Chapter Text
“Who is that?”
The whisper came from the desk just beside her own, Bazine Netal’s eyes wide as they took stock of the man currently rummaging through a briefcase on the classroom’s desk. He was broad, wearing a dark gray button-up that stretched across his shoulders. A mop of dark hair curled against his neck, mussed, like he’d already run his hands through it innumerable times today.
Rey blinked at the man as he stood to his full height, turning to face the room with the class textbook in his hands. He was... beautiful, tall and young, his eyes a depthless zircon as he absorbed a room of junior and senior students with unmasked scrutiny.
“Good afternoon,” he said, his voice richly deep, and Rey nearly rolled her eyes when Bazine practically swooned in her peripheral. “My name is Mr. Solo. I’ll be your A.P. Human Geography teacher this year.” Leaning against the desk, his eyes darted to every student as though absorbing them. They settled on Rey, and something yawned awake in her chest, something ancient scraping its claws against the cage of her ribs, asking for exit. “I’m not particularly keen on talking about myself, so I’ll gloss over the basic facts. I am a recent Master’s graduate from Alderaan University. My intention was to continue on toward my doctoral degree, but I elected to take some time off of school instead. I am also teaching A.P. World History as well as the elective World Religions class, so I may see some of you twice a day. My office hours are during fourth hour; you may seek me out then for inquiries regarding homework and projects. Any questions?”
Beside her, Bazine raised her hand. Mr. Solo looked down at the roster on his desk. “Ms. Netal?”
“Are you bonded, Mr. Solo?”
Half of the class choked at Bazine’s boldness. Mr. Solo, however, held his own, his eyes narrowing as he wrenched himself from his perch leaned against his desk, stalking a single step toward the class. It was like watching storm clouds rolling across a sunny meadow, darkening the lighthearted atmosphere.
Rey was entranced.
“I have no intention of revealing personal information that I myself do not offer willingly, Ms. Netal,” Mr. Solo said, his voice even and terse. A tense beat, and he sighed, walking back toward his desk and grabbing a stack of papers. “Now, I’ll be passing around my syllabus, and we can discuss my expectations for this semester. Nothing more.”
“Mr. Solo is a bit of an ass, isn’t he?” Kaydel said that Friday, loudly enough that Rey and Rose were able to hear from across the hallway. “Assigning a paper during the first week of class should be sacrilege.”
“He is definitely an ass,” Bazine agreed, sighing and tilting her head back so it hit the locker behind her. “But he’s so pretty, I can look past that.”
Snickering, Rey and Rose closed their lockers in tandem, backpacks laden with all the books they’d need for every other assignment they’d received to do over the weekend. The honor’s course wasn’t kind enough to ease them back into school.
Mr. Solo was an ass. But he still gave them two entire weeks for this research paper and encouraged study groups so that each member of his class could receive alternative perspectives regarding their chosen area of study.
“He’s a prick,” Rose whispered under her breath, preventing the other girls from overhearing their eavesdropping, “but I’d still climb that man like a tree.”
Rey laughed. “Does Hux know you fantasize about older men when he’s not around?”
Rose bumped her hip against Rey’s. “What Armie doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
They’d met and sparked their respective sophomore and senior years of high school, Rose and Armitage. An accidental bump in the hallway, and their bond had flared to life. Rose had described it as the stars aligning, which had made Rey and Finn gag in unison. Then, the following year – his senior year – Finn had met and bonded with a guy nearly six years older than him named Poe, and he’d run into Rose’s arms, saying, “I get it now!”
Rey was left gagging on her own.
Which was fine. She was fine. She was young, and her current living situation made it impossible to imagine a life outside of escape, so being bonded wouldn’t bode well regardless.
But, in those late hours when she had to study by flashlight because her guardian, Plutt, had screamed at her to turn off his goddamned electricity, Rey couldn’t help but fantasize about how lovely it would be, to find that happiness. To go to sleep every night knowing that, as soon as legality was not a factor, Rey would have the opportunity to leave any memory of Plutt and his derelict “home” behind. She could fall asleep in the arms of someone who loved her unconditionally, who had been predestined to love her, and she’d never be alone again.
But those were dreams she had less and less time to consider as her courseload grew, university grant applications and scholarship paperwork taking up any spare time she had between salvaging junk cars for her foster father and her impossibly tall mountain of Advanced Placement homework.
If she kept her nose in her books and graduated this year on track, she’d completely bypass her freshman year of college and start her first semester at Coruscant University as a sophomore.
One step closer to financial freedom.
One step closer to never having to rely on another person again.
Once she’d achieved her degree in engineering, perhaps she’d elect to allow the universe to introduce her to her soulmate. But, for now, she was perfectly content without the distraction.
No matter how unconvincing it felt to say in the dead of night.
“So,” Rose said, knocking Rey from her reverie, “Armie and I have plans tonight for our anniversary, so I’ll be occupied until tomorrow morning. But if you still want to study together we can go to Maz’s tomorrow afternoon and work on our projects, and then most of my Sunday should be free, too.”
“That should work,” Rey said as she rolled Rose’s proposal over in her mind. “I’m not sure how much time I’ll have on Sunday, but I’ll know more when I see you tomorrow.” It was the busy season for Plutt’s less-than-legal activities, which meant she’d be working alone and scrubbing oil and grime from beneath her nails every morning before school until October. But it also happened to be the timeframe when Plutt was most jovial, which typically meant steadier meals. It nearly made up for the lack of sleep.
Rose, as much as Rey had lied to her during the course of their friendship, never looked entirely convinced by her loose explanations. But she also never pushed, and Rey appreciated that.
“What are you and Hux doing, then?” Rey asked, steering the conversation away from Rose’s concerned expression. It worked every time, her friend launching into a detailed itinerary of the plans and alleged surprises her soulmate seemed to have planned with Rose’s meddling.
They parted only when Rey boarded the bus, finally giving her the opportunity to wipe the false smile off her face with an audible sigh as she considered how she might complete two days’ worth of chores by the end of tonight so she could spend the weekend on homework.
It was probably impossible.
But she would try.
Saturday afternoon found her wandering exhaustedly into Maz’s, snagging the booth she and Rose usually occupied by dumping her heavy backpack and sitting down to wait for her friend.
Rose had messaged her on Twitter before she left her house, letting Rey know that she’d be running a little late, which Rey had anticipated, hoping to knock out her calculus homework before Rose arrived. Books strewn about the large table, she hunkered down and got started.
When the bell above the coffeeshop door chimed some time later, Rey looked up, hoping to see a short head of black hair tied up in a post-sex messy bun. She’d just pulled out her Human Geo research in preparation for Rose’s arrival. Instead, a tall, broad frame clad in dark jeans and a black t-shirt marched from the door to the counter, eyes scanning the chalkboard menu above the counter.
As if Rey couldn’t tell who had just walked in, a booming voice echoed from behind the espresso station.
“Ben Solo!” Maz, the tiny coffee shop owner, shouted from her perch on a stepstool as she polished the chrome machine.
Ben, Rey filed away. His name is Ben.
The tiny woman marched around the counter determinedly, her wrinkled, tanned hands grabbing Mr. Solo’s large wrists and practically yanking him down to her height, his back bowing comically to accommodate. He looked exasperated, but not surprised, as this woman of indeterminable age handled him like it was her right.
“Maz,” Mr. Solo greeted. “I wasn’t expecting to see you working on a Saturday afternoon.”
Maz rolled her eyes behind a set of thick glasses. “Is that why you’re here now, then? Avoiding me?” Mr. Solo said nothing, which was an admittance in itself. Rey had to suppress a chuckle, staring down at her unopened book as though she could read through its cover. “When your mother mentioned you’d sidled back into town, I expected a phone call. Instead I got bupkis.”
“I’ve been busy––”
“Your excuses are as lousy as your father’s,” Maz interrupted, brushing her hand through the air as though she could erase his words from existence. Mr. Solo visibly stiffened as Maz slipped back behind the counter. “I’m here because one of my baristas called in sick, so you have the pleasure of experiencing one of my specialty drinks.”
“I’d intended on ordering an Americano.”
“Blech,” Maz groaned as she ground and tamped a shot of espresso. “Boring. You’ll get an iced toffee and caramel. Maybe sweeten some of that bitterness you’ve dragged into my shop with you.” The last bit was pointed, and Rey couldn’t stop the bubbling chuckle despite her attempt. Two sets of eyes, mirthful and clouded, turned on her as she lamely attempted to disguise her laughter with a cough. Mr. Solo’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, then brightened with recognition as he took her in.
“Ms. Niima,” he said, walking over to her booth with sure steps. “What a pleasant surprise.”
Is it?
Something in her chest – that same ancient part of her that had reared when he’d introduced himself their first day of class – fluttered at his proximity, and it took her entire being to squash it down.
“Hello, Mr. Solo,” she managed, smiling up at him. “I thought I might introduce you to the owner, but it seems you’re already acquainted with Maz.”
He smirked, and her breath caught.
“You could say that,” he shrugged. His eyes narrowed as they washed over her face, an emotion she couldn’t name passing through them. “Are you well, Ms. Niima?” His head tilted in confusion, as though he was surprised that those words came from his own mouth.
Rey blinked. “Yes, sir.”
He nodded absently, then turned back toward the counter, where Maz was setting two drinks on the counter with an odd grimace on her face.
“In my old age, I accidentally made an extra.” Rey would’ve sworn the old woman cast her a glance. “Whoopsie. Guess you get one for free.”
“I didn’t even pay for the first one.”
“Then I guess you get two for free,” Maz said, turning away. “Come see your aunt more often, and maybe I’ll let you pay next time.”
With that, Maz escaped into the back, leaving a visibly bewildered Mr. Solo with two iced lattes that he did not want in his hands. He gave both of them an incredulous look, then turned toward Rey.
“I wish I could say that her oddities have accumulated as she’s aged, but truthfully, she’s always been impossible to understand,” Mr. Solo said, setting one of the drinks down in front of her after grabbing a couple of straws. “I’ll see you in class on Monday, Ms. Niima.”
“Oh,” she breathed, hand reaching automatically toward the enticing latte, her exhaustion weighing more heavily on her bones at the promise of caffeine. “Thank–”
The door chimed with his departure.
After Rose finally showed up, and with only a limited amount of probing regarding Rey’s latte, they threw themselves into homework for the entirety of the evening. Leaving only when forcibly extracted as Maz kicked them out so she could close the shop. Upon arriving at home, Rey worked her way through as much as she possibly could in Plutt’s chop shop before her body begged her to retire for the night.
The entire time, she thought back on Mr. Solo’s gift of his spare latte and smiled without fail.
Sunday morning was spent at Rose’s house, finishing their biology homework together before spending an hour debating whether they actually needed to read Wuthering Heights or if the SparkNotes would suffice for their first English paper. The afternoon and evening found her buried up to her elbows in disabled car engines, pilfering through the scrap for usable parts. Plutt brought home a rotisserie chicken and some potato salad for dinner and gave her both of the legs, and it took every part of her not to squeal with delight.
She even managed to get to bed before one in the morning.
The next week, and the one after, went in a similar fashion, her routine finding a pattern that was incomprehensibly seamless. It felt too good to be true, her classes melding into a blur of new information that was pressed into papers and projects and turned in for As and Bs.
The end of September was so sudden it nearly jerked Rey to a stop, and she slid into her desk in Human Geo with a smile on her face.
A dejected Bazine dropped into the chair beside her, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“What’s going on?” Kaydel whispered, despite the fact that Mr. Solo had yet to enter the room.
“Mr. Solo is the bane of my entire existence,” Baz complained, dropping her head onto her forearms on her desk. Kaydel put an understanding hand on Bazine’s shoulder, murmuring soft words of understanding. “He’s so hot! And he wears his stupid shirts with the sleeves rolled up! So earlier today I went to his office hours because I had a question about the homework, and I flirted as best as I could and put a hand on his arm and we. Didn’t. Spark!”
Rey glanced at Kaydel over Baz’s head, watching as the blonde girl suppressed a cheeky smirk. Kay had bonded over the summer with a girl named Jannah that attended another school. When Kay caught Rey’s eye, her smirk erupted into a grin, and Rey had to hide her chuckle behind her hand.
“It’s okay, babe,” Kay assured her. “You’ll find your hot ‘mate, I promise.”
Baz groaned, sitting up more fully and looking around to make sure the object of her affections hadn’t yet walked in. “And then he made it so awkward! He pulled his arm away and was all, ‘Please refrain from touching me, Ms. Netal.’” The girl deepened her voice, trying to mimic their teacher’s baritone, and Rey had to bodily turn away so Baz wouldn’t see her grin. “I was mortified!”
“Yes, and you should announce it to the whole class,” Kaydel said, not bothering to refrain from laughing. Bazine glanced around surreptitiously, her eyes landing on Rey’s obvious grin as another groan erupted from her chest.
“You better not repeat any of this, Niima,” Baz warned, her voice almost deadly in her seriousness.
Rey laughed. She and Baz hadn’t ever been particularly close, but there was no ill-will between them. “I don’t think I’ll have to.”
At that, Rose leaned around Rey’s form, giving a smile and a wave that had Bazine sighing and sliding further into her desk.
“Good afternoon, class,” Mr. Solo greeted, cutting Bazine’s rant about all of Hux’s friends finding out short with his booming voice. Students scrambled to grab notebooks and textbooks from their bags, Mr. Solo’s reputation for launching into his lecture obvious in the rush. “Today, we’re going to be discussing the geopolitical strain of the African countries Rwanda and Burundi, and the origin of the classist warfare that sparked an ongoing feud and led to a genocide.”
Rey would admit that Bazine’s crush was understandable. When Mr. Solo spoke, Rey was transported to another world. All of his lectures felt more like stories, rather than lessons, and she was inebriated with the passion in his voice as he walked them through the German colonization of Africa and how it affected the native populations.
All too soon, class was ending, the final bell ringing to signal the end of their school day. Rey shuffled her belongings into her bag, standing and yanking her heavy bookbag over her shoulders.
“Ms. Niima, can you hang behind for a moment?” Mr. Solo called out as she waited for Rose. Her friend met her gaze, eyes wide with fear, and Rey shook her head, mouthing I don’t know at Rose’s silent inquiry.
“Of course,” Rey called, stepping to the side as the other students filed out, each of them glancing at her with varying degrees of pity, glee, and one very jealous look from Bazine. She shrugged her shoulders apologetically, mumbling at Rose not to wait for her, just in case she was in trouble for something.
“Have a seat,” Mr. Solo offered as the door clicked shut behind her last classmate. Rey reluctantly took the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it, feeling like she was in some type of interview, or perhaps on the receiving end of a speech about how disappointed he is in her performance, and she had to suppress an indignant shudder. The idea seemed to douse her in the gasoline of disagreement, the argument spilling past her tongue before he’d given her any indication of this informal meeting.
“If this is about my last paper, I’ll have you know I did extensive research about the validity of Shintoism as an acceptable polytheistic religion, despite having no gods associated with ancient or modern-day practices.”
Mr. Solo was smirking when she finished with a huff of breath. “Yes, Ms. Niima, I read your research. It was very thorough, and your chosen topic of debate was well-established. That’s what I was hoping to discuss with you, actually.” He folded his hands on top of his desk, giving her a critical eye as he gathered his thoughts. “I have a conference coming up, and I’d like to take your paper with me, to present as part of my panel.”
Rey gaped at him.
“It was perhaps one of the best examples of our religious subsection in this class, and I was impressed with how intensively thorough your examination of cultural Shinto-Japanese practices was as they were influenced by both Buddhism and Confucianism.” He smiled, showing off a set of deep dimples that made her insides clench down on themselves. “You’re brilliant, Ms. Niima.”
Flushing, Rey picked at a loose thread on the hem of her t-shirt, eyes studiously downcast toward her lap. She’d been praised by teachers before, of course, but never quite so directly. Usually it was notes on her work, or a silent thumbs up when a paper was handed back. Never had someone pulled her aside to tell her that, not only was her paper adequate, it had potential to be used for a presentation in front of a slew of other teachers in the same field.
Brilliant. He called me brilliant.
“You can use it,” she finally managed, voice small in the otherwise quiet classroom.
His satisfaction bled into the space between them, and Rey risked a glance up, unable to stop herself from returning his smile.
“Excellent,” he said. “Now, for my presentation––”
Mr. Solo gestured as he talked, arms whisking through the air with grandeur and incidentally knocking a pen off the desk.
“Oh––”
They reached for it at the same time.