A holiday gift for my friend Tripping55. Inspired by a prompt she gave me several months ago as well as 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran. Takes place before the events of Calm.

"As someone who lived on a secluded island for years, I understand why you don't want to go." Luke set his real hand on Kylo's shoulder. "But the Order is growing, and we need credits for more quarters and to, well, feed everyone. Who better than the hero of the war to get donors?"

Kylo glared at the hand. "I can think of several people better, including actual heroes of the war."

Luke gave an annoyingly calm smile behind his beard but took his hand away. "Oh, they'll be there, too. But we're pulling out all the stops." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "And some of the rich donors think you're handsome." He immediately turned away, heading for the turbolift that was conveniently waiting for him.

"Luke." Kylo started forward, shaking his head. "I don't – "

"This evening, Kylo. I will hunt you down if you don't show." Luke gave a small wave with a cheery grin as the door shut with a soft hiss.

Kylo stared at his reflection in the durasteel door, his eyes wide in shock. Stars, he had only let Luke talk him into teaching a few months before. If the Senate backlash was anything to go by, he would hurt fundraising efforts. His uncle was only one of two people who did not look at him like he had murdered his entire planet.

His own expression glared at him as if he had murdered his entire family. He bitterly supposed he had, in a way. Kriff, he had never been very good at schooling his expressions. He wondered how the gala guests would react if he managed to find a replica of his old mask.

"Is the turbo lift door interesting? Or are you admiring your hair?"

A hand touched Kylo's back, making him stiffen until he sensed her. He turned, giving Rey a bitter smile. "Luke just informed me that I'm going to that gala tonight."

Rey's eyebrow arched. "You can say no, you know. You did for the last one. And the one before that, I suppose, since you refused to take his teaching offer then."

Kylo threw a glare at the turbolift door, as if it could communicate his irritation to his uncle. "He didn't exactly give me a choice. Says they're pulling out all the stops for fundraising."

Rey groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "Does that mean I have to go, too?"

"If I do, so do you."

Rey snorted and began moving away from the lift. "Luke didn't ask me, so I'm feigning ignorance."

"Oh no, he knows we talk." Kylo followed her, desperate to make sure he would have friendly company. "And we have our bond. He'll assume I'm dragging you with me, so I'll have someone to talk to."

"If there are rich people there, they'll expect me in a dress. And I refuse to wear one of those." Rey made a face that seemed to belong to the younglings she worked with. "How they expect someone to do anything in one of those, I'll never know. Be grateful you don't have to deal with that."

Kylo reached out, his gloved hand taking hers. "Please, Rey. I might go insane without you around."

She snorted but gave his hand a squeeze before letting go. "However do you manage to teach without me around?" She gave him a wide smile and headed down the hall. "Have fun. I'll wait up for you with snacks."

"You're gripping the hilt too tightly. Loosen your last three fingers." Kylo demonstrated, watching his lightsaber hilt twist in his hand without the blade activated.

The young Mirialan across from him nodded and bit her lip as she tried mirroring his movement. Her hilt flipped over her hand and clattered to the ground.

Kylo tried giving an encouraging smile, but he knew it was strained. He hoped the student could sense his emotions were not her fault. "It just takes practice. Try again."

The fallen saber shuttered for a moment before rising back up into her hand. She shook her head, chewing her lower lip as she stared at the hilt. "It's just not my style."

"Being able to twist the lightsaber lets you move with the blade instead of resisting it." Kylo activated his blade and turned sharply in several directions, his muscles straining to overcome the Force of the blade. He then twisted it, allowing the saber to spin and continue momentum in arcs. "It'll allow you to react faster and keep your stamina longer."

The Mirialan nodded once and took a deep breath. She started the movement again before pausing and nodding over Kylo's shoulder. "Master Ren."

Kylo felt Rey through the Force and took a long breath. "Excuse me, Teela." He turned to Rey, feeling irritation rise in his chest. "Don't rub the fundraiser in my… face." He broke off upon seeing the look on Rey's face.

"Luke found me."

Her scowl deepened as Kylo suppressed a laugh. "Did he now?"

Rey made a serious of unintelligible noises, a few of which Kylo thought were curse words in Jakku's language. "Talk to him, Kylo. I don't want to be displayed for rich people."

Kylo put his hands up in surrender. "All of my energy went to trying to get him to let me out of it." At her glare, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "At least you won't have to wear a dress. There's no time to get one."

"Oh, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" Rey's voice was dangerously low as she frowned at the building behind her. "But no. Crazy old man has been planning this for weeks."

Kylo let the grin spread across his face. "At least we'll be together."

"Or we could skip it together. Go off planet." Rey scoffed and leaned forward conspiratorially. "You know, there was a disturbance in the Force on Kalonia, right? Or was it Pamarthe? I can't remember, but it must be urgent."

Kylo snorted and shook his head. "Knowing Luke, he's already disabled our access to the ships, or else he would've told us about this earlier."

"Well, I'm an excellent pilot. I don't know about you, but I can rewire the – "

"Masters?"

Kylo both spun around, and the Padawan behind him smiled shyly. She shifted and blinked, and Kylo felt a spike of nervousness in the Force. "Sorry, Masters. But, ah, Master Skywalker instructed me and Eeth to help you both." Teela pressed her lips together for a second. "Mostly by making sure you don't, you know, do that." She spread her hands out in a gesture of peace.

Rey made a noise of irritation. "I should've gone into hiding the moment he told you about this."

Kylo rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a sharp stab of anxiety. "I should've stayed in hiding."

Kylo stared at his lightsaber hilt as he pulled on a thin black shirt. Senators generally became very uncomfortable upon seeing it at his belt, as if he would spontaneously cut through them. Rich Senators would likely just come to snoop about the academy to make sure his horrible influence did not taint the students.

He tucked his shirt into his trousers, trying unsuccessfully to ignore his shaking hands. He had no idea how Luke expected him to help raise any money. If anything, donors would be offended enough that he was even present to give any money. Maybe his uncle thought he could convince them to pay to leave early to avoid Snoke's former apprentice.

He clipped his lightsaber to his belt. It was a gala for the Jedi Academy, after all. The familiar weight comforted him, but as he looked in the mirror, he realized how black his attire was. His fingertips played with the fabric as he contemplated changing before he heard a light knock on the door.

Eeth slid in, the deep blue of his clothes contrasting with his tan skin and burgeoning white Zabrak horns. He gave a small nod and held out something. "Uh, Master Skywalker asked me to give you this."

Kylo's laugh sounded bitter. "And to make sure I haven't run off?"

Eeth shrugged but could not hide the guilty look. "Well, yes. Do you need any help, Master?"

"No, I'm almost ready." Kylo took the offered object, his brow pulling together as he examined the deep green belt. "Green?"

The Zabrak Padawan gave a shake of his head, giving a helpless smile. "I don't know. Master Skywalker just told me to make sure you wear it."

"What do you think Luke would do if I just wore my Jedi clothes?" Rey scowled at the interior of her closet, where her comfortable clothes hung enticingly. "I mean, it's a fundraiser for the Jedi Academy."

Teela shifted uneasily in her chair as if she could not get comfortable. "Master Skywalker did go to the trouble of getting you that dress."

Rey raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "How did he suck you two into his master plot?"

The Mirialan shook her head. "Master Skywalker's the highest ranked Jedi. Master Ren's just a guest instructor."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Teela. I don't believe you'd be so disrespectful of Master Ren to do this just because of rank."

Teela sighed and chewed her lower lip before suddenly meeting Rey's eyes. "I think Master Ren has more to offer the school than just a guest instructor. It's good for us to have more than Master Skywalker's perspective. We'll need more credits if he's staying and we get more students." She gave a small smile and took a deep breath. "Besides, he deserves to have some fun. So do you."

Rey swallowed hard and returned Teela's smile. "Fine. Fine."

The dress clasped around her neck, and she had to enlist the Padawan's help in closing it as she could not figure out how the latch worked to do it herself with the Force. She stared at herself in the mirror, fidgeting with the light fabric. The dark green material flowed from her neck to the floor, leaving her arms and back bare. A thin, black belt cinched the dress around her waist, and she tucked her lightsaber in it.

She did not want to admit she liked the dress.

Teela beamed at her. "Gorgeous. What are you doing with your hair?"

Rey's hand jumped self-consciously to her hair in their customary buns. "Nothing."

Teela gently pressed a hand on Rey's shoulder, and she sat down on the bed behind her. "Let me help."

Rey held the fabric of her dress up as she hurried down the hall, her stomach twisting the further she went. Teela walked a step behind her, clothed in traditional Mirialan garb. "We're late, Master."

"And Luke can just shove it. I'll be as late as I want if he's making me wear this."

Teela stifled a laugh. "It'll give the donors some time to get some intoxicants into them and be ready to donate anyway."

"Exactly."

Rey slowed once they reached the door that separated the private living quarters from the rest of the academy. She did not need the Force to tell her that the room beyond held a few hundred people.

Kriff. She just wanted to be in bed.

Her stomach knotted again, and she recognized the intense emotion was not just her own. She turned, watching Kylo pace quickly down the hall with Eeth beside him. He fiddled with his left cuff as if it was too short for his long arm, and Rey could read the tension in his tall frame.

Eeth nudged him. Kylo tore his eyes away to find Rey, and he stopped short. His hand fell slowly away from his cuff, showing the green belt that matched the color of her dress. The tension left Kylo's body, and the twist in Rey's stomach loosened. His eyes softened.

Kylo could not seem to speak for a long moment until Eeth cleared his throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. A gentle smile touched his lips, dimpling his cheeks. "I, uh, I – you look perfect."

She took his hand, not bothering to hide the grin across her face. "You're not so bad yourself."

AN: Happy holidays everyone! The dress is inspired by the one worn by Daisy Ridley at the Murder on the Orient Express primer. Thanks for reading!