Chapter Text
Rey awoke to sunlight shining brightly from between patches of gray and white clouds. She squinted, looking out over the city's skyline, guessing it to be some time midmorning. She had never slept this late in her life! She luxuriated a few moments longer before her eyes flew open and her heart kicked into overdrive.
It was Monday. Shit! She was late!
Rey jumped out of bed, frantically grabbing her clothes and ignoring how her sore and abused muscles protested her quick movements.
Plutt would never forgive her for being late. Maybe, if she was lucky, he wouldn't be in yet and she could bribe Greg to keep quiet about it, she reasoned as she bolted out the door.
If she could catch the bus, she could get there by 12:30 pm, but she didn't want to just up and leave without at least leaving a note. Rey pivoted from her course, hoping there was a notepad or something she could use to let Kylo - Ben, oh what was she going to call him? Not now! I’ll worry about that later! - know why she disappeared so suddenly. She didn't want to just text him - oh wait, she realized she didn't even have his cell number.
She spied a slim notepad next to the fridge and started quickly looking around for a pen on the countertops and in the drawers.
“Here.”
She looked up long enough to see Kylo - Ben - smirking while he held up an expensive-looking fountain pen.
Rey sheepishly took the pen but started blushing the moment she met his eyes. She didn’t move to write her note.
“I take it you were going to leave something akin to a “Dear John” letter before you ran out the door?”
“What - no!” She jumped, her eyes darting up to see he was teasing her. His expression was easygoing, and he was still smirking at her.
“I’m late for work. I didn’t want to run out of here without at least leaving you a note explaining why I left without seeing you.”
“You’re not late for work, Rey. You own the auto shop now. You can show up whenever you want from now on,”
“What?” she blinked at him, her mind not understanding what he had said, “What do you mean I own the shop? It’s not mine - it’s Plutt’s.”
“Not anymore. I bought the neighboring three blocks and had Plutt sign the lease over in your name. The shop is yours now.”
Rey just stared at him. Her mind was not really processing what he had said. The shop was hers; she wasn’t late for work. She didn’t work for Plutt anymore. The shop was hers.
“Why don’t you sit down and we can have some breakfast. I’m sure you have questions,” Kylo - Ben - said as he walked over to the dining table and pulled a chair out, indicating for her to sit in it. Rey numbly walked over and barely registered sitting down.
He placed a cup of coffee in front of her along with a plate filled with scrambled eggs and a tender cut of steak. She looked up from her plate to see he had a similar fare laid out in front of him as well.
Rey reached for her coffee without a word, hoping the hot drink would help her make some sense out of what he had told her. It tasted perfect. Rey shuddered a little at the rich flavor. She had no idea coffee could taste this good.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Rey looked up to see he was smiling at her just before he cut into his steak.
“It’s - I’m mean, yeah, it is really good,” she stumbled over her words as she watched him delicately place the tiny piece of meat in his mouth. Rey felt flush as he stared at her while he started chewing.
She looked back down at her own food, thinking there is no reason why watching him eat should be turning her on, but he was just so sensual about it, about everything he did, she felt she couldn’t help it. That and the memory of him eating her didn’t help matters.
Rey took another drink to distract herself. She cleared her throat to make she her voice was steady, “You said you bought the surrounding three blocks. Are you going to tear down the old buildings and put up high priced apartments?” Rey couldn't keep the contempt out of her voice. She'd seen too many areas of the city gentrified and in doing so pushed people out of their homes and neighborhoods because they could no longer afford to live there.
She looked up to see him watching her. The look of amusement on his face made Rey's blood boil.
“You don't sound very favorable to that course of action. While it would be the fastest way to turn a profit and would like drive business back into the area and to your newly acquired auto shop, how do you suggest the area be handled? You've lived there most of your life after all, what would you do to help revitalize the neighborhood?” he inclined his head towards her as he took a drink of his coffee.
Rey let her mind ponder the possibilities as she absentmindedly cut into her own steak.
“First, kick out the slumlords. Let the people living there know the apartments will be repaired and services will be reliable. Bring in a grocery store or two, a pharmacy and doctor's clinic. Get the park cleaned up so the kids have someplace safe to play rather than the streets,” she started thinking out loud, thinking of all things she wished she'd had while growing up there.
“Don't raise the rent, but evicted those who don't pay after the 30-day notice of late rent. But first, try to find out if it's a drug habit or sickness and has places where people can get help if they want it. Build a homeless shelter too.
Make the neighborhood a place where people know they are safe and they will work to keep it that way, Ben.” She finished before taking a bite of her steak.
Rey blinked in amazement as the tender meat nearly melted on her tongue. This was the best damn thing she had ever eaten. She barely stopped herself from moaning at the taste.
“I accept your proposal for the renovations. Is there anything else you want to see done?” Kylo’s voice cut through her mindless pleasure of the steak. Rey swallowed the half-chewed bite, wincing as it stuck on the way down.
“Just like that?” she choked a little trying to get her astonishment under control. Why would he just listen to her like that?
“Yes, just like that. I will admit in the short term it will be a disaster to organize, but we'll find the right people to head the renovations and take over management of the tenets. Money and a good cause always attract talented individuals.”
“W-why are you doing this then?” she was baffled at this show of altruism.
He smiled at her and Rey felt an unexpected urge to smile in return, though she was certain he found her nativity amusing.
“For that right there. This entire endeavor is because you deem it a worthy cause, and nothing pleases me more than seeing you smile.”
Rey felt herself blush as she looked at him. She ducked her head down and set about digging into her meal, wanting a distraction for a few minutes.
They didn't speak again until she had cleaned her plate.
Rey watched him rise up and come around to her side. Kylo held his hand out to her, offering it to her. Rey gave him a tentative smile as she placed her hand in his. He placed her hand over his arm as he turned to lead her out of the dining room.
“Where are we going?” She asked as he walked them into the living space.
“I did promise you a tour after all,” Kylo smiled softly at her while patting her hand, tucked into the bend of his arm. Rey returned his smile, but it slipped from her face when she started thinking about what she was going to do with the shop, now that is was hers.
“What is it, my little angel?”
“What am I going to do? I have no idea how to run a business? I don’t know how to pay the bills or Greg or Teedoo, or -” he stopped agitated her stream of thoughts by gently placing his hand on her cheek.
“Rey. Calm down. You can do whatever you want. Change the name, sell the place, hire a manager and just work on cars, hire more mechanics and run the office. Anything. I will help you in whatever capacity you want or need,” she watched as his eyes searched her face. She couldn’t understand why he would want to help her so much.
“I don’t understand Ky - Ben,” she stopped and started again, “I don’t understand why you want to help me so much. I don’t know much about demons, but this seems, well…a little out of...character?”
He snorted and turned to keep walking, taking her out into the terrace.
“Rey, how much do you know think you know about the world?” He asked leading her over to the edge that looked out on to the city. They were high up enough that there was a strong breeze and the noise of the city street was greatly diminished.
“What do you mean, think I know ?” she started to get upset but when he just looked at her, she took a deep breath and looked out at the skyline.
“You’ve had a hard life. You understand that people will be cruel just because they can be and that people can be kind for the very same reason,”
“I know people can be bad, evil and others can nice and caring,” she didn’t look back at him, letting her mind drift over her life and growing up with Plutt, meeting Maz, Finn, Rose, and Poe.
“Is a spider evil for eating the fly? Is the wolf evil for killing the deer to feed its cubs?”
“No. That’s animal nature. That’s how things work,” Rey answered, pretty sure where this line of questioning was going.
“And I’m not a part of nature?”
“Are you? Aren’t demons considered supernatural?” She thought she had been ready for that one.
“Oh, Rey. What else could I be but part of this world? What is light without dark? Heaven, Earth, Hell, they are all the same place. It’s just humans that cannot see it. Everything is woven together. I’m no more “supernatural” then you are. I’m just a different creature,” he paused and gently turned her face to his, “And do you think I’m evil because I’m a demon?” His question caught her off guard as she was digesting what he had said.
“Wha- well - I - I don’t know? You’ve not been evil to me...other then not giving me my own choice in things -” she stammered and looked away from him.
His laughter started her and she looked back up at him.
“Oh, my sweet little angel. I have tried to give you every option I can. I have even given you as much power over me as I possibly can in this situation. We’re bound now. Nothing is going to break that, but I swear to you, you now have more freedom than you ever had before.”
Rey looked him over, from his nearly heartbreakingly beautiful face to his towering stature in a tailored suit to his dark curls fluttering in the breeze, compared to her ratty jeans, old tee shirt, and worn tennis shoes. She couldn’t understand how she had any power in this situation.
Her confusion must have shown on her face.
“I gave you my true name, Rey. You own my heart, you might as well own my soul too,” she watched as he leaned down and kissed her in her shock. He smiled down at her as she felt him pull her into his arms while she stared at him.
“Just don’t let anyone else know what it is. We wouldn’t want someone like Hux finding that out.” He said with a wink before he picked her up and spun her around, both of them laughing.
~fin