Chapter Text
“Please? It’ll be so much fun, Rey! You know how much I love them!” Rose pleaded from across the room, flinging herself onto her twin sized bed as she watched her best friend continue to pack all of her things. “Plus, this is the last week I’ll have you with me before you leave forever.”
Rey sighed at the cheap move Rose had just used against her and turned with her hands on her hips to look at the younger girl in their shared bedroom. “And what do we do if Sister Maz catches us? Hmm? I’m too close to freedom to get caught for sneaking out, Rose. Especially for some rock concert,” Rey scolded, cocking an eyebrow at her friend who already looked like she was trying to figure everything out.
“Well it’s not just some rock concert, it’s the Knights of Ren, Rey. The Knights of Ren! They’re performing at The Bourbon Room, Rey, that’s just a few blocks down from here,” Rose continued, suddenly sitting up with excited eyes as she gave an over exaggerated sigh and collapsed on her back with her hand across her forehead.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, Rey looked at her friend and realized this really was the last week she’d be seeing her before she was out of the boarding school for good and starting her job as a teacher in Los Angeles, not too far away from the boarding school in Hollywood, but still away from Rose.
Rey had started at the school later than all of the other girls, already twenty when everyone else in her grade was eighteen, like Rose. It wasn’t her fault her parents dumped her on the front door step with nothing but the clothes on her back and no formal education. Chandrila Catholic School for Girls had been Rey’s home since she was five and she considered herself to always be a good girl when it came to her involvement with the establishment.
She never skipped her classes, was never late, always did her assignments on time, never snuck out at night, and was always in high standing with her teachers and peers. Rey wore her cross around her neck and prayed every night before bed and was always quick to visit the confessional if she thought she did something wrong. Most of the time, the Sisters just smiled at her kindly and shook their heads, laughing off the sin of ‘staying up past bedtime to read magazines with Rose’ more times than Rey would’ve liked to admit.
Many people at the Catholic school thought Rey would take vows to become a nun herself and teach at the establishment, but Rey had always longed to travel, even if that meant just moving twenty minutes away to get a formal job as a teacher. So this was her last week at Chandrila and now Rose was begging her to break every rule just days before her freedom.
With a nervous shift on her feet and the crossing of her arms, Rey finally gave in. “Fine! Fine, but I’m only going to make sure you don’t get hurt!” Rose squealed and jumped up from the bed, rushing across the room to squeeze her best friend tightly as she promised giddily, “I promise you won't regret it, Rey! It’s going to be amazing!”
*****
Kylo stared out of the tour bus window and lazily played with the strings on his electric guitar rested haphazardly across his lap. “You look positively miserable,” Phasma chided from beside him, collapsing into the long booth-style seating running the length of the bus, an open beer in her hand and Hux stretched out beside her. “Didn’t think it took this long to get from Vegas to Hollywood,” he grumbled.
One thick and veiny hand ran through the untamed black locks haloed around his head and he felt for the sunglasses lost somewhere in the tangled mess to tug over his eyes. “Someone’s in a mood today,” Mitaka shot from somewhere else in the bus, probably the bunks lining the walls. “Maybe if I had a cigarette it would be different,” Kylo just huffed back as he continued to play the guitar drunkenly.
Hux and Phasma shared a concerned look at the sight of their lead singer, already out of it and continuously spiraling with every day that passed. It was obvious the man needed help, but he refused it adamantly and had no problem drinking the problems away before lighting another smoke with steady hands. It wasn’t like the fans cared, in fact, they seemed to eat up his behavior and play it off as just another rock star amid the ocean of drug inhaling and alcohol absorbing singers.
When no one seemed to move to get him what he wanted, Kylo just fumbled in his back pocket to find the white stick and red lighter beside it. “You sure that’s a good idea?” Phasma questioned cautiously while Hux shifted beside her. “I’d love to hear a better one,” Kylo shot back.
So the drive continued with Kylo pulling long draws from the cigarette and clumsily fingering the notes to a song they were going to perform at The Bourbon Room tonight. When their manager, Snoke, had told them they were going to be playing the most popular venue in Hollywood, everyone had practically pissed their pants with excitement.
Everyone but Kylo.
The Knights of Ren had really only been on the map for about a year and their album Across the Stars was what truly set them off. Topping the charts for months on end, they were suddenly booked at every big venue possible and tickets were sold out faster than Kylo could blink. Every night was someplace new, sure, but it seemed the faces stayed the same.
Just another crowd with wild eyes, extended hands, and shouting mouths. He’d had countless women and men throw themselves at him and offer him things the high school virgin version of himself would’ve jumped at immediately, but it had lost its interest about ten shows in. And while he was living the life he’d only ever imagined when he was younger, it seemed like something was missing from it all.
Maybe that was why Kylo drank and smoked so much, but he didn’t want to think about all the things that were wrong when everything seemed to be going so right. The bus rattled over a bump in the road and Kylo was pulled out of the blue back to the present, his eyes catching sight of the end of his cigarette that appeared dangerously close to falling and burning his lap.
So with a sigh, Kylo pulled the thing from his mouth and tapped the end of it over a glass tray before returning to the guitar in his lap. “Are you good to play tonight, mate?” Hux questioned as the drummer and bassist watched him adamantly. “I’m always good to play,” Kylo growled, abruptly standing from the seat and dropping the guitar on the cushioning before heading in the direction of the showers.
He needed to get the fuck out of there.
*****
Rey stared at herself in the mirror and ran an anxious hand through her brown hair that fell just above her ass. She’d gotten bangs years ago to match with the groovy style of the 60s, but before she knew it, the 70s came and left that style behind. She was still trying to figure out how to style the awkward length around her face when everything else was so long, so she settled on two white barrettes to hold the locks out of her face.
She’d never worn the shirt currently on her body, an impulse buy encouraged by none other than Rose. A floral patterned top that tied up just below her breasts and showed off the toned skin of her tanned stomach, Rey nervously tried to tug it down a little with no avail. The high waisted denim shorts helped somewhat, but they were also incredibly short and the chunky brown high heels only emphasized how long and thin her legs were.
She sure looked like an everyday girl in the 70s, but Rey usually settled on bootcut jeans and t-shirts if she was going out. The gasp from behind her had Rey whirling around to meet the stunned expression of Rose who clapped her hands over her mouth and stared excitedly at her best friend. “Rey! You look fucking amazing!” Rose yelped, hurrying forward to examine every inch of her outfit.
Rose had settled on a black mini skirt, tights, and orange elbow length top with matching block heels-- an obvious look she’d created specifically for this night. Even her lips were painted a dangerous red. While Rey looked dressed for a summer day in the park, Rose looked ready to get absolutely wasted at a rock concert. “You think so?” Rey worried out loud, turning back to the mirror to fiddle with the tied up shirt.
“If I was Kylo Ren, I’d definitely fuck you,” Rose stated bluntly. Rey nearly choked on her own air at the statement. Yes, Rey was still a virgin at the age of twenty, but to be fair, she’d grown up in a goddamn Catholic boarding school and didn’t take the same risks her younger friend did. That being said, Rey was definitely a woman and had her own share of needs.
So maybe Sister Maz didn’t need to know during confessional about the nights Rey had touched herself or flipped through a porn magazine or two when she went shopping, but Rey considered herself, as cheesy as it sounded, ready to sin.
“Well God forbid I hook up with a random man at a rock concert,” Rey huffed as she walked over to her bed and sat down to watch Rose slather another layer of red lipstick on. Gaping at what she’d just said, Rose suddenly slammed the tube of lipstick on the vanity and spun around with a stunned expression. “Random man? Have you even seen Kylo Ren?”
Before she could say no, Rose was diving under her twin bed and pulling out stacks of magazines. Grabbing the first one on top, Rose rushed over to Rey and began to flip eagerly through the thin paper until she landed on a two page print out of a man with shaggy black hair gripping a microphone covered in scarves.
He wore a loose see-through black shirt unbuttoned all the way down to his mid torso to show off sculpted and sweaty planes of abs, a black choker around his neck and long chains swinging between his chest. His wrists were covered in black bracelets and the spotlights around his head gave him an ethereal type of glow as he sang into the microphone.
And Jesus, his hands were huge as they gripped the microphone, the muscles in his arms bulging under the transparent black fabric of his shirt.
Rey visibly gulped at the sight of him and quickly pushed the magazine down as she stood and walked back towards the floor length mirror in their room. “You’re funny if you think a man like that is going to drop everything at the sight of a girl with a cross around her neck,” Rey played off jokingly even though she smoothed out her hair and fiddled with the silver chain around her neck.
“Please, you’re practically the definition of something he’d like to defile. Anyway, we need to get going if we want to get a good spot. I bet the line’s already out the door.”
So Rey just nodded along to what Rose said and let her best friend sneak her out of the boarding school with a perfection that Rey seriously didn’t want to question about. They giggled as they ran down the empty streets in the direction of Hollywood Boulevard, the sounds of screams and cheers growing louder and louder as they got closer to the bustling area.
Of course, Hollywood Boulevard was lit up with bright colors, flashing signs, and flickering buildings as hundreds of people flooded the streets in the direction of the venue. Girls raced past them on roller skates with swimsuit tops on, men break danced on the corners for money, and couples groped each other freely on the sides of shops lining the road.
Rey stared at everything with wide eyes and an open mouth, holding Rose’s hand tightly as she soaked in the night life of Hollywood. They passed half naked women dancing in windows of strip clubs, brightly lit record stores filled with critical eyes and wandering hands, and greasy fast food joints seeming to cater to more than one already drunken soul.
Rose just continued to tug her along until they approached the giant black building with a startling red neon sign that spelled out in shocking capital letters THE BOURBON ROOM. Spotlights waved on either side of it and police were already lined up on the street as barriers were set up in the road to keep people back.
On one side were those trying to get into the club while the other side held masses of protestors. Rey only had a few moments to read some of their signs before Rose was pulling her deep into the crowd trying to get in.
GOD HATES ROCK!
ROCK AND ROLL IS A SIN!
ROCKERS GO TO HELL!
Rey tried not to think about the signs too much and instead focused on the fact she felt like she was being crushed on every side of her, the air getting sucked out of her lungs as people shoved excitedly to try and get to the front. But somehow, Rose had managed to weave them through the mass of people to the very front where a man with tanned skin and curly brown hair guarded the entrance.
“Poe!” Rose screamed over everyone else, the security guard lifting his eyes from the ID he was currently scanning to lock eyes on Rey’s best friend. A grin filled his entire face instantly and he waved the girl he was just inspecting into the establishment without another glance at the plastic card she was holding out. “I didn’t think you were going to make it out tonight! Who’s this?” Poe asked after hugging Rose.
“This is my best friend, Rey! You know, the one I always talk about? This is her first rock concert,” Rose gushed, squeezing Rey’s hand tightly and bouncing a little in her place. “Well shit, in that case I have to get you to the front. I’ll have Finn come grab you guys,” Poe stated, looking over his shoulder to try and lock eyes with someone.
Only a minute later, he was waving to whoever was inside and another man with a kind face and ripped up black shirt soon jogged over. “Finn, this is Rey, Rose’s best friend. She’s never been to a rock concert before! Want to hook ‘em up?” Poe asked with a mischievous grin. “Oh hell yeah, I got you,” Finn agreed, clapping Poe on the back before turning to the two girls and waving them inside.
“Move it! Out of the way! Special guests coming through! Excuse us!” Finn yelled as he pushed through the crowd, Rose and Rey trailing behind with giant smiles and thrilled eyes. When they finally made it to the very front, Rey’s body pressed up against the stage and the sight of drums and set up guitars only feet away, she finally processed that she was in the first fucking row at a rock concert for the best band in the business right now.
Swallowing thickly at the thought, she managed to thank Finn along with Rose and waved goodbye while her friend began to word vomit how excited she was about the concert. Rey learned all she possibly could in the matter of thirty minutes about the Knights of Ren and by the time her feet were starting to hurt from standing, an older man with a flowing yellow top and bootcut jeans was running on stage with a microphone in his hand.
The crowd erupted into ear shattering screams and Rey actually flinched at the sound as the man just gave an award winning smile and waved his hand. “Thank you, thank you! My name is Lando Calrissian,” the crowd cheered in acknowledgment, “and I’m one of the managers here at The Bourbon Room! We thank you for coming out tonight to see our headliner… the Knights of Ren!”
Rey couldn’t help but scream this time, clapping her hands as a euphoric feeling began to race through her veins. Rose was jumping up and down beside her and hollering at the top of her lungs which left a whole heartedly amused smile on Rey’s face. “Ladies and Gentlemen… the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the biggest rock band in the goddamn country… Knights of Ren!”
If Rey thought her ear drums were damaged before, they were definitely ruptured from the sound of screaming and cheering alone. She laughed wildly as she clapped her hands over her ears and watched the lights dim. Three shadowy figures crept onto stage, two of them picking up guitars as another one sat down behind the drums.
Fog slowly began to creep onto the stage and spill over to spread a light chill across Rey’s body, as if she wasn’t already getting goosebumps alone. The sound of the ride cymbal suddenly building in the background sent adrenaline through Rey’s veins and Rose clutched her hand tightly while screaming, “This is it!”
Rey’s eyes scanned the stage feverishly as she tried to guess who Kylo Ren was, but then the guitars were feeding into the drum and starting to ease into the introduction of a song. With lips parted and eyes wide, Rey held her breath when another figure, obscenely tall and muscular, began to walk across the stage from the left side.
When he reached the microphone stand and turned to look over his shoulder at his band, assuming a loose stance and slapping his hand against the side of his jeans, the lights abruptly turned on to reveal a man in black jeans, black heeled boots, and a white tunic shirt tucked into the front of his pants.
Scarves of different colors were tied around his right belt loop and a magnitude of chains hung around his neck to rest on the open v displaying his toned chest. The white shirt was rolled up to his elbows to display thick and veiny forearms that Rey had the sudden urge to be lifted up by.
Fuck, he could probably throw her around like a rag doll if he really wanted to.
Large rings sat spread out over thick fingers and if Rey looked close enough, she could just barely tell that feathers were attached in the thick mop of tousled black hair that cascaded around an angular and intense face. With full lips, scattered moles, long nose, chiseled jaw, and dark eyes, Kylo Ren was the closest thing to living sin Rey had ever seen.
And when his eyes suddenly landed on hers, it seemed like all of the breath was sucked instantly from her body. He licked his lips and very pointedly looked her body up and down with a certain hunger before finding her gaze once more and giving her a wink. “Holy shit, did Kylo Ren just fucking wink at you?” Rose screamed from beside her.
Stunned and unable to answer, the clash of music beginning saved Rey from responding to the question and instead threw her into the thrill that was rock and roll. Kylo gripped the microphone, sashes tied around it swaying at the movement, and sang out sadly, “Every time when I look in the mirror, all these lines on my face getting clearer… the past is gone…”
He dragged out the last word to a crescendo and the crowd went insane, Rey herself clapping her hands together in amazement as the music continued on. The music slowly built again and again with verses that had Rey thinking it was finally going to be the main part of the song, but Rose just shook her head with a knowing glint each time Rey thought the bass was finally going to drop.
After being edged for what felt like hours on the first song alone, Kylo finally gripped the mic and began to sing the chorus yet again, “Sing with me, sing for the year, sing for the laughter, sing for the tear. Sing with me, just for today, maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away…”
The song gradually swelled and Rose finally squealed as she slapped Rey’s arm enthusiastically and began to belt along with the lead rock singer, “Dream on, dream on, dream on, dream until your dreams come true!”
Kylo sang the chorus one more time through and Rey seemed to catch on with the lyrics as she joined in softly, never tearing her eyes away from the man who slammed the back of his right foot into the stage with the beat while he tightly closed his eyes.
It wasn’t until he began to sing the line, “dream on,” a few more times did Rey feel the energy shift in the room as everyone began to lean in and hold their breaths, Rey included. And then, the octave changed dramatically to something Rey had never heard before in her entire life. “Dream on, dream on, dream on,” Kylo fucking wailed into the mic, tilting it back before he let out the sharpest cry that sent the whole room into a fit of insanity.
“Sing with me, sing for the year, sing for the laughter, sing for the tear. Sing with me, just for today, maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away!” Rey cried as she jumped alongside Rose, wrapping her arms around her best friend with an absolute beaming smile of amazement at the singer in front of her.
And so what if he stared at her for the rest of the song?
*****
“Please, Rey, please?” Rose begged, tugging at her friend’s arm as they began to file out of the crowded room. The concert had ended roughly five minutes ago with Kylo’s eyes on her yet again and Rey was blushing beyond belief, though she just blamed it on being hot from all of the bodies pressed together. “Alright, alright! We’re already out,” Rey agreed with a laugh, letting her best friend pull her outside and around the corner to where the band would exit to get into their tour bus.
A crowd had already formed in anticipation, but Rose somehow managed to squeeze them to the front yet again, even if they did get a few grumbles of protest this time. “Oh my God, do you think he’ll sign my tits?” Rose gasped when they reached the very front of the line where security was already holding them back.
“Rose!” Rey scolded humorously, shaking her head at her friend as she watched her fish a black marker out of her skirt and uncap it readily. Rolling her eyes at how prepared her friend was for this night, Rey just shifted anxiously and eyed the giant tour bus parked to the right of them in the alleyway instead.
Black, silver, and red, the thing looked just as intimidating as the band had been in person. But no matter how much she desperately wanted to see inside of it, she told herself that she was under no circumstance going on board if it meant a one night stand with a rock and roll singer. That wasn’t exactly her idea of losing her virginity, no matter how badly she wanted to lose it like Rose.
Her thoughts were drowned out by the sudden screaming and opening of the door in front of them, hands and papers and CD’s and markers extending around her as people desperately tried to get a signature from the band members. Of course, the shoving sent Rey tumbling forward and before the security guard or anyone could catch her, Rey was slamming against a rock solid body and protective arms.
“Shit-”
“I’m so sorry!” Rey cried at the same time a low and heavy voice swore. When she pulled away, doe eyed and panicked, her heart nearly stopped beating at the sight of the fucking lead singer holding her tightly and staring back down at her breathlessly. He smelled of whiskey and cigarettes, a combination Rey didn’t know until that exact moment she liked so much.
But the hands of security were reaching for her and pulling her back into the crowd before she could say anything else and Rey was tripping over her heels until Rose managed to catch her and balance her out. Of course, Kylo’s eyes never left hers and he was walking over then, snatching markers and signing blindly as he stared her down like a wild animal tracking its prey. “You got a name, sweetheart?” he asked through a gravelly voice while scribbling his signature onto posters and albums.
“R-Rey,” she stuttered out, watching in slow motion as he grabbed the marker Rose was handing to him. “Can you sign my tits, oh my God!” Rose all but bawled, tugging her shirt down to reveal her pushed up breasts. Kylo just grinned and cocked an eyebrow at Rey before doing as she asked, adding two x’s to the end of his signature.
“I like your friend. Rey… that’s a pretty name,” he complimented, turning his attention to her own chest then only to see the silver cross resting between what Rey considered poor excuses for tits. Wordlessly, Kylo reached out and took the necklace between his thumb and forefinger with a curious eye. “Odd thing to wear to a rock concert, sweetheart,” he said pointedly.
“It’s her first one! I dragged her out here,” Rose chipped in proudly from beside them, wrapping her hands around Rey’s arm to tug her close. “First one? How’d you like it?” Kylo continued, turning his attention to the other people still desperately trying to get him to sign things. “Loved it,” Rey breathed out, blinking rapidly at the fact she was having a fucking conversation with a goddamn rock god.
He hummed in appreciation and finally pulled away from the rest of the crowd before reaching around his neck to tug off a long silver chain with two dog tags on the end of it. “Take care of this for me, will you, sweetheart?” Kylo asked with a mischievous eye as he reached out and gently hung the thing around her neck.
She nodded with wide eyes and nervously lifted her hand to cover the tags, brushing against Kylo’s hand as he withdrew his grasp. “Well, Rey and I need to get back to Chandrila Catholic School before the nuns know we snuck out. Are you staying in town by any chance?” Rose asked, sliding her hand down to grab Rey’s and give it a firm squeeze.
“For a few days… Chandrila Catholic School you said?” Kylo asked, tilting his head to the side with a small grin before Rose was shouting goodbye and pulling Rey away from the man still staring at her. “Please tell me you didn’t just tell the lead singer of a fucking rock band where we live!” Rey cried as she ran behind Rose, their hands still clasped together. Rose just threw back a wink as the sound of dog tags and heels on pavement filled the air.
