riscnsolo:
he watched as the smile formed slowly on her lips, the way her eyes brightened like he’d only truly seen once before. this was all he had ever wanted. for rey to be like this, always. his blissful girl. ben leaned in closer to her touch, letting her feel him to assure her even more that he was physically there, that this wasn’t a vision or a force ghost. his thumbs moved up carefully to wipe the tears that were on her cheeks, though he felt his own eyes brimming with tears simultaneously. it was like exegol all over again, but this time, he had a chance. a real chance.
suddenly rey was moving, and he wasn’t sure what she was doing until she was jumping up and wrapping herself around him. in that moment, ben realized this was the closest they’d ever been to each other. she’d never hugged him before, not like this. but it warmed his entire being. and then she - she kissed him. but there was no slight hesitation or unsureness the way he’d sensed her originally feeling before she’d kissed him on exegol - no, this was different. their first kiss had been sweet, loving, and tender, but this - this was even more passionate.
ben didn’t hesitate at all in kissing her back, knowing that he wouldn’t scare her off anymore now that she knew he was real. his arms wrapped tightly around her lower back as he supported her weight, pulling her tightly into him as his lips attempted to explore her mouth. she tasted slightly sweet, and he sighed lightly into their embrace as he deepened the kiss even further. it was as if neither could get enough - they had fought so long to be here, against others, against themselves - that everything was exploding all at once. but ben knew when she pulled away that she needed to speak, and his eyes searched her own for her emotions, feeling them almost in sync with his own. she loved him. it sounded too good to be true. it was too good to be true. but…since she’d met him? he’d been fixated on her ever since he first laid eyes on her on takodana, maybe even before that, but ben had not once imagined that rey could have any positive feelings towards him back then. it pained him to think back to their earlier interactions, but so much had changed since then. none of it mattered anymore.
“rey,” ben breathed out, letting out a disbelieving chuckle and shaking his head, rubbing his own eyes to wipe the moisture away. “i gave my life force to you. i would do it again in a heartbeat. you know that…” for some reason, he stopped. he loved her, of course he did. she knew that he did. but why was it so kriffing terrifying to say aloud? he swallowed hoarsely, leveling his gaze with her before leaning in to peck her lips once more. it was the first time he’d initiated it, but what had been meant to be a chaste kiss quickly turned into another passionate one, as they both seemed to wonder why they’d deprived themselves of each other for so long. “…you know. and i’m here, sweetheart,” he whispered the words against her lips as he held her around him, utterly overjoyed just to be with her. “if you let me, i’ll…i’ll spend the rest of my new life trying to do anything i can to be good enough for you…”
after all this time of not having him around, it had truly hit rey intensely that she missed him so, so much. she realized just how much love she had for him in her heart, but only once he was gone. it was a cruel trick the universe had played on them; but this was their second chance. and they wouldn’t waste it. their kiss on exogol was sweet and affectionate, but this one... this one felt different. it was more passionate, more intense. but it felt right. rey never wanted to let go.
admitting her devotion to him should have been a terrifying thing, but it wasn’t. rey knew how she felt, and just as much how he felt. there was no denying that they were two halves of the same coin. one could not exist without the other. the sound of her name spilling from his full lips made rey’s heart flutter, and they smiled in unison through both of their exasperation. more tears left her eyes at his words, a shiver running down her spine. she never wanted to reimagine that moment again; it was the most painful thing she’d ever had to endure. it didn’t matter any longer anyway. he was here now, and that was all that mattered anymore. he trailed off, but rey just smiled wider, moving her hand to his cheek and stroking his skin with her thumb tenderly. no part of her blamed him for hesitating; after all he’d endured with the relationships in his life, it wasn’t exactly easy for him to say those three words. whereas for her, with the lack of relations in her life, it was all too easy. she smiled reassuringly then echoed his parents’ common usage of words. “...i know.”
again they kissed, and she poured every ounce of understanding she had into it, not allowing him to feel any guilt for not being able to say it just yet. she giggled against his lips at the pet name he gave her, her limbs holding him tighter. never had she been given a nickname like that and she adored it with all her heart. “yes,” she choked out instantly, nodding her head as quickly as she could and pressing her forehead more firmly against his. “ben, you’re everything... i’ve been so... empty...” she swallowed thickly and shook her head, unable to put how truly devastated she’d been feeling into words. “you’re everything to me...” again she pressed her lips to his as she untangled her legs from his waist to stand on her feet again, though she kept their chests pressed against one another. it was as if they physically couldn’t get close enough to one another. but their souls were eternally connected, which would always come to comfort her.
she smiled again and took his hands, entwining their fingers briefly, then moved them behind her to rest them against her lower back. “if you think i’m ever leaving your side again...” she whispered, trailing off as she shook her head then laughed softly. he wouldn’t be able to get rid of her. however, rey suddenly realized just how public their entire reunion had just been, and it struck slight fear in her. it wasn’t enough to diminish her overwhelming joy, but it did bring her to her senses. she turned to glance worriedly over her shoulder, holding his hands just slightly tighter, then met his eyes again. “come on,” she murmured, instantly leading him inside the falcon. once they were both up the ramp, rey shut the hatch immediately, closing them out to any possible intruders. not once did she let go of his hand, and still didn’t as she led him to the bed in the captain’s quarters, sitting with him on the edge of it. she had to brace him for everything that was happening, as she herself had still not come to terms with it all. having him here, though, would complete her once again and finally allow her to get a grip on the situation.
“...i’ve heard... rumors,” she sighed, staring down at his hands as she played with them in her lap. “others have returned... those from the first order, but... also some from... the past...” her gaze slowly drifted up to his again, pausing in her motions for now. it would be a lot to take in, but she needed him to hear it. so they could figure this out, together. “from the empire... from the rebellion... from the sith, the jedi... everyone...”








