Work Text:
This fic began as a short promt but I decided to make it into a one shot.
A FIELD OF SUNFLOWERS
Ben was a lonely child. Especially on summer holidays, because they lived in the middle of nowhere.
His father was a farmer who single-handedly worked on a 15-archer farm and his mother worked as a judge at the local courthouse. Together they lived in a massive Victorian mansion, surrounded by fields of corn that Han farmed.
There were no houses, at least in the 5-mile – radius, which meant sad and lonely summers for Ben, who was only eight.
His best friend was his dog Chewie. One night after hunting, Han came back with a brown pup in his hands and he instantly became the boy’s best friend. What Ben did not anticipate, was how large he could grow. Chewie was a brown Newfoundland and at eight months old, he was already a massive dog.
One day Ben decided to take Chewie for a long walk. It was a hot summer day and he was very bored. He wished he had someone to play with or just talk to. Someone his own age, who liked similar things as he did. Like mummies in Egypt or cowboys in the West. Cool things that his mom and dad wouldn’t understand.
His parents were boring people. They always yapped about adult nonsense that he didn’t really try to understand. He just wanted to have someone who would listen to him and all his parents did was just talk about bills and money.
There was a period when he begged for a sibling and his parents said maybe. He was excited. A brother or a sister would be an absolute dream. That conversation forever ended when a few weeks later he found his mother crying on the couch and his father holding her in his arms.
And a stork never came with a sibling for Ben.
And he felt guilty for it. He didn’t know why exactly, but he did.
It felt like it was his fault. His mother’s tears and his father’s silence.
A bigger wall was built after that. His parents became even more reserved towards him.
And Ben couldn’t stand it.
Stupid parents.
He kicks a rock.
Consumed with heavy thoughts, Ben didn’t notice how far he walked. Chewie was still walking ahead of him, which took away a large chunk of anxiety. At least he wasn’t alone.
Ben looked around. He wasn’t surrounded by fields of corn anymore. It was a field of sunflowers that he’d never seen before.
Maybe he was a bit lost.
As soon as he realizes that he should call for his dog and head home, Chewie breaks into a sprint and quickly runs far away from Ben.
“Chewie, NO!”
The boy starts running, desperate to catch his dog or at least not to lose sight of him, but Chewie is very fast.
He catches up to him, a little, and sees that his dog is chasing a blue butterfly. Ben has never seen a butterfly like that before.
His breath is labored and his legs are sore, but Ben continues to run after his dog, yelling for him to stop.
And then suddenly, Chewie dives into the field of sunflowers. Shocked, Ben also dives in.
He starts losing sight of him. Ben is only able to see where his dog is based on the movements of the flowers.
“Chewie, WAIT! STOP”
Like hearing the voice of his owner for the first time, Chewie stops and starts barking. Ben still can’t make out where exactly he is but loud bark makes it easy to find him.
He almost manages to finally reach his dog and his sentence breaks in half as he reaches his friend.
“Chewie, I said wait for m-“
There was a girl. Sitting in a field of sunflowers.
Crying.
His mouth opens. He couldn’t believe it. Another child. A girl. In front of him.
Chewie stopped barking and sat down next to the girl, his tail wagging.
She lifts her head up and their eyes meet.
Her olive green eyes were filled with tears and her face and hands were dirty from the soil that she was sitting on. But to Ben, she was the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.
Much prettier than the sunflowers that surround them or that blue butterfly that landed on her head.
She looked very surprised about the dog and the boy in front of her.
“Why are you crying?” Ben asked her as he was sitting down to be at the same eye level as her.
She released a wet whimper as the very last tears fell down her cheeks. He gently wiped them away with a kind smile on his face. Her breathing slowly relaxed and she finally gave him an answer.
“I asked my mama and papa how they got me. They said that a stork brought me and left me in the field of sunflowers, as it is my favourite flower. And then I asked if maybe there is a brother or a sister waiting for us, waiting to be my sibling and they said no. I called them liars because I would be the best sister in the world and ran outside. And…” she whimpered again, this time dryly “And I ran and ran until I found a field of sunflowers and I hid here. I just- I just want to have someone to play with so badly.” She lowered her head as she said the last sentence.
Ben’s heart ached. He knew exactly how she felt. He too wished for a sibling and knew that it would never happen.
His young mind was a bit too scattered to share the pain with her, so instead he started stroking her brown hair. She lifted her head and looked at him again. His brown eyes met with her green eyes. And he smiled.
“I understand. I asked for my mama and papa for a brother or a sister. But they couldn’t. I too wish I had anyone to play with. Or just talk.”
A tear fell down her cheek. He caught it with his fingers.
“But, instead I got my friend Chewie.”
The dog barked, wagging his tail and the girl smiled. She wiped the last of her tears with her dirty hands. She lifts one of her hands and reaches out to him.
“I’m Rey”
Ben looks at her hand and without hesitation he takes it.
“I’m Ben. Ben Solo.”
Rey smiles, the corners of her lips reaching her eyes.
“Would you like to be my friend, Ben?”
His heart stuttered a little.
She wanted to be his friend.
And at that moment, there wasn’t anything he wanted more in the world but to be her friend.
“I would love to be your friend, Rey.”
The butterfly on her head finally flew away and like instinct, he tried to catch it, unsuccessfully. Chewie barked at the little thing.
Just a little blue-winged form of life, making its way through the field of yellow.
Deep down Ben knew that this moment was magical. Life altering. Because the girl in front of him became his one and only.
The love of his life.
They spent the rest of summer meeting up every day. They played cowboys and mummies.
They read books under the tree.
They walked through the fields on sunflowers together.
They became best friends. Two children, who were previously extremely lonely.
Not long after that, they became classmates who shared a desk together.
He was her senior year prom date, kissing her as they slow danced together. Their eyes sparkled as the lights from the disco ball fell on the sunflower that was tied in her hair and the one that was fixed on the pocket of Ben’s suit.
Her boyfriend, as they both ran through the heavy summer rain, laughing about the fact that the forecast said it was going to be sunny all day. The heavy make-out sessions under the shelter of that one old house they dreamed of buying together.
Her fiancé, as he awkwardly asked her parents for the hand of their one and only daughter. A ring with an olive green gemstone sparkling on her slender hand and her other one entwined with his as they begged for them to allow them to get married.
And her husband. As she walked down the aisle of their local church, a bouquet of sunflowers in her hands and a few in her hair. Both are barely twenty and ridiculously in love. A crying bride and groom and a promise of lifelong companionship and love. Until death do them part.
He carried his bride in his arms into the same house they both dreamed of having when they were teenagers. It needed a lot of work done but it was theirs.
Ben’s and Rey’s.
And a year later he started the tradition bringing her a bouquet of sunflowers on the occasion of their wedding anniversaries.
The first year of marriage had been a bliss. Days spent renovating their house. Evenings spent cooking together. And nights spent tangled in each other’s bodies.
Their mutual wish for a baby, as she rode her husband in blinding passion, completely ignoring the hot summer storm that raged on the other side of their walls.
And a year after that he brought her two bouquets of sunflowers. One for their second wedding anniversary and the other for giving birth to their first child, after laboring for ten hours. He sat next to her and kissed her head as she held the babe next to her breast, they both cried happy tears about having a living proof of their union, their love. He felt so much love that he thought that his heart might explode.
Years after that two more children followed and with every child they had his heart would expand. Nothing made him happier than seeing both him and his wife in the faces of their children. He had his wife to thank for that, for making him the happiest person alive.
Time passed, and their kids grew and they all eventually moved out. The cruel hand of time started to be visible on their faces. Their hair started to grey, and more wrinkles appeared on their faces. But joy always found its way to their house when their firstborn son brought a daughter of his own into the hands of Ben and Rey and they finally became grandparents. That year he got two bouquets of flowers one for his wife for their fortieth wedding anniversary and the other for their first grandbaby. And after that more grandchildren followed.
Eight in total. The laughter of their kids was replaced by their grandchildren. And they loved it. It was like having their small babies back again.
Becoming grandparents was a joyous thing for both of them.
And through all those years of being together the love that Ben felt for his wonderful wife never shrunk. It only grew.
And on their fiftieth wedding anniversary, he brought her sunflowers. As he did for the past half of a century. But this time there was an expression of confusion written all over her face. Almost like it was the first time she’d seen such a flower. Ben’s heart stuttered.
The doctor’s visit was heartbreaking. He didn’t know how to proceed with life after finding out that his wife might forget him. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. The mother of his children. The love of his life.
“Ben, I don’t want to forget you.” She whispered into his shirt, as he held her, tears falling down his cheek.
“You won’t honey. Even if that happens I’ll always be in your heart. As you are in mine. No illness could ever take that away from us.” He kissed her head and held her even stronger.
“Yes, you are right.” She whispered quietly.
They kissed each other. A kiss filled with hope. And a plea to not have their love ripped away from them.
Their daughter and her husband moved in with them, to help out Ben with taking care of Rey. Then later two of their grandchildren.
The house was full again. Full of life. Even when his wife was slowly forgetting everyone and struggling with everyday tasks through the cruel fog of dementia.
And Ben was always there for her. In sickness and in health. Just as he promised in front of God and their families.
But there wasn’t a day in Ben’s life when he didn’t wish to go back in time. When they were younger, when life didn’t scare them and when all they had was each other and that was enough.
A time when she smiled because he brought her a bouquet of her favourite flowers to celebrate another year of their love.
Because on the fifty-ninth wedding anniversary, Rey didn’t remember Ben anymore.
She just called him a handsome man.
And he couldn’t bear it.
He couldn’t bear losing her this way.
He had to find a way to make her remember him. At least for a second.
At the age of eighty, Ben went back to the very same field where he met his wife. The farmer who grew sunflowers passed away many years ago and the plot of land was long abandoned. The once beautiful flowers didn’t grow there anymore.
So he planted the whole field with sunflowers.
And his children and grandchildren helped him.
But with every sunflower seed, he pushed into the ground, a glimmer of hope grew in him.
She had to remember.
Remember that awkward boy with massive ears and raven black hair, his dog Chewie and that blue butterfly that led him to her.
It had to be fate.
So on the sixtieth wedding anniversary, Ben Solo planted a field of sunflowers for his wife Rey.
All three of their children drove her there and both of them stood there.
Rey was in awe. Her face was filled with wonder and amazement. He knew that she still loved sunflowers, even if she didn’t remember that.
She looked at him with a smile on her face and he began speaking from his heart.
“Rey, I-“ He had his breath taken away from him. His wife stood in front of him with confusion written on her face. She wore a green dress that made her eyes really stand out and a beautiful sun hat that he gifted her many years ago.
“You don’t remember this but more than seventy years ago I found you in a field of sunflowers. You were eight and you desperately wanted a sibling, just as I did. We were both very lonely and all we wanted was a friend. So we shook hands that day and became friends. And you’ve been my best friend ever since. And God Rey-“ he choked up again, his eyes were wet. “I planted this whole field of sunflowers for you. I’m so desperate. Desperate for you to remember me even a tiny bit because I love you so fucking much. You’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And I miss you. I miss you so much it hurts every day.”
He was crying.
Full-on crying.
“We promised each other that we would take care of one other. Always. In sickness and in health. But God I wish… I wish I still, had you. Because I love you. So, so much that my heart bleeds without you. ”
He placed his palms on his face because he didn’t want her to see him like this. An old and broken man, desperately pleading for his wife.
But then he felt the touch of her hands on his palms. She gently removed them from his face, folded them into her hands and kissed them.
She smiled at him.
The very same smile she’d given to him when they first met. When she had dirt all over her pretty face and when he knew that they would spend the rest of their lives together.
And then he didn’t see her smiling anymore.
Because she hugged him
And he hugged her back. Squeezing her.
“Ben.” That was all he heard.
And then he knew.
That his wife didn’t remember him anymore.
But her heart did.
Always.