A Star Wars Reylo AU: The Taming of the Professor

Nineteen

Rey hadn't realized how much energy the day had taken from her. She had worked the night before, and by the time she finished the third draft of the article, she wasn't sure she could stay awake for another revision. There were forty-five minutes left before the deadline. Dr. Solo sat in his chair with the laptop open to her article, editing her newest draft. He didn't look any different than he did at any other time of the day. 

She fell asleep in the curve of the window, her feet pressed flat against the brick and her knees propped against the glass. A prudish foster mother, Andrea, would not have approved. At five 'til midnight, Dr. Solo woke her.

"Rey? Wake up now. It's time to send this." 

She stretched and sat up, accepting the computer. Her eyes wouldn't focus on the screen.

"Another revision?" she mumbled.

"No. You're done. Would you like me to send it?" 

She nodded and handed the computer back to him, returning to her sleeping position. 

"You're not one for all-nighters, I take it?" 

She shook herself awake again. "I don't get much sleep. Haven't you noticed?" She squinted into the bright light. "Can I just stay here tonight?" His carpeted office floor looked just as comfortable as her apartment floor.

"No, I'm afraid not. If you think Dr. Hux is unbearable now, imagine how delighted he would be to discover you spent the night in my office. Neither of us would live it down."

She managed to pull the heels back on and stuff herself into the blazer. The pile of hair pins remained on Dr. Solo's desk, along with the glasses. She couldn't shake her sleepiness, no matter how hard she tried. He drove her home and helped her out of the truck. They walked together up the steps to her apartment. 

"Where's your key?"

"Oh." 

She fished around inside of the bodice of her dress and unpinned it. The professor raised his eyebrows. 

"Us girls can hide all kinds of things inside our clothing." 

She keyed in, and flipped on the lights. Dr. Solo glanced behind her, his face inscrutable as always. 

"Don't say nice place, because I'll know it's a lie. Thanks for the help tonight."

"Why don't you sleep in today. Meet me at Luke's at ten. You deserve the rest." 

She nodded, yawned again, and waved him goodbye. 

*

The next morning, she slept as long as she could, showered, and walked to Luke's studio. He and Dr. Solo were in the practice room, and both held newspapers. Luke gave her an appraising look over the top of his paper when she walked in, and Dr. Solo said nothing at all.

"Dr. Solo?"

Master Luke cleared his throat. 

"Oh. Um. Ben?"

"Yes?" He responded to her that way when he was half-listening, absorbed in some much more interesting reading. 

"Did the article turn out OK?" 

He motioned her over, and held the paper out so she could read along side him. She was nervous to review the finished product. She'd had a few stories published in the past, but nothing that would be as widely read as this article. 

"It's well done," said Master Luke, after they had all finished. 

"Who will you vote for?" Rey asked Luke.

He laughed. "I think I'll go with Ms. Organa." 

"And you?" she said to Dr. Solo.

"I'm still undecided. You look better. Did you sleep well?" 

"Yes. Sorry I was so exhausted last night. I don't know how reporters do all of that work and then produce an article on such a short timetable." 

"It's difficult," agreed Dr. Solo. "It will help you appreciate having months to edit and rewrite. Speaking of which, back to your program of study. This dalliance into reporting was good for you, but we are now a week and a half behind." 

"We could skip a few novels. Nobody would know." 

He lunged for her, and her body automatically moved to into position to catch his throat with her arm. He blocked, holding her at arms length. Holding her for a split-second too long. 

"Good," he said. "Maybe we'll start doing random drills to see if you're paying attention." 

She took a deep breath and he released her. Master Luke collected the newspapers, and glanced between them. 

"Ben, can I see you for a moment? Rey, we'll be back." 

Rey stretched while they went off to talk. Something had just happened with Dr. Solo, something she didn't want to look very hard at. They were both tired. That was all. He was as on edge as she was. By the time they returned, she had placed the mats and run through the stretching sequence and was now lying on the floor, staring up at the drab, gray ceiling. 

Had she really written an article for a newspaper? Yesterday was a blur. She wondered which of the candidates would win. She liked the lady better. The man made her skin crawl. He had tried too hard to convince her he was good, not to advocate for his position on issues. Oh well. It didn't matter. 

When they returned, they started working on the promised "throw the professor on the floor" move. She was thrilled. But first, she was thrown to the floor multiple times so she could understand how it worked. 

By the time it was her turn to try, she was dizzy. It took very little effort for either of them to toss her down. The last time she hit, she stayed there. 

"Why do I need to know this? Can't I just take the guy out and run?" 

"If he's flat on his back on the ground, your running will have a much greater head start," said Master Luke. He stood over her, looking down with an amused expression. "We're done for today. Next time we meet we'll learn how to knock Ben down. That way if he sneak attacks you at the Department, you can put him in his place." 

Dr. Solo stood over her, bent, and heaved her to her feet, waiting for her to regain her balance. He watched her carefully as they walked back to campus, but the dizziness had subsided.