A/N: I'm glad you guys think I'm somewhat funny LOL. This story to me is like a rom-com, but as the story progresses, it'll be a lot more romance/drama. This is more of a filler chapter, but still some quality banter between Ben and Poe. Enjoy!

~IV. Upgrade~

"Alright, we're just going to go up to the receptionist and simply ask her to give us two rooms, sound like a plan?" Ben prepped his old friend as they waited in line once they reached the lobby.

"How boring, pal," Poe said drolly. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."

"Oh no, Dameron! Look I know it's been a while since our last shenanigans, but I really need this trip and I don't want you to mess this up. We don't need any theatrics, it's a simple mishap. They'll fix it for us, easy," Ben laid out the plan once again very clearly.

"I'm so offended that you have no faith in me," Poe feigned upset. "Benjamin, we've been best friends since we were eight. And although it's been a few years, I'm still the same loveable guy," he exuberantly patted Ben's shoulder. "Have I ever steered us wrong?"

"Yes!" Ben cried. "Senior prom you made out with your date in the front seat of the limo and knocked the gear into neutral, almost letting the car drive you guys into the lake. In little league when a fly ball was hit left field that was close to me, you hollered from midfield saying you would catch it, but you and I collided, and we lost the game! Hmm… need me to continue?" he scornfully described.

"Psh. You worry too much. I got this buddy," he elbowed him, dismissing the stroll down memory lane (to which Poe didn't think were bad at all).

They waited just before one other guest for their turn. Ben noticed that the woman behind the desk had a permanent scowl on her face. She probably had to deal with a lot of guests that day. Even more being in Las Vegas - the land of bad choices - she must have had drunk whistle-callers trying to hit on her constantly. It was unquestionable that he was not going to let Poe get this woman who decided their fate for the weekend upset with them. He needed to take over the situation.

When it was their turn to step up to the counter, Poe hopped forward before Ben could get the first word in. Oh no, Ben panicked.

"Why hello there," he turned on his charm.

The once exhausted woman took one look at Poe's garish smolder and instantly perked up.

"Hello, I'm Zorii," the receptionist said cheerfully.

Ben didn't recall hearing that tone when he and his friends checked in an hour ago. Got to hand it to Poe, maybe he's still got it, he thought.

"Zorii what a lovely name. I don't think I've ever met a woman named Zorii. At least, not as beautiful enough for me to remember," Poe sweet talked her.

It was working. Barf, Ben thought. I can't believe women fall for that.

"What can I do for you handsome?" she nearly swooned in his presence.

"You see Zorii, we've come across a bit of a problem with our reservations," Poe said. "Apparently this gentleman and I were given the same room."

"Oh that's not good," she tried to frown, but this girl was too flippant to sound convincing.

"It's alright. Funny thing actually, he's an old friend, so it was a serendipitous meeting of sorts. I guess I have you to thank for that," he winked at her.

"I guess you're indebted to me then," she responded seductively.

Ben coughed loudly to remind Poe of their current predicament. Solve problems first, flirt later!

"But we did come with separate groups so…" Poe flashed a flirty grin at her. She was eating off the palm of his hand.

"Let's see what happened and how we can fix it, shall we?" she eagerly offered. "What are the reservations under?" she readied her hands to type on her computer.

"Dameron and Solo. Room 2187."

She punched in their information, surprised to see that they in fact blundered the bookings for the two guests.

"Oh no, looks like we did place you two on the same reservation. My sincerest apologies," she said to them.

"Maybe you can make it up to me again and possibly find another available room for us? Better yet, one with extra space?" Poe sweetly requested. "I'm traveling with friends. Would love it if I had my own room… should I need a place to entertain tonight," he said suggestively.

Maybe I should take some pointers from Poe. This cheese head is actually scoring, Ben thought for a moment.

"You know I'd love to do that," she said willingly, "But unfortunately I'd need approval from my manager and he's pretty busy at the moment."

"Do you think you can see if he can spare a minute or two of his time? For me?" he said with puppy dog eyes.

Nope, hell no. I'll never be as ridiculous as Poe. Ben immediately brushed that observation aside.

Zorii easily gave in and excused herself to head to the back office. Poe bragged about his plan working as Ben rolled his eyes in embarrassment. After 10 years, his friend was still quite the lady's man. Go figure.

The receptionist came back with her manager, a plump man with a balding head. Ben pursed his lips and contained his expression as he was curious to see how Poe would be able to 'sweet talk' this guy into getting them rooms.

"Good afternoon. Gial Ackbar. I hear there's a bit of a problem with your reservations gentlemen?"

"Good evening Mr. Ackbar," Poe immediately shifted to a more mature, but still appealing, manner.

Impressive, Ben thought.

"You see sir, this gentleman and I were double-booked."

He took a look at their reservations on Zorii's computer.

"Ah, yes. My apologies to you both. This never happens," he said politely. "Let me see what I can do."

He typed for a little bit on the computer, grunted, shook his head, then back to ferociously typing. While Poe made googly eyes with the receptionist, Ben was noting the growing hindrance from the manager. He feared the worst.

"Unfortunately, gentlemen, we're pretty full," he shared. "Now what we can offer you is your current room to share and we will give it to you at no charge for our gaffe, but the only spare room I can offer is a studio suite."

Poe didn't know what to do from there. As Ben suspected, he didn't know how to get the manager to budge.

"What do you think?" he asked his friend.

Ben didn't deem it fair that they couldn't accommodate both his and Poe's parties. After all, they each reserved rooms. It was even more unfair that the offer of a second room wasn't even large enough for either party to settle comfortably. So, he felt that it was his turn to step in.

"I got this, Poe," he nodded confidently.

Poe simply beamed. The determination on Ben's face meant only one thing; He was bringing in the big guns – his mother.

Growing up, Ben didn't like making a spectacle about his family's social status with anyone. Poe knew who his family was – their two families were close – but he didn't understand the regality of it all when he was a mere eight year old. Fortunately, the two boys stayed close friends as years went by, with Poe never once taking advantage of Ben's riches when he learned more about the famed Skywalker family. Ben had only ever used his resources once in their 20 years of friendship – when they got caught sneaking into an R-rated movie and Ben mentioned that his mother, Leia Skywalker-Solo, was just in the restroom and that she personally brought the two boys herself to watch that particular flick. Needless to say, they eventually got in trouble for it, but that was the proudest moment that Poe, his mischievous best friend, had ever had with Ben.

"Mr. Ackbar," he began. "I appreciate your trying to accommodate us, but Mr. Dameron and I were guaranteed reservations upon booking our trip at this hotel. I'm sure a man of your stature understands the importance of upholding a simple standard such as that?"

"Yes, but-"

Ben wasn't finished. "Now I'm not familiar in the hospitality industry, but I am familiar in the corporate world. I'm sure my mother, Leia Skywalker-Solo, has taught me a thing or two about it."

Poe couldn't help it, he fist-bumped his old friend. Proud moment number two.

Suddenly, the old man's demeanor had shifted.

"Mr. Ben Solo?!" he cleared his throat realizing who he was talking to. "I'm terribly sorry for this, sir. But really, this is out of my hands."

Ben knew how this worked. He's seen his father do this many times to get sweeter deals for them at resorts. They'll try to bluff you, but you got the better hand, son, his father would always say. So, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. Poe was surprised by his actions but was loving every minute of this.

"Mom? Hey, it's me," Ben said aloud. "Yeah I'm good, we got here about an hour ago," he responded to his mother. "We're in a bit of a sticky situation. The reservation you booked for us seemed to have gotten mixed up and they can't vouch for me and my friends..."

The manager stood there nervously. Leia Solo's son was literally tattling on him.

Ben smugly grinned and turned to the manager.

"My mother would like to have a little chat with you, Mr. Ackbar, if that's alright?"

Blinking incredulously, the old man was able to utter, "O-of course!"

Ben handed his phone over and leaned against the counter patiently. While the poor guy was probably being chided by Ben's mother, Poe nudged him.

"Dude, I'm impressed," Poe said to him.

"I hate using my mom as an excuse," Ben grunted. "I'm so going to hell," he chuckled.

"No you're not!" Poe laughed. "Like you said, if we got confirmations, we're supposed to be given rooms."

"Ah, I hope so. At this rate I don't care what they give us, I just want to relax," Ben combed his hair back with his hand. It had been a long week and he was looking forward to this trip. He hoped this hotel mishap would be his only problem that weekend.

"Yeah, we're trying to relax too. It's been kind of crazy for us the past few weeks," Poe shared. "We came here to let some steam off and have fun."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. We almost weren't going to Vegas. I had to convince Rey to come, she was hesitant at first, but you know me, I can be persuasive," he joked.

Ben peeped over to their mixed group. A certain person in particular. He pondered how close Poe was with her. But before he could ask, they were interrupted.

"So sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen." A red-faced Ackbar handed Ben back his phone and typed swiftly on his computer. "It seems that we may have a few options for you…"

After about fifteen minutes of Ben and Poe speaking to the lady at the front desk and the hotel manager, the old friends retreated to an awaiting crowd, lounging around the lobby chairs wondering their fate for the weekend.

"Well we've got good news and bad news," Poe stated.

"Turns out they don't have any more two-bedroom suites to accommodate the second party," Ben shared, receiving expected grunts from the collective.

"Then who gets the old room?" Rose asked.

"I didn't think it would be fair if one group got to have it and another had to fend for themselves," Ben said. "So I removed both reservations from it."

"How gallant Ben, but now none of us have a place to stay," Hux scorned.

"Now, now, you know how this goes. First the bad news to get everyone sad, then the good news to get everyone happy again," Poe explained optimistically.

"Then tell us already!" Finn was getting impatient.

"Well, Ben's mom called and gave the manager an earful," this made everyone laugh. "And after lots of negotiating with some added charm, from me of course," Poe bragged. Then he stopped for dramatic effect. He and Ben looked at one another mischievously.

"Oh my gosh you guys, just tell us!" Rey demanded.

"We only got to book one room," Ben stated.

"So… seven people are sharing one room?" Phasma tried to clarify.

"No, no, no my dear," Poe said. Then he held up a rather shiny key card. "We all get to stay in the PENT. HOUSE. SUITE."

~.~.~.~

If the two-bedroom suite was a dream, then the penthouse suite was paradise. Located on the top floor, this four-bedroom, four bath, 3000 square foot haven was theirs for the entire weekend. At first Ben and Poe were met with retorts, everyone still uncomfortable sharing space with half the guests being strangers to one another. But Ben assured that the suite was big enough, and that no one was required to spend time together if they didn't want to. As he said that last part however, he felt a twinge in his gut from his own words and found it hard to look at Rey. What was going on with him?

Everybody ultimately decided that they had no other choice and while they had initially argued, no one could deny their excitement of getting to stay in the largest room on the hotel's property.

True to Ben's words, the penthouse suite looked like a mansion. Four separate private bedrooms hugged each corner of the space, a full sized kitchen, a spacious dining area and a luxurious living room with a sizeable fireplace and probably the plushest couch ever made graced the space. Rey, Rose and Phasma wasted no time in leaping into a cloud as they settled nicely on the U-shaped sofa from heaven.

"Okay, I'm good with this," Finn had said when the men each grabbed a beer from the stocked fridge (again probably a perk Poe was able to score).

"So, what are the sleeping arrangements?" Phasma asked once they all settled from initial excitement.

There were four rooms and seven people. Not everyone was paired evenly.

"Well, couples get a room so you four are good," Poe pointed at the foursome. "Ben deserves a room since his mom hooked us up." They all nodded in agreement. "And, I guess Rey and I can share if- "

"No Poe, I already said I'll sleep on the couch, it's fine," she insisted. Poe shot her a concerned look.

For some reason Ben had held his breath when Poe suggested he and Rey share a room. Since their small chat in the lobby, Ben had possibly been wondering Poe's relationship with Rey. He may have mentioned something suggesting it earlier when they were at the lobby, but they got interrupted so Ben brushed it off. Though now it couldn't have been clearer for him. Obviously, they were traveling in couples, Phasma and Hux were a thing while Ben was the lonely 3rd wheel of his group. And in the grander scale, with the other group paired off he would be the 7th wheel. It would make sense that his old friend who always had girls chasing after him and that cute woman who nearly attacked him were most likely together. But seeing as Rey denied his offer, he breathed as if it was the best thing he's ever heard. Maybe he had a chance. Not that he was even still thinking about it.

"Are you sure? It's a king bed, and you're like two feet tall, I won't even notice since I'll probably be hammered," he snickered. "Like that time we stayed at the lake house last summer. Remember when we all had to sleep like sardines on the twin mattress?"

Finn acknowledged the memory and laughed with his friend.

"No, it's fine really. The couch is super soft," once again she protested.

"Come on, Rey. Take the bed. Unless… did you two have a bad breakup or something?" Phasma asked. Apparently not just to Ben, his friends may have also thought the two had been an item.

The four friends looked at one another and burst into laughter, confusing the others.

"No, no. Poe and I are not a thing," Rey assured her and everyone.

"I'm their big brother," he puffed his chest proudly. "Rey is like a sister to me. No offense hon you're drop dead gorgeous, but I'll feel like I'm committing incest if I sleep with you."

"None taken, trust me. Besides, I'm not into guys with tramp stamps," she smirked.

"I'm sorry, what?" suddenly Hux and Phasma grew curious. This made everyone laugh.

"Dude, you still have that ink from senior year?!" Ben tried but couldn't contain his enjoyment.

"That was you?! You convinced him to do it?" Rey, Finn and Rose snickered harder.

"Guilty," he gleamed. He turned to his friends and explained. "I dared Poe to get a tattoo when we were younger. For some reason he got it on his lower back because the chick he flirted with at the tattoo parlor convinced him to put it there."

"Hey! I thought we were talking about sleeping arrangements," Poe tried changing the subject but failed miserably. Laughter filled the room. "Ah whatever you guys, I'm proud of my ink and it's not a tramp stamp! Rey, sleep in the room or the couch I don't care. I need a drink!" he blurted very quickly to save himself from further derision. Then he marched off to the kitchen, eliciting even more hilarity from everyone else.

When the teasing ended, they all retreated to their respective rooms. Rey still insisted on sleeping on the couch but had agreed to leave her belongings in Poe's room for the time being. However, he told her that knowing him, he might end up sleeping with some girl or get so plastered that he'd end up on the couch anyway so if he wasn't back by midnight then by all means Rey could have the bed. That she could agree on.

It was nearly 7 PM and it seemed like everyone was about ready to go out, so they took the elevator down to the lobby. Not ever really discussing plans, they all seemed to linger.

"So, this is where we part ways," Ben said to Rey. For some reason he felt the need to say a sort of goodbye to her, but he didn't know why.

"Yup. Uh... Have fun, Ben," Rey replied. She was caught off guard when he approached her, but she also had no idea what to say.

Poe had come back from the concierge with an eager expression.

"Alright, what will the first bar of the night be?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Huh?" Ben answered.

"Oh come on, are we not all going to hang out?" he said to everyone.

No one really answered him concretely.

"You guys, it's Vegas! Sure, we didn't have the best meeting, but what the hell, right? We came here to relax and knowing Ben, I'm sure you two wanted to have a little vacation from his craziness," he directed his attention to Hux and Phasma. They readily agreed since Poe wasn't wrong. "I'm not saying let's hold hands and sing kumbaya, but let's at least have a drink together. After all, we're going to be roomies for the weekend."

In the end they all agreed to Poe's offer.

"Also, I got us a limo for four hours so let the festivities begin!"

This time that remark was met with cheers. They had to hand it to Poe, he knew how to throw a party.

And so, the seven semi-strangers piled into the Hummer limousine, unsure as to what the evening had in store for any of them.

A/N: Before the preview for next chapter, I want to explain that some chapters will have sub titles, so to speak. I'm constantly going over the whole story and the initial chapters I broke it into. I'm deciding to either split some into new sections, or sandwich them into a larger chapter because the sub plots more or less work with the main plot point. I didn't want to let go of the original names of these sub plots so you'll see in some chapters I'll have sub titles. Okay, enough blabbering. Preview below!

A/N: Preview of next chapter: Bar Hopping (Getting To Know Each Other Pt. 1 & 2; Don't Think, Just Do)

"If it helps, I don't care who your mom is. It doesn't change my perspective of you."

"You have a perspective of me?"

"Like you don't have one of me?"

"I do, actually."

"And what is it exactly?"

"I think you're beautiful."

"...Flattery will get you everywhere, mister."