#but she did fantastic even when I was nervous and blundered through cues

[sneepty-shepherd]

Ok now a silly one

[1-800-choke-that-snoke]

Hello, friends! This is a piece written for @itsaconquestofimagination in celebration of Eid al-Fitr. It’s been more than a year since I’ve written any fic, so I’m still shaking some rust off. I might continue it in the future as a multi-chapter piece in the near future. 

~1800 words, sfw, fluff

                __________________________________________

7:59 

You impatiently tap your fingers on the counter, watching the tiny screen of your phone as the time glows brightly on your phone screen. You made sure to straighten up your tiny living room, clean out the horribly decayed food in your fridge left by your roommate, bring out the fourteen empty mugs piled up in your room. 

Footsteps. 

You couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he walked onto your porch. You’d recognize his gait anywhere: heavy, smooth, purposeful. He stopped at your door, and there was the slightest moment of silence. 

8:00 

The doorbell rang. Kylo was always precisely on-time, a trait encouraged by his mother, and later beaten into him by Snoke. You answered the door with a bit more enthusiasm than you intended, cheeks burning. “Kylo!” you beamed, beckoning him inside. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” he said pleasantly. He gave you a warm smile, but you still saw the tiredness in his eyes. He stepped into the tiny apartment, ducking a bit to keep his head from brushing against the doorway. He had his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets, a nervous habit of his, as he stood by the tiny kitchen counter. 

You went into your refrigerator and pulled out the Brita filter he bought for you when you first reconnected, when you first moved into the apartment. You weren’t too fond of using it everyday, but you always made a point to use it whenever he was over. “So, Kylo Ren, what brings you here on a Sunday?” you ask, pouring a couple glasses of water and handing him one. Normally, his Sundays were reserved for late-night family dinners. Tense, passive-aggressive, uncomfortable family dinners, minus one ‘mysteriously disappeared’ father.

“Well, I thought that since Eid starts tomorrow—” 

“Eid ends tonight, actually,” you said, bringing the glass to your lips. 

“Oh,” he muttered nervously, looking like he missed the date for an important exam. “Uhm…” He cleared his throat, redness burning across his face, unable to meet your amused gaze. “So, Wikipedia lied to me…” 

You snorted into your water, nearly choking with laughter. 

Kylo stood silent, taking a moment to work his nerve back up after his blunder. “Uhm, your… the fasting is over though, right?” 

You nodded. 

“Great!” He smiled in relief, his plan getting back on track. You couldn’t help but smile with him. You loved the way his dark eyes lit up, the temporary disappearance of the otherwise permanent fatigue etched on his scarred face. “Since your family is too far away to visit, I thought we could go ou—” He cut off, losing his nerve for just a moment. “Uh, I thought we could have a little celebration of our own.” 

Your heart fluttered. “And, uh, what did you have in mind?” 

He cleared his throat. “Well…I thought I could take you to your favorite restaurant.”

You cocked your head a bit. It was a lovely offer on his end, but Dex’s Diner was a nearly two-day drive—you’d definitely need to cut class to make it, and that wasn’t something you were willing to do. Well, maybe you’d make an exception for Kylo…

“They just opened up a new Dex’s nearby,” he said, a slight eagerness creeping into his voice. “It’s only a couple hours from here.”  

“Really?! Where?” 

“Inside Disneyland.” 

You gasped in delight, absolute joy spreading across your face. He grinned; his ears reddened behind his thick, plushy hair. “So, I’ll pick you up tomorrow?” 

“For sure!” You paused. “You’ll still hang out tonight too, right?” 

“Absolutely.”  

                                                            ***

Kylo had a tendency to switch between suave and painfully awkward. You, however, had quickly grown quite comfortable in his presence, cozy, so you found the morning car ride to be quite lovely. The two of you rode in tranquil silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. 

After getting out of the car and stretching your legs in the parking lot, you started packing your bag for the trip—or in Kylo’s case, stuffing his oversized pockets with loose change, breath mints, his wallet—and a knife. “Kylo Ren,” you said gently, unable to suppress an amused smile. “You can’t take your switchblade into Disneyland.” 

“It’s not a switchblade. It’s my asthma inhaler.” He gave you a mischievous wink and you couldn’t help but smile a bit as he slipped it into his pocket. 

Sure enough, the bag checker pulled him aside after he emptied his pockets. 

“I’m sorry sir, but unfortunately you cannot take a weapon into the park,” she said flatly.  

“It’s actually my asthma inhaler.” 

“Oh. Yes, of course. My apologies.” The checker handed Kylo the knife, much to the horror of a nearby group of moms. “Enjoy your visit!” 

                                                           ***

Kylo reserved your seats nearly two weeks in advance, so you were able to completely bypass the line that stretched nearly fifty people, smiling sweetly at the glaring faces you cut in front of. The two of you sat right beside the pond, filled with ducks and little turtles. 

“Hello! I’m Lewy Mitaka and I’ll be your server for the evening,” the tiny waiter chirped pleasantly, placing a large platter of hummus, muhammara, and hot pita bread on the table. “What would we like to drink?” 

“Mango sharbat, please,” you said sweetly, “Light ice.” 

“Just water for me,” he grumbled, not looking up from the menu. He glanced at his watch: 11:45. “(Y/N), are you ready to order?” he asked you, his voice noticeably softer when addressing you. 

You nodded. You’d memorized the menu years ago; you could recite it in your sleep. “Lamb quzi, please. A side of rice biryani, and some honey halva,” you said, handing over the menu. 

“I’ll have that, too. It comes recommended from a good friend.” He winked at you, causing you to turn beet-red, and Lewy smiled as he scribbled on his little notepad.

“Okay! We’ll have your food out very soon. Enjoy your visit to the park.” 

The food arrived in less than fifteen minutes, and the smell alone triggered a loud growl in your stomach. Kylo somehow timed everything perfectly, like he always did. He bounced slightly in his chair, excited to eat, always ready to eat, but he waited, his soft brown eyes focused on you, as if he was waiting for a cue. 

You cleared your throat, blushing with his gaze held so intently on you. “Yes, Kylo Ren?” 

“Uhm, I know you’ve told me this before. There’s a little thing you say sometimes. You know, before you eat.” He was always eager to learn, even before he met you. It was so different to the emptiness he was raised on, the darkness under Snoke’s thumb. There was so much richness to it, so much community and joy. 

“ I say ‘Bismillah’,” you said warmly. 

“Bismillah,” he said slowly, cautiously, the phrase flowing smoothly on his tongue. “Bismillah,” he repeated. The smile he gave you was almost enough to make you fall out of your chair. 

The food was fantastic, as always. Kylo was quick to jump to the main dish, but you saw his brow furrow as his Mickey Mouse knife failed to cut through the tender quzi. “Damnit, these knives are so dull,” he growled, furiously sawing at his lamb to no avail. He whipped out his switchblade and started cutting through the meat with relative ease, much to your amusement. 

Lewy walked up to your table, nervously clutching a stack of menus to his chest. “Excuse me, sir, is that a pocket knife?” 

“It’s my asthma inhaler,” he said flatly, still slicing up the meat. 

“Ah.” Lewy relaxed his shoulders. “My mistake. Please enjoy the rest of your meal.” 

With your stomach nearly bursting, you two decided that it would be best to avoid any tumultuous rides. Thunder Mountain was a short walk away, so the two of you queued up behind a father glued to his phone and his little son, no older than four. The boy was trotting up and down the line, boisterously greeting any stranger who would acknowledge him. He made his way to you and Kylo and held up his battered Batman toy, one of its ears broken off. “Lookit Batman!” he squealed. Kylo couldn’t suppress the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and gave the child a curt nod. 

As you moved up in the line, you came to stand inside the fake cave behind the deafening waterfall. You leaned on the slippery railing, watching the falling water. Despite the noise, you found it comforting, almost hypnotizing, and it blocked out the sounds of screaming children. Kylo leaned beside you, but his movements were a bit more hesitant than usual. 

You kept your eyes on the waterfall, but you focused on Kylo slowly edging toward you. Yes, you thought to yourself, your pounding heart leaping into your throat. You were careful not to turn your eyes on him, not wanting to spook him. Yes, yes, it’s happening. He was less than a couple inches from you, and you saw him raise his hand, hover it slightly over yours. Yes yes yes—

“Escue me!” 

Kylo yanked his hand back and whipped around, startled by the child standing at his feet. 

Nooo, you thought bitterly. Evil child, evil…

The little boy turned his head this way and that, gaping at Kylo’s scar, completely mystified. “Mister, what happen on your face?” 

An evil smirk crept across Kylo’s lips. “I got attacked by the vampire hiding in this cave.” 

The child started howling, his echoing screams bouncing off the cave walls and scaring everyone in line, and latched onto his father’s leg. His father, unable to pry him off, awkwardly limped out of line with the dozens of glaring faces following him out. 

You leaned against the railing—now a little closer to the front—and Kylo joined you once again. He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes locked on the water. Despite the noise, you could hear him clearly—his voice could cut through anything, another one of his uncanny traits. “Remember when I said I wanted to start a Quranic class?” 

You nodded. It was just last week. When you were younger, when he was full of life and love and curiosity, he was always asking questions, always wanting to learn, to connect. And now, after all this time, you could see it returning. 

“Well, registration opened up a few days ago, so I signed up for the intro course. I start on Tuesday.” 

“Kylo, that’s fantastic!” you beamed. 

Warmth fluttered in his chest, and the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, watching the waterfall. From the corner of your eye, you could see him cautiously edging closer to you. You chose not to react just yet, not wanting to risk frightening him. Slowly, delicately, he put his enormous arm around your shoulder. You leaned fully into his embrace and held his other hand against your cheek, relishing his warmth against the chilly air.