"It looks like it needs stiches to me, Rey."
"I'm fine, Finn. It's nothing."
"I don't know. Seriously, at least go to a doctor—"
"I'll put disinfectant and a Band-Aid on it when I get home, okay?" Rey finally snapped.
They drove in silence for a few tense seconds. Silence punctuated by low, angry growls from the back seat.
"You're going to need like—twenty Band-Aids," Finn told her.
Rey expelled an exasperated breath. She looked down at her right hand, which was completely wrapped in white gauze and recalled the last hour.
"By the Maker, why is everything so expensive?" Rey hissed. Pushing a shopping cart, she followed Hux down nearly every damn isle in the pet shop and watched as he just kept adding more and more stuff into the basket. "Do I really need all this? He's just a small cat."
At her comment, Hux turned around and pinned her with his shockingly blue eyes. "Well, you've never owned a cat before. They don't just need some food and a place to do their business. Along with the actual litter box, cat litter, food, and bowls, you're going to need medicine for fleas, special cleaning supplies for their messes, treats, toys, some kind of scratching post so they don't destroy your furniture, a carrier to take them to vet appointments—"
Rey held up a hand to stop him, looking queasy. "Alright, I get it. Just—throw it all in here."
Finn had been surprisingly silent after Rey's declaration that she would be taking the cat. He had even been the one to grab the cart and fling the dogfood for BB-8 on the bottom of it. He now spoke up as he trailed behind the pair.
"So—why are you getting a cat all of a sudden?" he asked. "Did you have some sort of way-too-early midlife crisis and decide you may as well become a crazy cat lady in your twenties?"
Rey punched him in the shoulder, though she was unable to suppress a slight smile.
"That cat is—was—my neighbor's. I thought he had gone to a relative or something. But—apparently not," she admitted.
"And that's your problem how?" Finn asked, rightfully confused. Rey was a free agent and she liked it that way. She enjoyed looking after BB-8 on the rare occasion that both Finn and Poe went out of town, but she had never expressed the desire for a pet of her own.
Rey simply shrugged at his question. "It's not, but…" she sighed. "I don't know. I just know that I have to take him. I mean—its been months. I've no idea how long he's been at the shelter—"
"A while," Hux interjected. The redhead paused pulling some medicine off a shelf to address Rey, "He's been in here several times in the last couple months. The shelter is no-kill, but they haven't had any luck in getting anyone even remotely interested in him."
Rey gave Finn a look. It was a look he knew all too well.
She was getting this cat.
"I'm not getting him for you," Hux told her. His arms were crossed squarely over his chest. They had finally finished gathering and purchasing all the supplies and filling out the necessary paperwork. All they needed now was the cat. "I'm telling you—he's a monster. Bit and scratched me more times than I can count and all I was doing was putting in food or scooping the box. Nothing like my Millicent, who is so well behaved. In fact, there is this trick that I taught Millicent to do where—"
Rolling her eyes, Rey tuned out the store employee and glanced over at Finn, who put up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Nuh-uh. Your cat. Emphasis on your. As in, not mine. As in-," he began.
"Alright, alright!" Rey cut her friend off. She sighed and went down to her knees. Ben had retreated to his corner again. Only this time his eyes were already open and staring right at her.
Defiant.
"Come on, then," she called, reaching out to him.
His eyes narrowed.
It had been a battle of wills, but Rey had succeeded in stuffing a very unhappy cat into the newly-purchased cat carrier. Within seconds of shutting the gate, a very low and menacing series of growls had begun emanating from the carrier.
"By the Maker, Rey—Your hand!" Finn exclaimed.
Rey looked down and winced.
Hux was beside her with a First-Aid kit in an instant. Within a minute he had her hand cleaned and (a bit excessively) bandaged.
"Congratulations," he deadpanned, holding out a sheet of paper to her. "He's all yours."
Rey took the paper. The document declared that she was officially Ben Solo's new owner.
"Thanks," she had muttered. Pressing the paper into Finn's chest, she picked up the carrier with her good hand (which earned a tidal wave of protesting yowls) and walked out of the pet store.
"So what are you going to do with him when you get home?" Finn asked.
Rey looked up from where she had her nose buried in her phone. She had been Googling everything there was to know about owning a cat for the duration of their drive.
"This website, PAWS, says that I should let him out in one room at a time or something and let him get adjusted. It also says that I should take him out of his carrier and show him where the litter box is—"
Finn guffawed and shot her a look.
"—Yeah, I figure I'll let him come out on his own. It's not a big place. Ben will find the box himself."
"Good idea," Finn said, an edge of amusement in his voice. Then he seemed to recall something.
"By the way—are you still going to call him that?" he asked.
"Huh?" she glanced up from her rapid-fire Googling.
"Ben?" Finn questioned.
"Is something wrong with it?" Rey looked a bit confused.
Finn shrugged. "Not really. I mean—I guess he doesn't really strike me as a Ben. But it's up to you."
"I'll think about it," Rey muttered, going back to her research.
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read, commented, and saved this story! I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who this wacky idea appeals to. Look forward to Ben's introduction to his new home in the next chapter!