Ben whistled happily as he exited his apartment carefully balancing a tray of freshly baked chocolate fudge brownies on one arm as he locked the door behind him. He turned around and almost lost his precious cargo at the sight of his fucking annoying next-door neighbour Armitage Hux glaring up at him as he lay against the wall with his arms folded.

'Where are you going?' he demanded.

'Not that it's any of your business, Fux, but I'm going to see our new neighbours. The girls who just moved into the flat upstairs?'

Armitage narrowed his eyes. 'I know what you're doing, Solo, and I demand you cease and desist immediately!'

Ben sighed. 'I know I'm going to regret this… but what the fuck are you talking about, Hux?'

'You know very well what the 'fuck' I'm talking about, Ben Solo.'

'I really don't.'

'Very well. I will elaborate. July 12th, 2019 you said and I quote "one day I will start a goddamn mutiny against you, you ginger prick, and get you thrown out of the building once and for all" end quote.'

For fucks sake, this guy…

'That's what you think I'm doing?' Ben asked.

'It's obvious, I see you going round there every day since they moved in, with all these treats, and little gifts, you're trying to get them on your side so you can get me out!'

'I don't know what goes on in that crazy little brain of yours, Hux, but that is not what is happening here. Also, how on earth do you remember the exact date I said that?'

'I looked it up in my journal.'

Ben blinked. 'You have a journal?'

Hux cleared his throat. 'Stop changing the subject and tell me what the hell is going on?' he said with a blush.

'If you must fucking know and it appears you must, I've got a crush on one of the girls.'

Hux frowned. 'That's all this is?'

'Yes, that's it.'

'I don't believe you.'

'Well this might surprise you, but I don't fucking care what you believe, now get out of my way.'

Ben barged past Hux and started up the stairs. Hux started after him. Ben turned to glare down at his unwanted follower.

'Where the fuck are you going?' Ben growled.

'I'm going with you,' Hux explained.

'No, you're fucking not.'

'Yes, I am, I want to make sure you're telling me the truth.'

Ben groaned. There really was no point in arguing. Hux was a stubborn bastard and a troublemaker. He could make things very difficult for Ben with just a few words to the landlord. Ben wasn't going to miss his daily chance to moon over Rey, so he decided he would just have to put up with the little ginger weasel accompanying him.

'Fine,' he mumbled as he walked up the stairs. He knocked on the girl's door and Rey opened it with a grin. His heart leapt in his chest at the sight of her.

There's my girl…

'Hi Ben,' she said warmly.

'Hi Rey,' Ben said smiling back. There she was, looking like a fucking super model without a scrap of makeup on her face. How the hell could someone look that damn fuckable in dungarees and pigtails? He stifled a groan.

'Brownies today? You do spoil me, Ben.' The look in her eyes made his mouth go dry.

You deserve it all and more, baby…

Hux appeared behind Ben. Rey tilted her body to see past Ben and smiled at him.

'Oh hi! Are you a friend of Ben's?' she asked.

Hux looked offended. 'No. I'm Armitage Hux, I live downstairs.'

Rey looked confused. 'Oh, okay. Well hi! I'm Rey. I just moved in.'

Rey looked at Ben questioningly and Ben huffed out a breath. 'Could you please explain to this nutcase that there is nothing untoward about my visits and that my intentions are just to be neighbourly and not to turn you or any other occupants of this residence against him,' Ben said.

Rey laughed. 'Is this a joke?'

Ben shook his head and Hux looked at her expectantly.

'Okay…' Rey looked at Hux. 'Ben never mentioned you before today. He's just a really nice guy who bakes and lets us share sometimes. One time he thought he could smell gas in the hallway and very kindly knocked to make sure we were okay. Oh! There was that time you were helping the little old lady from downstairs look for her cat. That was so sweet! So you see there's really nothing to worry about,' Rey smiled reassuringly at Hux.

'See? Don't let us keep you,' Ben said turning to glare at Hux.

'Okay, well I'll be going then,' Hux muttered and turned to leave.

'Wait! Why don't you both come in and we'll all have a brownie together?' Rey said cheerfully.

Hux blinked back at her, momentarily stunned by the invitation.

'We'd be delighted wouldn't we, Hux?' Ben gave him a look that told Armitage he better not fuck this up.

Armitage sighed. He had better things to do with his time then watch Ben lust over some girl, but he was curious to see which sections of the tenant agreement the girls were already breaching. He nodded and the two men both entered the apartment.

Ben placed the brownies down on a small mahogany coffee table.

He turned to Rey. 'Did you enjoy the eclairs?'

Rey closed her eyes and let out a moan. 'They were delicious.'

'Did you have them with the chocolate sauce?'

'Yes, and they were phenomenal. You were right, as always,' Rey said looking up at him.

Hux rolled his eyes. 'Did you request permission before you wall mounted this flat screen?' He asked.

Rey frowned at him. 'No, but perhaps my Aunt did. This is her place. She recently moved in with her boyfriend and is kindly letting us stay here. Should I check with her?'

'It's fine, don't worry about it,' Ben said. 'It's fine isn't it, Hux?'

Hux watched Ben's hand form into a fist at his side. He swallowed hard.

'Yes, it's fine,' he said. Rey looked relieved. 'I'll just go get Rose from the bedroom.'

She disappeared into the adjoining room. Once she was out of view, Ben turned on Hux.

'What the fuck are you doing?' Ben hissed.

'Nothing!' Hux hissed back.

'You are fucking blowing this for me.'

'Well just ask her out so she can say no and we can all get on with our fucking lives!' Hux shot back.

Ben growled and Hux took a step back.

'What are you two boys talking about?' Rey asked as she reappeared.

'Nothing much, just shooting the breeze,' Ben replied with a shrug. Ben and Rey continued talking, but Hux didn't hear a word. Another girl had entered the room and was staring at him with large dark eyes. She was beautiful. No. That wasn't a good enough word for her. She was breath-taking. He knew that was true because his lungs were completely empty. He took a deep breath in.

Ben and Rey stopped talking.

'Ahhh Rose? This is Armitage Hux. Armitage this is Rose Tico,' Rey said.

The angel came towards him and held out her hand. Armitage looked down at her outstretched fingers with alarm. He didn't touch people. It was one of his rules, but maybe he could make an exception in this case? He shook hands with Rose and felt a tingle travel up his spine. Her hand was warm and soft and surprisingly pleasant. The handshake ended and Hux ran a hand through his hair. Rose tracked the motion with her eyes.

'I love the colour of your hair,' she said.

'You do?' Hux asked in surprise.

'Yes. It's so vibrant. I always wanted my hair to be a more vibrant colour.'

'No! Don't change a thing. You're perfect,' Hux blurted out.

Ben raised his eyebrows and Rey grinned. Rose blushed.

'Thank you,' she said looking up at Hux shyly. Hux tentatively smiled back.

'Let's have some brownies, shall we?' Rey said.

They all sat down, Rey next to Ben on one sofa and Hux next to Rose on the sofa opposite. Rey dished the brownies out onto small plates and handed them out to everyone.

They chewed in silence for a while.

'God Ben, these are so good!' Rey exclaimed with her eyes closed.

Ben puffed out his chest. 'Maybe when you're all set up here, I can teach you how to make them?'

Rose snorted. 'Rey barely knows how to turn on a toaster.'

Hux laughed a little too loudly at her joke. Ben rubbed his hand across his forehead and shot him a dirty look. They finished their brownies and Ben told Rey she could keep the extras for later. His reward was her expression of sheer delight.

'I could kiss you!' she cried, and Ben looked a little disappointed when she didn't, and instead took the plates through to the small kitchen.

'I'll help you with the dishes,' Ben said jumping up off the sofa. Hux scoffed. Honestly Solo was so pathetic the way he was drooling all over that girl…

'So, what do you do, Armitage?' Rose asked and Hux nearly jumped out of his skin. He cleared his throat.

'I work at my father's company. We make and distribute boxes.'

'Oh really?' Rose asked.

Hux sighed, 'You don't have to pretend to be interested, it really is as boring as it sounds. We don't even make anything to go in the boxes, all we do is make boxes. Boring brown cardboard boxes. They used to call me box boy at school. I have Solo to thank for that.'

He glanced at Rose, who was pressing her lips together trying not to laugh. At the sight of her, the corners of Hux's mouth started to turn upwards.

'One time, I suggested that we change the colour just to spice things up a bit and my father told me if I wanted a change, he was happy to transfer me to labelling. I told him I didn't think I could cope with the excitement.'

Rose giggled. 'So, it's not exactly the most thrilling job in the world then?'

Hux smirked at her. 'It's fair to make that assumption. What is it that you do?'

'IT management. I work at the same company as Rey. She's in HR.'

Hux nodded. 'So, you're the brains of the operation.'

Rose smiled back at him and it hit him right in the soft part of his chest.

'Absolutely,' she replied with a wink.

Ben looked suspiciously at Hux and Rose as they laughed on the sofa together.

'I've never seen Hux smile before let alone laugh,' he confessed as he dried the dishes Rey handed him.

Rey twisted around to look at them. 'Rose is very sweet; she always brings out the best in people.'

'Mmmm,' Ben replied.

Rey smirked at him. 'The two of you don't get on very well do you?' she said as she handed Ben another dish.

'That's an understatement,' Ben muttered.

Rey laughed at that and Ben perked up. He loved to hear her laugh.

It was at that very moment, that Ben Solo realised he had fallen in love with Rey Johnson. The realisation hit him just as she launched a wet dish towel at his face. His heart hammered in his chest as he grabbed her around the waist and tickled her as payback. She giggled uncontrollably and Ben felt elated to have her in his arms but couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness that it was only a temporarily state. He vowed to put a plan in place to keep her there permanently.

Armitage Hux had known Rose Tico for one hour and thirty-three minutes and he had loved her with all his heart for one hour and thirty two of them.

It wasn't just the fact that she laughed at his unfunny jokes or asked questions that made him think she seriously cared about the answers, it was the fact that her smile made his chest feel warm, that the sparkle in her eyes made his heart hitch in his chest and every time her thigh brushed against his he had to shift his position to hide his embarrassingly obvious arousal.

'Rose can I talk to you for a moment?' Rey shouted from the kitchen. Rose nodded.

'Excuse me,' she said to Armitage as she rose. Hux stood up and watched intently as Rey and Rose moved into the bedroom and closed the door.

'What do you think they are talking about?' Hux asked Ben.

Ben shrugged. 'I don't know girl stuff.'

'Girl stuff,' Hux repeated looking at the bedroom door, his eyes full of wonder. 'Okay, I'm in.'

Ben frowned at him. 'What?'

'I'm in on whatever this thing is you're doing. Let's find more reasons to come around here. I need to see more of Rose.'

'How do you know I don't like Rose?' Ben asked.

Hux rolled his eyes. 'You clearly want Rey. It couldn't be more obvious. Well maybe it could if you wore a neon sign around your neck that said please be my girlfriend.'

'Shut the fuck up, I'm playing it cool.'

Hux snorted. 'Sure, you are. Don't be a dick, Solo. I really like this girl.'

Ben paced the floor. 'I don't know how I feel about this, my behaviour was already bordering on dangerously stalkerish, if two of us keep showing up here, we might end up with a restraining order.'

'You might as well accept it because you're not getting rid of me now. I believe it will look better if we coordinate our efforts. Plus we can help each other out. Be each other's wing men as it were. I'm very resourceful and I have sway in this building, unlike you after you threw that New Year's Eve party and nearly burnt the whole building down.'

That was one time!'

'One time is enough, Plutt holds a grudge.'

'I never in a million years thought I would be having this conversation with you,' Ben said.

'Do we have a deal or not?' Hux held out his hand.

Ben looked at it for a few moments before grasping it firmly. 'Okay, deal. But you fuck this up and I'm gonna find and photocopy select paragraphs out of your journal and stick them up all over the building.'

Hux looked dismayed. 'I can't believe I have to work with you,' he said through gritted teeth.

Ben grimaced back at him. 'Right back at ya, man.'

In the bedroom, the girls discussed their own plan of action.

'Didn't I tell you this apartment building was chock full of eligible bachelors? We didn't even have to lift a finger and here they are knocking down our door!' Rey said with a grin.

Rose giggled. `We are so lucky you overheard that rich bitch say she was moving in with her boyfriend and leaving this place empty and blessed again to find the landlord here is as crooked as them come. It's just a shame it cost us nearly everything we have left to bribe him into keeping quiet about us staying here.'

'I know, this place is amazing. Now we just have to hope she doesn't decide to sell it or worse, that things fall through with her new squeeze and she decides to move back in.'

Rose's eyes widened in alarm. 'Oh God, what if that happens? I can't go back to streets, Rey.'

Rey sat down on her bed next to Rose and patted her hand reassuringly. 'I won't let that happen. We just need to have something to fall back on, and what better than the arms of the two, handsome, willing men waiting eagerly on the other side of that door? So, which one do you want?'

'Hux,' Rose replied immediately, and was that a blush? Interesting…

'Good, because that tall drink of water out there has my name written all over him.'

Rose laughed. 'Rey, you are so bad.'

Rey stood up. 'We deserve this Rose. Why the hell shouldn't we hustle our way into these boys' lives? I'm sick of the cons, I want a normal life.'

'Me too.'

'We just need a little jump start, and its not like they aren't getting anything in return.'

'You're preaching to the choir, sweetie.'

'We know we can't keep this place forever. We have to make sure we have a plan B in place. We are not going back to begging for scraps. I've had a taste of the high life now, and I will do whatever it takes to keep us here.'

Rose nodded. 'So, we play the damsels in distress card? Seduction with an edge of innocence?'

'Exactly, we can flirt, but no sex. Not until it becomes absolutely necessary. They might lose interest and we need them hooked for as long as possible. Think of it as an investment in our future.'

Rose nodded in agreement.

'Okay, you ready to go back out there?' Rey said fixing her hair in the full-length mirror.

Rose nodded and stood up. 'Let's do this.'

'Don't forget we're respectable young ladies, with jobs and money to pay rent, the whole wholesome package,' Rey reminded her.

'Instead of what we actually are homeless, lawless orphans living on our last few hustled bucks?'

'Exactly.'

Far too soon, it became time for the boys to leave and they reluctantly parted ways. Rose and Rey waved as they disappeared down the stairs with matching wistful looks. They burst into giggles as soon as they were sure they wouldn't be overheard.

Over the next few weeks, Ben and Hux used every excuse they could think of to spend time with the girls much to Rey and Rose's constant amusement.

At first, the reasons seemed quite sensible, the boys popped by after ordering too much Chinese food, or they were heading to the store and wanted to know if they needed anything. Of course, the girls always handed them a pre-prepared shopping list full of goodies and although they always offered to pay, their protests were continually refused by their smitten suitors.

Then there was the time Hux arranged for the power to go out in the building. Rey and Rose suspected the boys were behind the sudden blackout, but neither of them complained when Ben and Hux turned up at the door with candles and torches and matching 'worried for their wellbeing' expressions.

Rey laughed when she looked out of the peephole and saw them in the hallway, arms full of supplies.

'It's them,' she said.

'Of course, it is,' Rose said with a smile.

'Should I let them in?' she turned and cocked an eyebrow at Rose.

Rose pretended to look shocked. 'While we are sitting here completely unprepared for their arrival in our sexy new pjs that we stole for just such an occasion? How could you suggest such a thing?'

Rey laughed as she opened the door. 'Ben! Armitage! What a surprise!' she said.

'We wanted to check you two are okay,' Ben said.

'Yes, it would be awful if you were up here alone in the dark, scared and hugging each other…' Hux's eyes glazed over and Ben elbowed him in the chest.

Rey pressed her lips together. 'You better come in then,' she said.

The boys walked into the apartment. Hux headed straight for Rose who had arranged herself on the sofa with a blanket over her legs. He sat down next to her.

'Are you okay?' he asked with concern.

Rose nodded. 'Just a little shaken up. I've never been a fan of the dark.'

'You poor thing,' Hux said sympathetically taking her hand in his and rubbing it gently.

Rey snorted.

'What's so funny?' Ben asked, turning to Rey.

'Nothing, just nervous laughter, I don't particularly like the dark either,' she pouted.

Ben came towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

'You don't need to pretend to be brave, Rey. It's okay to be frightened.'

Rey fixed her large eyes onto Ben's. 'I suppose I am a little frightened.'

Ben wrapped her up on his large arms and Rey smiled. It wasn't long before they were all squeezed together on the sofa's with blankets draped over them, drinking cheap wine by candlelight.

For Rey and Rose, the dark was not something to be feared. They had spent enough nights on the streets to know there were other real dangers to be concerned with. But it was sweet that the boys wanted to protect them, and they didn't mind playing the part of helpless little girlies when it got them hugs and forehead kisses. In fact, they both enjoyed it immensely. One bottle of wine disappeared and then another, a thunderstorm began to rage outside much to Rey and Rose's delight, as it gave them another reason to illicit comfort from their willing victims.

A well-timed shriek and a choreographed jump put Rey right into the lap of the slightly drunk and slightly stunned Ben sitting beside her.

'Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry,' Rey said. 'Thunder always makes me jump.' She started to ease herself off Ben's knee, but his arm wrapped around her, holding her in place.

'It's okay, I don't mind,' he said quietly. Rey bit her lip and for once, it was involuntary. Over the weeks, she has started to like Ben more and more. Maybe a little too much. It wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world to have a crush on a mark, but this felt like… more and more was dangerous. But she couldn't think about that right now. She had to stick to the plan and the plan meant keeping Ben close. She snuggled her head against Ben's chest.

'You sure you don't mind?' she purred.

'Not at all,' he croaked back. Rey sighed contentedly as she listened to Ben's heart hammer in his chest. Music to her ears. She fixed Rose with an intense stare. Rose got the unspoken message.

Your turn…

Rose smirked back.

Game on…

Rose stretched her arms into the air and thrust out her chest. Armitage choked on his wine. Rey bit on the back of her hand to keep from laughing.

'Hux, could you help me in the kitchen?' Rose asked.

Armitage couldn't stand up fast enough. 'Yes, absolutely.'

Rose led him through to the kitchenette. Rose started to reach for a cupboard that Rey knew was too high for her vertically challenged friend. Rey pressed her lips together as she watched Hux lose his mind at the sight of Rose on her tip toes, her pyjama shorts just skimming the edge of her ass as she reached for the cupboard door.

'I can't reach, can you do it?'

Rey nearly stood up and applauded. The look in Rose's eyes, the pout on her lips. The girl deserved an academy award.

Hux nodded nervously and moved towards her. Rose didn't move out of the way. She just stood before the cupboard looking up expectantly. Hux stood behind her and open the door for her. Rose suddenly reached up again.

'I want that box of crackers please,' As she reached up to point it out, she pressed her ass against Hux's crotch. She heard him pull in a sharp breath. He grabbed the box with shaky fingers and closed the cupboard. Rose lowered herself and turned and smiled as she took the box from his hand.

'I just can't resist…' she said.

'Can't resist what?' Hux asked. His eyes as dark as the room around them.

Rose opened the box and slowly brought a cracker to her lips. She took a bite and licked her lips.

'Snacks, I can't resist snacks,' she said with a smile. She squeezed past Hux and glanced at Rey as she returned to her seat. Hux followed, trying to keep his eyes on anything other than Rose's swaying ass.

Excellent backhand, Rose… but watch out for my volley…

'Ouch!' Rey grabbed her neck.

'What is it?' Ben said looking down at her. Rey sat up.

'It's just I have this crick in neck, its fine don't worry.'

'Turn around, let me see if I can help.'

Rey climbed out of Ben's lap and did as she was instructed. She turned away from Ben on the sofa. His strong hands immediately started kneading at her shoulders. She moaned appreciatively. She glanced sideways at Rose who rolled her eyes at her and continued to eat her crackers. Actually, they weren't her crackers. They were Rey's. Sneaky little thief! Rey forgot what she was doing and stood up.

'Those are mine,' she told Rose.

'They are not.'

'Yes, they are, I put my name on the box. Give them to me,' Rey reached for the box and Rose held it out of her reach. Rey's eyes narrowed and Rose flashed her a grin. Growing up on the streets had taught the girls a lot of valuable lessons one of which was that territory and property were to be protected at all costs. Rey lunged for the box and landed on top of Rose. Rose put the box behind her back as Rey straddled her lap. Their hands locked together as they grappled.

'Gimme!' Rey demanded.

'Never!' Rose roared.

'You little brat!' Rey giggled.

'Look who's talking!' Rose laughed back.

Hux cleared his throat. The girls were brought back to reality and realised they had company. Rey snatched the box and climbed off Rose. She laughed nervously.

'Guess the wine has got the better of me,' she said apologetically. 'Probably time for bed.'

She caught Ben's eye. He was looking at her with an expression she couldn't read.

Shit.

Rey showed the boys out.

'Thanks for checking on us,' she said with a smile.

'No problem,' Ben replied avoiding her eye.

'Night Hux,' Rose said gently.

'Goodnight,' he said with an awkward smile.

Rey closed her door and put her head in her hands. 'Argh, I'm such an idiot!'

'Would you calm down? It was just a bit of fun.'

'Didn't you see their faces? They were horrified Rose. Horrified! These are respectable boys. I shouldn't have done that. They are going to think we're feral.'

Rose snorted. 'We are feral.'

'I know, but I don't want them to know that,' Rey hissed.

Rose walked away and picked up the dirty glasses. She headed through to the kitchen. 'I don't think we have anything to worry about. Bit of girl on girl action can only help our cause in my opinion.'

Rey chewed her lip. 'Maybe you're right.' She moved to the sofa's and folded up the blankets. She frowned at the door.

'I hope I haven't fucked this up,' she said softly.

Ben and Hux headed down to their apartments.

'Stroke of genius paying Plutt to turn the power off,' Ben said as he unlocked his door.

'Thanks, cost me half my Galaxy Wars comic collection, but it was worth it.'

'Definitely worth it.'

They looked each other.

'I really have to go deal with something,' Hux mumbled.

'Yeah, me too,' Ben muttered.

They moved into their apartments, and Ben pretended not to hear when Hux called out Rose's name late in the night and he hoped Hux would extend him the same courtesy when he called out Rey's.

Rey chewed on her thumb as she listened to Plutt jabber.

'Thanks for the heads up, we'll make sure we're out of your hair by then.' She hung up the phone and sighed.

'Rose!'

Her roommate came running out of the bedroom. 'What's up?'

'We have a problem.'

'Shit. What?'

'Plutt just rang, and the rich bitch is coming back in three days,' Rey sighed.

Rose looked miserable. 'So, we have to leave by then,' Rose concluded, sliding down onto the sofa.

'I'm afraid so.'

Rose sighed. 'Well it was fun while it lasted.'

'It was,' Rey nodded.

'What do we do now?'

Rey looked determined. 'We move forward with the plan; I know it's a bit sooner than we anticipated but we've laid the ground work it shouldn't be too difficult.'

Rose sighed. 'What other choice do we have? Winter is just around the corner and I do not want to go back to the streets.'

There was a knock at the door and the girls jumped guiltily. Rey went to open it.

'Game face,' she whispered to Rose. Rose nodded eagerly.

Rey opened the door, and there stood Hux and Ben. She ushered them in.

'We have some bad news, boys,' Rey said.

Ben looked worried.

'Do you remember how I told you this is my Aunt's place? I'm afraid she broke up with her boyfriend and she wants her apartment back. We have to move out.'

Ben's shoulders slumped and Armitage looked crestfallen.

'Well isn't there another apartment?' Hux asked.

Rey shook her head.

'Well there has to be something we can do!' Hux cried.

'I don't know, it seems hopeless,' Rose replied sadly. 'We'll probably have to move out of the city altogether.'

Ben leaned forward and kissed Rey on the forehead. The gesture was an unexpected but very welcome one.

'I'm going to fix this okay?' he told her.

Rey couldn't help but melt. No one had ever cared enough about her before to want to help her, apart from Rose. Rey smiled up at him gratefully and nodded.

'Hux, come with me,' Ben ordered as he headed for the door. Hux looked confused and glanced longingly at Rose then eventually followed him out.

'What's the plan?' Hux asked Ben in the hallway.

'Isn't it obvious?' Ben replied.

Hux frowned and shook his head.

'We have to give the girls one of our apartments,' Ben explained.

Armitage's eyes widened with realisation. 'But… that means…'

'That means we would have to be roomies,' Ben said in a low voice. 'Look, I'm willing to do this for Rey. You just have to ask yourself what you are willing to do for Rose?'

'Anything.'

Hux gave the answer so quickly Ben was caught off guard. 'Well it's decided then,' he said.

Hux nodded.

'We just have to decide which apartment to give to the girls and which apartment we are going to move into.'

Hux nodded. 'Our living spaces are both thankfully very clean and organised, so it doesn't matter too much which we choose to move into. The girls on the other hand, are going to destroy the space we allocate them.'

Ben nodded in agreement. 'They are very chaotic.'

'But exceedingly hot,' Hux interjected.

'Agreed. A dangerous mix.'

'Shall we go tell them the good news?' Hux asked.

Ben thought they should wait until they had worked out some of the finer details, but he was excited to tell Rey her knight in shining armour had come through for her. 'Okay, let's do it.'

They headed back into the apartment. Rose and Rey were surprised to find Ben and Hux back so soon. The boys laid out their plans and were rewarded with warm hugs.

'This is so sweet of you guys,' Rey gushed.

Ben shrugged. 'It's no big deal.'

Hux nodded in agreement. 'Yes I'm rather looking forward to having Ben as a roommate.'

Rose laughed. 'You're such a bad liar. But that just makes it even more touching. We know you boys aren't bffs like me and Rey, so the fact that you are willing to do this just to help us out is really lovely.'

Ben smiled. 'Seeing as we don't mind which apartment you move into we thought maybe you might like to come see them for yourselves and pick one?'

Rose and Rey exchanged glances. A lot was said in that silent exchange. The girls could not afford to cover the cost of an apartment. Which meant now was the time for them to make… alternative arrangements. But they didn't want to beg. They had to find a way to get the boys to believe that the idea they had planted in their heads was their own brilliant solution to the problem.

'Ahhh sure,' Rey said. 'Ben why don't you show me yours and Hux can show Rose his?' The sexual innuendo was 100 percent deliberate.

The boys nodded and excited. Rose winked at Rey who winked back as they followed. They all headed down the stairs to Hux and Ben's apartments. Ben let Rey into his apartment and shut the door behind them.

'Well here it is. What do you think?'

'It's just lovely,' Rey said with a smile. 'I could see myself living here.'

Ben felt as if he was floating on air.

'Where's the bedroom?' Rey asked.

Ben swallowed hard. 'Through there,' he pointed. Rey walked through.

'Wow, big bed,' she murmured. 'I've never slept in a big bed like this before.'

Ben didn't say anything. Rey sighed and sat down on the soft duvet.

'I can't believe we have to move out,' she said sadly.

Ben came towards her and sat on the bed beside her. 'It's going to be okay, Rey. This will work out you'll see.'

Rey looked at Ben. 'No one has ever done anything like this for me before.' she placed her hand on Ben's knee. 'Thank you.'

'It's no problem,' Ben replied in a shaky voice. His eyes zoomed in on Rey's lips.

'Ben?'

'Yes?'

'You can kiss me, if you want to.'

Ben nodded and leaned towards Rey. He pressed his lips gently to hers. Rey returned his kiss eagerly, angling her head so she could ease her tongue into his mouth. Ben groaned and Rey smiled against his mouth. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel how hard he was through his jeans.

Rey wanted him so much. What an idiot she has been pretending this was nothing but a ruse. She couldn't get enough of Ben. There was an ache in her stomach every time he was out of her sight, she missed him so much it literally hurt. She felt guilty for deceiving him.

'I don't deserve you,' she murmured against his mouth.

'What the hell are you talking about? Rey, I can't get enough of you. I can't believe this is happening,' Ben mumbled as he pressed desperate kisses to her mouth.

Rey pulled his T-shirt over his head and gasped at his chest.

'Wow,' she whispered. She peeled her own t-shirt off and removed her bra. Ben's large hands cupped her breasts.

'God, those hands of yours have been driving my wild,' she hissed.

'Really?' Ben asked, entranced.

Rey looked at him adoringly. 'You really don't have a clue how irresistible you are, do you?'

Ben shook his head. Rey cupped his cheek with her hand and Ben nuzzled her palm.

'I'm going to keep you,' Rey told him, joining their lips once more and pushing him down onto the bed. Her small breasts pushed against her chest and she moaned. She slipped her tongue into his mouth once more and Ben cupped her ass roughly. Heat pooled in between her legs. She was so ready for this.

She stood up and removed her leggings and panties. Ben followed suit, quickly discarding his jeans and underwear. She came towards the bed once more and straddled him. Ben reached for the bedside table and pulled out a condom. Rey shook her head. Ben placed the condom on top of the table.

Rey slowly lowered herself onto Ben. He was so big, she felt herself stretch to accommodate him. It was deliciously satisfying.

'Are you okay?' Ben asked gently. 'We can stop.'

Rey leaned down and kissed him, then rubbed her nose against his.

'I love how big you are, Ben. You feel amazing inside me.'

Rey sat up and began to move. Ben's eyes slammed shut and his mouth opened wide. Rey leaned back and rode him harder. She tried not to think about how beautiful he looked. She tried not to focus on how warm her chest felt… or how being with Ben made her feel like she was finally home. A feeling she had searched for her whole life.

After a while her mind emptied, and her breathing became jagged. She reached a hand down to her clit and rubbed gently. Ben's gaze was intense as he watched her. Her body started to tremble.

'Fuck Rey, I'm going to…' Ben came hard and heavy. Rey called out as he dug his hands into her hips. The pain was just enough to push her over the edge. She fell onto his chest. They were silent for a few moments. Then Ben took a deep breath.

'That was amazing,' he panted.

'It was,' Rey agreed, kissing his soft skin under her head.

'Rey? Do you want to stay here with me?'

Rey smiled against his chest then looked up at him. 'You mean for tonight?' she asked innocently.

'No. I mean permanently. You need somewhere to stay, and I need someone to cook for. It seems like the perfect arrangement.'

Rey looked thoughtful then she beamed up at him. She reached up to kiss him lips.

'There's only this one bedroom, though right?' she asked with a smirk.

Ben grinned back. 'Is that a problem?'

Rey shook her head. 'Nope. That's not a problem at all.' She purred leaning down to kiss him once more.

'Welcome to my humble abode,' Hux said as he let Rose into his apartment.

Rose looked around. 'Just as I expected, it's meticulous.'

Hux nodded proudly.

'Where's the bedroom?' Rose asked suddenly. Hux was startled.

'Erm, through there?' he pointed to a doorway.

Rose walked through without a moment's hesitation and sat down on the bed.

This is nice,' she said bouncing a little. Armitage didn't know what to say. Rose was on his bed. His brain was struggling to catch up with the images it was presented with. She patted the space next to her.

'Come sit down.'

Hux did as he was told. Rose lay her head on his shoulder and sighed.

'Can I tell you something, Hux?'

'Anything.'

'I love, Rey. I really do. But… maybe I shouldn't say,' she trailed off.

'No, no! Please do!' Hux was facing her now, holding her hands in his, eagerly awaiting her words and Rose knew she was supposed to be playing a part. She knew the words that came out of her mouth weren't meant to be honest or heartfelt but when she said them she knew they were the truth.

'I'm lonely.'

Hux brought one of her hands to his mouth and kissed it.

'Me too,' he replied. He leaned forward gently, and Rose closed the space between them. When their lips met, she felt the spark. It was undeniable. Hux lay her gently down onto the bed and positioned himself over her. Rose let herself forget everything else and just imagined that they were a normal couple about to make love in their bed.

She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from him, running her hands down his chest. Hard muscle met her eager fingers. He looked embarrassed.

'What's wrong?' she asked.

'I know I'm not built like a brick house like some people,' Hux muttered. Rose placed a hand on his cheek and forced his face back to hers.

'Do you think I care about things like that?' She pulled him back down towards her. 'I care about these gentle eyes.'

She kissed him. 'And this kissable mouth.'

She kissed him again. 'And that accent of yours that makes me weak at the knees.'

Hux grinned and kissed her hard. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned. He was certainly a good kisser. She felt as if she were floating. Hux removed her vest and hesitated at her bra. Rose giggled and did it for him. His hungry eyes focused on her round, plump breasts. He palmed them gently.

'Rose, you're so beautiful,' he uttered, dipping his head to spread soft kisses over her chest. Rose pulled in a shaky breath.

Hux undid her jeans and lowered them down her legs. He hooked his fingers into her panties then looked up at her for approval. Rose nodded and he slowly lowered them down her legs, kissing her thighs, knees and calves as he did so. Rose had never felt so… cherished. She wasn't going to give him up. This wasn't a temporary arrangement. Not for her. Hux removed his own jeans and underwear and settled over her. Rose kissed him, deep and meaningfully. She widened her legs to let him settle between them, feeling his hard length to her entrance.

Armitage nuzzled at her neck and Rose's eyes fluttered closed.

'Darling.'

Her eyes opened at the sound of his voice.

'Darling, shall I stop? Do I need a…'

'No,' Rose cut him off, she pressed her inner thighs against the outside of his. 'It's fine. Please…'

Hux slowly pushed inside and Rose moaned. 'Oh God, yes.'

Hux groaned at her outburst, slowly moving inside her.

'Baby, you won't break me, faster, harder,' Rose coaxed. Armitage sped up his actions.

'Rose, my Rose,' he murmured, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Rose tangled her fingers in his hair and sighed.

He looked down at her with such devotion in his eyes it almost floored her.

'Rose, you mean more to me that anything else in this world.'

Her mouth fell open and tears came to her eyes. 'Hux, I…' she didn't know how to respond so she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

'Make me yours,' she whispered against his lips. Hux's eyes went dark and his body spasmed wildly as he came. Afterwards, he wrapped her in his arms and pressed soft kisses across her throat and chest. Rose wanted to stay like that forever.

'I suppose I'd better go talk to Rey,' she said softly, leading him to the decision she hoped he would make.

Hux looked down at her and frowned, then his eyes widened, and he smiled excitedly. 'You could stay here!'

'What?' Rose asked.

'You could stay here, with me. We can find somewhere for Rey to live. I'll even help cover your part of the rent for her, but I want you to stay here, with me. Would you consider it?'

Rose chewed her lip and looked thoughtful. Then she sprang forward and wrapped her arms around him.

'I'd love to live with you.'

She kissed him then, her heart brimming with joy, and only slightly tinged with guilt.

The next day, the girls sneaked out in meet in the hallway. They both giggled when they realised they had thrown on clothing that didn't belong to them. Rose wore one of Hux's crisp white shirts and Rey wore Ben's black fitted T.

'Did it work?' Rose asked.

'Like a charm,' Rey replied. The girls high fived.

'So, Ben thinks it was his idea for you two to live together?'

'Yup, what about Hux?'

'Same. He's just… so sweet.'

Rey smiled.

'How was your night?' Rose asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Rey moaned. 'Unbelievable. How about you?'

'I've had worse nights,' she grinned.

Both girls knew each other well enough to know there was something else they both wanted to say, but Rey started to worry they had already been away too long.

'We'd better get back before they wake up.'

Rose nodded and leaned forward to kiss Rey's cheek. 'I'll come around when the boys go for their run,' Rose said.

Rey blew her a kiss as they both headed back inside.

Ben and Hux met as they headed out for a morning run. They greeted each other cordially, both feeling somewhat smug about the previous night's events.

'I'll walk out with you, there's something I want to discuss with you,' Hux said.

Ben nodded. 'Actually, there's something I want to discuss with you too.'

The two men headed down the stairs together and out of the building. They crossed the road to the park and started to jog alongside each other. Ben cleared his throat.

'I'll get right to it, I've asked Rey to move in with me and she said yes. That means Rose will need somewhere to stay and I thought perhaps, for the moment...'

'Actually, Rose has agreed to move in with me so she's all set,' Hux interjected.

'Oh, well this has worked out perfectly.'

'Yes,' Hux agreed.

They ran in silence for a few meters.

'You don't think that…' Hux trailed off.

'What?' Ben asked as they jogged around the small lake in the centre of the park.

'You don't think the girls manipulated us into making this decision, do you?'

They glanced at each other then laughed.

'Nah,' they said in unison as they continued running.

Rey and Rose watched the boys run from the large window in Ben's apartment while they munched on thick slices of toast dripping with butter.

'God, look at Ben's ass in those sweatpants,' Rey said, taking a big bite of her toast.

'No thanks, I've got my own entertainment,' Rose said, her eyes fixed on Hux's muscular shoulders in his fitted vest.

The girls looked at each other and laughed. They watched quietly for a while, each deep in thought.

'Rey, is there something you want to tell me?' Rose said gently.

Rey finished her toast and wiped her mouth. 'I'm cracking honey, I don't think I can do this anymore. I want to tell Ben everything. I think… I think I love him.'

Rose let out a breath and dropped her toast onto her plate. 'Oh my god, I'm so happy you said that! I feel the same way! I love Hux so much, I don't want to lie to him anymore.'

The two girls hugged each other.

'So, we tell them everything,' Rose said.

'Yes, we tell them everything and we hope that they're okay with it and if they throw us out on our asses then it's no big deal. Not like we haven't been down before,' Rey replied.

Rose hugged her harder and sighed. 'We've never been down and broken hearted before though.'

'That's true…'

They held each other in silence for a while.

'Why did we have to go and fall in love, Rey?'

'I don't know. The scam was working perfectly.'

'Was it though? Or were we just fooling ourselves?' Rose said quietly.

'I don't want to answer that on the grounds that I might incriminate myself,' Rey muttered.

Rose giggled and pulled away. 'Okay, let's get ready to face the music.'

'Together?' Rey said, holding out her hand.

'Together,' Rose said, taking her hand.

When Ben and Hux returned from their run, Rose and Rey were waiting for them.

'We need to talk,' Rey said.

They all entered Hux's apartment. The girls sat down and held hands. They relayed the entire story, leaving nothing out.

'I've been an orphan since I was six. Rose since she was eight. We met in a children's home, but we both hated it. So, we escaped as soon as we could. I think I was thirteen and Rose was fifteen when we left?' Rey glanced at Rose who nodded in agreement.

We've lived on the street on and off since. Hustling and conning for money. When we found out the apartment upstairs was going to be empty it was such a stroke of luck, we couldn't pass it up.'

'So, your Aunt doesn't own the apartment?' Ben asked.

Rey shook her head. 'No, we found out it was going to be empty completely by accident and took advantage of the situation. Now the owner wants the apartment back so we're being forced to leave.'

'And we don't have anywhere else to go because we don't actually have jobs or any money,' Rose confessed.

'So, you used us to get what you needed,' Hux concluded.

'No!' Rose cried. 'Well, yes. That was the plan but…'

'But that's why we're telling you everything. The plan has changed,' Rey added.

'Why?' Ben said.

Rey looked up at him with vulnerable eyes. 'Because I'm in love with you,' she told him. Ben looked down at her. 'And I'm not saying that to manipulate you, I'll walk out of here right now if you want me to, but I hope you'll let me stay and make it up to you. I promise.'

Rose looked at Hux with tears in her eyes. 'And I love you, I do Hux, truly, please don't hate me.'

The room was uncomfortably silent for a few beats.

'So… what do you think?' Rey asked looking up at Ben.

Hux and Ben stood in front of them. Ben folded her arms over his chest. Hux mirrored the action. Ben ran a hand through his hair. 'I think I need to have a word with Hux outside.'

The two boys headed outside of the apartment and closed the door.

Rose turned to Rey. 'Shit, do you think this is bad?'

Rey shrugged. 'Maybe. I don't know.'

'Well whatever happens, I'm glad we told the truth.'

'Me too, it feels right,' Rey agreed.

They waited nervously for the boys to return.

'Do we have a backup plan?' Rose asked.

'Full frontal nudity?' Rey offered. The girls laughed and then went back to anxiously watching the apartment door.

Outside the door, the boys checked their watches.

'Has it been long enough do you think?' Hux asked.

'Not yet, let's let them stew a bit longer,' Ben replied.

Hux looked longingly at the door.

'Hey, I'm as keen as you are to get back in there, but we can't let them get off that easily. We cannot encourage this kind of behaviour,' Ben said.

Hux nodded. 'I know, but I just don't care. I don't care what Rose has done or what they were trying to do to us. She said she loved me, Ben. No girl has ever told me she loved me before. I'm about ready to burst over here.'

'We can't let them walk all over us.'

Hux snorted. 'She can leave footprints on my chest for all I care, and I know you feel the same way about Rey, so what the fuck are we doing out here?'

Ben glanced at the door. 'Fuck it, let's go back in there.'

The boys re-entered the apartment. Rey and Rose stopped whispering and looked suitably guilty. Ben stood in front of them with his arms folded.

'Okay, we've deliberated over this and we've decided what we want to do.'

The girls nodded their heads and looked fearful.

'We're going to do nothing,' Ben said casually.

Rey blinked. 'What?'

'I said we're going to do nothing,' Ben repeated.

'That is, we don't want anything to change,' Hux interjected.

'You mean, you forgive us?' Rose asked. Hux came towards her and crouched in front of her, taking her hands in his.

'No, I don't forgive you, Rose, because there's nothing to forgive. What's the crime here? Wanting a roof over your head and food in your stomach? Hell, if you had told me that from day one, I probably would have moved you into my apartment a whole lot earlier. I love you, Rose. I'd do anything for you.'

Rose sobbed and hugged Hux to her, cradling his cheeks with her hands and pressing her lips to his.

Rey smiled at them, then looked up at Ben. He held out his hand and she placed hers in his. He helped her off the couch.

'Are you sure you're okay with this? Are you okay with the fact that I'm not the squeaky-clean girl next door you thought I was?'

'Will you still scrunch up your nose when I try to feed your vegetables?' Ben asked, pulling her into his arms.

Rey smiled as she gravitated towards him. 'Yes.'

'Will you still giggle when I tickle your neck?'

'Yes.'

'Will you still…'

Rey cut him off with a kiss.

'The answer is yes, and the answer will always be yes, because I love you, Ben Solo.'

'And I love you, Rey Johnson.'

They kissed again.

'I love you, Rose Tico,' Hux murmured against her lips.

'I love you, Armitage Hux,' she whispered back.

The couples broke apart and looked at each other. There was such a strong jovial feeling of love in the room, no one could be unaffected by it.

'Shall we go for brunch?' Rey asked with her arms around Ben. Her head against his chest.

'Didn't you just eat?' Ben asked.

'And your point would be?' Rey replied.

Rose and Hux looked at each other with a knowing smile.'Give us an hour,' Rose said, not taking her eyes off Hux.

Ben grinned. 'Just an hour?' he said, taking Rey's hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss it before leading her to the door.

'We're going to need two,' he said with a smug face.

Hux stood up. 'Well we're going to need three,' he called after them.

The girls both laughed as Ben and Rey left.

'Will you two ever get along?' Rey asked as she reached up to kiss Ben in the hallway.

'Probably not, but there is one thing we can agree on, we are the luckiest men alive to have found girls like you and Rose.'

Rey smiled. 'I think we're the lucky ones to have found you two,' she reached up to stroke his cheek with tears in her eyes. 'Everybody needs good neighbours.'