Padget's Deal

Rey asks Poe for a favor

June's Year of the OTP. Rated Teen. Prompts: "I can't get you out of my mind," paying a debt with you body, and relationship reveal (kind of). Rated PG with vague talk about sex.

Padget’s Deal was something that almost everyone in almost every culture on almost every planet knew about. It was a simple concept: if someone asks you for a favor and you give it, they are obligated to give you one in return. Obviously, most every sentient culture had this belief, but the name given it had spread throughout the centuries, and nobody could tell you who Padget was or why he/she/it had been important enough to have their name connected to this ideal.

Poe had grown up calling it Padget’s Deal, and most everyone he had known in his childhood, at the Academy, in the New Republic military, and here with the Resistance used the phrase. It wasn’t even something he really thought about. So, when Rey came to him asking him for help…

First of all, it had surprised him that she came to him at all. Though their first meeting on Crait had been… dare he say ‘special’?... their relationship had deteriorated since then. He didn’t understand why. Granted, he loved his verbal sparring matches with her, but he had an inkling that she didn’t find them as fun as he did. And why he always found himself intentionally trying to irritate her, he wasn’t sure. Other than the fact that she essentially ignored him otherwise, and he just couldn’t abide that.

Today, however, he was apparently her only option for assistance. Finn and Chewie were both with the General on a short visit to their secondary base on Jabiim, leaving Poe in charge here on Ajan Kloss, and that meant all of Rey’s closest confederates weren’t around. She didn’t trust easily, and having only been with the Resistance for a few months, she hadn’t really made many friends. So, that left him.

He was replacing a part on the charging system of one of the droid stations when she found him, BB-8’s happy trills informing him of her arrival before he was able to look up past the shelving that the system was underneath. She smiled at BB-8, but it faded as she looked at him. Her expression was uncertain, but determined.

“Can I have your help with something when you’re done?” she asked.

“Me?”

She paused, then nodded. “Yeah. You.”

“Well, I’m done now,” he said, closing the compartment door and standing from his crouch, dusting his pants off. “So, Padget’s Deal?”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “What?”

“You know Padget’s Deal, right?” he asked. Jakku was a bit desolate.

She nodded and swallowed. “Yeah.”

Why did she still look uncomfortable? “Okay, so what do you need?”

She took in another deep breath. “I just need someone I trust to hold the lightsaber for me. The vise isn’t as maneuverable as I would like it to be.”

Poe knew she had been working on fixing Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. He had watched in awe as, under Leia’s supervision and with the help of the old Jedi books Rey had brought back from Ach-To, the blue Kyber crystal that had been broken in two was miraculously healed back into one. Rey had proceeded to use more down-to-earth techniques to fix the hilt of the saber, and now she was attempting to meld the crystal and the saber together once more. Leia had warned her, because it wasn’t ‘her’ crystal, the Force wouldn’t be as helpful in the saber’s reconstruction as if she was making it from scratch with her own Kyber.

Poe followed Rey to the work table in the cave area Leia had claimed as her ‘office.’ Rey sat down on the far side of the table, picking up the hilt, which was in two parts, and handing it to Poe. “I can pick up the crystal with the Force,” she said. “But it’s not letting me handle the parts of the hilt at the same time. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m not good enough with it, yet, or if like Leia said, it’s not mine, so it’s not being cooperative.”

“Pretty sure it’s the latter,” Poe told her. “I’ve seen you in action. You’re good enough.”

Rey stared at him for a moment, blinking in surprise, then she refocused on the crystal. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Just, ah, hold the hilt so that there is a gap between the end cap and the grip.” Rey had already welded the broken parts of the hilt together, so its current separation was only to allow the insertion of the crystal.

He did as asked, then watched as she closed her eyes and started breathing deeply. She opened her eyes just a bit, and the crystal on the table rose up toward Poe. He watched intently as it floated toward the grip end, hovered near the opening for a moment, then slowly slid into the hilt. “Please close the end cap, Poe,” she said softly.

He brought the base of the saber to the grip, screwing it on carefully. He could swear the hilt felt warmer with the crystal inside it.

Rey had opened her eyes completely, but instead of looking at the saber in his hand, she was watching him, her jewel-like eyes filled with curiosity.

“What?” he asked.

She shook her head slightly. “Nothing.” She reached up and took the saber from him. “For some reason, if you put the crystal in physically, it won’t work. Let’s hope this does.”

She stepped back from the desk and turned to the side. He saw her thumb the switch, and immediately a beautiful blue laser blade appeared. She grinned and looked at him. “It worked!”

Poe felt a chill go up his spine. Before seeing Ren’s horrible red blade in action on Jakku, he had never seen an actual lightsaber before. This one was in much better hands. He grinned back.

Rey closed down the saber, then looked back at him, her expression suddenly turning uncertain again. “Thank you, Poe.”

He nodded. “No problem.” He turned to leave, then looked at her. “Padget’s Deal, right?” He wanted to remind her that she was obliged to help him the next time he asked for a favor.

Her expression turned panicked for a second, then she seemed to compose herself. “Of course,” she whispered.

Poe watched her for a moment, still confused by her behavior. Maybe she just didn’t like being in debt to anyone? She was an extremely independent person, and he knew that was because she had no one to depend on for a very long time. He gave her a soft smile, then left the cave. He would make sure whatever he asked her to help him with, it would be simple. Maybe even fun.

He much preferred seeing her smile to seeing her afraid.

******

There were no door chimes in the barracks. The doors were fairly sturdy, but hard knocks would still make them vibrate. As Poe prepared for bed, there was only a soft knock on his door, barely audible even on this quiet night.

Wondering why someone was at his door this late when nobody had commed him first, he walked to it and keyed it open. The surprise he felt at seeing Rey on the other side as the door slid open was excessive.

“Rey?” he breathed, noting almost immediately that while she was still dressed in her tunic and leggings, she had removed her wraps, both those she wore on her body and the ones on her arms. She looked exceedingly nervous, too. “What’s wrong?” There had to be something wrong.

She cleared her throat. “Padget’s Deal?”

Poe cocked his head at her. “I… I don’t need your help with anything, yet.”

She frowned, confusion overtaking the anxiety on her face. “I… I’m here to pay my debt. You asked for Padget’s Deal.”

Poe stared at her. She couldn’t mean..? “What does Padget’s Deal mean on Jakku, Rey?”

She shifted her feet. “When you ask for someone’s help, and they claim Padget’s Deal, you are required to pay them back… with yourself.”

“With sex?” Poe was shocked, but not. Jakku was a cruel place, and Rey’s life had been demeaning in more ways than one.

She shifted again, her face coloring. “Yeah,” she whispered.

Poe shook his head. “Rey,” he said firmly. “I’ve been around, and I want you to know that Padget’s Deal does not mean that in every other place I’ve been.”

Her brows furrowed, but she looked at him, her expression asking for details.

“It just means you owe that person a favor. Nothing more or less than what you asked for from them.” He brought a hand up to rub over his face. “I’ve never heard of anyone turning it around for sexual favors.” He sighed and leaned heavily on the doorframe. “I’m so sorry that it means that where you came from.”

She stepped back, relief on her face as she blinked rapidly. “It’s not your fault.” She laughed softly. “I was more than a little surprised when you requested it, to be honest.”

Poe couldn’t laugh with her as he began to think about what kind of life she had lived on Jakku. “Did you… get those requests often?”

She shrugged, her face turning serious once again. “Yeah. Especially when I was little, before I moved out to the desert and stayed on my own more often than not. And people learned I could defend myself.” She focused on him. “But I never agreed. I was never that hard up for help.”

Poe smiled. “Good. I’m glad. Sex should never be bartered in my opinion.” A sudden thought occurred to him. “But… you agreed when I asked.”

Her cheeks turned rosy once again and she looked away. “I… I wasn’t…” She took a deep breath, then looked at him directly. “I didn’t mind the idea of being with you. Even if it was just as a… payment.”

Poe couldn’t help but feel his body tighten at her words. “What about if it wasn’t just a transaction?” he asked, his voice rough. “What if it was… real?”

Rey shook her head. “You don’t like me that way.”

He scoffed. “You actually believe that?” he argued. “I can’t get you out of my mind, Rey! No matter what I’m doing, you are always in my thoughts.”

“You’re always picking on me!” she snapped back. “I see you flirt with Finn and Kaydel and others. You never look at me that way!”

“Yeah, and I don’t actually want a relationship with them,” he told her, knowing he really couldn’t defend why he was always trying to get a rise out of her. “I…”

“What?” She had her arms folded in front of her now, one eyebrow arched.

“I have a hard time,” he started. “Showing people I really care about how much I care about them.” He shrugged. “I love my friends, obviously. But… anything more than that scares me.” He felt his shoulders droop, shocked at how much tension had been released upon that admission.

Rey’s eyes had turned soft. “You care about me?”

Poe bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah. Very much.”

She took a deep breath. “I care about you, too. When you asked for Padget’s Deal, it scared me. I told myself I would never agree to it. But it was you. And I… I thought if it was the only way I could be with you…”

Poe stepped forward, grasping her shoulders gently. “Rey, no. I could never be with you that way. I could never be with anyone that way.”

She smiled softly. “That’s why I was so surprised when you said it.”

Poe let his hands slide down her bare arms until his fingers tangled with hers. “I could be with someone I loved who loved me, though.”

Rey’s eyes were huge now, hope and excitement filling their mossy depths.

He leaned in, smiling when she met him half-way. Her lips were soft and sweet and felt like home. Without leaving her mouth, he moved to wrap his arms around her, feeling her hands grip his shoulders.

The swish of a door opening from outside made them pull away from each other. Beaumont Kin walked into the hall of the barracks, his expression startled when he saw them still in each other’s arms. Then he rolled his eyes.

“It’s about time, you two,” he grumbled. “Take it inside, would you?” He shook his head and squeezed past them, heading for his own quarters.

Poe started chuckling and Rey grinned back at him.

“Well, should we?” Poe asked.

“Should we what?”

“Take it inside?”

Rey nodded slowly. “Yes, please.”

Poe started backing up, pulling her with him as he reentered his room.

“You still owe me a favor, you know,” Poe grumbled against her lips as he closed and locked the door behind her.

“Deal.”

THE END