CONTINUED.    // & @solejedi

DESPITE    THE    DARKNESS    FADING    WITHIN,    BEN    STILL    FELT    TORN    AT    TIMES.    Part of him felt terrible, as if his residual struggles could possibly ruin their victories, guilt and remorse tainting his drifting mind as he sought to not spoil her mood. THE THEME REMAINED THE SAME: any good thing to happen to him henceforth was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of unworthiness. 

& REY WAS A ‘ GOOD THING ’ BY FAR.

He was working on it, but sometimes the thoughts spilled out. He was, after all, notorious for foot-in-mouth declarations. Exhibit A : ‘ YOU’RE NOTHING ’ … really, Ben Solo ?

The man’s form stilled, however, in the midst of his interrupted retreat ── she was swift to always rebuke, ever-prepared to protest, challenge, and he found comfort there. HER TOUCH REACHED HIM, feather-light. Shifting ceased, he turned, neck craning subtly in silent searching. THE ROOM WAS STILL DARK, though her frame still captured available dim light within its outline ( a soft caress touched her skin, and he could find enough light to witness her, seemingly in nothingness, always ). Quiet, he admired her.

Genuinely, the mere act of remaining was something he felt unaccustomed to. Weren’t they always, at some point, pulled apart ? His intent, now, revealed a preemptive measure, reflex, akin to a defensive stance. Wrongly anticipating a strike. He settled beside her, staying.

❝ —— a fair point,  ❞ he began, gentle, relenting, whilst turning to fully face her. ❝ … but you know I never left you. ❞

            THE     WORLD     BETWEEN     WORLDS     ───     a mysterious plane within the force that had swallowed ben whole after the defeat of emperor palpatine     .     their force dyad     ───     a bond UNSEEN for generations if her grandfather was to be believed     ───     served a steady reminder to the jedi that her other half wasn’t truly gone     .     rey poured herself into the sacred jedi texts she had hidden away on the millennium falcon     ,     increasing her knowledge of the force as a whole     .     it was there that the world between worlds was mentioned     ,     though rey only understood the sketch of a portal     .     c3-po had leant his knowledge of the lost language     ,     aiding rey in translating pages of interest     .     something had told her that ben resided there     ,     lost within a realm between time and space     ───     a gut feeling     ,     perhaps     ,     attributed to their dyad     .     with determination     ,     the padawan set off to rescue her other half     .     ultimately     ,     she had SUCCEEDED and brought him back     ,     and the rest is history     .

            still     ,     she often worries that this is but a dream     ───     and why wouldn’t it be     ?     she’d witnessed his being fade out of existence     ,     becoming ONE with the force     .   .   .     it would be a cruelty of the mind to play such tricks on her     ,     but     ,     perhaps it would be her way of coping with such loss     .

            “     it FELT like you had     .     ”     with him back beside her     ,     rey lifts her arm and cups ben’s cheek     .     his eyes     ,     dark and beautiful     ,     are the window to his soul     ,     though rey has easier access to that through their dyad     .     nonetheless     ,     she never tires looking at them     ,     captivated by how eyes that once held so much anger and hatred now hold regret     ,     understanding     ,     and love     .     “     i don’t want to remember what that felt like     ,     ben     .     i want to make up for lost time     .     ”

            perhaps that is why they so often remain in bed     ,     limbs intertwined     ,     sheets tangled between them     .     they needed to make up for LOST TIME     ,     and the physical aspects of love came easier than words to them both     .

TRANSMISSION INCOMING FROM @wearenotthesameasyesterday​: 14. an almost kiss . (from Kylo or ben your choice) FROM THE KISSES MEME ! SELECTIVELY ACCEPTING

            HIS     MASK     HAS     FALLEN     TO     THE     GROUND     ,     a result of their battle through their dyad     .     her BORROWED saber     ,     glowing bright blue in the night and humming a familiar tune in rey’s ears     ,     ripped off her opponent’s mask     ,     leaving a laser burn running from the jaw to just below the eye     .     she didn’t want to HURT him     ,     only shake him up a bit     ,     remind him of the scar she gave him on starkiller base     .     his hair is tousled     ,     free to flow now that is has been freed from its prison     .     his eyes are dark     ,     seemingly glaring into her soul as he stands feet away from her     ,     his own saber clutched tightly in his grip     ,     jaw clenched     .     his timely dodge had SAVED him from adding another scar to his collection     ,     perhaps from a fatal blow     .     rey would be           L Y I N G if she said that her heart hadn’t CEASED TO BEAT as ren’s mask flew across the room     .     never did she want to HURT him     .   .   .     after all     ,     they share their pain with one another through their bond     ,     physical AND emotional     .

            (     she would also be lying if she said she would ENJOY hurting him     .     )

            when the mask is off     ,     she sees only BEN     ,     a boy left empty by the actions of his uncle     .     he’s LOST     ,     AFRAID     ,     and ALONE     .     but     ,     like ben solo     ,     rey is     ,     too     .     though she feels his emotions through their bond in the force     ,     the former scavenger has felt these things since her abandonment on jakku     .     she understands him on a level no one else can     ,     and truly believes that he will turn back to the light side of the force     .   .   .     

            “     ben     .     ”     at her side     ,     the blade of her saber fizzles out at the flip of a switch     .     she steps forward     ,     legs seemingly moving on their own     ,     and positions herself INCHES away from the enemy     .     he makes no move to attack     ,     and for that     ,     rey is grateful     .     their bond is STRONGER than anyone could ever imagine     .   .   .     “     ben     .   .   .     ”

            hazel eyes flicker downward     ,     lingering far too long on his lips     .     a surge of energy shoot down her spine     ,     branching off to every nerve throughout her body     .     the sensation fizzles out at the tips of her fingers and toes     ,     and rey catches herself bringing a palm to rest against ben’s cheek     .     interestingly enough     ,     he allows it     ,     and the feeling of his skin against hers is INTENSE     .     the jedi apprentice finds herself leaning forward     ,     lips puckered in anticipation     .   .   .

TRANSMISSION INCOMING FROM @killingpast​: “I should go.” FROM THE MEME: idk it’s a sinday meme with no name CURRENTLY ACCEPTING FROM KYLOS / BENS !

TRANSMISSION INCOMING FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE ! If Ben told you that he didn't like sand, would you still like him?

𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙷𝚁𝚄𝙶𝚂, 𝚄𝙽𝙰𝙵𝙵𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙹𝙰𝙱. ❝ you’ve the one who wanted me to do this, I can’t help it if I don’t know your schedule. ❞ He still can’t see her surroundings but it doesn’t really matter past satisfying his curiosity. ❝ How is training going ? That set looked good from what I saw of it. ❞