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Dear Fairy Godmother, if you’re out there.
I read about you in one of the books Grandmama Padme has. They say you can grant any wish if I ask politely enough.
I wish for my mom and dad to love me. Please.
Thank you for your time.
—Ben Solo, age seven.
Kylo walked out of his once-prestigious job. Once-prestigious, because he quit.
Or got fired.
Maybe fired, since he could collect unemployment benefits. Not like he needed them though. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t take another day having his soul sucked away. He couldn’t even recall the words he spewed in anger and bile.
The chill of the air nipped at his reddened lips and his ears. Not even his hair could shield him from the wind. He tucked his scarf around his neck, strolling on the barren sidewalk. They said it would snow soon. Good thing he didn’t have to worry about leaving his apartment for the rest of the holiday season.
He stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the red light to turn white.
Someone in loud heels sauntered up to his side, brushing up against him.
“Excuse me,” a pretty voice with a pretty accent spoke to him. He nearly groaned in annoyance, not wanting to talk to anyone after shouting at his prick-former-boss for a solid ten minutes. “I’m looking for the Organa-Solo residence and I’m lost.”
Kylo furrowed his brow. “You can find it on Google Maps—” He turned around, and was greeted by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. Her chestnut hair was long and sparkling. Her dress was a ballgown, green, with a billowing skirt. The torso was wrapped with the off-shoulder fabric, hugging her lithe frame. He could spot little freckles on her bare shoulder. How was she not freezing?
“Google Maps? I’m sorry I don’t know what that is,” she said. “I’m just looking for a Ben Solo. Little boy. Black hair…” She squinted at him. “Wait… You’re not little.”
“How did you get that name?” he huffed. “And yes, I grew up. Everyone does.”
“That’s not right,” the woman said, pulling out a piece of paper. “Because I found your assignment and it had a picture of you and you were so young I don’t understand how… Wait, how old are you?”
“Excuse me, but I don’t know who the hell you are,” Kylo snapped.
The woman seemed taken back, and Kylo internally cringed.
“My name is Rey, and I’m your bloody fairy godmother,” she stated with an angry curl of her lip. “I came here to grant your wish, Ben.”
“What wish? I didn’t wish for anything. And don’t call me Ben. It’s Kylo Ren now.”
She jabbed the paper at him. “You did wish for something. Read it and weep, Ben.”
Kylo rolled his eyes, but read the old piece of notebook paper, and felt his heart drop on the crosswalk. It was his old handwriting before he got into calligraphy, all messy, asking for his parents to give a damn about him. Attached to the paper was a photo of him with curly black hair and the smiling innocence of a child.
He shoved the paper back at his fairy godmother and crossed the street. “You’re wasting your time, Rey.”
Rey followed after him. “I am not! You asked for your parents to love you and that’s exactly what you’re getting,” Rey yelled for the next block, struggling to keep up in her ballgown to his long and rushed strides.
“Unless you can magically turn back the fucking clock and force people to love you, it’s not happening,” Kylo grumbled. He reached the front of his apartment building.
“Well, I’m a fairy godmother, miracles can happen,” Rey declared.
Kylo looked back at her, noting how she was wearing nothing else but a ballgown in the middle of winter. “How did you get here?”
Rey shrugged. “I came from England.”
“The fuck?”
“Yeah. England. There’s a portal to a secret castle where fairies live. It took me a lot of work to get here, Ben Solo, and I’m not leaving until you get your happily ever after.”
Kylo sighed. “Do you have a place to stay?” He was insane for offering this strange, strange, gorgeous woman his apartment, but what else was he supposed to do?
“No, I don’t.”
Kylo pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. “You can stay in my place until you get on a plane or open some sort of magical bullshit back to England I guess.”
Rey kept her smile as she followed him to his apartment, taking the elevator up to the higher levels.
As he fumbled with his keys to unlock the door, horror sank in. He had no guest room. He never bothered with it, due to how unlikeable and loathing of people he was. Only one place to sleep, and he wasn’t going to shove her to the couch. He wasn’t a total monster.
Rey, with her big green tulle-wrapped gown, stepped over the threshold, hazel eyes wide. “It’s so… Cold. No other colors besides grey and black in your repertoire?”
Kylo shrugged. “Not much time for decorating.”
She bit her lip. “Well, you have me now.”
Lucky him.
“Here is where you’re sleeping, if you want,” Kylo said, gesturing to his room.
Rey tilted her head. “Such a big bed. And also all black. You need some color quite honestly. I saw red and green striped sheets on my way here—”
“No,” he deadpanned.
“You’re such a stick in the mud, Ben.”
Kylo pinched the bridge between his brows before stepping into his room and closet for his sleep clothes and spare linens.
“What are the blankets for?” she asked, taking a seat on the bed.
“For me. On the couch.”
Kylo turned around to find a frown on her pretty, glossy lips.
“Why are you not sleeping in your bed?”
Was she serious?
“Because I’m giving it to you,” Kylo answered, slowly. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
“But, I saw that couch. You’re too tall for it,” Rey, rather accurately, pointed out. “We can just share. I don’t bite.” She grinned, mischief evident in her tone.
“And… You’re okay with that?”
“You better be in your bed, Ben. Or I will drag you from the couch, across the floor, to the bed myself.”
He could not refuse. “Yes, ma’am.”
A few minutes later, Kylo was in his bed, staring at his bank account on his phone. Dozens of text messages from his former colleagues and one big angry one from Snoke. He couldn’t give a fuck to answer any of them.
He decided to google fairy godmothers. All he got was the one from the 1950’s Cinderella and similar iterations. He was no Cinderella. He was a bitchy asshole with too much money, and resentful of his real parents. Was there seriously no information on pretty women in big puffy dresses with wands insistent on butting into people’s lives?
Rey stepped out of the bathroom, holding her green dress in her arms.
And wearing literally nothing else.
Kylo looked back down at his phone, cheeks on fire. Refusing to look at her and all her bareness. He gave her a shirt to wear, but no, she was insistent on being naked. Purely naked.
Rey set her dress aside, walking over to her side of the bed. Once she was safely underneath the covers, only then could Kylo take his eyes off of his phone.
Except, her breasts were still on full display. Small and pebbled in the cold December air. And pink.
Kylo swallowed. “No night clothes?” He had to keep his eyes on her face and not her lovely tits.
“Night clothes feel weird,” she said. “And your sheets are so soft and silky.” There it was, that soft, bright grin of hers.
Kylo sighed. His cock, naturally in the presence of an attractive, naked woman, was hardening.
“Is there something wrong?” Her voice sounded small.
“No, no,” Kylo forced out, throat strained. “Nothing is wrong. Other than I have a woman in my bed claiming to be my fairy godmother.”
“Because I am, Ben Chewbacca Organa Solo. And I’m not leaving until you’re happy.”
Yay.
Kylo rolled over, turning off his lamp and putting his phone aside. No alarm to set, now that he was out of a job.
She huffed. “Good night, Ben.”
A part of his cold heart thawed. When was the last time someone told him good night? “Night, Rey,” he muttered.
Kylo blinked his eyes open at ten forty-six am.
He hadn’t slept that much in years. Hand reaching over to his bedside stand, he tried to curl his fingers around the smooth screen of his phone.
No phone.
Sitting up, stretching his limbs, and shaking his hair out, Kylo scanned his stand. His phone was mysteriously gone from where he usually put it.
Getting up, Kylo glanced at Rey’s side of the bed. No Rey.
He groaned.
“Right. I quit my job and ran into a crazy gorgeous woman with magic supposedly.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And I let her into my apartment and now she stole my phone.”
Stomping out of his room, he was going to ask security for footage of the thief, but halted at the kitchen.
Rey sat at the bar, phone in front of her, eating Lucky Charms out of the box.
“What… Why are you still here?” Kylo demanded. At least she was wearing the green dress and not walking about his apartment in the buff.
“Because I have a job to do.” She munched on a mouthful of the oversugared cereal. “Oh your phone was ringing so I answered it.”
Kylo blinked. “You answered it?”
“Yeah. It said “Leia,” which I assumed was your mother so I picked up. She thinks I’m your assistant by the way. So I set up lunch with her at one,” she said.
“You what?” His voice steadily rose in volume and tightened in anger.
She didn’t seem fazed by his query. “She sounded like she wanted to talk to you. And you wanted your parents to love you, right?”
“That was fucking years ago!”
She set down her box of Lucky Charms, folding her hands and staring at him right in the eye to the point he was intimidated. “Are you saying you don’t want your parents to love you?”
The way she said it, as if she could smell any hint of a lie or bullshit, forced the truth from his mouth.
“No, I… It’s complicated dammit! You can’t just arrange lunch with my mother when I haven’t seen her in years! And I always rejected her calls but she never took the hint. Fuck fuck fuck .” He paced in circles, ready to tear his hair out. This woman was infuriating. Beautiful, but infuriating. It was not that simple as she treated it.
“Why haven’t you seen her in years?” Rey asked, standing up and going to him, her gentle, dainty hand on his bicep halting him in place.
“Because I shut her and my dad out years ago when I came under the tutelage of Snoke. They didn’t want me, and I had to focus on my career. They were a distraction.”
Rey furrowed her brows and frowned. “Why didn’t they want you?” She glanced back at his phone. “She didn’t sound like someone who didn’t want you in her life.”
Kylo scoffed. “You should leave. You know nothing, nothing about why I sent that stupid letter in the first place.”
She crossed her arms. “Well if I don’t know, then maybe you should tell me, Ben.”
“Why do you keep calling me—never mind, I give up.” Kylo stomped back to his bedroom, locking it behind him, shutting her out.
Her fist banged on the wood.
“I’ll still be here when you’re actually ready to accept help, you grumpy jerkwad.”
Kylo sighed, stripping off his clothes before stepping into the shower. He leaned his head on the wall while the shampoo soaked in his hair.
This was what he did, drive people away because of his stupid parental issues and the chip always on his shoulder. He hadn’t spoken to his mother in years, and now he was to see her in the flesh and make small talk for an excruciatingly long amount of time. As if it wasn’t an excruciatingly long time since he saw the both of them.
The truth was, he did miss them. Kylo missed them ever since he was a child. Lonely for hours on end. We’ll see you this weekend. I have to fly out. I have to take a road trip and you’re too young to go yet. You’ll be staying with Grandmama Padme and Grandpapa Anakin. This summer you’ll be with Uncle Luke and Uncle Chewie and Auntie Maz.
He wanted to see them, but it felt too late. It felt like too much damage ever since he yelled at them, saying they never really wanted their only child, before he slammed the door and didn’t look back. Leave it to this strange woman to barge into his life and make him confront the truth: he still wanted his mother and father’s love. He never stopped needing them.
Once he finished his shower, he dressed in pants, his hair dripping down a towel around his neck.
Opening the door, he found Rey still there, eating her Lucky Charms. She stared, waiting for his words. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she burned from the heating of the apartment.
Kylo sighed, reaching for her hand. “Come here.”
Rey placed her palm in his, and his heart jolted. His whole body warmed at her touch. He ached to touch her collarbone to her cheek.
Sitting her down on the bed next to him, Kylo took a breath.
“When I was a kid, my parents didn’t make much time for me. They were so busy. Leia is a politician. My dad—Han, wasn’t made for fatherhood. They kept leaving and… in my mind, I didn’t think they cared for me, their only son. It wasn’t any better in high school. I said… Things. And they sent me away to my uncle during the summer to fix my anger. It just built and built until I ended up leaving them one day and went to work for Snoke.”
“That’s why you wrote that letter, because…”
“I cannot let them go.”
A single tear dripped down her cheek.
Kylo stared. “Rey?”
“I’m fine. I’m just… I know what it feels like to be rejected.” she sniffled, reaching for the tissue box on the side table. “I have no parents. So when I found your letter I intended to fulfill it because no parents will love me. I became a fairy godmother because I wanted to help children. And I guess, I am helping your inner child.”
Damn this woman for making his heart melt for her. The cold-hearted facade he’d built up over the years was crumbling so fast.
“That’s very noble of you,” he said quietly.
“I shouldn’t be crying,” Rey said, wiping her eyes. “Oh! We’re going to be late for lunch! Get dressed, you oaf. You’re not going like that!”
Rey disappeared into his closet, digging around his very boring collection of various suits, sweaters, and jeans.
“You really need to expand your horizons in terms of color,” she grumbled before stepping out of the closet with a navy blue number. “The only thing in here with some semblance of color.” She then glanced at the clock. “Give me your phone. You have a navigation thingy on it, right?”
Kylo unlocked his phone, and Rey grabbed it, somehow finding Google Maps. “Oh no, we won’t make it at this rate!”
Knowing his mother, Leia, she doesn't like being kept waiting.
Rey reached into her cleavage, pulling out a green stick. She tapped his shoulder and then his hair. The suit was suddenly on his body, and his hair was combed and sprayed with his usual product.
Then she tapped him again, and herself.
They were both standing in a hotel lobby, right where his lunch meeting with Leia was.
Kylo straightened his tie and handed Rey his phone. He wanted no interruptions.
“Wow,” Rey stared in awe at the glossy, glimmering, and heavily decorated lobby. “This place is beautiful.”
“How the… Nope. I’m not going to question it.” Kylo took her by the hand, dragging her away and into the restaurant.
Maybe it was a good thing Rey was with him.
Nothing prepared him for seeing his mother. She was recognizable in how her perfect posture and her clothes radiated elegance and business. But she had aged so, so much. Wrinkles lined her eyes. Her hair greyed with streaks of white.
He had missed so many years. So many.
Squeezing Rey’s hand, Kylo went to the table.
“You’re okay,” Rey whispered. “You’re okay.”
That was reassuring.
When he reached the table, Leia looked up at him, her eyes of glass.
“You’re here,” Leia said. “I thought you would have fired your poor assistant for setting it up behind your back.”
Kylo shook his head. “No. Not her. I couldn’t.”
Leia gestured for him to sit down.
Rey grinned at them both. “I have some things to do. I’ll see you at your apartment.”
Kylo furrowed his brow. “What things?”
“Shopping!”
“With what money?”
She held up his credit card. “You gave this to me.”
Leia looked far too amused. “Be sure to treat yourself at Saks 5th Avenue.”
Rey walked away, her tulle pooling around her lithe hips. Her upper back was bare for all to see, the little curve so mesmerizing.
Kylo turned to his mother. “She’s going to buy me ridiculous Christmas-themed socks.”
“Is she your girlfriend or your assistant?” Leia said, leaning forward in amusement.
“She’s just an assistant, Mom. Not my girlfriend.”
He wasn’t going to lie, having Rey as a girlfriend wasn’t the worst idea.
Lunch was tense at first. The two barely talked. Leia remained impassive the whole time, as if she needed to go somewhere or her thoughts were on the latest nonsense in Congress.
Then, after they finished eating, Kylo couldn’t take it anymore.
“I quit my job. Last night.” He waited for her response with bated breath.
“Why?”
Always the investigator.
“Because… Snoke is an asshole.”
She snorted. “I could have told you that.”
He let out half a chuckle. “You did. I didn’t listen.”
Leia looked upon him with sadness laced with warmth. She reached for his hand on the table. “You were angry. You had every right to be.”
“I shouldn’t have said the things I’ve said though. I shouldn’t have left.”
"You had every right to leave. It's your life, Ben. Always has been." A moment of silence. "What will you do now?"
Kylo scratched his neck. "Survive the holidays then decide what to do from there. I refuse to go back to Snoke's line of practice." And he had to deal with the beautiful fairy godmother situation.
"Whatever you decide, Han and I support it." It was then that Leia smiled fully. "Will you come over for Christmas?"
Kylo swallowed. "I guess. I should see Dad first beforehand."
"Good."
The two of them stood up. Leia stood there, not impeding on his personal space. He should, in all cases, hug her, but he couldn't do it. It was hard enough seeing her again, and he didn't want to ruin the rather amicable conversation they had.
So he squeezed her hand. "I should go." He let his mother's withered grip go. "I need to see the destruction my assistant has wrecked."
"She's beautiful," Leia said, in that know-it-all, smug tone of hers. "Don't let her get away."
"Mom, she's not my girlfriend."
"Oh Ben, you're just like your father. I know when you're smitten."
It got hotter in the restaurant. Someone had to be fucking with the heating. "See you at Christmas, Mom ."
He stomped away, needing air, knowing that Leia Organa had a smirk on her face that would not easily go away.
The Uber dropped him off at his apartment forty minutes later. Seeing his mother wasn't horrible. It reopened more of his wounds, but he could see the guilt and sorrow in her.
Maybe his mother had always loved him.
That jab about Kylo being smitten with Rey bounced around in his brain. He did not have any feelings for her. He saw her naked and yes, he felt something physical but emotions-wise she was a pain in the ass who was sometimes helpful.
Stepping inside his apartment, his eyes were blasted with red, green, and white. Colorful construction paper taped into chains hung from the ceiling. Snowflakes cut via scissors dangled from the links. A fully decorated tree with white garland and red and blue and purple ornaments with pearly bulbs sat in the corner. Atop was a fairy in pure white and blue. And the smell of cookies flooded his nose.
What the ever-loving fuck?
Rey stepped out of the hallway, her little wand out and her dress swaying with her petite body.
"You're back! How was it?"
Kylo blinked. The overload of Christmas vomited all over his apartment short-circuited his brain function. "It was fine I—okay, what is all this and how did you set it all up so fast?"
She waved her wand. "I mean it did take some time since magic is finicky but I'm a fairy godmother. I work miracles."
"…Right."
She handed him back his credit card. "Here you go. I made a couple of purchases. But you won't see most of them until Christmas!"
"I swear if they're red and green striped sheets I'm sleeping in the snow on laundry days," he grumbled.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're so grumpy even after seeing your mother. I thought you said it was fine?"
"It did go fine. I'm going to her house on Christmas."
Rey hugged him. It felt unnecessarily nice. "That's great! But you're still a stick in the mud grump-meister. Hmmm…"
"One lunch isn't going to magically fix all my problems with my parents, you know."
She reached for his face, her delicate fingers roaming over his skin and moles. “Hmmm…”
His face heated. “What are you doing?” The question came out a little bit too breathless.
“I know you seek familial love but in the fairy godmother book, there are other types of love that people seek out. Maybe you need some friends. Or a significant partner!”
Kylo’s brain halted. “What?”
“I spent the morning figuring out how these phone devices work—that’s how I discovered Google Maps—and there are apps for finding significant others. Like um, Tinder!”
As if this couldn’t get any more mortifying. “Tinder isn’t exactly a place to find someone I want to date,” he explained, his face practically red. “It’s for… Not that.”
“Oh. Well then show me places where I can find you someone!”
“Rey, that's not… That’s not necessary.”
“Ben, when was the last time you went on a date?” She took her hands off his face, leaving him cold, and putting them on her hips.
He snorted. “Never.” He was too busy trying to spite his parents and deal with his shitty coworkers and shitty boss.
“Then you need to get out there. You might find someone to make you happy.”
Kylo was helpless to stop Rey, a whirlwind of stubbornness. He could humor her a little bit, even if he had the social skills of an agoraphobic lobster.
Rey presented his dating profile to him with some blanks, except for his profession and his bio. Mature professional looking for a serious relationship.
Kylo groaned. What a winner he was. It sounded like a business transaction.
“What do you think?” Rey asked, sitting down next to him on his couch, now decorated with ugly Christmas-designed pillows.
“Sure, whatever.” Maybe no one will bite with that god-awful biography.
She pouted, poking him in the chest. “This is to help you find someone! Don’t be like that.”
Fuck, her pretty pink lip was jutted out and her eyes were glassy, like she was going to cry. God damn it.
“It’s alright, I don’t do these things,” he said with a bit more sincerity.
“It’s asking if you’re into any specific gender.”
He thought about it for a moment. He didn’t know if his sexuality varied. He definitely knew he was into women, if his reaction to a naked fairy was any indication. “Women, I guess?”
“You guess?”
“I haven’t exactly spent time figuring out the depths of my sexuality.”
She typed more. “Hair color?”
He glanced at her, seeing her chestnut hair pinned up in a bun on her head, sparkles dancing in the newly-implemented warm holiday lights. A little poinsettia hairpiece was on the side, framing her face just like her little curls.
“Brunette or black hair,” he said without thinking about it.
“Tall or short?”
“Short.”
Rey continued typing. “Okay! Since I know you will reject everyone, I will just filter through the candidates that you’re matched to!”
“Wait, what photo did you use of me?”
“Oh, the one I found from your company website. They’re a bit slow in taking that down. Oh and, Snoke keeps sending you text messages.”
“Ignore them. He’s an asshole.”
Her nose scrunched. “No kidding. He said some horrible things.”
Kylo reached for his phone. “On second thought, I’ll just block his number.”
And he did. It was freeing.
“It’s snowing!” Rey danced along the sidewalk, her heels click-clicking. “It just rains a lot in England.”
Kylo had the good sense to put his big thick coat on her. It drowned her body and flattened her skirt a little, but she still wore heels and spun around, trying to catch flakes on her tongue. Her strays swayed with each twirl.
“Careful,” Kylo warned, fearing her heels breaking or slipping.
“Ah, so the Grinch has a heart,” Rey joked.
“I just don’t want to call an ambulance for you.”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
It wasn’t long before they reached the familiar garage of Han Solo. It had been too long since Kylo stepped foot inside the old place, with oil and tire rubber flooding his nose. A part of him thought Rey, with her rather dainty touch and sparkling shoes and her flowing dress, would be a little bit appalled at being inside a grease-monkey’s dream house, but instead, she immediately went right up to one of the cars, examining the undercarriage and stepping into a small oil puddle without a care.
“They’re so fascinating. How do they work?” Rey asked, catching the eyes of the two other mechanics working on other vehicles.
Kylo slid up to her side, glaring at the help.
“Do they not have cars in England?” he asked.
“Har de har har. Not where fairies live. We have wings for that,” she said as if it was fact.
“You have wings?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I don’t believe you, and you’re the one performing literal magic.”
“Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist, Ben.”
A whistle.
“Hey, kid.”
Kylo froze, turning around to face his father for the first time in far, far too long.
Standing there was Han, white and grey-haired. Still wearing the same rugged clothes Kylo swore his dad had twenty years ago. He too, had plenty of wrinkles lining his eyes. Kylo had missed so much. Missed seeing the youth fade away from both his parents.
“Dad,” Kylo said, lump in his throat. He took Rey’s hand, squeezing it to center himself.
Han smiled. “Your mother told me you would come by.”
Kylo feigned looking around. “This place still looks the same.”
Han shrugged. “I mean, don’t fix what isn’t broke, I say.”
“Does the Falcon still function?”
“Of course it does.”
“I’m surprised considering it’s a hunk of junk.”
Han ruffled Kylo’s hair. “Yeah well, that hunk of junk was where you were conceived.”
Kylo blanched. “I did not need to know that.”
Rey laughed.
Han turned to her. “Hey, you’re the girl Leia mentioned. Rey, right?”
“Yes, I’m… Ben’s assistant.” Rey pointed to the car behind them. “What car is that called?”
Han grinned.
They were going to be there for a while.
Kylo sat on a stool while Rey examined the engine of the rust bucket Falcon.
“She’s a keeper, Ben,” Han said, patting him on the shoulder.
Kylo scoffed. “It’s not like that, Dad. You’re as bad as Mom.”
“We know our son. I saw the way you reached for her hand. Don’t let her get away. A pretty woman who sees through your shit, they don’t come along every day.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Rey was special. She was a fairy godmother who wanted to help children and had the misfortune to get stuck helping his sorry ass. Eventually, she’d leave and go on to bigger and better things. Help another seven-year-old with their lack of parents.
“It’s getting dark,” Kylo said, feeling a bit weird and uncomfortable thinking of Rey leaving. He quite liked having her in his apartment. Her little joys in everything, and her smile. She even forced him to sit down, eat a cookie, and watch some movies (after spending some time figuring out how to use a remote and accessing Netflix first). It wasn’t the worst experience. In fact, he enjoyed it. He looked forward to it.
“Yeah, it’s icy out. Be careful, Ben,” Han said. “And, your mother and I both love you, you know that, right?”
Kylo’s eyes stung. “I know.”
He knew, but he didn’t believe it. Not yet.
“I got a match for you!” Rey said, excitedly, while they were laying in bed that night.
Kylo blinked, still in a quiet daze after the visit to his father’s garage. Rey either didn’t notice or was used to him sulking.
And of course, she was naked. Again. It was pure agony trying to keep his eyes on her face and not her lovely tits.
She shoved his phone in his face. “Isn’t she pretty? You’re gonna go on a date with her on Friday if you say yes.”
He looked at the woman in question. Brunette. Apparently British. And she was dressed in grey business attire. She was pretty enough, he supposed.
“I guess.”
Rey huffed. “You’re so enthusiastic. You might have found the one!”
Kylo sighed. “I don’t think it’s that simple, Rey.”
“Well, you won’t know until you get to know someone, Ben.” She scooted closer to him, her eyes suddenly downcast. She cupped his cheek. "Are you okay though? You've been quiet since Han's. I hoped to get more than a lame I guess out of you."
He let out a sigh. So she had noticed. "It's nothing."
She tilted her head. "It's not nothing. Your feelings are valid to have."
"My dad said that he and my mom love me but… I know it, but I have a hard time believing it."
A beat.
She softened even more. "Oh, Ben. I do believe they love you. And in time you'll believe it. After all, your mother and father looked very happy to see you. And you're invited to spend Christmas Day with them."
"Not just them. My entire family will be there. Even Grandmama Padmé."
"The one who believes in fairy godmothers."
"Uh. Yes."
Rey sighed, yawning. She leaned on his shoulder. "You're loved, Ben. And one day you'll find someone very special to love in a different way."
Kylo couldn't move the whole night. His heart rate jumped through the roof.
The date on Friday led to a bit of dread pooling in Kylo’s gut. He should have been a little bit excited. The date on paper had no visible problems. And Rey’s thorough look-through of potential matches had led to the supposed perfect woman for him.
Yet, it felt off. He didn’t know why.
Kylo dressed a bit more casually than his ex-work attire. No tie. Nice button-up. Jacket. The works.
Stepping out of his bedroom, he found Rey in his kitchen. Piles of baked goods were everywhere. Turned out she was only good at baking, her ability to make non-sweets was limited to ramen in the microwave. Kylo didn’t mind, he liked cooking for her. The first time she tasted a real meal not made of Lucky Charms and peppermint bark, she moaned so loudly Kylo had to focus on keeping his arousal in check instead of eating.
Rey danced right up to him. Flour covered her cute nose.
“You look so dashing,” she said, straightening his lapels.
“I guess.”
She poked his chest. “One day, you’ll say something for certain.”
He snorted. “Keep on waiting. I should get going. Traffic and snow and all that.”
Rey backed away, her smile remaining on her lips but falling off her eyes. Why was she faking it? What made her so sad? And why did her being so sad affect him so?
“Right. Have fun! Be sociable!” she said in her chipper tone. “Don’t scare her away!”
She practically shoved him out the door with just his keys and wallet before she locked the door on him.
Were all fairy godmothers this weird?
Kylo managed to arrive at the restaurant half an hour later, finding his date already there. The place was relatively quiet, the lighting low and romantic. A candlelit flame sat in red frosted glass on the tables.
“Bazine Netal?” Kylo greeted the woman, who looked just like her picture on the app.
Bazine nodded, giving a slight smile as she shook his hand. “Kylo Ren?”
“Yes.”
Somehow, that name didn’t feel right.
He sat down across from Bazine.
“This is literally the first date I’ve had a chance to actually go on,” Kylo said, feeling like crawling into his shell.
Bazine nodded. “I know right? Ugh, too much work around the holiday season. Of course, you sound like a bigshot so I’d imagine you’re busy all year round.” She definitely had a British accent, just like Rey’s, but a deeper tone.
“I used to be a big shot. I quit my job recently.”
Bazine gave him a look of sympathy. “Damn. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, my boss was an asshole.”
Bazine chuckled. It wasn’t quite right.
Throughout dinner, Kylo found Bazine was quite nice, but she was also not very much into the holidays. She was easy on the eyes. She ate her food slowly, just like he did. She didn’t laugh very loudly. She hated the snow. She nodded and agreed with everything he said.
It was getting harder and harder for Kylo to keep up the conversation, opting to let Bazine talk more and more.
Was Rey actually okay? He shouldn’t have left. He should have made sure she was okay…
Oh.
Fuck.
He wasn’t thinking about Bazine at all.
“Bazine,” Kylo said, feeling like shit. “I’m sorry.”
She let out a sigh. “Your mind has been wandering all night, hasn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have… There’s someone else. My assistant who set us up, I’m sorry.”
Bazine shrugged, offering half a smile. “Hey, pay for the food, I’m fine. It was nice to meet you Kylo. You should go get your girl.”
He paid for all the food, including dessert of Bazine’s choice.
Getting up and putting on his jacket, he looked back at Bazine.
“Call me Ben.”
“Text me the details!”
Ben fumbled with his keys to get them inside the lock of his apartment, palms sweating. Rey had to be okay, or he would make things okay. Because Rey was special. Because Rey was important to him.
When he entered his apartment, the lights were turned off.
“Rey?”
Looking into his bedroom, she wasn’t there.
Looking into the powder room, he found her, dress sprawled out on the floor. In her hands was a pint of Ben & Jerry’s peppermint chocolate holiday ice cream and she was sobbing with each spoonful.
“Rey?” Ben called out to her.
She jerked up, her freckles reddened and tears staining her cheeks. “You… You weren’t supposed to be back for another hour or more…”
“Why are you crying? And eating Ben and Jerry’s over-sugared concoction on my bathroom floor?”
“It’s nothing,” she sniffled. “It’s not important.”
“Your feelings are just as valid as mine.” He knelt to the floor, plucking the nearly finished pint out of her hands, and the spoon, and putting them on the counter.
“You don’t get to use my words against me,” she pouted. “But seriously, why are you even here so early?”
“I left early, Rey.”
She blinked. Then her voice squeaked and she sobbed harder. “No! She was perfect! She was perfect for you! She was pretty and smart and you were supposed to hit it off because you deserve someone special in your life who makes you happy! And I am never wrong, I know good matches when I see them.”
“Rey, she wasn’t perfect for me.” He cupped her face to stop her hysterics. “ You are.”
Time had stopped.
“What?” she squeaked. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”
“I spent all of dinner thinking about how the smile didn’t reach your eyes. How your laugh and simple joys of the world illuminate my day. How you’re so stubborn and curious. You gave my life back to me. I’m talking to my parents again. You’re making me watch Christmas movies and enjoy life again, when I would have wallowed in my misery after quitting my job. You gave me everything, and I want to give you everything in return.”
He took a breath, trying to keep his rolling, overwhelming emotions under control.
No words from her mouth. Her hazel eyes bore into his, her lips parted.
Then she stretched her neck up, her hands grasping his jacket by the lapels, and pulled him down to her mouth.
Her lips were so soft. So warm. Tasting of the peppermint in the ice cream. The kiss made him dizzy. He never knew kissing someone he cared for so deeply could feel like this. Passionate but soft and gentle at the same time. Ben couldn’t get enough. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tighter against him.
Rey pulled away first. She looked down, staring at his chest. “They didn’t mention this in the fairy godmother book. I… I don’t know what to do.”
Ben smiled at her. “Enjoy it? If it’s not mentioned then there’s nothing forbidding it.”
“I mean… I don’t think falling for one of your clients is exactly a good thing in the eyes of fairy godmothers…” She looked back up to him, her eyes sparkling. “But, you’re an exception I guess.”
“You guess?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I found you cute upon first meeting.”
“Well, Rey, I found you absolutely gorgeous upon first meeting, if a little bit insane.”
“You found me gorgeous?”
“How could I not?”
“Because I… I don’t know. I’ve been rejected by my parents so I don't know if anyone finds me attractive or not.”
He kissed her forehead. “It’s their fault, not yours. You’re beautiful. All of you. And I intend to give you everything you deserve, because you deserve good things too.”
“What’s… Everything?” Rey asked.
“Right now, I want to make you feel good. I want you to know how beautiful you are to me.”
“Feel good? How?”
Right. This was the same woman who went to bed naked and didn’t seem to care.
“Um,” he cleared his throat, “I want to take you to bed.”
“Sleep? But it’s not that late.”
Oh Jesus help him.
Ben was sure he was red as a poinsettia. “Not sleep. I meant… Sex.”
“Oh. Oh! But, are you sure you want to have children so soon?”
Christ.
“No no, I… Not now. People have sex for more reasons than that. It feels good and I… If you’re willing, I’ll teach you.”
Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Yes. Yes! Please! Take me to bed, Ben.”
Ben picked her up from the floor, fighting with the layers of her gown along the way. He carried her to the bedroom, excited and a little bit nervous to be doing this, with this gorgeous woman he had seen naked several times now, but she had never seen him. It didn’t help that he was about as experienced as a teenager losing their virginity. But he knew more than Rey, so maybe this experience wouldn’t be completely horrendous.
There was no way he was going to hurt her. He couldn’t. He refused.
He set her down on the new duvet. Deep blue with snowflakes sewn into the patches, instead of his regular black covers.
“How do we start?” Rey asked as Ben took off his jacket and put it up in the closet, tossing off his shoes.
Ben looked back at her. So eager, her slim fingertips tapping her knees. He approached her, slowly, assessing her body from head to toe. She still had hairpins holding her locks up. Despite her extensive crying earlier, sparkles still remained on her freckles. The sheer sleeve on her shoulder had fallen off, caressing her bare arm.
He reached his hands out to her, cupping her jaw. Nose brushing hers, he whispered, “Like this.”
Kissing her this time was a whole new experience.
He controlled the movements, starting slow, taking in the plushness of her lips, the smooth glide of the pink lip gloss that seemed magically always on her. Her hands reached for his hair, caressing his waves. Each kiss he bestowed upon her got more intense. Her sweet mouth parted for his tongue, and he would gladly forgo every dessert in the world if he could taste it from her. Lingering candy cane and chocolate on her tongue.
Leading her down to the covers, he moved away from her lips to her jaw to her ear, giving her lobe a lick. She giggled with each kiss down her neck.
“Tell me if anything is too much and I will stop,” he whispered.
Somehow, this was as easy as breathing. With Rey, he knew what to do, like he couldn’t put up any facade with her, he could only be himself.
When he left a love bite on her graceful neck, she moaned, quite audibly.
“Ben, I didn’t think this would feel so good,” she sighed, dreamily.
“We’re only beginning, sweetheart.” He sat up, his hips pinning her down to the bed. Her hands grasped at his shirt, meticulously undoing every button.
“These poor buttons are straining for life on you,” she grumbled.
He laughed, leaning down and kissing her once more, his hands on her wrists and guiding them to his now-freed chest. Her hands were so soft and dainty, the trail left in her wake goosebumping his skin. A moan escaped his mouth and into hers. Thumbs graced his nipples and a chill shuddered down his spine.
Getting off of her with one final kiss, he rolled her over onto her stomach. A whoosh and oomph of air pressed out of her lungs. The back of her bodice was laced up to perfection. He reached for the green little bow nestled right over her ass and began to undo it.
"You being naked in my bed every night was agony, sweetheart," he muttered as he continued loosening her dress.
Rey huffed. "I could just magically undo my bodice."
Ben kissed her bare nape. "That's not as fun."
Once it was loose enough, he could see the curve of her entire back, and not just the sneak peek he caught at lunch with Leia. So many more freckles.
"Stand up," he said, toeing the line between a question and a command.
She snorted. "Okay, Mr. Bigshot." She got up, standing on the floor. Her grasp on the bodice was released. The mess of tulle and sparkles fell to the floor and Ben's eyes widened at her bare body.
"You've been commando this whole time?" Ben asked, his slacks so painfully tight.
Rey nodded. Zero shame. "Yes."
Her dusky nipples pebbled in the slightly cool air. He finally allowed his eyes to drift down her navel to her pink lower lips. The folds were glistening.
"What now?" She asked.
Ben swallowed. He was way in over his head. "You ah, get on the bed and spread your legs."
Rey got back on the bed, doing exactly as she was told. "Lie back and think of England, right?"
Ben didn't have a retort other than kissing her ankle. "Yes." His lips trailed up her calf, to her thigh, and she squirmed when his lips made contact on the inside, so dangerously close to her wet pink cunt.
"What are you doing?" Rey's voice snapped him out of his kissing reverie.
"I can stop."
She looked panicked. "No no! I'm curious to see what you'll do."
Ben glanced at her folds. He grabbed her thighs, spreading them wider. He rested her legs on his shoulders. He could smell her sweet scent. A little bit heavy and musky, but definitely her arousal.
"I'm just kissing your cunt, that's all," he said, cringing at how matter-of-fact he sounded.
"Why would you kiss me there— Oh! "
His tongue licked her parted folds, moving over to her sensitive nub, and gliding around it. His lips brushed her clit, going down to her opening. Kissing and suckling at her cunt was a dream he didn't want to wake up from. He would feast upon her soft arousal every day, either breakfast or dessert, it didn't matter to him. She tasted sweet, like some sort of fruit he could not put his finger on.
Her fingers found their familiar path back to his hair, latching onto his locks.
"Ben, more, please! Please, Ben, it feels amazing!"
Not willing to tease out her experience, he went back up to her clit. His lips wrapped around the small nub and sucked. Her hips jolted and she whined louder than all the times before. At this rate, they would wake the neighbors. Such a screamer, she was. She gasped and panted and moaned as he kept it up, tongue stroking her sweet clit. Hands trailed up her hips to her rosy breasts, squeezing them gently and rolling his palms over her nipples.
"Mmmph! Ben, fuck!" She screamed. Her thighs twitched. Her spine arched, her breasts pushed into his palms. She gushed and gushed in his mouth. Greedy, he swallowed and licked it up.
"You swore." He grinned up at her, releasing her breasts, caressing her thighs instead. He sat up a bit more, his aching bulge in his pants brushing against the mattress.
Rey glared, her cheeks red and her breath short. "Well, when you do that of course I would swear." She eyed his torso for a moment, licking her lips. "It's not fair I'm naked and you're not."
Ben was quick to remove his slacks and boxers and remaining shirt, bare as she was. He felt a little self-conscious, being naked in front of a beautiful sight like her.
Her skin goosebumped from the December air. She shuddered, but sat up and crawled closer to him.
"I want to return the favor," she said, reaching her hand out to his very red and hard cock.
“You don’t have to—fuck, sweetheart,” Ben groaned. Her soft touch stroked his girth. Her lips kissed the head and he swore he was going to come from that alone. Then her mouth enclosed around his cock and her tongue swiped the precum.
“Hmmm…” She hummed, the vibrations shooting right through his dick. She continued to pump his cock with her gentle hands, her mouth lightly sucking at the head. He gripped the duvet with his hands, trying to keep himself standing with his quivering thighs and the overload of sensation. His balls ached and the pressure in his spine crested unexpectedly from her ministrations. He groaned, face red with shame as he came, on her lips, her face, and a little bit dripping onto her lovely, rosy tits.
She didn’t complain though, she licked the cum off her lips and sampled some from her fingers. “Salty, and something I can’t put my finger on.”
This was humiliating. She didn’t even take him halfway into her throat and he came embarrassingly fast.
“Rey, I’m so sorry,” he wheezed, falling forward, ready to take a nap. His energy was always knocked out of him whenever he orgasmed, and this was no different, except he came from a beautiful woman touching him for around two minutes, tops.
“Why are you sorry?” She reached for his shoulder and pulled him on top of her, making his oversensitive dick twitch. “I liked it.”
“I came too soon before I even got inside of you,” he muttered.
“Well, we can wait then, right? There’s more to teach me after all,” she grinned, stroking his hair. He shuddered at the gesture, dipping down to kiss her softly.
It hit him. The most important part.
He got off of her, eyes wide in panic. “Shit, I don’t have any condoms,” Ben groaned. “I never… Needed them.”
Rey tilted her head at him as he reached for his discarded clothes. “Where are you going?”
“To get some condoms,” Ben said. “So I don’t get you pregnant by accident.”
“You don’t have to leave.” Rey grasped his arm. “Fairy godmotherhood comes with health benefits.”
He paused, blinking at her and dropping his clothes. “Do you have magical contraception?”
“No silly. I have an IUD for my period cramps.” She then grimaced. “No one likes a bitchy fairy godmother. But I know it also prevents accidental children, although I didn’t really understand until…” It is then she finally blushed, thinking of what they were doing. “Why would one need to prevent such a thing during intercourse.”
Ben cupped her cheek, leaning her back down to the bed, lavishing her flushed face with kisses. “Then you don’t mind me…” Christ this was so embarrassing to ask. “Coming inside of you at all?”
She shook her head, kissing his mouth. “I don’t mind.”
He trailed down her neck to her pretty rosy pink breasts. His breath ghosted her nipple and he enclosed his lips around it, giving a soft suck and rolling his tongue. A soft gasp escaped her lips. He kissed her nipple until it was red and glistening, moving onto her other breast and lavishing it with attention. All the while, his fingers trailed down her body, caressing her smooth skin. Her fingers danced around his shoulders, digging into his back and eliciting tingles. He found her warm, wet folds, slipping two fingers into her pliant opening, thumb stroking her clit in small circles. She ground her hips on his hand, seeking more and more pleasure. He continued on, gently guiding her pleasure, drawing it out so she enjoyed it and he watched her every expression.
When she crested, gushing over his fingers, she went limp on the bed. Ben released her breast from his mouth, fingers sliding out of her heat.
“Ben, I feel like napping after that,” she said with her adorable smile.
“We can stop, you know,” he reminded her, despite his returning erection. Her body was flushed, her lower lips covered in her juices. She looked so beautiful and sexy like this.
“I want to feel you,” she declared, stroking his bicep. “Please.”
With another slow, languid kiss to her lips, Ben adjusted her to the bed, kneeling before her, between her legs. He grasped his cock, slicking it with her juices between her folds. He leaned over her, hand propping himself up as he steadied himself. He would not hurt her. She deserved everything.
“Tell me when you’re not comfortable, okay?” He pleaded.
“I trust you, even if you’re,” her eyes darted down his body, “Very big.”
He chuckled, kissing her forehead. Cock in hand, he guided it to her opening, pushing in very slowly, stopping every so often to kiss her lips, her nose, her freckles, her jaw, her eyelids. She was so warm and tight around him.
A sigh escaped her lips once he was seated all the way inside her cunt. All the way.
“So… Full,” she mused. “You’re a lot.”
“But you took me, all of me,” he said. He pulled out slowly, groaning at the soft glide. Then he pressed back in. She moaned, clutching at his hair.
“Ben, more…”
He kept it up, his speed slow but consistent. He started to go faster, and she squealed in delight. He reached for her hips with his hands, squeezing her tender flesh, and slammed into her. Her body jolted and she gripped his shoulders almost painfully hard.
“Oh! Fuck, Ben.” She nipped at his neck.
With a growl, he picked her up and held her in his lap, thrusting up into her, watching her lovely tits bounce from the movement. His balls ached, pleasure threatening to spill over. He clutched her close, nipping at her neck as he released, coming inside of her so hard he saw white. His thrusts slowed to a stop, content to hold her in his arms.
The silence between them was comfortable. Rey cupped his face and kissed him, and oh the sugary taste of her lips he would never get used to.
“Sex is fun,” she said once she pulled away. “We should do it again very soon.”
Ben laughed, exhaustion creeping in his bones. He lowered her to the bed, tucking her in underneath the covers before joining her to share the warmth.
“Yes, we should,” he said, playing with her hair.
She snuggled into him, drifting off to sleep.
“Come onnnn,” Rey tugged at his sleeve. “You’ll be fine. I’m here for you.”
Ben trusted her word, but it was still terrifying, knowing what was beyond the door of his parents’ house. Still the same house as always. The last time he was here, he’d yelled and slammed the door in their faces. Talking to Leia and Han separately was easier than confronting the both of them at once, and the likely horde of guests they had.
It didn’t help that Rey looked distractingly stunning in her green dress. It wasn’t a ballgown by any means, but it was still full of sparkles and lace, and when she spun around it twirled with her lithe form. He wanted to take her back home and peel the dress off of her and devour her.
She reached for his hand, squeezing it.
“You’re right,” he said. “I’m just nervous.”
“They love you, so you’ll be fine.” She leaned up and kissed his lips. “I promise.”
He followed her to the door, ringing the doorbell.
It opened to Han holding his beer.
“Ben,” his father greeted. “And Rey. Nice to see ya two kids here.”
“Happy Christmas, Han!” Rey said. “Where do I put the sweets?” She presented the bag in Ben’s hand.
“Oh in the kitchen where Her Worship is,” Han said.
Rey slipped inside, taking the bag and disappearing into the kitchen.
“Glad you’re here, kid,” Han said, patting Ben on the back. “Your mother is in the dining room.”
Ben hung up his coat, taking in the familiar scent of home laced with sugar cookies and cocoa. “Right.”
“Ah Ben!” Chewie, a big, burly man, even taller than Ben, came out of the living room. “You’re here!” He hugged him, crushing his bones.
“Hi, Uncle Chewie,” Ben said.
“Oh, is that little Ben?” Maz, Chewie’s wife, called behind his uncle. She adjusted her large glasses. “You’ve certainly grown up. And you’ve even got a girlfriend.”
Ben flushed. “I mean… She’s… Yeah. Hi, Aunt Maz.”
Rey was more than just a girlfriend to him, but he knew that was too much, too fast. He couldn’t help how deeply he had fallen for her.
“Ay! Little Starfighter!” Lando embraced him in a light hug. “Good to see you. And you’ve brought a pretty lady with you.”
Ben glanced at Rey licking red frosting off a spoon in the kitchen. “Hi, Uncle Lando.”
Another voice cleared his throat. “Ben.”
It was Luke, still in his scruffy, grumpy, hippie glory. On his arm was Aunt Mara Jade.
“Luke. Hi, Mara Jade,” Ben greeted.
Mara Jade smiled. “Merry Christmas Ben. It’s good to see you.”
“Ben?” Grandmama Padme’s voice spoke from the living room.
Ben entered the room to see Padme on the recliner. “Hi, Grandmama.”
Padme’s aged eyes were warm, just as soft but strong as he remembered. “My little Ben, you’re here. Leia will be ecstatic.”
Ben smiled. “I hope so.”
Padme reached for his hands. “She will be, Ben Amidala Organa Skywalker Solo. She was so happy after lunch with you last week.”
“And I’m sure your mother would like to see you, Little Starfighter,” Lando said.
Han led him to the dining room.
Ben scoffed. “I’m not little anymore.”
“You’ll always be little to us, get used to it kiddo,” Han said.
Inside was Leia admiring her elaborate table settings. Ben stepped inside, followed by Han.
“Hi, Mom, Merry Christmas,” Ben said, awkwardly.
Leia looked at him, warmly. “You’re here.”
“I am.”
Han nodded. “He is.”
The tiny woman hugged him, and Ben couldn’t help but let the tears fall.
“I thought the lunch was a fluke, but you came here on Christmas,” Leia mumbled into his sweater. “You’re really here. You’re home.”
“I love you Mom,” Ben said, crying, feeling like a little boy all over again. Then he felt Han’s hand on his shoulder. “I love you, Dad.”
Leia broke the hug, wiping his tears away. “I know, Ben. We love you too.”
The silence lingered, and Ben had no words to say. Because he finally did believe his parents loved him.
“Wow, this buttercream frosting is amazing!”
Rey’s voice cut through the tenseness and Ben had to laugh, despite his running nose and tear-stained face. Rey’s lips were bright red, like she became a vampire and had a snack on someone’s neck.
“Mom, Dad,” Ben said, going to Rey’s side and taking her hand. “This is Rey. She’s… So much more than my assistant.”
Han chuckled. “About time kid, I was getting worried you were too much of a dumbass to make your move.”
Leia slapped her husband’s arm. “Han!”
“Come on Princess, you're just one sentence away from asking when they’re gonna get hitched and have kids.”
Leia glared. “It’s none of my business if they have kids or not I just want our son to be happy and Rey is an independent woman—”
While his parents bickered as per usual, Ben turned to Rey. His thumb came up to her mouth and he swiped a bit of frosting off, licking it away.
“You’re right, this is really good buttercream,” he said. “But you’re also right about another thing.”
She tilted her head. “What?”
“My parents do love me.”
A squeeze of his hand.
“Told you, miracles can happen.” she gave a cheeky grin. “I was trained to perform miracles.”
It was then that Ben frowned. “I didn’t get you anything for Christmas. You gave me back my life, but I have nothing in return for you. Not even a miracle.”
Rey leaned on his shoulder. “Oh, but you did get me a present. I wished for an understanding, gentle, and tall man to give me a family. And wow, do you have a family! Mara Jade is so sweet and your butler Charles is as great as you at making food and I’d never thought there would be someone taller than you but Chewie surprised me.”
Ben curled his arm around her waist. “They’re a bit much, but they’re all I have.”
“They’re perfect.”
And he could not disagree.
Six years later…
“Daddy, when is Mama getting here?” Hope said from above, riding on Ben’s shoulders.
“She’s running late, starlight,” Ben said. “Your aunt and uncles are here.”
In the time since he had met her, loving Rey had been as easy as breathing. She met Finn, then Poe, then Rose, and befriended them all easily. She spent her time helping others, from children to adults, giving them all miracles in her own joyous, bubbly stubbornness.
It was all too easy for Ben to get on one knee with Grandmama Padmé's ring.
Finn, Poe, and Rose got out of their car. Rose carried a plethora of boxed-up baked goods.
“Does your wife ever stop baking?” Rose grumbled. Ben took a box from her.
“I would never dare stop her,” Ben reminded her.
“Ben Solo is a simp!” Poe yelled, hauling the tree out of the back of the car.
“We already know that,” Finn said, grabbing the trunk and helping Poe carry it into the Solo-Organa house.
“Daddy, what’s a simp?” Hope asked.
Ben glared at Poe. “It’s someone who loves their partner very much, starlight. Like how I love your mother a lot.”
“Oh… So you are a simp.”
“Thanks, Dameron,” Ben grumbled, Finn and Rose snickering.
In a swirl of sparkles from the night sky, a woman in a red, sparkling dress appeared before Ben and Hope. Glitter bounced off of her and landed on the cement pathway.
“Mama!” Hope reached her hands out to Rey.
Rey took her off of Ben’s shoulders. “Hello, starlight. How was your day?”
“I learned that Daddy is a simp,” Hope answered, hugging her mother.
“And… do I want to know how you learned the word simp…?”
Ben sighed. “Dameron.”
Rey shook her head, smoothing Hope’s dark locks. “Anyways, were you good for Daddy?”
“I think so," Hope said. "Was I?"
Ben nodded. "She was good."
"Then we should open up the cookies, right?" Rey asked.
Hope brightened up. "Yes! Red frosting right?"
"Of course starlight."
Ben took his wife's hand, leading his two girls into Leia's house. His dream that he didn't think would ever come true.
But Rey was good at that, performing miracles.
Dear Rey,
You granted my wish last Christmas of my parents loving me. And I have a second wish this year. It might be much but I have to ask anyway because you hold my heart in the palm of your hands and have never given it back.
I wish to have a family with you, if you so desire to have one with me.
—Love, Ben Solo. Age thirty.