– Elena Gilbert –
Happy birthday, Rey!
I hope your day is fantastic <3

– Rose Tico –
AAAAHHHHHH!!! YOU'RE 18!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

– Finn Cooper –
Happy birthday!
Don't do anything that I wouldn't do! ;)

– Caroline Klaus –
Happy birthday love <3
Miss you like crazy in the sunshine state!

– Sabine Wren –
Happy birthday, sweetie!
Ridden any stallions yet? ;) I can think of one!
*wink wink nudge nudge*

"Oh my god, Sabine!" Rey cried to the screen of her phone, planting a palm over her forehead when she came upon Sabine's message, hidden amongst the other several dozen birthday wishes posted on her Facebook's timeline. She pressed her thumb to the 'like' tab beneath the comment and scrolled along the selection of emoji icons, choosing the laughing face since it lacked one with blazing, tomato-red cheeks.

– Belle Adams –
Happy birthday!

– Poe Dameron –
Happy birthday, beautiful

To which Rey rolled her eyes and continued scouring over the remainder of unread messages in bed, despondent to leaving the comforter's warmth before time struck 9:00 on an uneventful Saturday morning. Her phone vibrated in hand, alerting Rey of the newly received instant message from a person she could barely contain her excitement to see later on in the day.

– Ben Solo –
Happy birthday, Rey

– Rey Kanata –
Thank you <3

– Ben Solo –
Feel any different?

– Rey Kanata –
Other than the fact that I can legally buy porn and cigarettes?
Not really! Lol
Oh, and vote!

– Ben Solo –
.......

– Rey Kanata –
Shut up!

– Ben Solo –
I wasn't gonna comment
*insert eyes emoji*

"I'm sure you weren't," Rey snorted at Ben's message, grinning roguishly.

– Rey Kanata –
But if I have to answer seriously...
I still haven't gotten out of bed

– Ben Solo –
I would expect nothing less from an old fart

– Rey Kanata –
:P Speak for yourself!
I'm excited for this afternoon though
Any last minute reminders of anything that I need to bring?

– Ben Solo –
Nope
Just you

– Rey Kanata –
*thumbs up emoji*

Squeak. Thud. Squeak. Squeak. Thud. Thud.

– Rey Kanata –
I suppose I should start rising from the dead

– Ben Solo –
Enjoy your birthday morning
See you later

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Rey grumbled, surrendering over the comfort of staying in bed a few moments longer and gave the bedspread a begrudged heave to the side. She pulled on a taffy-colored sweatshirt to go along with the black and white checkered sleep pants, conceding to the familiar sound of Bee-Bee's wheel chafing along the wall of his cage.

"You really are making a bad habit out of this, you know," Rey chided through her teeth, raising a brow in reprimand to the rodent who stubbornly refused to leave the immobile object while being repositioned from the enclosure's barrier. She continued with the usual morning routine of giving Bee-Bee a fresh bowl of food, and water from the bathroom tap, before greeting Maz in the kitchen.

"Good morning, kiddo," Maz greeted animatedly, glancing through the side rim of her glasses whilst pouring the pot of coffee's steaming content into a teal mug, embellished with the image of a stethoscope and the outline of a heartbeat on one side. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Rey sighed, propping her elbows over the short end of the counter adjacent to Maz, fingers loosely threaded. "Got the morning off today?"

"On the contrary," Maz countered, returning the half-filled pot to its station, "I've got the whole day off."

Rey's expression reigned surprise, lips drawn agape. "I'm shocked! Two whole days off in a row: today and tomorrow?"

Maz nodded, confirming the notion over the course of taking a pilfered sip of liquid caffeine, "Yep," she ratified contentedly. "What kind of trouble do you think we should get ourselves into?"

Rey pursed her lips and frowned, tapping an index over the opposing knuckle, "We could go to Cirilla's?" She proposed devilishly. "Then, we could go to the gas station afterwards and buy a carton of cigarettes that I'll never smoke."

"Um – no!" Maz firmly allotted. "Your parents would haunt the entirety of my existence if I ever allowed you to do such a thing – to buy cigarettes, that is."

Rey chuckled and nodded, agreeing. "I don't doubt that they would," she verified, continuing to push her luck. "What about the novelty shop?"

Maz shrugged, "That's something that you can do with your friends. Just please, for the love of God, don't tell me what you buy."

Rey gave Maz a look that feigned hurt, "I figured you would be one of those more daring aunties."

"I was a hippie that smoked pot and talked shit," Maz affirmed with a snort, "your father was the enabler of our time."

Rey scrunched her nose, directed specifically towards a particular notion that related well to her parents. "Do you happen to know which box that mum's recipe book is packed in?"

Maz considered the query over another sip from her mug, perceiving unspoken questions she had of her own that regarded Rey's interest stemming past her mom's guitar. Her chest rose and fell noticeably, liberating a huff. "Your guess is about as good as mine, kiddo," she confessed. "But I do remember sticking it in one of the boxes in your room if that narrows it down any."

Rey nodded, conferring a smile, "It does. Thank you."

"Speaking of cooking, that reminds me," Maz muttered, directing a pointer finger to the invisible light bulb that sparked her memory. Depositing her mug to the counter, Maz pivoted on her heal and advanced to the fridge, earning a favorable smile from Rey that beamed far beyond her eyes when the small, store-purchased birthday cake was revealed. "I had planned to make one myself this year, but time got away from me once again."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Rey assured, ignoring her mouth salivating treacherously when her senses caught a whiff of the vanilla decadence's buttercream icing with brightly-colored sprinkles dusted over its top and sides.

"It's just a cake, Rey," Maz contested, prying away the plastic lid. "And I can most certainly buy you something if I want. I was planning on taking you tomorrow to do some shopping, but we could do that today instead if you want?"

Rey reiterated the notion in her head while Maz rummaged through a nearby drawer, jammed full with utensils in search of a serving knife for the cake. She supposed it would be nice to have something different to wear during her afternoon outing with Ben. Even if the trip was to the county fair and the typical day out at the Solo's ranch, the concept of looking nice for Ben seemed – well, nice.

"Sure," Rey smiled, humoring her aunt with a nod of approval, "sounds great. I just have to be back by 3:00, if that's okay?"

"Oh, of course," Maz replied gladly, wielding the tool she'd been rooting around for with a renowned look of satisfaction. "I wasn't aware that you had plans this evening?"

Rey chewed her bottom lip, mind in limbo over how Maz would react to her wanting to spend time with Ben somewhere other than the usual outing to the farm. "Ben's taking me to the fair in South Bend," she murmured, skimming the point of her tongue between her lips and nervously drumming one set of fingers over the other hand's knuckles. "We were gonna go to the ranch afterwards," she shrugged. "They're doing hayrides and a bonfire and stuff tonight."

Maz allotted her niece a sidelong glance, brow arched inquisitively. "Oh?" She quipped curiously, channeling the knife down the center of the cake. "Would this happen to be the same fellow that loaned you his shirt a few weeks back?"

Rey bobbed her head tentatively, eyes fixed keenly on her aunt.

"I see," Maz remarked, retrieving two dessert saucers from the cupboard ahead of where she stood at the counter. "Well, I suppose that I can't blame you for growing fond of someone that's older. I get that most boys your age tend to be somewhat immature," she explained. "Just be careful though, alright kiddo? Guys tend to think with one head only at times, and I'm not talking about the one sitting on their shoulders."

Rey permitted a sigh in relief, suppressing a laugh. "I can promise you that Ben's different," she informed in his defense. "And if it makes you feel any better we haven't even kissed yet."

"Yet," Maz stressed, handing over the small dish that contained a healthy serving of cake. "I suppose that makes me feel a wee bit better," she concluded with a wink. "I like him already."

"I think you would like him," Rey hummed, foregoing the fork when she happily proceeded to indulge in a generous glob of icing with a forefinger.

**

The incoming twilight brought upon a new wave of visitors to South Bend's Free Fall Fair, including chilly temperatures that distinguished autumn's early phases of the day as it slowly dissipated into the early evening hours of night.

The gradual loss in sunlight provided more than enough grounds to hale every neon carnival light in the area. Bulbs in various colors from rides, game booths, and concession stands flourished to life, stimulating an infinite bokeh effect as the structures strode further off into the distance.

Some rides resembled starships ascending into the sky while others continued to look like brighter versions of themselves as they once appeared earlier in the day. Screams pierced the atmosphere from those being spun and thrashed about, which gradually diminished into the vivacious beats of hip-hop music when the ride came to an end.

As the crowd rose in numbers the lines grew considerably longer for those anxiously waiting to ride the more popular and favorite attractions at the event: like The Wipeout, Fireball, and Freak-Out. After the third time of riding The Wipeout, Rey was certain she'd accumulated a rather reasonable amount of bruises after being nudged and squashed by Ben against the interior side of the seat.

Still, being the first carnival event that Rey had ever been to, having a few blemishes on her skin wasn't nearly enough to hinder the fact that it was the most fun she'd ever experienced. She told Ben just as much, and he admitted to disbelief that she'd never been to this sort of festive occasion.

"That should be a crime right there," Ben declared. "You mean to tell me that you've never gotten to indulge in an elephant ear?"

"My aunt always had to work," Rey shrugged, harnessing her arm around the crook of Ben's. She slowly skimmed her thumb over the material of his long-sleeved Henley. They'd just begun ambling down the isle of games when the topic had been broached, ignoring the cries from carnival workers attempting to coax those who passed by to play. "And no, I've never had an elephant ear."

"Can I confer benefit of the doubt that you at least know what an elephant ear is?" Ben teased, allotting a smirk in her direction.

It wasn't like he needed another reason to look at her that evening, though it was becoming increasingly harder to pry his eyes away each time. Even when Rey wasn't dolled up in an oversized, marigold sweater with skinny jeans and a newly purchased pair of coffee-colored booties, she never ceased to look more beautiful each time. If only he'd work up the nerve to tell her...

Rey rolled her eyes. "Of course I know what an elephant ear is," she huffed. "It's a fried, rounded-thingy with sugar on top."

Ben chuckled animatedly. "A fried, rounded thingy," he repeated, earning a playful smack to the sternum from Rey. "Well, we'll definitely be changing that tonight just so you know."

Rey nodded, opening her mouth to reply before the words were immediately lost over the boisterous sound of balloons popping in a sporadic surge. Her muscles noticeably flinched, yelping a startled shriek at the unanticipated noise. "Jesus, that scared the shit out of me," she sighed, resting a hand over her chest while her heartbeat returned to normal after the brief scare.

"That would be the Balloon Water Race game," Ben chuckled, affirming the source to which the pop stemmed from originally. He nodded ahead of them towards the stand that occupied well over a dozen players, each aiming a water pistol at a target inside the mouth of the Warner Brother's character, the Tasmanian Devil. An assortment of prizes, ranging from small to large in size, hung on display inside the cubicle for players to choose. "Whoever fills their balloon up the fastest wins."

Rey emitted him a grin, declaring herself open to the challenge whilst imploring for him to join. Ben agreed, nodding without saying more beyond the promise that he would surely win.

"We'll see," Rey winked. She interlaced their fingers without so much as wanting to reassess the motion, excitedly pulling him to the game in question. The gesture had started to become more natural to enact upon since those few days Ben stayed with her at the apartment. It's like her fingers were meant to be fitted, warm and snug, between his.

 
Neither was declared winner of the first match, but they remained persistent. After the initial failed attempt (with shared laughter and fake tears), one engagement in game play led directly into that of a second round – and a third then forth before Ben was officially crowned victor of round number five. He let Rey pick the prize for her to keep. Following the act of heavy deliberation over the diversity of choices she wound up choosing a significantly large, over-stuffed bear covered in the bluest, cobalt fur she'd ever seen.

"I guess I shouldn't have to worry about losing you now in the crowd," Ben teased, bobbing a salute towards the soft toy that Rey was hugging to her chest.

Rey shook her head and snorted, "No, I don't suppose that you should have to."

"So, where to?" Ben implored, drawing an arm around her shoulders and pulling Rey into his side.

Rey cocked her head, perceiving the stark aroma of grilled tenderloins mingling with deep-fried potato skins and onions, briefly taking hold over her sense of hunger. A swell of bodies suffused the interconnecting aisle known as 'junk food alley,' where each individual pampered themselves with a select choice for how their arteries would be clogged.

Ben refrained from asking Rey to enlighten more on the topic; the expression of famish that her face developed after catching glimpse of someone turning from a corner concession booth, wielding a paper plate with a funnel cake smothered in strawberry toppings made it more than palpable to what she wanted.

"We could eat," Ben suggested, warranting a look from Rey that implied as if he'd just read her mind.

They pushed and prodded their way through the dense crowd of civilians, bearing in mind the needless effort to provide a 'sorry' for every side and elbow purposely bumped in the process. Rey mulled over every menu on display, expressing provisions like corn dogs, deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies out loud whilst curling her lip at items such as deep-fried pig ears and taco cheesecakes.

"How in the hell do people come up with some of these concoctions?" Rey asked, genuinely intrigued by what possesses society to consume anything that sounded like something a dog would eat.

"I ask myself that every year I come here," Ben admitted. His hand lowered to her hip, urging Rey in front of him to guide her through the masses. "I'm more for playing it safe and going with the usual mozzarella stick than something that would potentially rot me from the inside."

Rey laughed, not believing the notion that'd popped into her mind out of the blue. "We could make it a little more interesting, you know?" She inquired over her shoulder, receiving a tentative eyebrow raise from Ben to her back. "We can each pick something out for the other that neither of us would order on our own."

"You can't be serious?" Ben grunted, seeming equally as surprised as she about the newly anointed proposal.

"I'm dead serious," Rey insisted; furnishing a sly smile at nobody in particular that occupied the lane before her. "I promise I'll make sure that yours isn't too – um – strange."

Ben heaved a sigh in defeat, his face demonstrating a look that exerted being less than enthused about the thought. However, it was a dare that developed into something far more entertaining than he initially believed it to be: that was following the look of revulsion that'd appeared on Rey's face when he presented the cardstock container of pickle slices marinated in strawberry Kool-Aid to her. Rey opted for the deep-fried butter curds as his proposed treat.

"It isn't too late," Ben assured, settling down next to Rey in a grassy area behind the mobile stands of refreshments. "I can still get us something that's more – you know – normal?"

Rey regarded the carton's half dollar-sized rations, their normal shades of green tainted by a pinkish hue from the unusual marinade in her lap. I can do this.

"Nope," Rey grimaced, drawing in a breath to recite the terms, "just one bite and that's it."

Ben nodded, exhaling noisily. "Who wants to go first?" He asked guardedly, "Or we could do it together?"

Rey nodded eagerly to the latter offer. "Together," she confirmed, giving the corners of her mouth a sympathetic twitch.

Her eyes reigned dread as Ben collected one of the atrocious slice of sustenance between a forefinger and thumb, his face adopting a mirrored look when Rey settled on a medium-sized, buttery curd. Rey leaned forward, the pungent aroma stinging her nose as she opened her mouth, allowing Ben to gently place the off-colored pickle on her tongue just as Rey did the same to Ben with the buttery curd. It wasn't until her teeth suck into the greenish cuisine when she felt the tension squirming inside her stomach warp into a knot. Halting mid-chew, she forced herself to bite back the initial wave of nausea crawling up through her esophagus. Ben took on a more pensive appearance, brows furrowed as he chewed.

"This is fucking terrible," Rey spat, swallowing tentatively in fear that the strawberry-vinegar taste trickling down her throat would viciously stroke her gag reflexes. To her relief, she survived the tortuous challenge though the bitter sweet taste lingered after the slice had started digesting. "How's yours?"

Ben considered her, Adam's apple bobbing noticeably as he swallowed. "Honestly?" He shrugged, seeming indifferent. "It tastes like a heavily, buttered-down piece of toast. Do you want one?" He smirked, gesturing the carton of curds to her considerately.

Rey shook her head, face hysterically distorted. "I'll take your word for it," she muttered kindly. "Can we get that elephant ear now?"

Ben chuckled and nodded, gathering their cartons in hand before driving his weight up onto his feet. He extended a hand to Rey, offering her help to stand while she grappled the prized bear by the paw in the other. "Definitely," he promised, hauling Rey with little effort to her full height. "In fact, let's make it two."

**

By the time Rey made it back to the Solo's ranch with Ben, the hour had long come and went since the fall festivities begrudgingly came to an end. The only traces lingering after the event was the bonfire's golden luminosity radiating from a far-off distance somewhere behind the house, the smoldering glow dimmed by the smoke's foggy haze.

The musky aroma of burning oak and pine, ensnaring its way into her senses and leaving shadows of its loitering fragrance inside Han and Leia's home. The elderly pair appeared to have just settled down from a long, hard day's work inside the dwelling's main sitting room as Ben ushered Rey in through the front door.

"You're late," Han snarked wryly, drawing a corner of his mouth askew into a half smile towards Rey and Ben as they wandered into the room from the foyer.

"I guess time got ahead of us," Rey repented, her voice hinting trivially of remorse. "How did it go today?"

"Another successful year," Leia chimed in from the overstuffed chair opposite of where Han was sitting. "It appears that the Wattos' corn maze was a favorite in consensus to those that showed up. You also received quite a few compliments regarding your horse and pumpkin theme at the hay mounds, Rey."

Rey beamed at the flattering remark, surprised that neither mentioned the single bale of hay she'd painted of a certain black horse the weekend prior with Sabine. Leia carried on to ask how their evening at the fair went, and listened (with a very silent Han) as Rey explained her first carnival experience. Ben added in his two cents when the topic of eating repulsive fair food was mentioned, leading into a shared laugh with Han.

"Well," Han started before a yawn rudely interrupted, "there's plenty of fire left out back if you two aren't ready to call it an early evening."

"Actually," Leia interjected quickly, rising from her chair with purpose, "hang on just a second before you two go," she urged with a light hand pat to Ben's bicep. She disappeared briefly into the kitchen to retrieve the larger than average-sized gift bag that she emerged with a few moments later. "This is for you, my dear," she stated whilst handing it to Rey.

Rey took a breath, worrying the handles beneath her fingers. "You guys didn't have to do this," she scoffed, diverting equal glimpses amid Han and Leia. "I wasn't expecting anythi–."

"No," Leia cut in pointedly, laying a hand of reassurance along the plain of Rey's shoulder. "It's your birthday, and I think it's more than palpable that you're an official part of our family in more ways than one," she affirmed, allotting a subtle wink to Ben's quiet stance alongside Rey. "Now, open it."

Rey conceded with a sigh, lips firmly pressed into a frown as Leia showed no signs of withdrawing from the offer. Her hand dove into the layers of white tissue paper, retrieving the straw-woven cowgirl hat with a cattleman indentation at the crown. A leather band fabricated from bullhide wrapped around the center, embellished with a single stone made of turquoise along with dozens of smaller pebbles embossing its intricate design.

Rey remained at a momentary loss for words; until Han's gruff voice broke the room's stifling moment of silence, "So, what do you think kid?"

Rey could only stammer over her words, searching for the right expression to confess why tears were suddenly burning the backs of her eyes. Truthfully, it was beautiful, and entirely the last thing she'd expected from either of them.

"It's beautiful," Rey uttered, her voice laden with many other unspoken words that could never do her amount of gratitude justice. She quickly scanned a thumb along the lower lids of her eyes, ridding them of moisture as Leia assisted with positioning the hat over her head.

"Perfect," Leia assured, not realizing she'd unwittingly wrung the exact term from Ben's thoughts.

He'd spent the remainder of their time inside the house deliberating how he wanted to tell Rey the same term of endearment, but in a more different aspect. The infuriating battle remained long after the moment he and Rey had claimed their seats on the grass before the fire, though the continuation of his prolonged silence never went unnoticed.

"You never did tell me what you thought," Rey murmured, peeling her eyes from the embers trailing off each individual flame to look at Ben. "About how I looked in the hat," she explained, briefly gesturing a hand to the hat lying opposite from where he was sitting to her.

Ben lowered his chin, veering his initial focus from the fire to the inferno that softly burnished her irises. His eyelids seemed to grow heavier for every second the words remained unsaid. Finally, he could feel the phrase slip through his slightly parted lips, taking up form in that of a whisper when he spoke. "You look beautiful."

The words brought new flourishing warmth to her cheeks and chest, and not the sort that was typically warranted from sitting within a reasonable distance from a bonfire. It was how Rey always felt whenever Ben looked at her in that way: an emotional urge that could no longer remain contained.

The dilated pupils of her eyes disappeared beneath the tresses of her eyelashes, encouraging Rey to raise her chin slightly as Ben lowered his face closer to hers. The former steady beat of her heart began to drum at a pace more rapid as her eyes wilted to the sensation of Ben skimming his bottom lip over hers, enticing her lips to part before he sealed the kiss.

Rey had anticipated many things when it came to experiencing her first kiss, but not this – not the inexplicable toll that his lips rendered over her. He'd awakened a whole new emotion of sentiment she never knew could be felt towards another person: one that seemed worthy to explore had his lips not parted from hers. A sigh eluded from her lips as the peak of their noses brushed before Ben pressed his forehead to hers, cupping the incline of her jaw with his hand.

"That was the first kiss that you deserved," Ben admitted huskily, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

It took a little longer for Rey to realize what he was implying, her mind too busy marveling in the present to consider Ben believed Poe to be the one that had kissed her first. She drew her face back from his, lips conferring a smile that immediately told him otherwise.

"It wasn't him," Rey whispered, raising a hand to the shallow basin of his neck and shoulder. "It was you, like it was always meant to be."

Ben regarded her quizzically, allowing his mind to fully absorb what it was that his ears were hearing. He grinned wildly when the notion finally sunk in that he had been her first. Rey nodded and divulged a laugh as Ben cradled her face with his hands, compelling her lips into a kiss more ardent than the first.