A/N: Soooo just as promised. A story about Ben being an idiot! This is literally just Idiot from Ben's POV. It's nothing crucial, but I thought it would be fun to explore Ben's thinking during all this mess, and also show some of the behind-the-scenes lawyer thing with Hux to show the resolution of that. Anyway! Enjoy! R&R!
Idiot: Ben
Chapter 1: Insensible
Ben had never been one to catch any kind of hints. He was very straight-forward, so this beating-around-the-bush approach was lost on him. He didn't understand why people would do that. Just get to the point and be done with it. But he also realized that there just some people that used that because they lacked courage to say it straight like him. And that was fine, too, because with some people, it worked out. His father wasn't that type of man, though. Neither was his mother. Both of them were straight people. They said it like it was. His mother had a way to tell it like it was, but also being polite and diplomatic about it, but his father... Ben got his brashness from his father. It was an ongoing thing between the two of them. Butting heads, making up...
He'd been in and out of everyone's lives. He didn't consider himself as a transient person, but he just didn't know what he really wanted in life. He had no purpose. He didn't really have anyone to care for, nor anyone to care for him. He had moved out at a young age, but he still worked with his father's company, Solo Parts Delivery. He'd learned the ins and outs from his father, which wasn't really saying much because Ben had discovered shortly into it that Han didn't really know much either. Ben was left to figure it out. Leia helped, offering suggestions on how to deal with people and the work ethic of each person. He'd gotten his business smarts from his mother. His mother was an amazing woman. Though she was too busy with her own work, she still attempted to make time, even if it was only sparing a few words every couple of weeks.
He had come into contact with his family member: Poe Dameron. He'd learned that they were cousins, though how he didn't know. They were total opposites and they were so far apart that they might as well not have even been related to begin with. Either way, he was his cousin. Ben had often contacted Poe to put him up for a while when Ben was feeling overly stressed. It was his getaway project. A place where Ben could relax and not worry about things and collect his thoughts. And this time would be no different. He'd hang with Poe, get his mind off of that infernal redheaded moron that was bent on destroying his life, clear his head, and come back a different person. That was his routine that he'd fallen into recently. He was comfortable enough with it that it wasn't posing a problem.
Until this time.
Things had gone off normally. He'd contacted Poe, told him he was looking to come for a little while, and Poe agreed. He hadn't worked out any living arrangements for the time he was there, but he would work it out as he always did. He'd probably end up staying with Poe again. Last he heard he had a three bedroom apartment and was maybe looking to get a roommate, but he wasn't sure how that worked out for him. He supposed he would find out when he got there. Poe met him at the airport on time and the two quickly got their formalities out of the way. They quickly made it out of the airport and to Poe's car. "Hey, so, we're going to a movie tonight with some friends," Poe said with his usual arrogant smirk.
Ben sighed in frustration. All the times he's seen movies with Poe, they've been so predictable. And annoying. And, frankly, not worth the money spent to see them. "Every movie you pick sucks."
"Friends picked this one," he said with a grin again.
"What are we seeing?" Ben asked with a huff, really just wanting to get home and go to sleep. He had some major jet lag and just wanted to go to sleep.
"You'll see when we get there." Ben only rolled his eyes in silence. He leaned his head against the door and closed his eyes. This was going to be a long night...
"We're here!" Poe said after a while, jarring Ben awake as he rubbed his eyes. He took a quick survey around to see where he was and sighed when he remembered he was seeing a movie tonight. Great... they were at the theater. "Hurry up. There's someone I want you to meet!" Poe said with a mischievous grin on his face. One that Ben always hated.
He got out of the car and stretched for a brief moment, then made his way behind Poe to the theater line. He watched as Poe made his way up to a girl and had to suppress a sigh of irritation at his womanizing ways, just as Zorii said. The scene unfolded much differently, however. Instead of the girl swooning at how close Poe was to her when he greeted her, she landed a punch square on his jaw! His eyes widened a fraction, but he was mildly impressed at the woman's strength. She actually sent Poe reeling! He had to bite back a laugh as Poe nursed his jaw, laughing nervously. He was clearly embarrassed at how strong the girl hit him. And then... he heard her voice.
"Oh, Poe! I'm sorry!" she said as she ran to him and tried to look at the damage she'd caused. Ben felt a small pang of disappointment. Maybe this was his girlfriend? Had he given up on Zorii then? Either way, she was off limits. Sad... he really was hoping to get to know more about this woman that showed such fearlessness in striking a man that had gotten too close to her.
"Your punches still hurt, Rey. Good aim though," Poe said with a laugh. Rey... so that was her name. As he considered the woman in front of him, he decided the name fit her well. She was so bright and cheery. Her personality was infectious. It was like it was difficult to be upset around her, or with her.
Ben then took note of how Poe seemingly embarrassed her. There was a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks, which was all the more attractive. He quickly shook that thought out of his head, realizing he was forming an attachment and a longing for someone else's woman. Especially his cousin's no doubt. "Well, I've told you about sneaking up behind me..." she said with mild irritation.
Poe did have a bad habit of doing that, Ben recalled. Zorii had landed a few hits on him as well for the exact same thing. Poe laughed again, shrugged and held a hand out to introduce him. "Rey, this is Ben, my cousin."
Her eyes went to him. It was as if she noticed him for the first time. She probably did, with the little exchange between the two of them going on. He noticed how she was dressed and she looked rather nice. She looked as if she were dressed for a date, which wouldn't surprise him, since she was obviously dating her cousin. But she looked nice. Blue button up shirt, skinny jeans, tan boots that went to her calf... She was beautiful. Not sleazy as most women he knew dressed. She was dressed modestly, as if she were one of those girls that didn't appreciate the attention. Her hair was interesting, too, he had to admit. Not many girls made three buns look good, but she did. And it was refreshing to see that, finally, a girl wasn't loaded down with as much makeup to rival a clown. "Uh... nice to meet you, Ben."
Had he made her uncomfortable? Had she noticed him staring at her? Why was he staring at her? He refused to be a homewrecker. He had to detach himself. He was getting a little too interested. He nodded at her and glanced over at the movies, as if scanning to see what ridiculous films were playing. "What movie are we seeing?" His voice came out a little rougher than he wanted it to, but he was here to get the night over with so he could go to sleep. He would think more clearly when he had some sleep, surely.
"Well... we originally were going to see the rom-com, which is what we have tickets for..." Poe answered.
Ben couldn't hold back his snort of displeasure. "I knew coming to a movie with you was a bad idea..." And it just proved to be. A rom-com? Seriously?! Poe was keeping him from sleep for that!?
"Hey! It was Rose's idea; not mine."
He severely doubted that... And as if on cue, Rey started speaking again. "But you went along with it," she said, crossing her arms and shooting out her hip with her sass in full effect. He thought it was actually endearing. "It seems you're outnumbered."
He then looked over at her, realizing that she'd teamed up with him. He turned his sight back to the movies and started scanning again. He figured it was better than what else was playing. At least this one had a small chance of being somewhat funny. "Well... there's no sense in spending more money, right? We might as well go watch it since it's already paid for..." There was the defense again... Poe knew what he was doing. Ben hated being a third wheel... He hated it so much. And he hated it even more now since Rey was somewhat attractive and intriguing to him.
He watched said girl follow his cousin and begrudgingly followed them as well. He really didn't want to be here. He didn't want to see this stupid movie that he knew would be cliche as all get out. And he certainly didn't want to be in the middle of whatever romance these two had going on. They got their tickets, went inside, got concessions, and went into the theater. Poe, as usual chose the aisle seat. Ben didn't want to sit next to him, so he sat a seat away from him. Besides, she would probably want to sit next to her boyfriend... That left a sour taste in his mouth. She didn't look like the type Poe usually went for.
Why was he wasting time thinking about this irrelevance!? She sat down between them with the huge tub of popcorn. The deal was that whoever sat in the middle dealt out the popcorn. Ben surely wasn't going to do that. He heard her sigh as the previews came on. Finally, someone that had a brain to hate this stuff as much as he did. Poe would always play along, but he was strangely silent today. Was it because he knew that this girl didn't like it either? Come to think of it, they weren't very affectionate either... And what about Zorii? Had he given up on her?
Again, wasting his time on this stupid consideration of their love lives. He angrily grabbed a handful of popcorn, set it in his shirt, and leaned back, attempting to find some semblance of comfort in these annoying seats. As if his time couldn't get more annoying, his idiot cousin spoke. "So, how long are you down for this time?"
Ben shrugged where he was sitting. "Probably a month..." Though with you two suffocating me with this mess, maybe less.
"Ah. You got a place to stay?" Poe asked, still not looking at him. Ben assumed he was playing the trivia part in his head.
"Figured I'd get a hotel," Ben replied.
His cousin was silent for a moment. After what seemed like three previews, Poe said, "Well... you're welcome to stay with us."
That caught his attention. He looked over at Poe. "Us?" he questioned.
Rey was the one to answer, a quick shrug. "We're roommates. But this idiot stays gone most of the time, trying to woo Zorii."
Ben snickered then, unsure if it was out of relief or true mirth. Wait, relief? All right, this was ridiculous. He didn't even know anything about this woman. He had to cut himself off. "Ah... Zorii... Still?"
"Shut up, man! At least I have a love interest!"
Ben shrugged quietly. "No one worthy yet to be interested in."
"Amen!" Rey said as she stuffed her mouth full of popcorn. So... she was the same then. At least they had something in common.
He saw the grin his cousin gave. "Anyway... the offer is there. There's three bedrooms. We got an extra and plenty of space. I'm gone most of the time-"
"And I'm usually at work or in my room anyway," Rey finished as she stuffed more popcorn into her mouth. He didn't know what to say to this. Surely, she wasn't interested in this terrible preview? He remained silent, mulling over the option. "So many stupid movies coming out..."
"Choice is yours, man," Poe said as he settled back in to watch the movie that even he seemed less enthused about.
Ben considered it for a moment and nodded. "I'll think about it." He let his eyes glance over to Rey again. She wasn't dating Poe, but they were roommates? Were they friends with benefits? He shook that thought out of his head. She didn't strike him as that sort of girl. He grabbed another handful of popcorn and settled in. And just as he did, another preview came on. Utterly cliche. Girl goes through a bad breakup, yawn. Oh, look! A boy helps her through it! Never saw that coming. And look, something even more unexpected! They get together! Wow, so much originality! And what more original thing can they put in it besides an opposing family? "How many more times are they going to make a Romeo and Juliet themed movie?" he sighed as he stuffed some more popcorn into his mouth.
He felt eyes on him and prepared to defend himself. No doubt she'd chastise him for complaining, but the exact opposite happened. "My thoughts exactly." He glanced over at her then. Their eyes locked and it seemed... right. Like everything was aligning in such a way that he could find himself wanting to spend more time with this woman. He looked away with a small grin. Maybe this night wasn't so bad after all. He had someone to complain about the terrible movies with! He usually didn't get along well with anyone, but this girl... For some reason, it was so natural with her.
Finally, the real movie started. And Ben was so much less enthused about this thing from the previews that preceded it. If the previews had anything to say about how the movie was going to be, he didn't hold out hope for anything. The minutes dragged on and Ben was so bored that he felt his fatigue catching up with him. He was so ready to sleep. He started to nod off before he heard her scoff next to him. And then he heard what she said. "Bet ya that's the wicked stepmother bent on breaking them up," she whispered, seemingly leaning closer to him.
He grinned at that and kept focused on the show. "And the sister that claims to support them, while secretly trying to steal the lead guy." He saw her grin at that. He knew this was a game, and it was interesting to see where this was going. Then, at the same time, they said, "And the best friend that's hopelessly in love with the lead girl." They looked at each other then and grinned. Then he heard the best sound he'd heard all night: her laughter. It was like music to his ears. A delicate melody that only played when prompted by the right stimulus. He decided he rather liked the sound. It suited her. Delicate, airy, yet bold. He turned his sight back to the movie, not wanting to get his hopes up on such a sound that meant nothing.
"Cut it out, guys!" his cousin hissed, barely above a whisper.
Ben didn't fail to notice the amusement in his voice though. Who did he think he was fooling? Ben could hear it all over him. Her laughter broke his thoughts and he leaned closer to Rey to speak across her to Poe. "Worried we'll spoil it for you, Dameron?" he teased. He didn't fail to notice how stiff she'd gotten from his close proximity.
Poe scoffed and Ben could have sworn he saw a tint to Rey's cheeks, but maybe it was just the darkness playing tricks on him. "Hardly."
Not wanting to make things more awkward, he leaned away and apologized so only she heard. "Sorry."
She smiled at him. She actually smiled at him. No chastising, no yelling, no belittling... "Sorry. Bubble," she said with a laugh.
He could tell she was trying to let it go, and that he'd made her uncomfortable with how close he was to her so unexpectedly. Not wanting to make it worse, he only nodded his understanding. "Bubbles are important." He couldn't contain the mirth he tried to hide in his eyes. She really was so amusing. Definitely not like other girls. She was nothing like Phasma, who he worked with on occasion. Sort of like his mother, but different in a way. And definitely more carefree than Zorii, who was a little stuck up sometimes. She was interesting to say the least. He felt her lightly punch his arm, a small grin on her face to show she was playing. Ben couldn't hold it in anymore. He grinned. He knew it had been a while since he was smiling this much. He was working his butt off with his dad and the Ren brothers. He just didn't have the luxury of being carefree. He was being groomed to take over the company. He knew it. He knew his dad was done and ready to retire. And he was ok with that. It was just a lot of work and responsibility.
"Cut it out, lovebirds," Poe teased as he grabbed more popcorn.
Ben didn't mind the teasing. He knew Poe was only doing what Poe does best; tease. Ben was surprised that Poe didn't have his own sitcom, really. Poe was excellent at situational awareness and timely joke to diffuse pretty much anything. This time, he saw Rey blush. Did this seriously embarrass her? Why be embarrassed? It wasn't like she liked him or anything. Sure, he was starting to feel something for her, but he knew not to ever take anything Poe said to heart. Unless it was a serious situation and Poe decided to be serious, which was few and far between. Either way, Ben chose to not acknowledge it and roll his eyes.
The rest of the movie was pretty much spent in silence. Ben was mentally calling everything that would happen, unsurprisingly being right every single time. And then, when he decided it couldn't get even more cliche, another cliche happened. They confessed their undying love for each other. He scoffed at that as the characters were making plans to get married. So stupid... So- "So unrealistic," Rey said out of nowhere.
He tutted his tongue and grabbed more popcorn. "Completely unreasonable," he agreed, silently wondering how she knew what he was about to say, but quickly brushing it off, choosing not to overthink a coincidence.
"They've known each other for, what, a week?"
"Yeah, and they've supposedly known they've loved each other from the get-go?" He couldn't contain his eye roll. That earned him another smile, he noticed. Given, he saw it out of the corner of his eye, but he still couldn't deny that it happened. It was rather interesting to have finally met someone that was as good at calling the stupid movies like he was. He would even dare to say that this was actually really fun! Poe would always get so annoyed with him for calling the next event in the movie, so Ben made it a habit to always keep his mouth shut, but his fatigue was clearly affecting his filter. And he was certainly glad it was. Otherwise, he wouldn't know if Rey was the same.
Before he knew it, the movie was over after that one particularly cliche scene. Poe was the first to stand, a pleased sigh escaping him as he smirked at the two of them. "That was a good movie."
To his surprise, Ben and Rey both rolled their eyes together. "If you're into predictable love stories," Rey said, getting to her feet as well. He was about to stand, too, but he heard her phone hit the ground. He looked at the floor, scanning for the forgotten object and bent over to get it before getting to his feet, too. He handed it back to her without a word, earning him another smile. "Thanks, Ben."
As she took it, her fingers grazed his, eliciting a spark between them that neither one of them had a chance to acknowledge before Ben nodded and saw Poe staring at them, that familiar look on his face that he hated so much. That was the look that Poe made when he knew something was going to happen. And he was never wrong... "Wipe that look off of your face, Dameron."
Her sight went to Poe then, having not noticed him before. Why was she so distracted? "Don't look like that! Every time you have that look, you get us in trouble. Don't even think about it!" Ben couldn't help but smirk at that. Poe was famous for getting people in trouble with his looks. But Ben was sure that she had misinterpreted this one. This one was the look that he made when he knew something was going to happen between two people. He only got it every once in a while, but he wasn't wrong. He knew Rose and Finn would get together. It was the weirdest thing.
Poe snickered and put his hands up defensively. "All right, all right. Who's hungry?" They left the theater and piled in their respective vehicles: Rey in hers and Poe and Ben in Poe's. It was a silent drive all the way to the restaurant. Ben was exhausted and Poe was still smirking the whole time. Ben paid him no mind. They found their places at the restaurant, Rey across from the two men, and Ben just ordered some soda. He didn't really want to eat. He filled up on popcorn at the movie. He was just ready to go home... wherever that was... The other two ordered their food and they all sat in silence afterwards. "You two seem to have gotten along tonight," Poe commented with a grin.
Rey's attention snapped from her phone to look at Poe. Was she glaring at him? He found it rather comical. She knew as well as he did what his cousin was attempting to do. "Ben's nice," she said simply.
Ben didn't know what else to say besides, "She's ok," without Poe prodding and pushing more. Ben and Rey exchanged a glance very briefly before they looked away.
Poe, at it again, cleared his throat and stood from his seat. "Well... I'm heading to the bathroom." Of course he was. He was trying to play matchmaker, which wasn't necessary. He hated it when his cousin decided to interfere with things. He was fine not getting attached to the girl. He was going back in a month anyway, so what was the point?
He heard her sigh as she looked at him, earning his attention. "You know he's trying to-"
"Yep," he bit back, annoyance showing in his very tone and demeanor. He couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't be so aggravated, but he was.
"Do we put off that air-"
"Nope."
"Should we mess with him?" she said with a grin.
He paused then. He looked at her, studying her demeanor. Sure, he thought she was used to messing with Poe, but was she really suggesting something so bold to increase the torture? Then again, he supposed it wouldn't hurt. He was more annoyed with the fact that he was being pushed together with a woman he hardly knew, rather than the fact that he wanted to be with her, but didn't want to pursue it. After a minute, he shrugged. "He'd never let it go." Last chance to back out...
She only shrugged and smirked at him. "It would be worth it. I mean, he's still alive, isn't he?"
He scoffed at that. "Define alive..." By alive, did she mean that he was a functioning adult? Sure. By alive, did she mean he was smart? Uh, no.
"I haven't killed him yet, and I live with him."
Simple answer. He liked it. He nodded in response. "What do you have in mind?"
She only grinned at him and scooted over. With a nod of her head, he quirked a brow at her. Was she wanting him to sit next to her? He supposed that was simple enough. He got up and moved next to her, resuming his comfortable position with his arm flopped over the back of the booth. He glanced over at her then. "Now just look like we've been having a pleasant conversation."
He raised a brow again. "Have we not?" Weren't they having a pleasant conversation already? They weren't arguing, and he wasn't being snide as usual. And she wasn't a jerk or a snooty woman. He had found their exchanges very pleasant. Not at all annoying.
She softly laughed next to him, shrugging nonchalantly. "Whole night's been pleasant."
His thoughts exactly. Tonight was a very pleasant surprise. He had expected friends of Poe's to be party animals or obnoxious, but she was a very pleasant opposite. Not only was she not obnoxious, but she was quick-witted and charming. He nodded his agreement. However, before he could say anything, Mr. Obnoxious returned. Oh, and the look they received from him was priceless. "Uhhh... what did I miss?"
He only looked up at Poe. "Nothing, why?" Innocent enough of a question. Did he think he was missing something? Sometimes his brain was more sarcastic than he expected.
"Because..." Poe said, pointing at the two of them. "You're sitting next to her... with your arm around the booth... like a couple...?"
Rey and Ben shrugged in unison. "I'm more comfortable over here," he said nonchalantly, as if it weren't a big deal at all.
Poe's jaw dropped. He sat down and just stared at the two of them, as if he were trying to put together something that wasn't there. "I'm so lost..." he finally admitted.
Ben and Rey exchanged a glance. Then Rey broke character first and started to laugh. Ben dropped his arm with a small smirk. "We're just messing with you, Poe," she said with a cute wink.
Apparently, this only confused Poe more because he grabbed at his hair in confusion. "What-"
"You like to make things up that aren't there, so Rey got the idea to mess with you. Apparently, it worked." A little too well. Rey and Ben high-fived. When their food came, they ate in silence. Ben didn't feel the need to leave her side yet, as it truly was a bit more comfortable over here next to her. He only got up when they were leaving. He wouldn't dare tell her that sitting next to her was one of the most enjoyable perks of the night.
