To Do the Next Right Thing

Part 8

To Do the Next Right Thing

Chapter 8

Rey wasn't ready for Coruscant.

Armitage could tell that just from seeing her the next morning, as it seemed like she'd been up for hours, fumbling around the ship like keeping her hands busy would keep her excitement down. He'd surprisingly slept well, probably well knowing that Kylo Ren and Allegiant General Pryde were completely dead and gone, his first good sleep in years. Or maybe it was because the crew's quarters, despite being a little clunky, were surprisingly comfortable. Maybe he'd just been forced to sleep in awful beds his whole life, and for the first time, he now knew what a real bed felt like.

Regardless, he woke up refreshed, getting dressed in the refresher before meeting Rey out in the main hull. Until now, a woman had never seen him in the flesh, in such a compromising position until her, and he wasn't sure what to think about that. She'd seen his scars, knew where they came from and even offered to try and heal them. She saw him and didn't flinch, scream, or laugh like he always feared one would. No, in fact there was a hint of fascination in those hazel eyes—but probably because of his damn scars, and nothing else.

He almost tripped over BB-8 still in his charging station, realizing he did not have the sense of space he thought he did, given he spent most of his days on giant Star Destroyers, where others scrambled to keep out of his way.

"Watch it," BB-8 snapped, rolling past him. Guess he was done charging. "I thought you First Order Generals were supposed to have your sh—"

"Morning!" Rey peeked her head out from the bridge, already dressed and in those signature three buns. Oh, was she going to stick out like a sore thumb. Not that he looked much better. "You were out like a light—I swear I made so much noise getting everything together when I got up."

Armitage Hux, now a heavy sleeper? That bed really was something else. "You're cheery this morning," he pointed out, raising a suspicious brow. "Just the morning before you were dreading this adventure."

"Well, I wouldn't say dread," she said. "I just didn't think it'd be fun without Finn and Poe."

"And is it?" he asked. "Fun, I mean."

She shrugged. "You know, kind of. BB-8 doesn't hate you; you're actually insightful and can hold your own where it matters. You've helped me work out a few demons I couldn't tell my friends. I'm seeing planets I've never dreamed of seeing before."

Coruscant. She was excited for finally seeing it with her own eyes.

She tossed him a portion. "I know it's not the breakfast of champions, but I want to get a move on."

Armitage politely placed it on the dejarik table for now. "Then I'll eat it in lightspeed," he said, moving past her to get in the co-pilot's seat. "No need to waste time when you clearly want to get there as soon as possible."

Rey smirked, starting up the Falcon. "I shouldn't like the fact that we're getting along, but I like that we're getting along."

Sighing, Armitage admitted, "My sentiments exactly."

—

The whole time there she couldn't stop moving or talking. Once in lightspeed, after breakfast, Rey took to tinkering with the entire ship, goading Armitage to help her out. He started learning more about the mechanics of this hunk of junk, and started to see that though yes, she was getting on in years, he could see why she was the most famous ship in the galaxy, after everything she'd been through.