was Ben Solo the famous son of Senator Leia Organa and Captain Han Solo, but he also had one of the most infamous sex-holos in the galaxy.

A sex-holo that Rey had seen. She'd justified watching it by saying that she needed to understand what she and Finn were getting themselves into at a party that was apparently being thrown in his honor. And, as a consequence, she had a very good idea of what they were getting themselves into.

Way too good, actually. While Dev was better at covering his tracts, Ben Solo seemed to live his infamous life out in the open, but Rey knew better than to write off a man like that. Sometimes it seemed that the larger they lived, the more they had to hide.

Best to avoid him… but I could catch a glimpse, to keep an eye on who catches his eye and who doesn't… Rey talked herself into doing a little covert reconnaissance, not that she needed a reason to stare—everyone was staring at Ben Solo and with good reason.

He looked like the king of this ungodly castle, and he looked like a bored king. Rey watched as he indolently trailed one hand along the expanse of his stomach while he barely listened to whatever the Twi'lek was trying to tell him. Eventually, he slid out from under the Twi'lek male and languidly rose from the low cushions.

Rey thought, though she couldn't be certain, that an audible sigh passed through the room when he stood and exposed more of his body, and so much of his body was on display. He was wretchedly sublime. His long, dark hair was swept dramatically to the side with glittering jewels threaded throughout. His dark makeup—kohl-rimmed eyes, black lips with an audacious pop of red striping the middle—contrasted with the brilliant white of his outfit.

A tight, cropped top matched a billowing linen skirt which covered his long, muscular legs. His skirt was so transparent it left nothing to the imagination and were it not for the short cover he wore beneath, he would have been entirely on display. His feet were bare and his otherwise pale skin was dipped in some sort of purple sheen that had him glittering like a Corusca gem.

Rey was certain that the bare feet were part of some sort of new-age ritual intending to connect a person to nature, or some such nonsense, and she hated that she knew that—hated that she had to know anything about Aristos at all.

She supposed he was covered, and maybe it passed for fashion among the elite, but she couldn't keep the flush from showing on her cheeks as she realized that if he stepped just a touch too wide, she could see absolutely everything there was to see about him.

Rey barely kept her mouth closed as she feigned interest in a passing serving droid. Keeping with the façade, she grabbed a glass from the droid's tray and pretended to drink as she tried to keep from drawing too much attention. But, try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from watching the strange, hypnotizing Aristo who was much too tall, much too muscled, and much too beautiful.

Ben Solo couldn't move without someone trying to catch his eye. People were drawn to him like bees were drawn to the sweet flowers on Naboo. He pulled people effortlessly into his orbit and even Rey caught herself staying close, her gaze lingering on his sculpted body as it glittered in the midday sun.

He shines like a jewel as he passes by, she thought. Rey didn't think that she liked makeup normally, but here and on him… Rey watched from behind a group of sentients as he passed her by. A human woman latched on to his arm and she let out a too-loud laugh at something he said, trying just a touch too hard to get his favor but, for whatever reason, it seemed to work.

The strange, handsome Ben Solo gently drew his finger along the woman's cheek before dipping in close to whisper something in her ear. Oh, how Rey wanted to know what he was telling her, against her better instincts. She didn't belong in this world at all, and the last thing she needed was to catch this man's attention.

Time to get out of this room, she thought to herself.

Glass still in hand, she made the mistake of shooting back the golden liquid, drinking deep as it pleasantly warmed her from the inside out. She'd thought it was wine; she was wrong, of course, but she wouldn't realize it until a little later. In the meantime, she needed to leave before she made a fool of herself or worse, she was recognized. She hazarded one final look back at the hypnotizing Ben Solo and sealed her fate.

Rey was good at blending in, so it was quite the shock when she realized that the handsome Aristo was watching her watch him—that never happened! No one ever noticed her unless she wanted them to notice her. And what was worse, his eyes were clear and focused. He had seen her watching him and seemed to want to know why she'd been staring.

What game is he playing here? Rey wondered as she realized she wasn't the only person in the room doing reconnaissance work.

Ben Solo was no spiced-up socialite, and he'd zeroed right in on her. With all the bodies on display in this room, this man had singled her out—a woman of no consequence who merited no second glances and who was mostly invisible to normal Aristos. Rey took a deep breath and kept her expression blank as she broke eye contact and stepped towards the exit of the huge room.

Ben Solo might have known how to play the part, but there was more going on here than Rey was aware of, which put her at a disadvantage. Rey hated to be at a disadvantage, so she took her gaze and her body elsewhere.

Better to wait away from that kind of temptation. People like him drew too much attention and, while she liked to have a feel for the room so she could discern what to expect next, if she stood too close and for too long, Rey knew that she'd catch his eye again, which would spell trouble for them both.

Besides, she knew what socialites were like. Even the lucid ones were devious at best, and dangerous at worst. Always working for their own ends. No, Ben Solo was the last thing she needed in her life.

Time to find Finn… she thought while placing her empty glass on the tray of a passing droid as she decided to focus on her anger—at the Aristos, at the planet, at the Force for bringing her to life. It wasn't the first time she'd been to Cantonica, and Rey was certain it wouldn't be the last.

Cantonica was a playground for the rich, famous, and beautiful—three things that Rey was undeniably not—and she hated visiting, even when it was to get paid. Between Canto Bight and the excess of costal villas, there was always some Aristo looking to start shit on the planet.

Never mind the issues with slavery and the Fathier races… Rey thought to herself as she tried to find her way through the cavernous home.

Dev was the least worst Aristo she knew, which wasn't saying much. On their first visit, he'd tried to coerce her into sleeping with him, but he'd been so drunk that he'd fallen on his face and passed out before she'd been able to kick his ass.

Now, he'd picked up an affinity for Mirialans, so Rey didn't have much to worry about. Besides, Maz had made it clear that if he wanted to continue using their services, he needed to keep his dick in his pants and his hands to himself.

Would that all Aristos were as easily cowed, Rey thought as a gaggle of sentients passed her—a mix of species and genders, all beautiful in their own, unique way and most either blindingly drunk or spiced out. They didn't see her, which was what she'd wanted, still, she found their giggling to be grating as she shuffled along, getting further and further away from the party as she went.

Where is Finn? She thought, blearily. I don't like this fucking place one bit. What the fuck is wrong with me? she thought as she finally realized it had been more than wine that she'd drunk.

She was drunk. Or drugged. Or both. And that was bad. Rey wandered and got spectacularly lost and was just starting to panic when a familiar voice called to her from behind. Rey turned too quickly and felt a little funny—maybe the drink had gone to her head?

"You're going to get yourself in trouble if you keep snooping around in here."

Rey steadied herself and looked into the face of one of her closest friends—well, as close as she was able to get, anyway. Finn had dressed to impress and his clothing almost passed for Aristo, except he wasn't showing quite enough of his ass for that.

His overcoat was a vivid blue, and a long, yellow undertunic set off that color nicely. His dark brown skin and tightly curled hair shimmered in the dewy air, which only served to make him look more handsome.

"You suit this place," Rey commented, and she meant it teasingly, but it was true. In another life, Finn could have fit as an Aristo. As it was, he ended up as a smuggler for Maz, just the same as her, but at least he could play the part better than she.

"Well, with enough money, just about anybody can suit just about anything. C'mon, let's get back to the party. Dev has our credits, but he's in the middle of…" Finn stopped short and Rey narrowed her eyes.

"Is he fucking someone? Or multiple someones? Are we waiting around for him to finish with an orgy?"

Finn sighed. "I didn't ask, but his erm… assistant told me that he'd be finished in an hour."

"This is such bantha shit, Finn. You know how much I hate these things. I feel like my skin is crawling just by being here!"

Finn stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Rey's middle, holding her close as he led the way back towards the receiving area. "Look, sooner or later you're going to have to deal with one of these events without me, so you might want to start getting used to this. One day, you might not have my charming self to keep you from getting your ass kicked." Finn grinned while Rey glowered.

"That was one time and I've saved your ass more times than I can count. Besides, I find that my fists do a good job at talking and I'm good at not being seen," she said, a little slurred. Her tongue felt strangely thick in her mouth and the words were slow to come to her lips.

Finn blinked down at her. "Are you drunk?"

"I dunno. Had something to drink, and it's not… I don't like it."

Finn groaned before fishing around in his pocket. "Ichor. You had ichor. You should know better than to eat or drink the food here. Take this," he directed while passing over a vial. "It'll give you a nasty headache, so take some painkillers when we get back to the ship, but it'll counteract the ichor."

"Ugh," Rey groaned before popping the vial open before downing a pill dry. "Tastes like hot garbage."

"Better than being out of your mind in this place. What were you thinking, Rey?"

"I got nervous!"

"You got nervous? I have a hard time believing that," Finn said with a chuckle.

"Some fucking Aristo saw me, Finn."

"What do you mean, 'saw you'?"

"Saw me looking at him," she replied, eyes wide with emphasis.

"Well, that never happens, which Aristo?"

And she was about to tell him when they rounded a corner and she walked smack dab into a big, broad body.

A little cough and then a laugh sounded from the big body before Finn recovered, "Oh! Ben. So sorry, didn't see you there!"

"I'm offended, I've been told that I'm hard to miss," Ben joked smoothly as Rey slowly looked up, only to glower at the man in front of her—had he followed her?

This asshole was the reason she was drunk, or spiced, or whatever! Him and his hot body and his piercing gaze and his noticing her noticing him! It just didn't sit well with Rey, not one bit. Here, she'd been looking to avoid him, and now he was right in front of her!

How fucking serendipitous. Stupid sexy Aristo, she thought wryly. His eyebrow quirked and his lip curled into a smile as he watched her, almost as if he could hear her ireful thoughts. This one is going to be nothing but trouble for me, I can sense it.

And so, that was how Rey found herself being formally introduced to Ben Solo, infamous rake, and someone whose penis practically had a fan club. And, given that she'd seen said penis, she understood why. Ben Solo was a monster and the way he used his body would have gotten him thrown in jail in several star systems. But that wicked talent and reputation kept half the galaxy crawling at his feet.

As much as she hated herself for it, she kind of admired his swagger. It wasn't as if he'd had a choice about the sex-holo being released, in fact, whoever had recorded it had tried to blackmail him with it, but Ben Solo, being who he was, didn't give a shit.

So, it got released.

And the galaxy's obsession for this dark, wild, chosen son was amplified. He could have cowered, or begged, but he'd looked that sentient right in the eye, so Rey imagined, and called their bluff. And she respected that about him, even if she did find Aristos repugnant on principle.

Still. He was tall and broad, and as he reached out to her, Rey realized how big his hands were. Her hand mostly disappeared within his as he firmly shook while he introduced himself, "I'm Ben Solo."

"This is Rey," Finn said while gesturing towards her. "She's one of my friends."

"And you've never introduced us? Finn... I thought we were friends?" Ben purred, without releasing her hand.

Rey expected that other people would be charmed by him, but she knew his type and cut in before Finn could feel bad. "I don't like to play games. And I don't like Aristos. Too many assholes who love to pay for lavish parties, but when it comes to paying for the supplies, they're all out of credits."

Ben blinked, his lush lashes dusting across his cheeks before he laughed, face crinkling with mirth as if she'd just told a joke and not insulted him to his face. Rey had not been expecting that. Usually, when she insulted someone, especially someone with wealth, they acted offended and bolted off to lick their wounds.

But this man? He just seemed more interested, which wasn't at all what Rey had been intending. Ben pulled her hand against his chest before declaring, "Charmed. I hope to be seeing much more of you, Finn's friend, Rey."

She should have pulled her hand back, should have punched him right in the fuckin' sternum, should have done absolutely anything other than stand there like a spiced fool as he dragged her hand up his chest before dipping his head to press a slow, hot kiss on the inside of her wrist. As satisfied smile spread across his handsome face as he watched her react.

Time slowed, and Rey's pulse thundered in her ears as the galaxy shrank around them, leaving just her and Ben Solo, binary stars revolving around the same strange center. Her head dipped back as she stared at his face, his full lips, the blush on his cheeks, his dark brows, deep-set eyes—intelligent, curious eyes. A gaze that would haunt her dreams, she was certain.

I'm going to have glitter and lipstick on my wrist, was all that she could manage to think. Ben smiled down at her as if he realized and enjoyed that fact. His cloying scent enveloped her, and she knew that she'd be taking that with her in memory as well. With a final squeeze to her hand, Ben released her and broke the spell between them.

Ben stepped over to Finn and gave her friend a kiss on each cheek and then finally, a lingering kiss to his lips, before disappearing back into the party without another word. Finn was visibly charmed, mouth still pursed a little as if he was thinking of what it felt like to have Ben's lips against his.

When Ben was gone, when his presence and his heat and his scent were finally gone, Rey managed to clear her head enough to gripe, "Who the fuck does he think he is?"

She was getting ready to go on a bit of a rant, but Finn shushed her. "He's Ben Solo, son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, and he is well-liked. And, well, I like him and I'd like to stay on good terms with him."

Rey raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "C'mon, Finn. Him?"

Finn raised his hands, waving as he assured her, "It's not like that! Though I should be so lucky. We just have more than a few mutual friends—I met Rose because of Ben!"

That surprised her. Rose was a lovely woman and didn't suffer fools. That she knew this Aristo was somewhat of a surprise.

"Well, if Rose thinks he's an okay sort of person…" Rey started as Finn fixed her with a glare.

"Because my vote of confidence isn't enough?"

Rey raised her eyebrow. "Finn, I know what you've done for tall, dark, and barely clothed."

Finn sighed before a fabulous grin worked its way onto his face. "Okay, you got me, pumpkin." And, before Rey could get upset at his nickname—that she hated—he continued, "Let's get the hell out of this hallway. Dev said he'd meet us at the Starbird, so you don't have to keep yourself from murdering or fucking any Aristos."

Rey groaned. "Piss off, Finn."

Finn shrugged as he wrapped a strong arm around Rey's shoulders. She wouldn't admit it, but she definitely needed help walking because her brain was still way too fuzzy from the ichor and Ben Solo.

"I mean, I wouldn't blame you. Hell, there was a time when I'd have killed to have Ben Solo's attention."

"Zip it, Finn. There's nothing there. He's just some stupid, hot, Aristo playing games—as always. End of story."

"End of story," Finn parroted, but Rey could hear the smile in his voice and even she knew that there had been something between her and Ben, but what, she wasn't certain.

That night, while they flew through hyperspace back to Takodana, Rey dreamed of dark eyes, a charming smile, and a deep, resonate laugh. And when she woke, she knew, she just knew, that damn Aristo, Ben Solo, was going to cause her no end of trouble.


Author's Notes: Title for this is taken from the Fischerspooner song of the same title, which I listened to a lot while writing this, in addtion to my Ben Hoelo Playlist, because that's how I write things. Any mistakes are my own. I wish I could show you the art that initially inspired this work, but it was lost to the tumblr purge. It was pretty glorious, ngl.

So, I'm feeling a little chaotic, so I'm going to write it out. I've been working on this for a while because I've always wondered how things would have ended up for Ben had he gone to Uncle Lando's as a kid instead of Luke's (answer: way too much fun, way too many flings, way too much trouble). It's heavily implied that Ben has had past relationships, so if you're looking for Virgin!Ben (or Rey), this isn't it (my other complete canonverse story, Steady As We Burn would be better for that), though the story will focus on their back and forth and there won't be any cheating going on here (tags are all listed on the Ao3 version of this story).

If you have concerns, you can always message me, though I'll try to be as courteous with the tagging as I can. Not super angsty, but there will be some drama, along with humor, so I'll try to keep it balanced as these two figure their shit out. Drug use mentions (Rey's a spice runner) and other underworld issues in this. Also a (kind of) continuation of some of my But Thinking Makes It So shorts because I just couldn't let go of Ben Hoelo.