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"A large White Hot Cocoa for a Patrick!" Rey shouts as she leans over the counter, holding out the drink. The only customer is the cafe steps forward and takes the drink from her with a quiet thank you. As he leaves, the doors closing behind him, Rey sits up on the counter with her legs swinging back and forth and grins at Ben, who's at the till. 

"What?" Ben groans deeply, leaning against the showcase. Before Rey can answer him, Ben adds, "Actually don't answer that; I already know what you're going to say and no. I don't know if Hux is going to come by today."

Sticking her tongue out, Rey's grins only widens. "Yeah but I bet that if he does you'll be real happy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now get off the counter, you need to clean up that syrup you spilled before one of us slips on it." Ben scowls at his cousin but does feel his heartbeat momentarily speed up when he hears the door open and looking up, sees the familiar red-haired man enter. As she hops off the counter, Rey clicks her tongue, snapping finger-guns at Ben. Ignoring her, Ben smiles up at Hux, "Hey, what are you getting today?" He asks, despite already knowing his order by heart. An extra large, or venti, black coffee. No cream or sugar.

And sure enough, "Can I get an extra large black coffee. Plain, no sugar or cream. I know it's five to nine already but I got held up tonight, thanks for letting me in." Hux says, returning Ben's smile gently as he taps his fingers against the counter.

Nodding, Ben punches the order in while saying that's no problem and that technically they're not closed yet, accepting Hux's card when he asks for it. As their fingers brush, Ren feels his heart start beating even faster. Swallowing, he licks his lips as he turns to grab an extra-large cup to give it to Rey. Hux mutters his thanks to Ben before moving to the side, waiting for his drink. Ben takes this moment to stare at Hux, more specifically, his hands which are running through his hair, pushing them away out of his eyes before they go to adjust the collar of his jacket. Ben is still staring, imagining what those fingers would feel like against his skin, when Rey clears her throat loudly. Blinking, Ben realizes that both Rey and Hux have turned to look at him. Rey is smirking knowingly while Hux has an eyebrow raised and a bemused look on his face. Turning bright red, Ben mumbles something about zoning out before turning around and pretending to reorganize the cups. 

He can hear Rey laugh from behind him as she hands Hux his drinks with an enjoy. Hux replies that he will and wishes her a good night. As the door opens, Ben hears Hux wish him a good night which makes his hands shake, causing him to drop a small stack of tall cups. Rey's laugh grows and slapping Ben's shoulder, calls him a moron. Before he can say anything, Rey lifts a hand in front of his face, shushing him. "You're a moron because it's obvious to everyone. If anyone else came in five minutes before we closed, you'd have called them a fucker the moment they stepped out. Just ask him out, Ben." Scoffing, Ben tells her to fuck off which again only makes Rey laugh before she disappears into the back to grab the bucket and mop.

"Are you good or do you need a ride today?" Ben asks as he picks up the dropped cups, throwing them into the bin. 

"Yeah if it's alright I need a ride. Both Finn and Poe are working tonight and dad's probably gone to sleep already." Rey calls back before adding, "Where the hell did you put the mop last night?"

A moment passes before she shouts back that nevermind she found it. Ben leans forward, resting his elbows on the counter with a sigh. Rey's not entirely wrong. When Hux does come by it does make him happy and yeah he normally hates people who come in minutes before closing time but Hux is different. He's apologetic about it when it does happen. He knows that people probably know about his crush, his parents and uncle overheard Rey teasing him about it, Finn and Poe came by the day he ran into the door to the back after Hux first wished him a good night and spend the rest of the night making fun of him for his crush. Anyone who's been in the building when Hux is there as well could tell that Ben likes him. 

But Ben will never tell Hux that. He knows nothing about Hux, he doesn't even know what type of name Hux is, who names their child Hux? When he first brought this point up to his friends, Finn reminded him that he once tried to convince people to call him Kylo Ren, which in Poe words is a much dumber name than Hux. He doesn't know how old Hux is, where he works, or if he's even gay? Which, if he isn't, would be a major obstacle in a relationship being able to begin. Rey once helpfully pointed out that if Hux is straight, Ben could be the one who turns him gay, which made Poe burst out laughing, because Ben, making a guy become gay, more like making gay men turn straight and straight girls turn gay. Rey and Finn slapped his head for that while Ben just rolled his eyes at Poe.

A few minute later, Rey emerges from the back with the mop and as she begins to clean, Ben snaps back from his daydream and goes to flips the open sign to close. Ben finishes wiping down the tables, flipping the chairs up and swiping the floor within minutes and leaving Rey to finish cleaning the space behind the counter, he moves to the back to clean the kitchen. It's not that messy. having been cleaned after the last batch of cookies so Ben just cleans the floor and wipes everything down once more before emptying the dishwasher. He hears Rey call from the front that she's done and ready to leave so he locks the back door and grabs two empty boxes. They divide the few items that remain showcase between each other and shutting the lights off, exit through the front door. Rey locks it behind them as Ben begins to walk to his car, turning it on so it can begin to heat up.

As she climbs in, she grabs a cake pop from Ben's box and points it at his check engine light. "That's been on for the last month. When are you going to get it checked out?" She asks.

Ben shrugs, "When my dad wants to. Every time I try to begin up that there's something wrong with this car, he tells me to shut up. He doesn't like people talking trash about his girl, even though it's a piece of trash." He slaps the dashboard as the engine stalls, after a moment it roars back to life and Ben backs out of the parking spot, driving off. Rey occasionally asks for a certain station to be changed to and as they stop at a red light, Ben asks if she and her dad are still coming over tomorrow for dinner but they mostly drive in silence; Ben playing out different scenarios of him asking out Hux and dates they could take each other on. When they get to Rey's house, the lights are all turned off, confirming what Rey guessed. Grabbing her box of leftovers, she gets out of the car and thanks Ben for the ride, telling him she'll pick him up in the morning. Ben shrugs, saying anything for his cousin and waits until he sees Rey get into her house and close the front door before he drives home, still thinking of Hux.

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With his hands in his pocket, Hux hurries down the sidewalk. It's almost nine o'clock and he needs to get one last cup coffee or he'll never make back to his place awake. And he needs to see the boy, whose nametag says Ben, who's working behind the counter at least once more. The lights are still on in The Resistance when he approaches it and through the window, he can see Ben, and the girl who usually works alongside him, talking behind the counter. Praying that the door is unlocked, he pushes against it. It opens. With a sigh of relief, he straightens up and walks up to the counter. He sees the girl smile at him as she hops off the counter she was sitting on before she clicks her tongue and snaps finger-guns at Ben.

Hux sees the muscle in Ben's jaw twitch before he smiles up at Hux, "Hey, what are you getting today?" He asks.

Without needing to think, Hux orders the same thing he always does. "Can I get an extra large black coffee. Plain, no sugar or cream. I know it's five to ten already but I got held up tonight, thanks for letting me in." Tapping his fingers against the counter, he returns Ben smile. 

With a nod, Ben enters Hux's order. "It's not a problem. And it's not yet nine so technically we're not closed yet. Do you have a rewards card?"

Grabbing his wallet from his pocket, Hux pulls his card out and hands it to him. As their fingers brush, Hux feels his heart jump into his throat. Ben's fingers are surprisingly cold for someone who works with hot drinks but are still soft against Hux's. Ben sets the card down on the counter when he's swiped it instead of handing it back to Hux, which slightly disappoints him. Hux sees Ben swallow as he licks his lips and turns away, grabbing a cup. Hux can't stop the thought of what those lips would feel like against his own or his skin from entering his mind. Averting his gaze to the counter as he feels his face begin to burn, he quietly thanks Ben before moving to the side. As a few loose strands of hair fall into his eyes, he brushes them back up before tugging the collar of his jacket up as he tries to make his blush disappear. He sees the girl pause in front of the other side of the counter and looking up to see if she already has his coffee, he finds her staring over at Ben. Turning to look at Ben as well, Hux is surprised to find him at him. Hux raises an eyebrow at Ben while the girl clears her throat, a smirk playing on her lips.

Ben blinks a few times, turning bright red. Hux hears him mumbles, "Sorry, long day, I guess I zoned out," before he turns away and begins fumbling with the cups.

The girl laughs brightly, smiling at Hux who returns it with one of his own. As she hands him her drink, telling him to enjoy, Hux notices that her name tag has the name Rey on it. Unique name but then again Hux can't judge anyone's any name. "Thanks, I will. Have a good night." Hux says before walking over to the door. As he opens it, taking a step out, he looks back over his shoulder and shouts "Have a good night Ben." He looks back through the window in time to see Ben drop the cups he has in his hands which he can see makes Rey laugh and walk over, clapping Ben on his shoulder.

Smiling to himself, Hux walks down to the bus station where he agreed to meet Mitaka at nine-thirty. The younger man's car is already pulled over on the side of the street, running, when Hux gets there. As Hux climbs into the passenger seat, he hears Mitaka coughs quietly. Turning to the boy with a glare, he asks what his problem is. Mitaka shakes his head but Hux can see a smile on his face. Buckling the seatbelt, Hux repeats his questions. Gripping the steering wheel, Mitaka keeps his eyes firmly on the road as he begins driving off.

A couple of minutes pass before Mitaka looks over at Hux and answers. "It's nothing, it's just that you don't really drink coffee and Phasma been coming up with these elaborate theories of why you've suddenly developed a coffee addiction and well. I just think some of them are pretty funny."

"Really?" Hux feigns innocence. He has heard these theories, Phasma comes up with a new one each day and has no problem telling them to Hux's face. However, none have come close yet.  "What theories do you find so amusing, Mitaka?"

"Well, the one she told us today is that there's a barista there who you've developed a crush on and that's why you're going multiple times a day. It started just to see him but now you've actually become addicted to caffeine so you do need the coffee." Mitaka shrugs. Well, none of have come close except for this one. Mitaka looks down at the cup that Hux has his hands tightly wrapped around and starts laughing. "Oh man, Phasma's right isn't she?" He grins at Hux, who's glad at the inside of his car is dark enough that Mitaka can't see the blush that's crawling up his neck and across his face.

"Remember your place, Mitaka." Is Hux's only response but it does nothing to stop Mitaka's laughs. Hux resigns himself with a roll of his eyes and lifts the cup to his mouth.

Phasma isn't wrong. It began because one morning he saw Ben through the window on his way to work and wanted to see him up close so he entered the building. Not likely sugary drinks or not sure if their teas would be sweet, he settled on a plain coffee. He started only by going in the morning but soon he would feel his energy drop in the afternoons so he started dropping by around 3 but as the weeks went by he started going in the evenings when he had to stay late and before he realized it he was there about 3 times a day, at least 2. Hux is sure that he could drop his caffeine addiction within a couple of days if he stopped going there and he knows that without the caffeine doesn't help him get his work done faster or whatever which leaves Ben as the only reason that he's still going there. He doesn't even like the taste of coffee.

He remains thinking about Ben for the rest of the ride, thinking about how when Ben laughs, he puts his whole body into it. Or how he once saw Rey tug on Ben's hair which made him let out a moan that came up in Hux's dreams and fantasies for weeks. He also can't help but think that that's all this is; a dream, a fantasy. There's no way Ben, this carefree, young boy would ever have feelings for Hux. It takes Mitaka holding down the horn to finally snap Hux from his thoughts. Hux thanks Mitaka with a small salute with the now empty cup as he steps out of the chair, carefully closing the door behind him. Mitaka gives him a wink while telling him to have a good night and that he'll see him tomorrow. Hux returns his farewell and watches Mitaka drive off speeding with a small smile. 

As he enters his house, he's greeted with a small meow. Millicent is waiting patiently on the stairwell and as Hux walks into the kitchen to make himself a snack, she eagerly follows him. Rolling his eyes, Hux gives her a piece of ham, giving her ears a small flick before he makes himself a cup of tea. As he sits at his dining table, Millicent jumps to join him and as though she notices his thoughts of loneliness, she presses the top of her head against his shoulder. Stroking her fur, Hux sighs gently, he doesn't even know if Ben is gay. The fact that everytime Hux stops by Ben is working alongside with that Rey girl and the snips of their relationship that Hux has managed to witness all tells him that Ben isn't gay. 

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As Hux leaves his house in the morning, locking his door behind him, he hears Phasma shout a good morning to him from the passenger seat of Mitaka's car. Climbing into the back, he greets Mitaka with a small pat on his shoulder, asking to be dropped off in front of the coffee shop and that he'll walk to work from there. Mitaka looks over at Phasma, who's failing at suppressing her grin. Hux rolls his eyes at the two of them and leans back in the seat, pulling out his phone when it buzzes from inside his pocket. The screen's light up with a text from his father, telling him that he has to cancel dinner again as he's still overseas for work. Hux texts back that it's fine, they'll just have to reschedule when he's back in the city. Secretly, Hux is glad they have to cancel dinner. He's fine not having to see his father for a while longer.

When they arrive at the Resistance, there's not much of a line. Hux can see that Ben and Rey are working behind the counter again, along with another girl who appears to be telling a customer some sort of story, if the grin and the continuous wave of her arms are any indications. Thanking Mitaka for the ride, Hux exits his car, groaning when he hears Phasma's open her door. She thanks Mitaka for the ride as well, stating that she's going to grab a coffee and then walk to work with Hux. Rubbing a hand over his face, Hux suddenly feels exhausted despite the day only just having begun.

As they join the back of the line, Phasma looks over at Ben before smiling knowingly. "So I was right, wasn't I? And that's him?" Hux glares up at her, asking what she means. "Mitaka told me that last night you confirmed my theory while he was driving you home. Perks of getting picked up first in the morning, you get to gossip about your boss."

"You know that I'm not your boss. Snoke is," Hux says as he too looks over at Ben, smiling to himself. Ben's hair is pulled back in a ponytail with a few strands falling into his eyes. "If I were your boss, I could fire you."

Giving Hux's shoulder a small bump with hers, Phasma gently reminds Hux, "Snoke is above you, but you're above most of us. And the only reason you can't fire people anymore is that Snoke revoked that privilege from you after you fired six interns over the course of two days." 

"I was justified in my firing of them. None of them ever worked." Hux scoffs, the thought of being able to give Ben's ponytail a tug briefly jumping into his mind. He can feel his face begin to burn and quickly turns away from Phasma before she can realize. "And Snoke didn't hire them back so clearly I was right."

"Snoke actually did invite them back. They turned the offer down because they were terrified of you. Everyone's scared of you; Mitaka was scared of you when he first started working under you. There's a reason you're known as 'The General' Hux." Under his breath, Hux mutters that he didn't know people call him The General which makes Phasma laugh loudly, earning them sharp looks from the other customers. "Obviously people don't call you that to your face. Do you call Snoke the Supreme Leader to his face? No? Exactly. And you never answered my questions, am I right and is it him?"

Both of them look over at Ben who sees them, flashing them a quick smile before he turns back to the customer he's serving. Nodding, Hux answers, "Yeah you're right and his name is Ben."

"Well, he's not that unattractive, and coming from me that means something." At that statement, Hux snorts. "You going to ask him out?" 

Hux shakes his head, his face still burning up.

"Hey, what can I get you guys?" Ben's voice interrupts Hux from giving Phasma a reply. "Oh hey, Hux." 

"So you're-" Phasma begins to say but is cut off by Hux elbowing her in her side. "Oww, play nice Hux. An extra-large, decaf, soy latte with an extra shot and cream for me, please, Ben. Oh and the name's Phasma." She smiles brightly at Hux before glancing over at Rey, her face going red.

"The usual for me, an extra large black coffee," Hux digs his hands into his pockets, looking for his card. As he hands it to Ben, he sees Phasma's eyes on Rey and laughs which him an elbow of his own into his side. Swiping the card, Ben hands it back with a small smile. "Thanks, have a good day Ben."

He hears Ben mumble a reply as he and Phasma move to the side. "Rey's a pretty girl, isn't she?" Hux comments with a raised eyebrow at Phasma as she's still looking over at Rey, who's fumbling around behind the counter with the other girl. 

"She's pretty than most. Hey, does the other girl looks familiar or is it only me?" Hux focuses more on the other girl, narrowing his eyes when he sees that Phasma's comment has a point. She does look familiar but Hux can't pinpoint why. Hux shrugs, telling her that she agrees. "Cool now back to Ben. Do you know if he's gay or straight? Or bisexual or anything?" 

"I don't really know. I don't know much about him, the fact that his name is Ben is pretty much the only thing that I do know. Couldn't tell you his name, his age, anything." Hux admit, slightly ashamed but Phasma only tells Hux again that he should just ask Ben out. "He's practically a stranger to me Phasma, you don't ask strangers out." 

Raising an eyebrow at Hux, Phasma smirks, "You don't ask strangers out? You sure about that?" When Hux reaffirms his opinion on that, Phasma leans across the counter and calls out, "Hey Rey!"

Rey pauses in her work, looking over at them. Seeing Hux, she waves at the both of them, grinning. "Hey, Hux. What's up?" 

"I think you're attractive, wanna go on a date with me?" Phasma replies. Rey's face turns bright red and she quickly turns away. Ben tilts his head down, whispering something to her as the other girl comes up and pats Rey on the shoulder, smiling. Rey looks back up at Hux and Phasma, nodding and shouts back 'sure'. "Great." 

As Rey, still blushing goes back to her work, Phasma leans against the counter and smirks smugly at Hux. "Rey's a stranger and I just asked her out so what's your point? And now what's your excuse? Ask Ben out, Hux. What's the worst that can happen?" Muttering that Ben could reject him, Hux rubs the back of his head. A small part of Hux's mind pipes up that this at least means Rey and Ben aren't involved but he swallows it down, he and Rey might not be involved but that doesn't mean that he's into other men. Phasma only sighs, rolling her eyes at her friend's behaviour. "Rey could have rejected me; I didn't know if she was straight or gay and I still took the risk. Think about that Hux."

"Hey guys, got your drinks." They take their respected drinks from Rey, both smiling at her while Phasma gives her a wink. 

On their way out, Hux glance over at Ben, who's still at the till, and feels his heart beat faster for a brief moment. He looks back at Phasma who's smiling at her cup, Rey's number scribbled down on the outside. Maybe Phasma does have a point.

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Ben wakes up in morning to the sound of someone pressing down their car horn and to his mother knocking on his bedroom door, shouting that Rey's waiting outside. "No shit," Ben says, his voice muffled by his pillow by he can hear his mother laugh from the other side of the closed door. Getting dressed as he brushes his teeth, Ben gets ready in what would be considered record time. Running downstairs, he grabs his bag from the couch and gives his mother a quick hug, catching an apple tossed at him by his father before he's out the door. Sure enough, Rey's parked at the bottom of the driveway, her hand pressed down on the car horn. "Trying to wake up the entire neighbourhood, are you?" He comments as he climbs in, tossing his bags onto the backseat where Rey's is before pulling his hair up into a ponytail.

"Hey, finally sleeping beauty awakes! Come on, we're late." Rey grins at him, speeding off before Ben can buckle himself in. She nearly wipes out as she turns into the parking lot, their bags falling off the backseat. 

"Jeez, Rey. I have expensive things in my bag and I'm pretty sure you speeded the entire time here." Ben grumbles, grabbing his bag and checking that nothing's broken inside. Rey only replies that they made it on time didn't they. "Shut up, you could've killed us."

"But I didn't." Rey shots Ben a wink over her shoulder as they walk inside. "Hey, Rose." She smiles at their co-worker who's already behind the counter, filling the showcase. 

"Hey, Rey. Ben. How was last night?" Rose replies, smiling at them. Ben gives her a wave in return as he goes into the back to drop his and Rey's bags off and grab their aprons.

Rey stays in the front, helping Rose to start up the coffee machine, telling her that, "Hux dropped by before we closed and Ben turned into a bumbling mess, got caught staring at him and then dropped a stack of cups." From the back, the girls hear Ben shout back that that's not what happened. "That's what happened, Rose. Believe me." Rey winks at her before getting her apron draped over her face as Ben comes back to the front. 

The first two hours go by quietly, university students who are still half asleep heading to their early morning classes who need their caffeine fix or they're going to murder someone and a few adults going to work. It gives Rey and Rose enough downtime to be able to tease Ben over his crush on Hux and for Rey to tell Rose about their monthly family dinners with Finn and Poe. Outloud, Ben wonders why Finn and Poe, despite not being family, are allowed to join their family dinners. Slapping Ben's shoulder, Rey snaps that Finn and Poe are part of their family. 

Around eight, the number of customers begins to increases, enough that their gossiping needs to subside to keep up with the orders. Again at nine, there's a small decrease where the rush doesn't matter as much. Rose is making the drinks alongside Rey while at the same time, telling a customer an exaggerated story about what she did over the weekend, making not only the customer but Rey and Ben laugh. It's then when Ben, through the windows, sees Hux exit a car. Instantly, he feels his mood get better. Another person exits the same car from the front seat and follows Hux into the coffee shop. The front thing Ben notices about her is her height, he knows he's tall and the woman seems to be just as tall as him and then the fact that's she's pretty much pressed up against Hux, smiling at him and laughing. He feels jealousy flood him for a moment and he has to swallow it down, they're not dating. Hux has no idea of what Ben feels for him, he has no right to feel jealous about Hux's potential love life.  He absentmindedly takes the other orders, his mind mostly focused on Hux. Feeling his neck burn, he looks up surprised and slightly nervous to find both Hux and his friend looking at him. He flashes them a quick smile before turning back to the teenager he's helping.

"You going to ask him out?" 

At he hears these, Ben looks up, finding Hux and the woman in front of the till, and he can feel his jealousy grow. But Hux shakes his head, his face turning red and Ben feels his jealousy subside slightly as happiness bursts into his chest. At least he's not going to ask this person out and the 'him' confirms that at least Hux isn't entirely straight.

 However Hux begins to say something, Ben cuts him off with.  "Hey, what can I get you guys? Oh hey, Hux." He adds when the redhead looks at him.

The woman looks down at him and Ben feels as though she can see everything going through his head. "So you're-" She begins to say before Hux elbows her in her side. "Oww, play nice Hux. An extra-large, decaf, soy latte with an extra shot and cream for me, please, Ben. Oh and the name's Phasma." She smiles at Ben before looking over his shoulder. 

"The usual for me, an extra large black coffee," Hux says as his hands go to his pockets. He pulls out his card and hands it to Ben. As Ben looks down at his computer, he hears Hux laugh and has to swallow down the sudden feeling of arousal that pops into his stomach from hearing that laugh. After swiping the card, Ben hands it back to Hux, smiling.

"Thanks, have a good day Ben," Hux says as he takes the card.

Ben mumbles something that even he's not sure is what as Hux and Phasma move to the side. The next customer behind them has to clear her throat to make Ben snap back. Ben apologizes to her before asking for her order. She only smiles gently at him, saying she understands young love which makes Ben blush brightly and duck his head.

He can hear Hux and the woman talking to each other and it takes everything not to make some sort of excuse to walk over and hear what they're saying. As he telling a young girl which frappuccino he'd recommended he hears someone shout, "Hey Rey!" Looking over he sees Phasma leaning across the counter. He looks over Rey who's looking at them, waving as she greets Hux before asking what. "I think you're attractive, wanna go on a date with me?" Phasma replies.

Rey's face turns bright red and she quickly turns away. Ben tells the girl he'll just be a moment before walking over to Rey and whispering to her to not be stupid while Rose comes up to them with a smile and pats Rey on her shoulder while saying she should say yes. As Ben goes back to the till he hears Rey shout back "sure" to which Phasma replies with "great".

Ben finds it hard to go back to work after that without continuing to get distracted by thoughts of Hux. He wishes he could be that confident in asking people out. Just to ask Hux out when he comes in for coffee without having to worry about whether or not he'll be rejected. A small part of his head is telling him that of course, he's going to be rejected. Ben is still an immature boy with a scarred face while Hux is an attractive young man who carries himself with poise; why would someone like Hux go for someone like Ben? For the next two hours there's a steady flow of customers coming and going, a couple of times Rose has to go in front of the counter and clean up the tables. She times she comes back behind the counter, she's mumbling about people too lazy to walk two feet to the trash can. Ben gives her a pat on the shoulder, telling her that he feels the same. Around eleven, he and Rose switch positions; she takes over the till while he goes to help Rey with the drinks.

"Do you even know her?" He asks her as he hands her the bottle of raspberry syrup. 

"No but she's attractive and it's just a date. You should try it sometimes, take a risk." Rey grins up at Ben. Ben only tugs her apron undone before walking away.

Despite it being noon, the number of customers decreases, giving them a breather. Leaning against the counter when there's a complete break in people coming in, Rose brings up Phasma and Hux. "So are you ever going to ask Hux out?"

"Why does everyone ask that. I swear if anyone asks me that dinner tonight, I'll kill someone." He turns to Rey with a pointed glare. "I mean it. And I don't know, maybe someday I'll ask Hux out maybe I won't. But none of you are to ever say anything to him, got it."

Rose and Rey share a look, smiling at each other as the door opens. The three of them look over, Ben groaning while Rey and Rose high-five each other below the counter. Hux is back, this time accompanied by a young man which makes the jealousy flood back into Ren, his chest tightening painfully. Is this the guy Phasma thought Hux should ask out? Oh god, he hopes not because this man is rather attractive.

"Back again?" Rey asks as Rose goes to the till. Hux gives her a small smile, nodding before he tells Rose his usual order. Then he turns to the other man and Ben can hear him ask him what he wants as it's on him this time. The young man has a large smile on his face and is staring up at Hux as though he's his whole world and it's making Ben feel sick. With a clenched jaw, he accepts the cups from Rose, keeping Hux's for himself while passing the second to Rey who looks up at him, rolling her eyes with a knowing grin. He makes Hux's drink quickly, sliding it across the counter. Hux grabs it, giving Ben a smile which helps him feel slightly better until he turns to the other man, Mitaka if Ben heard correctly, with a wider smile before they start talking about mergers or something as they wait for the second drink.

He can't help but watch the way Hux holds himself, leaning against a table in a perfectly fitted black suit with a straight back. Each time, Hux lifts his cup to his mouth Ben finds himself watching the way Hux always licks after he swallows. And the way when he sets his cup down on the table, he taps his fingers against the table for a brief moment before folding his arms over his chest. Ben finds himself wanting to make bruises on Hux's pale skin, high enough that no collar can hide them, mark Hux as his own. He always finds that he wants to throw that Mitaka out on his ass when he laughs, giving Hux's shoulder a small push.

He's glad when Rey comes up behind him and calls out Mitaka's name, handing him his drink with a smile and her usual enjoy.

"Don't choke," Ben grumbles under his breath as Hux and Mitaka walk out. As the door swings closed behind them, he adds, "What kind of name is Mitaka? Sounds stupid." Though the window, he sees Mitaka putting an arm around Hux's shoulder.

"Someone sounds jealous." Rose comments in a singsong voice while at the same time Rey pipes up with, "Bit rich calling someone's name stupid. Kylo Ren."

"First of all, I'm not jealous. Hux can date whoever he wants and secondly, that was two years ago." 

"What makes you think Hux is dating that guy?" Rose asks, genuinely confused. Ben shrugs, telling her that he's honestly not sure except that they appeared very close as he starts to go into the back. "That's not really concrete evidence Ben but whatever I know for a fact that they're not dating."

Ben's whirls around, "How do you know they're not dating?" He shouts, making Rey burst out laughing.

"My sister's internship is at the same place where Dopheld, that Mitaka, works, so I guess that Hux works with him too," Rose says, pausing to think the Hux thing over, "Come to think of it, I think Paige has mentioned Hux before. I just never realized that it was your's Hux; she usually just calls him The General. But anyway Dopheld is like the person she's working alongside with and he's apparently dating this guy in the military, so no, not Hux. I could ask Paige more about Hux if you want me to, like if he's dating anyone. Or if he's gay. I know she would agree to do it; she could be like our double-agent or something." Rose grins up at him. 

Ben isn't surprised to find himself feeling relieved at this news and he's even less surprised that does want Paige to get him information on Hux. 

Chapter Text

Hux's day is boring. The usual paperwork he has to push through at the last minute because interns are idiots and don't know the definition of deadlines and the importance of them. As through Phasma knows Hux is beginning to feel tired, she comes by his office and begins to brag about snagging a date with Rey. Hux rolls his eyes at her, easily managing to ignore her from years of practice as he looks back at his computer, sending Snoke an urgent request for a meeting. Not to be deterred, Phasma just leans over Hux's shoulder and begins to read his email out loud. This goes on for a few minutes until a knock at the door distracts the two of them. Hux turns around in his chair while Phasma steps to the side. Mitaka is leaning against the doorframe, with his jacket over his shoulder, smiling gently.

"Hey Hux, want to go grab some coffee?" Mitaka asks while nodding at Phasma. "The pot coffee here is complete shit and I really need something stronger than that shit. I just spend the last twenty minutes showing a group of interns how to send a fax only for them to tell the machine to make 7,188,004,563 copies of a ten-page document, they only noticed their mistake once twenty-six copies had been made. I'm this close to crying."

"See? Interns are morons. Snoke should just fire all of them." Hux jabs a finger at Phasma. Turning back to Mitaka, he nods, "Yeah, I could use another cup."

Ignoring Phasma's loud comment of "And another look," Hux grabs his jacket and follows Mitaka to the elevators. He knows Phasma is following them so the moment they get into the elevator, Hux slams his hand down on the close button. The doors shut in front of Phasma's smug smirk. Leaning against the wall, Hux rubs a hand over his face in exhaustion before looking up at Mitaka and muttering, "Can you believe her?" as the elevator dings, the doors opening. 

They greet the security on their way out, asking if they want anything. Both secretly glad when neither of the guards requests anything. Stepping outside of the building, a slight breeze meets them, prompting Hux to pull his jacket on. From his office on the 39th floor, Hux can see the Starbucks. It's only three blocks away, a straight path, so the walk is never too bad. On the way there, they walk in silence except when Hux tells a couple of teenagers to fuck off after one tries to kick a stray dog begging for food.

Entering the coffee shop, Hux can see Ben glaring at Rey who's looking over at the other girl before the three of them notice Hux and Mitaka. Rey waves at him, as the second girl moves to the till. "Back again?" Rey calls out with a smile, walking over to the coffee machines.

Hux returns her smile with one of his own and nods before he looks back at the other girl. "Extra large black coffee, no sugar or cream. What do you want Mitaka? I'm paying today by the way." 

"Umm, just a large caramel latte macchiato. Thanks," Mitaka tells the girl, whose nametag reads Rose, before he thanks Hux with a smile and steps to the side. 

"Just that," Hux confirms their orders as he hand Rose his card, tapping his fingers on the counter as he waits for her to hand it back. When she does, he nods and thanks her.

When Hux moves to the side, Mitaka is sitting on the edge of the table, twisting his fingers in an almost nervous manner while occasionally glancing over at Ben. Hux follows his gaze, finding Ben's face red with a scowl playing on his lips. As Hux sees Rey rolls her eyes while grinning, he feels like he's missing out on some sort of joke. He hears Ben all out his name and as he focuses back on the boy, Hux sees Ben pushing his drink across the table. Picking it up, Hux smiles warmly at Ben and seeing Ben's scowl soften, he realizes he doesn't like that look on the younger boy's face. 

Hux leans against the table Mitaka sitting on while beaming up at him. "Can you believe Snoke didn't accept that deal from AniStar Defense?" Mitaka complains as Hux lifts the cup to his drink, drinking half of it in one go. "It's completely stupid, they make good money off of their technologies and having a deal with them could seriously improve our stocks." 

As he sets the cup down the table, he briefly taps his fingers against the table then folds his arms over his chest before replying, "Nah, it was a good move, a smart move. AniStar Defense maks good money but they don't have a good track record with deals and is currently under investigation by the government for some shady deals they made." Hux pauses to take another cup of coffee. Laughing when he sees Mitaka's incredulous stare. Still quietly laughing, he adds, "Both AniStar and the government have managed to keep it under wraps and out of the media so far; for obvious reasons. The government does want the people to know that their military has been dealing with the same company that has had some of their items go into the wrong hands, and not by accident. Snoke does some inside connections so he gets intel on which companies are the good ones to be making deals with at the time."

"Which hands?" Mitaka asks but before Hux can answer, Rey calls out Mitaka's name. He steps forward, taking his drink and giving her thanks when she tells him to enjoy. As he follows Hux outside, swinging an arm around his shoulders, Mitaka repeats, "Which hands? Come on Hux, I can keep a secret."

"No, you can't." Hux shrugs his arm off. "But it doesn't matter. I'm not at liberty to discuss it as Snoke has sworn me to secrecy. I would be fired and could potentially be arrested if I talked about it."

"Fine then, forget AniStar. Let's talk about that Ben kid. He is rather attractive, isn't he?"

"Kid? You're probably the same age as he is. If not younger." Hux rolls his eyes while taking another sip of his coffee before he realizes something. "So that's why you offered to come here. You want to see who Ben was after last night."

Mitaka lifts his hands, "Guilty as charged," He says. "But I also really needed a pick-me-up. Hey the second girl working the counter, that's Tico's sister, isn't it? I recognize her from a picture on Paige's desk and the matching necklaces."

So that's why she looks familiar. The rest of the walk back to work is mainly Mitaka teasing Hux over his crush. "You know he seemed kind of jealous when he saw that I was with you," Mitaka comments at a red light which makes Hux laugh. "No seriously, if looks could kill I would've been dead; he was glaring daggers at me. I swear I heard him mutter for me not to choke as we were walking out; if given the chance, he would totally have choked me. And unlike you, I'm not into that."

As Mitaka says that, a mother pulls her child closer to her making Hux slap his arm while snapping, "I told you that when I was drunk, stop bringing it up. Especially in public."

Walking past security as they scan their passes, one calls after the two of them, "So did ya see Ben?" Giving Mitaka a small shove when he laughs, Hux turns a glare on security who mumbles something about Phasma dropping by on her way out for lunch. 

Of course. Hux rolls his eyes. He's not surprised that Phasma that would pull something this childish but unfortunately for her, he's just as childish. "When Phasma comes back, ask her about Rey and their upcoming date." Hux drops his now empty cup into the trash by their desk before grabbing Mitaka, who's still trying to hide his laughter, by his jacket and pulling him to the elevators.

Chapter Text

Ben hates family dinners. He's seated beside Rey and opposite of Poe who's beside Finn. Han, as usually, is at the head of the table while Leia is sitting across from him. Luke isn't at this dinner, he rarely attends them. His odd work hours leave him exhausted, so Leia and Han let him rest and Luke's smart enough to know that there's a fifty percent chance that family dinner could end in a screaming match because staying friendly for longer than a day or two at a time is impossible for Ben and Han or Ben and Poe and it's already creeping onto day four since the last argument Ben had with either of them.

Chewbacca is sleeping at Han's feet, snoring loudly while Poe's cat is exploring the space beneath the table, occasionally meowing up at Finn or his owner, asking for a piece of the chicken. Rey, too, drops a couple of pieces onto the floor for BB-8 as well. And despite them denying it, Ben knows that his parents do it too. Ben wouldn't be surprised if he was the only one who's never fallen victim to BB-8's pleading eyes and sad sounding whines. Which is mainly because every time Ben's hears the cat's name, he can't help but laugh. He thought Chewbacca was a stupid name for an animal until Poe came along with that cat and probably the dumbest name Ben's ever heard. How did Poe even come up with it?

Being the only one who isn't dropping food, Ben is faced with BB-8's wrath as the orange tabby approaches him, meowing loudly. Reaching underneath the table, Ben tries to push the cat away, having to hold back a shout when the cat digs his claws into Ben's leg. Poe glares at him from across the table, warning him not to hurt his cat as BB-8 extracts his claws from Ben's leg. 

"Oh don't worry Dameron. Your stupid cat won't feel anything." Ben warns him as he gives the cat a small shove with his socked foot.

Leia scolds him from the end of the table, "Don't be rude, Ben. He's just a cat, give him a piece of food and he'll go away without hurting you."

Grabbing a piece of chicken off his plate, he holds it to the cat. As though the cat understands irony, he takes the chicken before giving Ben's fingers a nip, and not a gentle one. Pulling his hand back with a shout, Ben grabs a napkin and wraps it around his now bleeding finger. Poe smugly raises his eyebrows at Ben before he goes back to eating. Rolling her eyes, Leia turns to Finn and Poe with a smile. 

"How has school been?"  She asks the couple.

"It's been going good Mrs. Organa." Poe replies, "We took our final exams last Friday so we're hoping to get our results by the end of the months. I definitely think I passed, probably not at the top of the class but I think I'll graduate this year. What about you, Finn, how do you think you did?"

Briefly setting his utensils down, Finn shrugs. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I like to think I did well on it but there was a 35 point question that I couldn't finish before the time was up."

"35 point questions?" Rey whistles in awe, "That's insane. But don't worry Finn, you're smart. You're going to pass, I know it."

Smiling at Rey, Finn mumbles a quiet thanks. When Leia agrees with her niece, Finn blushes faintly and gives her a nod of thanks before looking at Ben. "What about you Ben? How's school been going for you?"

Surprised that someone's asking him a question, Ben stammers for a moment before being able to form a coherent sentence. "It's been alright. Couple of assignments, some papers. Our first midterm was last week but we still have another before the exam in two months. I'm top of the class but with who else is in the class, it's not that much of an achievement."

"Ben, don't insult your classmates," Han says from the head of the table, a stern glare at his son.

Before Ben can defend his statement, Rey is cutting in, "No seriously. His classmates have such thick skulls; eighty percent of them are complete idiots. I'm surprised any of them managed to graduate high school."

"Still, it's not polite to talk about them like that," Leia interjects gently. "Anything thing else happening other than school?"

"Yes." The four of them reply, all grinning but for two different reasons. As Ben starts about Rey and Phasma, Rey, Finn and Poe begin on Hux and Ben. Raising his hand, Han tells them one at a time which makes the four fall silent except for the quiet laugh under their breath. Leia turns to Ben, telling him he can start.

"Sweet. Rey scored a date with a woman who came into the Starbucks today." Ben says, ignoring the pinch Rey gives him on his thigh. "She came in the morning and just leaned over the counter, asking her out. She was seriously tall though, probably as tall as me but she was rather attractive. She seemed polite as well. Rey gave her her number on the cup and they're already planning a date on Sunday. At some stupid ice cream parlour."

"Woah! It's not stupid." Rey shouts, "At least I got a date, Ben."

From across the table, Finn and Poe burst out laughing. 

"Oh shut up you guys. I haven't asked him out because unlike Rey, I don't take up stranger's offers for dates or ask strangers out." Ben protests. Replying that Ben only pines for people from a distance and makes up fantasies about them in his bed at night or in the shower, Poe earns himself a slap on the back of his head from Finn and a shout of gross from Rey while Leia only asks him to keep it away from the dining table and the ears of Ben's parents. Turning red, Poe mutters a quiet apology. "Okay fine Poe, if you're so smart, what exactly do you suggest I do?"

Shrugging, Poe rolls his eyes, "Ask him out maybe. On Monday when he comes back to Starbucks, just be like, "yeah, I think you're attractive, wanna go out?' that's it. Easy." 

"Who's the boy, Ben?" Leia asks before Ben can snap back at Poe.

Smirking at Ben, Rey answers for him. "He's really attractive, red hair that's always styled back with like a pound of hair gel, always in an immaculate suit, sometimes with a pair of leather gloves.That's my opinion on him, here's Ben's. Oh god, he's so pretty, I just wanna run my fingers through his hair and kiss him. I bet he'd be a total gentleman, in every aspect of a relationship. Oh god, he's with a young man today, let me threaten that boy under my breath and spend the rest of the day sulking because I'm a jealous bastard and then get Rose's sister to stalk him because they work together so I can get information on Hux. Oh god, I'm such a lonely, pathetic- Ow, what the hell Ben?" Rey's ridiculous impression of Ben is cut off when Ben jambs the handle of his fork into Rey's side. Everyone at the table is laughing, even his mother, who's hiding hers behind her hand and his father, who's biting down on his knuckle to muffle his laughter.

"Shut up." Ben scoffs, glaring at Poe who's not trying to hide his laughter at all. "I don't sound like that and I don't say things like that."

"Actually you do." Poe pipes up with a wink at Ben. "When we went out last weekend and you got shit-faced, you spend an entire hour moaning over how much you want to touch Hux's hair."

"Hux?" His father says, all sign of laughter gone from his faces. H-u-x?"

When the four them confirm it, Han's face darkens angrily. "That Hux boy is-"

"Oh stop it, Han. It was his father who was the problem and the boy is not Brendol.  He seems to have become a respectable young man without any scratches on his record, not so much as a speeding ticket." Turning to Ben, Leia smiles softly. "Ignore your father. If you want to go out with Armitage, that would be perfectly fine with us. I give you our blessing."

"Armitage?" Poe begins laughing again. Ben swears everything makes that kid laugh. "Armitage and Kylo Ren. Oh jeez, you two are just made for each other, aren't you."

"Shut up!" Ben flings his napkin at Poe who only ducks, letting it go over his head. "That was two years ago Poe, let it go. Also, your name's Poe and you named your cat BB-8, so you can't really talk about people's names."

Chapter Text

"Hey Hux," The coffee shop is empty when Hux and Phasma enter in the morning except for one customer in the back corner, typing away on a laptop. "Your usual?" Rey asks as they approach the counter.

"Yeah, the usual for me." Hux nods, before moving to the side, allowing Phasma to order and pay. "Morning Ben, how was your weekend?"

"Pretty good, I mostly just did some studying," Ben replies as he begins working on the two new orders, not looking up at Hux. "What about you?"

Groaning, Hux shakes his head. "Had to go to work both days. An intern made some potentially costly mistakes and as they work in my division, I had to go in and fix their mistakes. Lost my weekend but at least I managed to stop the company from losing money." 

"Which company do you work with?"

"TFO; we work alongside the military. Making technology and weapons," Hux responds, laughing quietly when Ben gives a low whistle. "It's not as nice as you think. There's a lot of paperwork involved and you can't really talk about what the job outside of work."

Ben shrugs as he slides Phasma's drink across the counter, finally glancing up at Hux with a shy smile, "I've always wanted to be in the military." He says before excusing himself as he hears the alarm in the back go off, setting Hux's drink on the back counter by the sink. 

As Ben goes into the back, Rey grabs Hux's drink with her back turned to him and after a moment she turns back and hands him the coffee. "Enjoy." She winks at them. Hux rolls his eyes and looks over at Phasma, assuming the wink was for her, who sure enough is smiling back at Rey. Thanking her, he follows Phasma back outside. "So I assume your date went well?"

"Oh yeah," Phasma grins over at him, "it went amazing. I think we both learned some pretty interesting things. Now it's your turn."

"That's nice. And no, it's not my turn to do anything." Hux replies without looking over at Phasma as he takes a sip. "I'm perfectly fine not being in a relationship."

"Whatever," Phasma says before she begins telling Hux about her date. She continues on with her story all the way back to their building, a smile never leaving her face. Despite the jealousy growing in his stomach, Hux does feel happy for his friend; he can't recall the last time he saw Phasma this happy. She finishes her story as they arrive at Hux's office. 

Saying she'll see him at lunch, Phasma gives him a smile before heading to her office. As Hux sits down in his desk, leaning back in his chair, he notices that there's something scribbled behind the cup's sleeve. Pulling the sleeve down, Hux shouts, "Son of a bitch!" which startles Phasma into coming back. "That son of a bitch!"

"Hux, what's wrong with you?" Phasma asks, looking over at her friend who's hand has tightened around the cup, forcing coffee to overflow. "Hux?"

Slamming the cup down on his table and ignoring the coffee that has now spilt over, Hux shouts at her to read what's written on the cup. "What the hell Phasma?"

Phasma looks up, her face having gone white and shakes her head but before she can say anything, Hux continues, "Why would he do something like that? Couldn't look me in the eye today, couldn't even give me the cup in person; got his co-worker to do it. So that wink of hers, she was in on it!"

"In on what?" Mitaka enters his office, saying he heard yelling when Hux snarls at him, asking why he's here. Hux only gestures at the cup which makes Mitaka walk over and pick it, turning it around in his hand to read what was written. 718-555-3210, Call me ;). Mitaka looks back up at Hux with a small smile and shrugs, "I thought you liked him though, why is this such a problem?"

"Because the bastard knows I like him!" Hux spits, his hands curling into fists. When Phasma and Mitaka share a look, he rolls his eyes and adds. "This is clearly a joke at my expense. He knows I like him and decided to play with my emotions."

"Do you think that maybe he wrote that because he actually likes you and does want you to call him?" Phasma asks quietly before stepping back when Hux turns his glare on her. Before Phasma can stop him, he's grabbed the cup and tossed it into the bin by his desk. "Don't you even want to try and text him?"

"Don't be ridiculous Phasma, why would I do that? Why would I give him a chance to embarrass me?" Hux rolls his eyes again, snapping at them to leave. Phasma quickly leaves while Mitaka hesitates for a moment, clearly wanting to say something but knowing that it's not the time or the place. "What do you want Mitaka?" Hux looks up at the younger man as he rubs a hand over his face. 

"I just think you should give Ben a chance," Mitaka starts and when Hux doesn't snap at him or even say anything, he continues, "I think I heard one of the interns mention something about having a sister who knows Ben and that-"

"Stop." Hux orders quietly but it makes Mitaka swallow nervously. "Just go, Mitaka. However, if you could get me a coffee during lunch, it would be much appreciated." 

Hux grabs his wallet and pulls a twenty from it, handing it to Mitaka who awkwardly shoves it into his pocket as fast as possible. Mumbling something that Hux can't hear, Mitaka quickly flees the office before he can say or do anything that will cause Hux further anger, closing the door behind him. 

Glancing down at the cup in the bin, a part of Hux wants to pick it back up and put the number in his phone but a larger and louder part tells him that based on his past relationships, he'll only be setting himself up for heartbreak. Before he can make up his mind on what to do, there's a knock on his office door and a nervous intern is poking their head in, telling Hux that Mr. Snoke needs to see him. 

Chapter Text

Ben couldn't stop smiling to himself once Hux left; he had never held that long of a conversation with him. And judging by the looks Rey kept giving him between serving customers tells him that his happiness is pretty noticeable. He can feel himself growing impatient for Hux to return around noon, his fingers tapping against any flat surface they're resting on. But when that Mitaka boy is the one who walks into the coffee shop alongside Phasma without any sight of Hux, Ben feels himself become disappointed. Swallowing it down, he steps up to the till and greets the duo.

Mitaka glares at him and Ben is surprised at just how angry the boy looks before Phasma elbows him gently in the side. Mitaka mumbles a quiet apology before ordering an extra-large plain black coffee and two large long macchiatos and handing over a twenty dollar bill. Ben looks down at the bill with a frown, not accepting it until he hears Rey clear her throat from behind him. Snapping out of it, Ben grabs the bill and shoves it into the till, absentmindedly counting and handing back the change. As he begins turning to Rey, ready to hand her the cups, he shakes his head and calls out to the Mitaka and Phasma.

"Where's Hux?" He asks, wincing when he hears how sad he sounds.

"He couldn't come," Phasma replies but Ben can tell that he wants to say something else.

"Why?" Ben's aware of Rey pulling on his sleeve, telling him to move on which makes him turn on her, "What?!" 

Rey, turning red, begins stammering and looking away from Ben. Mitaka looks down at the floor as well while Phasma groans quietly and speaks up, "He's mad at you." Blinking, Ben looks at her, asking what she means by that. "In the morning when we came in, Rey triggered an alarm in the back and when you went to check it out, she took Hux's drink and wrote your number on it saying to call you. Hux doesn't know that it was us who wrote it so he's mad at you for doing it because-"

"Why would you do something like that?" Ben snarls at Rey, his hands closing into fists. Before Rey can say anything in response, Phasma is cutting her off, saying it was her idea, not Rey's. "Fine then, why did you tell her to do it?" 

"We thought you guys liked each other," Mitaka speaks up, suddenly finding his voice while Phasma adds, "But Hux thinks that you-"

Ben doesn't wait around to hear the end of her sentence instead opting for running into the back of the shop, slamming the office door shut behind him. Fucking idiot, Ben thinks to himself but he's unsure if it's about himself or Rey. Himself he settles on. Rey was just trying to set him up with someone he liked. He's the idiot for actually thinking that there was a possibility of Hux liking him back. Before realizing what's he doing, Ben slams a fist against the brick wall. As he's rubbing his bruising and bloody knuckle, the office door is opening and Rey is steeping inside with her hands folded behind her back. 

"What do you want?' Ben snaps as he sits down at the table.

"I'm sorry," Rey says, " but Phasma said that Hux admitted to liking you so we figured that this was the perfect way of getting you two guys together."

Ben rolls his eyes, muttering that Hux was probably just being nice which makes Rey sigh and apologizes again before telling Ben to go home and that she called Rose to come in. Ben nods mutely, untying his apron and just letting it fall to the ground. Rey goes to hug him but he steps back from her, glaring halfheartedly down at her before he grabs his bag off the hook and storming out of the back door. Ben's glad that today he parked his car in the back today as he climbs into it and takes off. As he drives past the coffee shop's front, he can see Rey talking to Phasma and Mitaka and feels a flash of anger run through him. They're making fun of him, Ben thinks to himself, they did this so they could make fun of you even more than they already did. 

Still seething in self-hatred, he drives home past on memory, running pretty much every red light and stop sign. His father's car is parked in the front of the house when he arrives while his mother is driving down the road away from him. Slamming his car door shut, Ben storms inside his house, ignoring Chewie when the dog tries to jump up on him and his father shouting from upstairs. Entering the kitchen, he digs through the freezer for an ice pack, screaming in frustration when he can't find one. Hearing his dad come down the stairs, Ben prepares to defend himself against whatever his father is about to say to him.

"Ben," Han says as he steps into the kitchen, leaning against the table. "Rey called us, told us what happened. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Ben growls under his breath, not wanting to talk about it to anyone, least of all his father. 

Han nods before stepping up to the freezer and digging through it himself. After a moment he manages to find an ice pack and hands it to Ben with a frown. "You haven't had an outburst in a while, Ben. Do you want to start seeing Luke again?" Ripping the ice from his father, Ben presses it against his knuckles, hissing in pain and tries to walk past Han only to have him grab his shoulder. "Ben, this is probably just a misunderstanding."

Jerking himself free, Ben shakes his head. "It's not. And stay out of my problems Han." He glowers at his father, his jaw clenched before heading down to the basement. Chewie follows him with a loud bark, unbothered by Ben's attempt at shoving the dog away and slips into Ben's bedroom just before he manages to close the door. Setting his phone on his bedside table, Ben collapses onto his bed and frowns at Chewie who eagerly jumps up beside him, licking his face. "Disgusting beast." Ren scowls but ignores him in favour of checking just how bruised his knuckles has become. It's turned a deep purple and black, dried blood speckled over his skin. Ben isn't sure why he snapped like he did, it had been a while since the last time. As Ben puts the ice pack back against his skin, he feels himself start to tear up; Hux was the first person who Ben has ever felt this strongly for.

"But who were you kidding?" Ben grumbles to himself, "Hux is an accomplished man who works for a company that helps supply the military with weapons and technologies while you're back in university and work at a coffee shop that's family owned. And you've never held a single relationship in your life while managing to alienate most of your family and any potential friends."

Rolling on his side, Ben finds himself staring at his reflection in the mirror hanging on his closet door. And Hux is an attractive man while you look like that, Ben's mind adds after a moment. Grabbing his phone, Ben throws it against the mirror causing both to break. He can hear his father shouting from the floor above, asking if everything's okay while Chewie drapes himself over Ben's legs with a quiet growl, sensing Ben's rage. 

Chapter Text

In the morning, Ben's hand and head are throbbing. He sits up groggily, faintly aware of his alarm going off on his headboard and blindly hits the snooze button. Getting out of bed, he pauses by his now shattered mirror to pick up his phone, frowning when he sees the shattered screen. Grabbing his a clean set of clothes, Ben stumbles into his bathroom and cleans himself up as best as he can before heading downstairs. 

His parents are in the kitchen with Rey but leave when Ben enters. Rey up at Ben with a shy smile as she moves to sit up on the counter. 

Pouring a cup of coffee for himself, Ben looks up at Rey with a frown. "I'm not going today," he says, rubbing the back of his hand. 

"I'll text Poe and see if he and Finn mind joining Rose at the shop today," Rey says as she pulls her phone from her pocket. "Let's go out for ice cream, huh?"

Ben starts to disagree but when he sees how guilty she looks, he slowly nods in agreement. "Fine but don't tell them the details."

Rey blushes, glancing away from him for a second before quietly saying that she already told what happened last night. Ben closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with a small groan. The last thing he needs in addition to yesterday's event is Poe and Finn making fun of him. It only takes a few seconds after her message is sent to Poe for him to reply that they don't mind. Rey, sensing his distress, quickly explains that they promised not to be a dick to him. Rolling his eyes, Ben mutters "yeah right" under his breath before finishing his coffee and letting Rey grab his hand and lead him to her car outside the house. 

"I'm sorry," Rey says as she starts pulling out the driveway. "I really am. I honestly didn't think that Hux would be mad about it."

"I don't care." Ben lies, looking out the window. As they drive by TFO headquarters on their way to the ice cream parlour, Ben feels a weird tightening in his chest. He grabs his phone, a small part of him thinking that maybe Hux texted him, only to find that the screen's not turning on. Frowning, Ben crosses his arms over his chest and sinks lower into the seat. Rey, noticing his change in behaviour, looks over at him with a raised eyebrow. "I forgot I broke my phone." He holds it out to her, narrowing his eyes at her when she lets out a small laugh.

"You know that your mom will buy you another phone," Rey comments matter-of-factly, smiling at him. "And you do care, don't lie to me." She adds as she parks her car in front of the parlour. 

The parlour mostly empty, a mother with her two children and a group of teenagers laughing near the front door. Rey orders a mix of five different flavours with almost every topping while Ben settles on a double scoop of chocolate. Rey pays before Ben can protest, telling him to go get a table. Ben shrugs, grabbing a handful of napkins before moving to a table in the back corner of the parlour.

"Phasma's sorry as well," Rey resumes the conversation as she sits down across from Ben, setting their ice creams down. "We didn't think he'd misunderstand."

Ben scowls darkly, his hands closing into fists. "Misunderstand what?"

Rey shrugs, a small grimace crossing her face. "Phasma, Mitaka and I were texting last night and apparently Hux just misunderstood the motive behind it. He thinks that you're just trying to make fun of him and don't actually have an interest in him." Rey explains quietly, pushing Ben's ice cream towards him.

"Does he have an interest in me?" Ben risks asking, his face burning. 

"Mitaka and Phasma thought that he found you attractive," Rey admits with a shrug as she starts eating her ice cream. Ben mutters that that doens't mean Hux likes him before stabbing his ice cream with the spoon. Rey nods thoughtfully before pulling her phone and finding last night's texts from Mitaka and Phasma. Stopping on a specific text from Mitaka, she reads it aloud before adding, "Mitaka seems to think that Hux likes you but is too insecure to believe that you'll like him back." 

"Why?" Ben asks, genuinely curious. 

Rey scrolls further down in the texts for a moment before replying, "They think it's because he's older than you and doesn't think that you'd be interested in a man who works in an office." A moment passes before Rey lets out a shout of surprise. "What if he's trying to text you?"

"What do you mean?" Ben asks as he leans over to steal a spoonful of Rey's scoop of Rocky Road. 

"Hux has your number and yeah he was mad at first but maybe he's slept on it and decided to give you a chance. Maybe he's been texting you all morning but because your phone's broken, you have no way of knowing." Rey shouts excitedly as she grabs her phone, "I'm texting Phasma about your lack of phone so she can figure out if Hux has been trying to reaching you."

Ben feels himself start to grow a sense of hope that maybe Hux is texting him but he quickly swallows it down, not sure if he should be getting his hopes up. Rey is smiling brightly at him, only seeing the hope in this scenario. Ben weakly returns her smile before going back to his ice cream.