Chapter Text
Rey woke up feeling tired.
Rey woke up feeling.
Rey woke up.
The realization hit her strongly, and she managed to open her eyes. She didn’t recognize where she was, the room was very brightly lit and it smelled clean. She was on a bed, a very soft bed, covered in a thick blanket.
There was a med droid next to the bed. While it kept silent, seeing it forced Rey to take stock of her body. She felt tired, very much like she wanted to sleep for a hundred years, but the wound in her side didn’t hurt as much as it should have. She felt it, constantly, but it was more of a sore pain.
Sunshine, there was a low beep. Turning around to the door, she saw BB-9 standing by it, and she saw Ben.
He was sprawled in a chair, with his hands crossed over his chest and his head bent back, fast asleep. He wasn’t wearing all black anymore, dressed instead in clothes she was used to seeing him in in the Resistance base.
He wasn’t covered in her blood anymore. He wasn’t crying.
Remembering the last moments before she passed out, Rey started tearing up and sniffing.
Sunshine, BB-9 said again, very alarmed, bumping into Ben’s shins and for once, effectively waking him up.
He cursed the droid first, which made Rey smile, but then he seemed to remember where he was and his eyes snapped up to Rey.
Ben moved fast, rushing to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, grabbing her hand and using his other to comb through Rey’s hair.
‘What happened?’, she asked.
‘You don’t remember?’, he asked in concern.
‘I remember, I meant after. What happened with the First Order?’
Ben took a deep breath before he started talking. ‘The First Order is no more. The Resistance crushed down the last of it, taking over the base. All the remaining Strormtroopers were taken into custody, awaiting trial. There’s a council being formed, but uniting the galaxy is a difficult thing to do, especially after a war of this magnitude. It takes time.’
Rey’s eyes were wide. ‘How long have I been asleep?’
‘Five long days’, he smiled sadly.
We’ve been staying with you!, BB-9 was clearly very happy to see her awake.
‘It’s been rough.’, Ben admitted. ‘But you’re going to be alright. We got you here in time, and the doctors healed you. It’s going to leave a scar, and it’s going to be sore for awhile, but… You’ll live.’
‘You saved me.’, Rey understood. He must have taken her and left the battlefield.
‘I used the Force to keep the wound from bleeding out. Finn cleaned it up, Rose and Chewie flew the Falcon.’ He smiled, a little. ‘BB-9 was a crying mess.’
I can’t cry, but I would have, Sunshine.
She laughed at that, but stopped quickly, feeling a flash of pain in her wound.
Ben looked at her sadly.
‘Where are we?’, Rey asked after the pain subsided.
‘Naboo. It was closest, and… I did promise Miss Dor I’d come here with my friends once the war was over.’
Her eyes grew wide at that.
‘Rose and Finn, Poe, Vega, Mally, Raf and… Who did I forget?’
Dalo and Connix, BB-9 supplied.
‘Right. They’re all at the lake house. Sleeping, mostly, recovering from flesh wounds. They usually come visit in the evenings.’
‘When can I go?’, Rey asked, desperation seeping through. She didn’t want to be stuck in a bed, she wanted to be with her friends, with Ben.
He smiled, cupping her cheek and calming her down instantly. ‘Soon, Rey. But you need to rest some more, let your body heal. I promise, they will all still be there when you’ve healed.’
Sleep, Sunshine! Sleep to get healthy!
She relented at that, knowing there was no way to sway neither Ben nor BB-9.
‘I’m sorry.’, she told him because she knew how horrible this must have been for him. She saw it in his eyes, in those last moments and she hated that she was the cause of so much pain.
‘It’s easy, really’, he smiled brightly, ‘I’m just never going to let you out of my sight ever again and nothing like this will happen.’
‘I love you.’, it came out of her in a rush. ‘So much, I-’
‘I know you do.’, Ben’s smile softened. ‘As I love you. So please, get some more rest, so that you can heal and we can… work on it.’
Rey nodded at that, warmth spreading throughout her entire body.
Give her a goodnight kiss, Master Ben.
Ben huffed, faking aggravation, but he did bend and give Rey a very gentle kiss to the corner of her lips. He then kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, whispering ‘I love you’ against it before pulling away.
She fell asleep incredibly quickly, with Ben’s hand still in hers.
/∆\
The next time she woke up, it was to Finn sitting on the floor with BB-9 between his legs, wiping the droid with a wet rag. She just watched them for a while, but it didn’t take long for Finn to throw the rag into a basket near the door and give BB-9 some belly rubs.
‘There you go, BB-9. You’re all clean, now.’
Thank you, Finn.
‘Tell Ben he owes me, yeah? It’s his job to-’
‘Since when do you call him Ben?’, Rey asked, very incredulous.
Finn yelped, almost smacking the droid, rushing to get off the floor and to her side.
‘You’re awake, how are you feeling? Do you want anything, food? Water? Should I get the doctor or-’
Rey grabbed his hand and Finn stopped his ramble, sighing deeply.
‘You scared me.’, his eyes were still wide. ‘And then Ben scared me and-’
‘Ben scared you?’, Rey frowned. ‘What happened?’
Finn’s eyes moved to BB-9, and to the door of the room, which was open. There were doctors and nurses walking around the hallway.
‘I really shouldn’t say. But I can show you. Could you, I mean, can you get in my mind?’
‘Are you sure?’ She had never done it with anyone except for Ben, but she knew it was something she could do. Still, it felt wrong to prod her best friend’s mind.
But Finn nodded strongly, closing his eyes. So as gently as she could, Rey skimmed the surface of his thoughts. He was thinking of it, so she saw everything that had happened, from Finn’s perspective.
She saw Ben saving him, Ben feeling her get shot. The two of them running to her side, Ben begging her to stay. Ben, with blood on his cheek, screaming and obliterating the Stormtroopers. Ben on the Falcon, taking care of her. Ben, letting himself be hugged by Finn.
Ben, sagging against a wall in relief as a doctor explained that Rey will recover. Ben, arguing with Poe about taking shifts to stay with her. Ben, accepting clean clothes from Finn, meals and tea cups. Ben, asleep by her bed, BB-9 between his legs.
When Rey opened her eyes, there were tears in them.
‘I’m glad’, Finn said softly, ‘that you have someone that loves you as much as you deserve.’
Rey shared that sentiment wholeheartedly.
‘Besides me, I mean.’, he smirked. ‘He’s got a little work to do, to get up on my level, but it’ll do for now.’
She laughed, and her wound didn’t hurt as much anymore.
‘Thank you.’, she told Finn. ‘Not just for saving me, but for taking care of Ben when I couldn’t.’
He looked a little embarrassed by that, but he recovered quickly. ‘He would have been here, but the Queen requested he’d join her for lunch.’
‘It’s fine. Come on, sit down and tell me what you’ve been up to.’
For the next hour, that’s what Finn did. He talked about how they were staying in Leia’s lake house and the trinkets it was filled with. About how Poe and he have been trying to find pictures of baby Ben but were yet unsuccessful.
He talked about how Poe fell asleep in various places that were not designed for it, about how he spent a few hours each day talking to a vast array of politicians, helping build back the Republic while strongly refusing to become a politician himself.
He talked about how Vega and Raf spent most of their day sunbathing on the pier, while Mally spent hours on end in the lake. About how Connix always woke up in the middle of the night when someone was screaming from a nightmare, how Dalo made them all go out for a run around the house each day.
With a spark in his eyes, Finn spoke about how him and Rose didn’t like to stay cooped up in the house for too long, so they walked around the lakes, up on the mountains and around the waterfalls, how beautiful and colorful it all was.
Was this what happiness felt like? Almost, Rey thought. Almost.
/∆\
She was allowed to leave the hospital the next day, come sundown. The doctor examined her one last time after all but kicking Ben and BB-9 out of the room. He was thorough in explaining that while she had a surprisingly fast recovery, she shouldn’t start a new war just yet.
‘Still, some physical activity will do you good.’
He paired this with a flirty wink and Rey blushed all the way down to her chest. Still, when she saw Ben waiting for her in the hallway with a gentle smile on his face, Rey thought that yes, some physical activity was just what she needed.
/∆\
The house was beautiful, but Ben hurried her through it, all the way to the back terrace that faced the lake. There was a party in full swing. Music coming from a big speaker, a lot of food and fruit tarts, there were juices that tasted sweet and sour at the same time. The lake was shimmering with the starlight reflecting in it, the terrace was illuminated by strategically placed torches.
Her friends all welcomed Rey with wide arms, with laughter, hugs and kisses. Ben was a constant by her side, an arm thrown over her shoulders, making sure she always had fruit tarts in reach, making fun of their friends but only in her mind, BB-9 beeping happily at their legs.
This, Rey concluded, was what happiness felt like.
/∆\
Poe made his way to their side, dragging a chair with him. He placed it right in front of Rey, sitting down and sprawling shamelessly, putting his feet up in Ben’s lap.
‘Comfortable?’, he drawled out.
Poe froze for a second, but he calmed down quickly, snorting. ‘You’re an asshole.’
Ben just shrugged, accepting it.
‘I’ve missed something.’, Rey felt the need to say, making both of the men turn to her.
‘You don’t wanna know.’, Poe finally said, before smiling at her. ‘How are you feeling, Sunshine?’
‘I’m alright.’, she smiled. ‘A little tired, but I’m fine.’
He took a deep breath. ‘We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Both of you.’, he glanced at Ben.
‘You’re not gonna get emotional on us, are you?’, Ben asked with a heavy dose of disgust in his voice.
Poe rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve been crying every night since I’ve got to Naboo.’
Ben froze at that, but Rey didn’t, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Poe’s hand.
‘I’ve been fighting for the Resistance for a long, long time. My parents fought the Empire, they both served under Han and Leia when they destroyed the Death Star.’ He took his hand out of Rey’s hold, and started playing with a necklace he was wearing. It was the first time she noticed there was a ring dangling on it.
‘You don’t understand how… big this is for me. Being able to breathe, without the panic and -’ He cut himself off with a large intake of air.
‘I’ve lost a lot.’, Poe went on, looking at a point above Rey’s head. ‘All my family, a lot of friends, a lot of people, a lot of… nights and days and opportunities and… everything. But now, I feel like it was worth it.’ He looked to Ben. ‘It feels like I’m a bad person for it, but I still believe it. What does that say about me?’
‘That you’ve been a warrior for far too long.’, Ben didn’t hesitate. ‘And that it’s high time you stopped.’
‘Stop?’, Poe chuckled, weakly. ‘I don’t know how to be anything else but a pilot.’
‘You’ll find out.’, Ben said easily, around a smile. ‘Maybe being a politician isn’t a path you’re comfortable with taking, but you’ll find something.’
‘Easy-peasy.’, Poe pulled a face.
‘Hey.’, Rey gently slapped his knee. ‘Being a Resistance fighter was a job. You invested your heart and soul in it, yes, but it was job. You’ll find another one. If I could go from being a scavenger to wielding a lightsaber, then you can do absolutely anything you want.’
‘Yeah?’, Poe finally seemed amused. ‘What if I want to design clothes?’
‘Then you should make me a dress I can wear with pants underneath.’, Rey didn’t miss a beat, making the other man smile fondly at her.
‘You don’t have to make a decision now.’, Ben said rather pointedly. ‘There’s still a lot of work you need to do before settling down.’
Poe sighed at that. ‘Why did I come to Darth Boy for a therapy session?’, he muttered under his breath.
‘Because you’re an idiot.’, Ben snorted.
Connix appeared out of nowhere, startling them all by sliding behind Poe’s chair and wrapping her arms around his neck, speaking very strongly into his ear.
‘Stop being a downer, Dameron, and come dance with me.’
Poe, looking wide eyed and surprised, muttered an unconvinced ‘Yes, ma’am.’ But he was quick to get off the chair and wrap his hands around Connix, spinning her around the air a few times, smiling fondly at the way she laughed delightedly.
‘Has she always been that authoritative?’, Rey asked in a whisper.
‘Just with him.’, Ben raised a pointed eyebrow and she realized that she had really been too focused on her own drama in the past months, considering she had not noticed it.
‘If you’re tired’, he said gently, ‘we can-’
‘Not yet.’, Rey shook her head. ‘Not yet, I’m having fun.’
‘Alright. Do you wish to dance?’, he didn’t seem too excited about the prospect.
It made her snicker. ‘I really don’t know how to dance. You can teach me later.’
Ben wasn’t excited about that prospect, either, but he was willing to do it, for her. Rey kissed him then, kind of, even if she couldn’t really stop grinning.
/∆\
They were the last ones standing outside, and Ben seemed content to let her stay for as long as she wanted. While the lake was breathtakingly beautiful and the night was warm, there will be other nights for sightseeing, she was sure of it.
So she grabbed Ben’s hand and smiled up at him. ‘Where are we sleeping?’
‘There’s a room prepared for you in -’
He stopped talking when he noticed the glare she was sending his way. There was no way Rey was willing to sleep away from him, not tonight, not ever again if she got her way.
Ben smiled, taking a deep breath before answering softly. ‘The guest rooms are at the bottom level, but my old bedroom is upstairs. The caretakers thought I was going to take the master bedroom, but I…’, he shook his head. ‘I couldn’t.’
Needing to stray him away from dark thoughts, Rey giggled. ‘Is that where you hid your baby pictures?’
‘Yes.’, he said very seriously. ‘Nobody dares go in there without my permission.’
‘Fine.’, she said after a beat. ‘Show me your bedroom, then?’
With a nod, Ben led the way, BB-9 following them obediently. Once again, Rey found her breath caught because of the beauty of the building. It wasn’t as opulent as the house they met the Queen in last time they were on Naboo, but it was, as Finn said, filled with trinkets. Every single decorating item in the house seemed to have come from a different part of the galaxy and while the result was a little overwhelming, the parts created a cohesive whole.
Ben’s old bedroom wasn’t like that. The walls were painted in a muted shade of yellow and everything else was made out of sturdy wood, a warm shade of brown. The large bed had a simply decorated canopy, a trunk at its end and two matching nightstands. There was a heavy desk, completely covered in books, and a proper bookcase, messily filled to the brim. Underneath the fairly large window there was a nook, with a plush seat and a few yellow and orange small pillows. Every single piece of furniture looked like it was ancient, but it didn’t take away from its beauty.
There was a set of drawers, on top of which Rey noticed her lightsaber next to his crossguard, and Ben explained that Rose had had enough piece of mind to grab it. She had also packed up everything that Rey had in her room at the Resistance base, and Ben gestured to the trunk at the end of the bed.
She grinned at that. ‘I thought you said there was another room ready for me.’
Of course, he didn’t answer. He blushed and pouted, and headed into the fresher to get dressed for bed.
Looking down at her clothes in the trunk, Rey thought that it was ridiculous, wasting time choosing what to wear when it was all going to come off soon enough. Still, she didn’t want to completely freak out Ben, so she grabbed a pair of underwear and a fitted white shirt.
Then she kneeled on the floor and leveled BB-9 with a look, whispering so that Ben wouldn’t hear.
‘What do I have to do to get you to spend tonight someplace else?’
The droid’s dome moved a few times, from her to the door of the fresher, clearly thinking about it.
You have to give Master Ben a good enough reason for my disappearance.
Rey grinned. She also kissed the top of BB-9’s dome, thanking it sweetly.
You owe me, Sunshine, the droid managed to sound smug. But have fun.
As much as she loved the BBs, Rey did realize that the droids were too cheeky and involved in the lives of their humans. Ben, of course, asked about BB-9 as soon as he was back in the room.
‘Oh, I sent BB-9 out on a very important mission. Classified, top secret. Can’t tell you.’
She ignored Ben’s incredulous questions and hurried to the fresher.
The water was hot and it soothed Rey’s body, making her muscles relax. She didn’t linger too much, drying herself and quickly putting on the clothes she had gathered. There was a full length mirror on the back of the door, which was odd, but Rey found herself staring in it.
She didn’t see anything surprising, anything new. Well, the crystal pendant sitting on her chest was new, but it felt like its place had always been there. Her body was as it always was, lean and strong. Even if she was showing a lot more skin than she usually did, even if there was a new rugged scar on her hip, an older one on her upper arm, a few stray bruises still healing, even if her still wet hair was out of its usual buns, Rey didn’t feel uncomfortable.
The thought of Ben seeing her like this, vulnerable and relaxed, the thought of him seeing more of her, all of her, it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. It made her feel happy, excited, giddy.
How long have they been on the path to this night? Probably longer than either of them were aware of. After everything they’ve been through together, this shouldn’t be important. And it wasn’t, not really, they have shared much more important moments in the past months.
But that didn’t mean that Rey didn’t want it to happen with all of her heart and body. She pushed her hair behind her ears, she smiled at herself in the mirror, and she walked out of the fresher.
/∆\
Ben was already lying in bed, on top of the covers. He was looking out the window, and it took a moment for him to turn around and look at her. When he did, his eyes grew wide and his mouth opened, a little.
Rey couldn’t help but feel smug and smirk in his direction. Still, she turned off the lights. There was still a little light coming through the large window, just enough so that she saw where she was going, enough to see that Ben’s eyes followed her as she made her way through the room.
She came to his side, took off her necklace and placed it on the nightstand, next to his. Then, without saying anything, Rey straddled his hips and sat on them, putting her hands on his chest to keep her balance. Ben’s hands went to her hips, instantly, but he was looking at her with wide, surprised eyes.
‘What are you doing?’
Rey smiled, fondly, down at him. ‘Do I really have to spell it out for you?’
‘You’re still hurt.’, he was quick to counter.
She shook her head. ‘The doctor said it was alright.’
He still looked concerned.
‘How about I make you a deal?’, she smirked. ‘I promise to tell you if my wound is hurting too much, and you promise to tell me if you wish to stop.’
Ben’s eyes softened at that, his fingers dug into Rey’s waist. ‘Are you sure?’
Rolling her eyes, she huffed. ‘Just kiss me already!’
With a fleeting expression of indignation, Ben grabbed a hold of the front of her shirt and pulled, forcing Rey to bend down. She didn’t fight it, kissed him instead. It was soft, at first, but she was quick to open her mouth and deepen the kiss.
For a while, they were relaxed and unhurried. Ben’s hands stayed on her hips, his thumbs moving gently against Rey’s shirt, and her hands were on his chest, her fingers tracing small patterns as well.
When Rey bit on his bottom lip, he hummed, moving a hand to push her hair away, so that he could reach and kiss her neck.
‘Did you send BB-9 away so that we could have sex?’, he whispered against her skin, making goosebumps appear on it.
‘Are you complaining?’, she countered sarcastically, pairing it with a languid roll of her hips.
He faltered at that, for a second. But then there were hands on her ass, and teeth sinking into her neck. So Rey did not stop the movement of her hips. She didn’t feel the need to hurry, not even when Ben kissed her faster, or when he pushed his fingers under her shirt and grabbed at her flesh.
Ben had definitely learned from the first night they have spent together, because the way he moved, his tongue against hers and his hands over her body, it was definitely working for Rey. She felt warm, the shirt clinging to the skin it touched, her hair felt uncomfortable against her neck.
And she felt very warm between her legs, hips still rolling somewhat gently against Ben’s growing erection. It was not unbearable, not yet, not for Rey, at least. Ben seemed pretty desperate, already. She had no desire to stop him, so when his hips jerked upward, Rey pressed down harder, making an absolutely delicious moan rip out from his throat.
Two harsh movements later, Ben whispered her name against her neck.
‘You need to stop’, he said even as his hips were still moving under hers, ‘or this is going to end really fast.’
With a deep breath, Rey did stop. She straightened herself up and moved lower on his body, until she sat on Ben’s thighs. He was breathing very hard, his eyes were wild and his lips were very shiny. He looked beautifully debauched and Rey felt an urgent need to kiss him.
So grabbing onto his shirt, she pulled until he was sitting up. Ben managed to keep himself up while still holding onto her, his hands placed gently on her thighs. Rey kissed him, slowly and unhurried, for a long while. She played with his hair, pushed her fingers under the collar of his shirt, kissed his cheeks and his neck, bumped her nose into his and goofed around, making him smile.
Rey didn’t remember all of her first time, but she remembered some. It wasn’t a good experience, it was rushed and awkward, more of a means to an end than something worth remembering. There was no love, and when it was over, she felt worse than before it started.
She didn’t want it to be like that for Ben, she wanted it to be something worth remembering years and years from now. She wanted him to feel good, to feel comfortable with her and she wanted him to feel loved. That last part was not going to be hard to accomplish, and for the rest, Rey was more than willing to let him set the pace.
So when Ben grabbed at her hips tightly and pushed her off of him, Rey only yelped a little. But he was quick to roll on top of her, settling with his hardness between her legs, making both of their breath catch. Rey wrapped her legs around his waist, and he liked that.
They kissed some more, with Ben running his hands over her breasts, with Rey’s fingers trailing lines on his back. He was the one to take off his shirt, straightening up and throwing it across the room. It must have hit the desk, because Rey heard the distinct sound of books hitting the floor.
It made her giggle like a child, and it was only mildly embarrassing, because Ben only shrugged, completely unperturbed, before very gently helping her out of her shirt. He didn’t throw it, more like he let it fall to the ground, and it made Rey giggle again.
He chased it away with a kiss, that grew and grew and grew, until he was trembling on top of her, until his hips were jerking irregularly against hers. Her legs were holding him in a tight grip, her nails were digging into his back and breathing had become very difficult, so much so that Rey had to pull at his hair, just to be able to gulp some air.
‘Fuck.’, he whispered. ‘Fuck!’, he said louder, all but throwing himself off her and collapsing on the bed next to her.
‘It’s alright.’, she was quick to say. Rey turned on her side, grabbing his hand and kissing his shoulder. ‘It’s okay, we can stop.’
‘I don’t want to stop. I want more.’
He was blinking rapidly at the ceiling, but Ben was holding her fingers in a tight grip. There was no hesitation in his tone, though, he had said it loud and clear.
So Rey kissed his shoulder again, before letting go of his hand and taking her underwear off. She was completely naked now, and when she turned around, Ben was looking at her with incredulity and wonder.
Slowly, giving him time to stop her even if he didn’t, Rey took off his pants. Her eyes didn’t linger too much, knowing it would probably make him feel more uncomfortable. So she kissed him gently, feeling Ben relax immediately, hands coming up to her neck and hair. Still kissing him even if it took some work, she straddled his thighs again.
Rey touched his chest first, taking her time in dragging her fingers over his stomach. She was very gentle, as she took him into her hand, but it still made Ben gasp against her lips, that whispered, almost silent gasp that she found incredibly adorable.
As she started moving her hand up and down his length, Ben didn’t kiss her anymore. So Rey watched him, the way his eyes were closed tightly, wrinkles appearing on his skin, the way his mouth was slightly open, tongue peeking in the corner of it. She watched his chest, rising and falling rapidly, the scar on his shoulder and face, a part of him as much as she was. She also watched the part of him that she was holding firmly, liking the way her fingers looked around it.
‘Ben, look at me.’, she grabbed his cheek with her free hand, stopped moving the other.
His eyes opened, and there was hesitation in them. Just a little, beyond all the excitement and want, but it was still there.
‘Do you want me to stop?’
Ben shook his head firmly, eyes not once moving away from hers. She started moving her hand again.
‘Are you sure?’
‘I want you.’, he breathed out. ‘Desperately so. I’m just…’, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment. ‘I’m trying to control myself. Control this desperate want.’
So the hesitation wasn’t because he didn’t want to sleep with her, but more because he didn’t want to scare her. It had been a long while since he scared her, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
Rey smirked. ‘Don’t control it.’
Before he got to answer, she planted her knees firmly on either side of him and was quick to guide him inside of her. Lowering herself, she couldn’t do that as quickly, but Ben didn’t move. His hands were holding onto her waist very tightly, and he let out a few moans, but he never moved his hips, letting Rey settle fully onto him.
When she did, something happened. There was a surge of energy between them, making both of them inhale sharply and without a conscious thought, Rey’s mental walls were completely down, and she knew Ben’s were as well.
She didn’t even realize she had her walls up. She didn’t know Ben had his up. But now, there was a sense of relief spreading over them, and between them, a connection far deeper than that of skin on skin.
There was no hesitation in Ben’s eyes anymore, there was nothing except for want, hot and desperate.
Move, he said in her brain, and it wasn’t an order, exactly, but Rey was quick to obey.
She pushed her hands to his chest and she moved her hips, slowly at first. That didn’t last long, and it wasn’t just because of the way Ben was breathing harshly and moaning every now and then.
The Force, their connection… It did unexpected wonders. Rey wasn’t thinking about how she wanted him to put his hand right there, but he knew to do it. She wasn’t actively looking into Ben’s mind, but she knew he wanted her hips to move the other way.
Their movements weren’t harsh, but they were pointed. Because of their connection, there was no fumbling, no questioning, no mistakes. Quicker than Rey thought possible, her thighs were trembling, not because of exertion, but because of pleasure and she was biting on her lower lip to keep herself from screaming out loud. Ben was even more unhinged, a hand pressed to his mouth and the other digging bruises on her ass.
He moved his hand away from his face, and he didn’t say anything, but Rey knew what he needed anyway. So she moved her hands away from his chest, bending forward and resting her weight on her elbows, on either side of Ben. His fingers wrapped in her hair, keeping it out of the way as he kissed her desperately.
Rey let him take complete control. He set the pace of their kiss, he kept her in with his hands firmly on her neck, he was the only one who decided how fast he was moving his hips, how fast he was pounding in and out of her.
Ben was fast, with that, a little too fast for Rey, but nowhere near the point of pain. She felt good, better than she had thought was possible in such a position, and the only reason she wasn’t moaning till her throat felt sore was because her lips were too busy with Ben’s.
But he did stop kissing her, not long after, as the movements of his hips lost their clockwork tenacity. Rey was able to move her head, far enough to see him. See the way he shut his eyes tightly, see the way his lips formed her name as his hips froze. Ben came, saying her name over and over again between curse words, with Rey’s lips pressed to his jaw.
As strong as the Force exploded between them in that moment, as quickly it dwelled out.
It took a few long moments, for Ben’s body to relax and for him to open his eyes. She was grinning by that point, and she had to kiss him right then, assuring him that everything was alright. After, Rey gently got off of him and headed to the fresher, cleaning up quickly.
He hadn’t put his clothes back on by the time she returned to the bedroom, so she didn’t either. Once she was on the bed, Rey pushed her back to Ben’s body and he was quick to understand, turning on his side and wrapping a hand around her waist to pull himself closer.
Ben kissed her shoulder twice, ran his tongue over the spot once, and gently scratched her stomach.
‘We’re not done here.’ He said it in a whisper, but with so much strength and certainty, it made Rey’s toes curl.
‘Turn onto your back.’
Rey was quick to oblige. ‘Ben, you don’t have to-’
He cut her off with a kiss, violent in nature, and with his hand moving down her stomach, between her legs. Ben was surprisingly quick, to figure out where he needed to push for the maximum effect, and when he did press on her most sensitive area, Rey moaned against his lips. He smirked, slightly, and that… she had seen that before.
‘This is familiar.’
Ben froze, taking a moment before looking at her. ‘Do you mind?’
‘I really don’t.’, her answer came out breathlessly, as she pressed her thighs together, hoping to get him to move his fingers.
He didn’t, smirking instead. ‘You’re right. We both know this.’
Ben took his fingers away and Rey whined at the loss. It made him smile wildly. Thankfully, he moved, kissing her again as he settled himself between her legs, their hips not touching. The kiss was slow, unlike before, and closed mouthed, and it didn’t last long.
He moved his kisses down her neck, to her chest. He spent a while there, giving attention to her breasts with his tongue and his teeth. Rey was enjoying it, in a surprising way, and she kept her fingers in Ben’s hair, but after a while, he moved again.
Lower on her body, to the scar. He kissed every inch of it, unbelievably gently, making a different kind of warmth spread from her heart. She loved him just a little more in that moment, for exhibiting gentleness in a moment that was anything but.
He went on, down her stomach and lower still. When he was close to where Rey wished he’d stop, Ben looked up at her, with that mischievous spark in his eyes that made her insides melt. Her hands started trembling, inexplicably so, and Rey drew them away from his hair in favor of clutching at the sheet beneath her.
He hummed, clearly pleased with himself, and put one of his hands under her knee. She bent it, planting her foot on the bed, and Ben kissed her inner thigh, sucking on the skin not at all gently. There was no doubt in her mind that she’ll have a bruise there. She wanted more.
Ben must have been in her mind, because he moved quickly, pushing his lips to where his fingers were a few minutes before. He placed a kiss right there, surprising Rey so much, she let her head fall back onto the bed, a strangled moan escaping her lips.
It was like nothing Rey had ever felt before. It was good, surprisingly so, especially when Ben started using his tongue.
‘Oh gods!’, came out of her mouth, making Ben suck on the sensitive skin under his lips.
Rey saw stars, feeling every nerve ending in her body explode. She cursed again, in Huttese, maybe, and Ben went back to using his tongue and lips, but he also added his fingers to the mix, exploring quickly before pushing two of them inside of her.
He picked up the pace, moving quicker, ruthlessly inside of her, on her. Rey’s back arched off the bed, and her hips would have too if Ben wasn’t pushing on her stomach with his other hand.
She moaned his name, desperately so, because she was so close, so very close. Ben pushed another finger inside, and it made her moan again, moan continually, she couldn’t stop.
Ben’s fingers curled on her stomach, and somehow, he pushed his tongue harder down onto Rey, moving it even quicker than before.
She came with a silent scream, her back off the bed and eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Ben didn’t stop, not until Rey asked him to. She was still panting, as he was licking his fingers clean, and for reasons she couldn’t really explain, the sight of that made her breath catch. He noticed it, and raised an eyebrow, looking smug.
‘Get up here’, Rey breathed out, ‘and kiss me.’
‘As you wish.’, he smirked, but it was gone when their lips met. Her hands came up to his hair again, and his fingers were almost playing with her breasts. As Ben deepened the kiss, she pushed her body until she was touching his.
He was getting hard again and Rey found that she wasn’t tired enough to sleep yet.
‘This night was supposed to be for you.’, she admitted to him.
‘Oh trust me, I’m being incredibly selfish.’ He kissed her neck. ‘Everything I’m doing’, her collarbone, ‘is only’, between her breasts, ‘for my benefit.’ Ben pushed his cheek to the space between her breasts, seemingly content to just stay like that, with Rey running her fingers through his hair.
‘I have a question.’, she said after a while. ‘It’s been bugging me.’
‘Of course you do.’, he sounded amused.
‘These dreams that we’ve had. Were they mine or yours?’
He lifted his head at that, looking at her briefly before looking away in embarrassment. ‘Mine, I think.’
Considering where his head was five minutes ago, Rey didn’t understand his embarrassment, and she certainly didn’t share it. She was actually feeling delighted, so she grinned at him.
‘You wanna go against the wall?’
Ben rolled his eyes. ‘We don’t need to-’
‘Oh, but I want to. And you want to.’ As she said it, she wrapped her fingers around the evident proof. He groaned, pushing his head into the crook of her neck, but it didn’t make her stop.
‘The things you do to me-’
‘Seem to be very much possible.’, Rey cut him off.
Ben kind of choked on a surprised laugh that was music to her ears. He pushed himself away from Rey, though, getting up from the bed altogether.
‘Where are you going?’, she couldn’t keep the whine out of her voice.
‘Not far.’
He stopped at the foot of the bed, eyes sparkling in mischief, and using a knee on the bed to steady himself, Ben grabbed a hold of her ankles. He pulled her body straight to the edge, and Rey made a very undignified sound, as she was left sprawled ungracefully, with her knees bent at an awkward angle and her hands sprawled on either sides of her head. It made him chuckle.
But then he guided her legs around his waist, pushing a hand underneath her back. Rey understood what he wanted, so she held onto his shoulders, as Ben straightened himself up and took her with him.
His erection brushed against her ass, and he groaned, kissing her quickly, not moving his hips away. They were moving across the room, Ben having no issue holding up Rey’s entire weight, while kissing her senseless.
Are you really taking me to a wall?, she asked in his mind, incredulity clear.
Ben’s hands tightened their hold on her. Not quite.
It took a while for Rey to realize that they were heading for the fresher. Even if they were feet away, the door opened, the lights inside turned on and she could hear the water running. She had to give it to him, Ben’s control over the Force was amazing. In that moment, she wouldn’t have been able to lift a pebble.
He stumbled a little, getting into the fresher booth and arranging them. Rey’s back hit a wall and Ben pushed his body fully to hers, until his hardness was pressed right between her legs. She had no water falling on her, but Ben did, barely lukewarm, wetting his hair and back, making her hands feel slippery against his skin.
It didn’t matter, not when his lips on hers were demanding, his hands holding tightly onto her skin and his hips moving, somewhat gently against hers.
And it wasn’t like before, Rey couldn’t feel the Force around them, she didn’t know what he wanted, what he was feeling. She had no idea about anything, nothing except for the press of his skin against her, the way he tasted and the desperate need she felt deep in her core, stronger than before.
‘The things you do to me’, he all but growled against her lips, ‘don’t stop, don’t ever stop.’
Rey cursed, bringing one of her hands between them. Even if she wouldn’t have thought herself able to go again so quickly, she needed him inside of her. Grabbing onto him, she guided Ben to her entrance, gasping when she felt him there, but letting go, letting him take control again.
She was able to see him this time, see him properly, the lights bright in the fresher. He looked like someone out of a fairytale, like a dark Prince Charming that had come to save her and ruin her completely. As Ben guided himself inside of Rey, slowly, torturously so, they locked eyes. Desperation, exaltation and love mirrored between them, and it was a truly glorious thing.
As Ben bottomed out, he said her name in a very lowered voice.
‘Yes.’, was all she could say, grabbing his cheeks and bringing his lips to hers. ‘Yes, come on.’
He started moving, slowly in an out of her, a languid drag of flesh that was different than before. As desperate as she had been a moment ago, as amazing she felt now, surprisingly so. Ben was kissing her softly, close mouthed, as his fingers loosened their hold on her bottom, moving to her hips to keep her up.
Inside of her, it felt like a caress. Everything was soft around Rey, calm and unhurried, but she felt it a thousand times stronger than before. She was losing herself completely in Ben’s arms, losing herself to him, slowly but surely, and it was a surprising sort of pleasure, in its vigor and the way it made her feel.
As gentle as he was with her now, it affected her terribly. Even if her lips were still pressed to Ben’s, Rey swore, a surprising amount, in languages that did not sound like Basic, completely unable to control herself. She moaned as well, loud, louder than the sound of water hitting the tiles, and she moaned his name, desperately and pleading.
It didn’t make Ben hurry, he was constant in his gentleness and passion, kissing her lips sweetly and smiling every time she cursed.
Rey’s orgasm surprised her completely. She came just by the feeling of him inside her, touched only by his lips on hers and his hands on her hips. She came screaming violently, a complete contrast to his current behavior, Rey cursing and calling his name, her legs trembling, every muscle in her body clenching.
Ben enjoyed it terribly, judging by his pleased smile. He slowly pulled out and lowered her legs to the floor, but kept his hands on her waist, keeping her up when it became clear that her knees were shaking.
He grabbed her cheeks, pressing quick kisses to her lips as she came down from her high.
‘I don’t know half of the languages you spoke in.’, he seemed terribly amused by this.
She stared at him, completely unaware of what she had said, which languages she spoke.
Ben raised a cocky eyebrow. ‘Don’t go silent on me now.’
‘As you wish.’, came her prompt response, paired with a hand pushing at his chest. He went easily, surprised, but let his back hit the opposite wall without any argument.
She wasted no time, falling to her knees in front of him, wrapping her fingers around the base of his hardness and her lips around the tip. There was water falling on her now, on the crown of her head and her back, but Rey completely ignored it in favor of tasting Ben.
The way he said her name, a broken yelp of surprise, it made her hum, very pleased. He had said he didn’t want her to be silent, so as she worked, Rey made sure to make as much noise as possible.
She took him in her mouth as deeply as she could, holding him there for a few seconds, not concealing the way it choked her, but fighting against it. He put a hand on her head, in her hair. He didn’t pull and he didn’t push, just leaving his fingers there. Rey looked up, and he looked like a god, towering over her, keeping her in place with a benevolent hand, looking down at her with a fire in his eyes.
‘I’m close.’, Ben breathed out.
Slowly, keeping her eyes up on him, Rey freed her mouth. ‘Good.’ was all she said, before she took the tip into her mouth again, lapping at it with her tongue. She started moving her hand up and down the length of him, not too fast but not too slow either, and it seemed to be working, judging by the way his thighs shook.
He tightened his hold on her hair, so Rey kept her head in place, his erection warm against her tongue. But Ben didn’t move his hips, so she kept up the pace of her hand, and learned what he liked by the way his breath hitched.
When he said I’m very close in her mind, Rey pulled off of him with a slow drag of her lips and a filthy wet sound. She didn’t move away, keeping him close to her mouth, but not quite touching. She increased the speed of her hand, barely, focusing her grip at the tip of him.
His eyes were wide, unblinking and his mouth was open, panting slightly.
‘What do you need?’, she asked kindly, but Ben didn’t answer, he just shook his head.
So she took him into her mouth again, but not for long. She alternated between sucking at the tip and dragging her tongue over his length, but kept moving her hand in a rapid pace.
Ben said her name in a somewhat alarmed tone, and she pulled back completely off of him, her hand working as he moaned very loudly. He came on the very corner of her lips and on her chest, Rey shivering because of the warmth she suddenly had on her body.
He stared, as she worked him completely through his orgasm, and he asked her to let go in her mind. She did, getting off of the floor and straightening up. The come on her lips was distracting, so Rey licked it away, making his eyes fall down to her lips.
But Ben didn’t say anything, still catching his breath. So Rey turned around, letting the water hit the front of her body, cleaning herself up quickly. Turning back to Ben, she kissed him gently, smiling against his lips.
‘Don’t stay too long, I’m getting sleepy.’
He nodded, easily, so Rey stepped out of the fresher, barely taking the time to dry herself before heading to bed.
/∆\
Ben sprawled his upper body on top of hers, cheek settling between her breasts again, her hands instantly coming up to his hair.
‘Are you alright?’, she whispered.
He nodded quickly. ‘I’m still in disbelief that it happened.’
She raised an incredulous eyebrow at that, because it did happen, and he had felt it, quite strongly, she thought.
‘In disbelief that we are somewhere and sometime when it could happen.’, he explained, and that, Rey understood that.
‘What’s going to happen next?’, she couldn’t help but ask. ‘We stay here?’
‘For a while.’, he sighed. ‘We’re going to have to go to Coruscant, once a council is formed. We’ll all have to debrief them on what happened, and there will be trials and… a lot of politics that we can’t get out of.’
She had figured that much.
‘Han had an apartment there.’, he went on in a softer voice. ‘I’m sure it will need a thorough cleanup, but we can handle it.’
Rey loved that he didn’t ask her to stay with him, he just knew that she will. Ben got himself kissed sweetly for that.
‘And after that?’, she whispered against his lips.
Ben shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but we don’t need to figure it out now.’
Rey accepted it. As he had told Poe that night, there was still a lot of work to do, before they could all start thinking about what they want to do with the rest of their lives, and where to do it. After growing up in a place like Jakku, knowing every inch of it and thinking she will never leave it, she embraced this type of uncertainty, especially knowing that whatever will come next, Ben will be at her side.
‘I love you.’, he whispered it very, very gently, Rey had barely heard him.
‘I don’t know if we were supposed to fall in love with each other’, she admitted, ‘but I’m very glad that we did.’
He smiled, Rey felt his lips moving against her skin, but didn’t say anything. She kept quiet as well, her long day finally catching up with her. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a hesitant beep from the other side of the door.
Ben looked at her, question clear. Rey nodded easily, and as he got out of bed and pulled his pants on, she brought her underwear and shirt to her as well, putting them on and getting under the covers, just as he opened the door for BB-9.
‘What is it, ball?’
I’m sorry, Master Ben, I really am. I was talking to BB-8 and Poe found us and he yelled at us and took BB-8 away. You wanted to have fun with Sunshine, and I’m sorry, but can I sleep with you?
By the end of the rant, Ben looked like he ate a bucket of sugar, he didn’t even try to fake annoyance.
‘Why did Poe yell at you?’, Rey felt the need to ask.
BB-9 lowered its dome, somewhat ashamed. Because we were planning to lock him and Connix inside a closet.
Ben struggled really hard not to laugh out loud at that.
‘You BBs are too involved in the love lives of your friends.’, Rey did her best to sound stern. ‘I know you care for them and want them to be happy, but you shouldn’t meddle so much, let your friends figure things out at their own pace.’
The droid looked between her and Ben a few times. It worked for you.
That shut her up.
‘It would have worked even without your help.’, Ben pointed out, completely certain. ‘You can stay here, if you promise to stop messing with Connix and Poe.’
It took a few moments, but BB-9 beeped its acceptance, before it happily pushed its dome to Ben’s shins.
He let the droid cuddle up to him for a while, but after that he gently told it to go to sleep. Ben got into bed behind her, pressing his chest to her back and wrapping an arm around her waist.
Rey didn’t even know she was able to feel this happy, hold so much love in her heart for a single person. The road behind them was painful, and while she wished it was a different one, she did not wish to change the outcome, not now and not ever. She will never want to fall asleep anywhere else than in Ben’s arms, each night, for as long as the Force granted them breath.
Judging by the way Ben tightened his hold on her, he shared the sentiment.
/∆\
Rey woke up feeling cold. The window was open, letting in fresh air and a small chill that traveled from the lake, and the bed was empty. Ben had left a note on the nightstand, saying he had been summoned to meet with the Queen and that he took BB-9 with him.
It was too early in the morning, Rey doubted anyone else would be awake, but that didn’t stop her from getting dressed and making her way through the house. There was indeed no one, except for a caretaker who politely asked if she needed anything and was quick to leave her alone after her dismissal.
Her legs took her to the terrace they partied on last night, and she found BB-8 there, who was quick to greet her and ask, very concerned, if BB-9 was okay.
After assuring the droid that its friend was alright, Rey sat herself on the cool tiles, leaning her back against the house. She could see the lake through the gaps in the terrace’s stone fence, and she felt the sun on her skin, a small breeze against her hair.
BB-8 made a questioning sound, but Rey just smiled at it.
‘Come on.’, she opened up her legs. ‘Watch the world with me.’
Obediently, the droid settled itself between her legs, turning its visor away from her, to the lake. Rey wrapped her arms around BB-8, resting her chin on top of its dome and for a while, they were silent, just watching the beautiful scenery in front of them.
‘You know, this all started with you.’, Rey said gently.
What started?
‘My… my journey. I wouldn’t be anywhere near here if it weren’t for you. If you hadn’t found me when you did, I’d still be all alone on Jakku now.’
I found you, but you took care of me., BB-8 argued. You and Finn both.
‘Yes, you’re right. But you still had a very big role to play in my story.’
The droid preened at that, a little. Is it a good story?
The smile fell off Rey’s face. ‘No, it’s not a good story. Or, at least, not at the start. But it’s been getting better. And I have a feeling it will keep getting better.’
Me too!, came the prompt response. Darth Boy and BB-9 will make sure your story will keep getting better and better, and you’ll smile more and more!
Her heart warmed at the thought, knowing it was true.
Not just them, the droid went on. All your friends too! But you have to do the same for them.
‘Of course I will.’, there was no hesitation. ‘After all we’ve been through together, I think we’re going to live the rest of our lives helping each other.’
Yes! Long long long long long long lives! Together!
It sounded perfect, to Rey. Absolutely perfect.
/∆\
As their friends started waking up, they all made their way to the terrace, bringing food and drinks. Rey and BB-8 didn’t move from their position.
Rose took one look at her and somehow understood what had happened the night before, because she winked at Rey and, mindful of the fact that Finn was by her side, settled to just mouth ‘Finally!’ at her.
Vega sat down next to Rey, silently eating her breakfast while listening to the ridiculous story Mally was telling on the other side of the terrace, to Raf and Dalo.
Connix came out with a bounce in her step, sweetly wishing them all a good morning before she took her breakfast and hopped up on the terrace fence.
Poe was the last to make his way out of the house, and he was clearly hungover, scrunching up his face against the light before frowning at Rey.
‘Is there a reason why you’re cuddling my droid?’
‘Yes.’
He blinked a few times. ‘Aren’t you going to tell me?’
‘No.’, she smiled.
Are you jealous?, BB-8 seemed delighted by the concept.
‘Well, yeah. She should get her own droid to cuddle with.’
BB-8 turned to look at Rey, saying a very soft Please?. She nodded, letting go, and the droid beeped excitedly as it settled between Poe’s legs and got a few belly rubs.
She felt Ben approaching long before he actually appeared on the terrace. He bent down to give her a quick kiss, a clear apology for not being there when she woke up. He also got them food, sitting on Rey’s other side, while BB-9 whirled its way to BB-8, clearly excited to talk about what happened in the meeting with the Queen.
‘What did Queen Dor want?’
Ben huffed. ‘To deliver a package.’
She frowned at that.
‘Wait for it.’, was his response, to which she frowned some more. ‘Wait for it’, he said again, before he started counting down on his fingers. When there was only one finger left to count, a roar made its way onto the terrace, startling everyone except for Ben and BB-9.
Kids!, Chewie growled. Why are you still on land?
‘There should be bathing apparel in your dressers.’, Ben easily piped up, making everyone turn to him.
‘If you don’t go and put it on’, he went on to explain, ‘be sure that Chewie will dump each and every one of you in the lake with your clothes still on.’
You have 10 minutes, the Wookiee growled, making his way to the side of the terrace, to the stairs that led down to the lakeshore.
/∆\
20 minutes later, Rey was in the water, surrounded by her friends, by her own personal Resistance, her saviors, splashing around like a child and feeling lighter than she had ever felt in her life.
There was a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist, and she recognized them, of course she did. So even if the hands were pulling her underwater, Rey didn’t worry and she didn’t fight it.
Once she was fully under the warm water, she turned around in Ben’s arms, grabbing onto him with her arms and legs. He pressed his lips to hers, speaking in her mind.
It’s not possible, all the love I have for you.
She smiled at that. Haven’t you learned by now? Together, we can do anything.
/∆\
When they came up to the surface, everyone was laughing at them.
‘You were down there for a while.’, Poe explained. ‘BB-9 thought you died.’
‘Almost anything.’, Rey turned to Ben. ‘Almost antyhing,’
His laugh was loud and beautiful, and till the day she will give her final breath, Rey knew it was going to be her favorite thing in the galaxy.
