Mutualism

Blue Milkshakes, 2010

Blue milkshakes. That was Uncle Luke's special recipe and he had been furiously protective of the secret ingredients for most of his life. That is, until his nephew came to live with him.

Ben still made the blue milkshakes to this day, a simple ritual he allowed himself on weekends when the day was slow, something to keep Uncle Luke's memory fresh and to cure that ever present sweet tooth of his. It didn't require a lot of special ingredients and it was effortlessly delicious, not to mention that it felt like a private and intimate thing he could do to remember the man who had helped him change his life.

He was in the kitchen today whipping himself up one of the bright colored concoctions when he suddenly felt somebody watching him. Ben looked behind him to find Rey, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Don't stop on my account, Solo. What are you making? Can I have one?" she asked, moving closer, her eyes roaming over the messy countertop. "And why is it blue?"

"Uhm. Aren't you supposed to be doing... schoolwork or something?" Ben asked cautiously, pouring himself a glass of the finished milkshake. He still wasn't used to the way Rey would seek him out for these little forced interactions. Ever since her first night here, she had made it her mission to bother Ben as much as possible - at least that's how it seemed.

"First off, it's Saturday. No teenager does schoolwork on a Saturday. Second, even if I was, young growing girls need snacks to keep them fueled. Ever heard of that? A snack?"

Ben narrowed his eyes at the sassy teen, huffing out a breath. "Yes, Rey. I've heard of snacks. There's plenty of things in the fridge you can help yourself to. Poe just brought back fresh groceries for you all."

Rey narrowed her eyes back, stepping closer and snatching a cup of the sacred liquid which he had just poured, taking a big gulp as Ben watched with his eyes wide. She wiped her mouth with the back of her forearm and grinned up at the shocked giant when she was done.

"Sharing is caring, Solo! Especially with something as good as whatever that is. Is that why you're hiding it? Wanted to keep it all to yourself?" she pressed, returning the glass to Ben.

Ben pushed it back in her direction, shaking his head. "No, keep it. You already drank from it."

Rey rolled her eyes before shrugging and taking another big sip. "I don't have cooties, Ben. That's a dumb rumor, in case you haven't heard. Aren't you too old to be believing in something like that anyway? Whatever, more for me."

Ben waited patiently for Rey to take her stolen drink and leave, but she stuck around, leaning back against the counter as she drank. "So, what's in this stuff?"

"Family secret."

"Not too much of a secret if you're making it out here in the middle of the day."

"It's personal, then."

"A smoothie... milkshake thing is... personal ?"

"Yes, very... And it's a milkshake."

"So, at least one of the ingredients is milk, then."

"No- I mean, yes, but-"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes, Rey, one of the ingredients is milk," Ben sighed, drumming his fingers on the counter. "Now, could you please leave so I can make myself one since you so generously helped yourself to my milkshake?"

"I won't tell anyone, Solo. You can trust me. I'm very honest."

"I'm sure I can, Rey. But this milkshake is special to me."

"Fine, have it your way. You'll see."

"I'll see what?"

"See you later, Solo. Have fun with your secret milkshakes."

***

The next day, and every day following that, Rey made a small batch of blue milkshakes, hunting down Ben Solo for a round of taste testing until she got it right. It took almost a week and a lot of pestering the counselors to keep buying specific ingredients for her "secret mission", but in the end she nailed the recipe perfectly and even ended up improving it, something Ben would never admit out loud until years later.

From then on, Ben grew to tolerate Rey, at least enough that he actually found himself nodding and even offering up a smile her way when they passed each other on the property. She was infuriating and a smart-aleck, sure, but also had a lot of spunk and determination.

Ben saw a lot of his own stubbornness in the teen, secretly appreciating the way she didn't leave well enough alone. It reminded him a lot of Poe, too, the only other person who had thoroughly annoyed their way into being his friend. And even Poe had never had one of Uncle Luke's blue milkshakes, much less knew what was in them. There was just something about that Rey that refused to be ignored.

Maybe this would be the year Ben Solo finally made a new friend.