A Star Wars Reylo AU: The Taming of the Professor

Fourteen

Master Luke was a tired looking man with a thick, gray-peppered beard and deep creases around his eyes. Rey liked him immediately. He smiled at her when they met, and shook hands with Dr. Solo. Her adviser seemed tense, but Rey couldn't determine why. 

"You should call your mother," said Luke.

Dr. Solo scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yes, I should." 

Luke gave him a measured look, and turned his attention to Rey.

"You are in need of some self-defense training," he said, and she wondered how much he knew about her episode. "How confident are you in your ability to deal with an attacker?" 

Rey dropped her book bag on the polished, wood floor and stepped toward the center where Master Luke led her. Dr. Solo leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. 

"Deal with?" said Rey. 

Rey wondered if Dr. Solo had acquired his ability to tightly control his facial expressions from his uncle. The man was unreadable. 

"Let's take a step back," said Master Luke. "What are your action choices if someone threatens you?"

He modeled a stretch for her, and motioned for her to imitate. She did, and thought about his question.

"Well, I would hide," said Rey. 

"You've had some basic psychology, I assume?" At her nod, Master Luke continued. "Then you know that your mind and body are designed to do two things - fight back or run away. Hiding is not a choice, unless you want to be hurt further." 

She glanced behind her at Dr. Solo, who was watching them. 

"Hiding works," said Rey, her voice very small in the empty space. She didn't want to be rude and point out that it was likely she had more experience with this subject than he did.

"And if someone hurts you while you hide?" asked Master Luke.

"Then they hurt me. The point is to survive. I don't have to do it well, I just have to make it through." 

Dr. Solo walked up beside her and she jumped, startled, and froze in place. He scowled at her, and she wondered what she'd done wrong. 

"He's not upset with you," said Master Luke, and Rey looked back at her adviser to see that a pained expression had replaced the glare. "To have created such a response in a person required a level of evil and repeated exposure neither of us are willing to think too hard about. But I see that you froze. We will change this. You will no longer hide when threatened." 

"What will I do?" 

"You'll fight," said Dr. Solo.

"What! I can't fight. Look at me!" 

"When we're finished," said Master Luke, "you'll be able to knock Ben flat on the floor. Is that an appealing goal?" 

She bit the side of her lip and frowned at both of them. Dr. Solo grinned, and leaned into her. "Consider it payback for all of the miserable papers I intend to assign you." 

At this, she nodded. "That sounds fine, Master Luke. If you can teach me to knock Dr. Solo down a few pegs, I will have a marketable skill at the Lit Department." 

Dr. Solo's smile widened, and Master Luke chuckled. 

"I figured that goal would be tempting. We have a deal," said the old master. "One thing. In this space, my nephew is nothing more than a peer. I am the only authority in this room. You will address him as 'Ben.' Here, he is not your professor. That way, we all understand where the lines of power run." 

"See?" said Dr. Solo. "Politics are everywhere." 

Dr. Solo moved some mats out onto the floor, and what followed was a demonstration of just how inept Rey was at defending herself. In slow motion, with explanations and without losing their breaths, Dr. Solo and Master Luke showed her over and over how her best attempts to respond to their attacks would fail. They told her not to hold back, and she didn't, which made the failure sting even more. 

After one particularly hard landing, where the wind was knocked clean out of her, Master Luke called a halt and went to get them cups of water. Dr. Solo sat beside her and waited patiently as she tried to control the panic of not being able to get a breath. Her body finally calmed, and she gulped down big, greedy breaths. His fingertips lightly touched her back, a friendly, calming gesture, and she leaned into him.

Then she realized what she had done, and hurried to stand and move away. 

Master Luke returned and handed them both cups of water. She drank as soon as she had convinced herself her body would keep breathing.

"You have morning classes with Ben on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?" said Master Luke. Dr. Solo nodded. "We will meet afterward on those days." 

Rey sputtered and coughed, shocked by the amount of time he had requested.

"As you see fit," said Dr. Solo. 

"Rey, you are welcome to bring along anyone you think would benefit from these lessons. I am glad to teach as many as would like to learn. If it ends up being you, that is fine as well. Most of my martial arts classes happen at night, so my mornings aren't busy." 

Rey thought how nice it would be to have some other people with her. But who could she ask? Rose might come. Finn never would as long as Dr. Solo was there. 

Sweaty and tired, she put her back pack on and walked back to campus with her professor. 

"You shouldn't bruise," he said. "We went easy on you." 

"Easy," she grumbled. "I'd hate to see what's coming." 

"You'll be ready for it." 

"How long am I going to do this?" 

"Until you're confident." 

She eyed him. "It might be a while." 

"Well, it will take you about five years to finish your PhD, so we've got time." 

She stopped, and when he noticed, he returned to her. "Why are you doing this for me?" she whispered. 

His lips turned up just a touch at the corners. Not a smile, but an expression she recognized as a consistent stand-in for one. "Because you need it. And because you are worth it." He raised his hand as if he intended to touch her, but turned it into a gesture to continue walking. And so they did. 

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and walked in amiable silence back to campus.