#pre-tfa

His face is all you see in the darkness of the hut. There’s a streak of moonlight shining through the open window that paints his cheek in a silvery glow and makes the freckles on his face stand out like the stars in the night sky. His long, black lashes flutter slightly as he dreams and the way his hair drapes across his forehead makes you want nothing more than to brush it all away with your hand. You know you shouldn’t even let the thought cross your mind but it happens anyway: he’s beautiful.

“It’s rude to stare, you know.”

Your heart skips at the sound of Ben’s voice and you force yourself to swallow back a gasp as his eyes slowly open.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you reply, “Not exactly much to look at in here. It’s either you or the walls. And frankly, I’ve spent far too much time looking at them.”

He chuckles sleepily and nestles his head deeper into the pillow beneath him.

“At least my face is a lot easier on the eyes than this stupid hut,” he murmurs, “I’d probably want to appreciate the masterpiece of my complexion if I were you too.”

“Okay, don’t get all cocky about it, Solo. I never said I wanted to stare it you. And I am certainly not implying that it’s something I’m enjoying.”

You can’t help but blush as one of those smug, lop-sided grins finds its way onto his lips.

“Then put me in my place and tell me I’m the ugliest creature you’ve ever seen.”

“You’re not—“ You cut yourself off and frown at him. “Stop instigating me.”

There’s an obvious layer of playful sarcasm in his deep, drowsy voice as he responds, “Instigating you? Now why would I do that?”

“You tell me.”

He adjusts his position, sliding closer to you as he looks you dead in the eyes. He’s so close now, you can feel his kneecap gently pressing up against your leg. A part of you wants to turn away before your heart starts beating so hard that your sternum cracks but you hold your ground. You’re not weak like the other padawans make you out to be.

“You really want to know why?”

You refuse to break eye contact as you nod.

“I do.”

There’s a darkness in his gaze that isn’t at all unfriendly. He’s in a position of power and he knows it. He looks down at your mouth for the briefest second before locking eyes again.

“Because I love making you squirm,” he whispers lowly.

You’re more than happy that you’re laying down at that moment because your knees would have buckled had you been standing. Suddenly very aware of the weight of your stomach and the saliva in your mouth, you swallow hard.

“You want me to fight you?” You murmur defensively in an attempt to distract yourself from the hammering in your chest, “’Cause I won’t hesitate if that’s the case. We can step outside right now and I’ll force you to the ground just like I did during training this morning.”

The corner of Ben’s mouth twitches in amusement but that domineering look in his eyes remains.

“No, no. I don’t want to fight. I want something else.” His eyes wander down to your lips again and this time he lets them linger there. “And I think you want it too.”

As if his stare alone has the ability to heat your entire body, your lips go dry and, before you can stop it, your tongue darts out to wet them. You know he sees it too because that smirk is pulling at his mouth once more. How he knows what you want before you’ve even allowed yourself the thought of wanting it is beyond your understanding.

His hand reaches out to grab yours and you let him take it. Long fingers slip between yours as he brings your palm up to rest on his chest. Even through his clothes, you can feel the warmth of his body.

“Touch me,” he breathes out in encouragement, “The way you’ve been wanting to.”

You obey his command without a second thought, allowing your hand to wander up to the collar of his tunic where your fingertips begin to trace the lines of his neck muscles. His Adam’s apple bobs gently underneath your touch as he swallows but you can tell it’s not from nerves. He’s holding himself back, restraining his own desires to allow you to explore. 

Your fingers comb through his raven black hair for a few moments before you drag your palm slowly over his cheek. Fingertips ghost over his jawline until they settle on his chin less than an inch from his bottom lip. His mouth instinctively opens ever so slightly and his hot breath tickles your skin. Goosebumps crawl up your arm.

“Can I kiss you?”

You pry your gaze from his jaw to look in his eyes. The dominance is still there but there’s now a mixture of affection and desperation as well. 

“Yes,” you whisper as your hand slides back down to his collar.

“Tell me where.”

You blink at the command. From the moment he caught you staring, he’s been in charge and yet now, at the peak of the tension, he hands the reigns over to you. As little sense as it makes, you accept the change and begin thinking of where it is you want those lips of his to touch. 

“Cheeks.”

He obliges, leaning forward to press a long kiss to your left cheek. His lips are warm and wet against your skin and their touch makes your stomach churn just thinking about what they might feel like against your own. But you’re not going to give in just yet. He needs to earn it.

He presses a kiss to your other cheek before pulling back to wait for the next command.

“Forehead.”

Ben cranes his neck and does as instructed, planting another lingering kiss to your forehead just below the hairline. It’s an action so gentle and so affectionate that it shouldn’t make you crave anything more and yet you do. You want so badly to beg for that final kiss and feel the relief of knowing you’ve gotten what you need and, judging by the look in his eyes as he settles back down in front of you, you know he’s just as desperate to give it to you.

“Lips,” you finally exhale.

You half expect his entire body to come crashing into yours but, to your surprise, he’s just as patient and collected now as he’s been thus far. His lips gently capture yours, your noses pressing into each other’s cheeks as you kiss. Without so much as a fleeting thought, you let your eyes flutter closed and reach up to cup your hand over the side of his neck. How a man of his stature and confidence can kiss you so delicately, you’ll never quite understand.

Just as you’re about to tilt your head and deepen the kiss, he pulls away and stares at you with those dark, mysterious eyes. There’s so much love and understanding in them that you swear they might suffocate you.

“How did you know?”

“I had a feeling. Plus it’s not the first time I’ve caught you staring at me.”

He takes your hand in his once again. Your cheeks flush a soft shade of pink. He chuckles. 

“Don’t worry,” he adds with a smile, “I’ve been staring at you when you’re not looking too.”

You give him a look as you ask, “Are you implying that I’m not as observant as you are?”

“Maybe…”

You finagle your hand out of his grasp and, with a haughty sigh, roll over so that your back is to him. Even without being able to see his reaction, you know this is only instigating him even further.

“Oh, come on. Don’t throw a tantrum.”

You hold your position but soon feel a strong arm hook itself around your waist and pull you backwards. Ben’s torso leans heavily against your back and a pair of supple lips press a soft kiss just below your ear.

“You’re as stubborn as they come,” he murmurs softly in your ear.

“You’re one to talk.”

A deep chuckle rumbles in his throat.

“Guess that’s why we make a good team.”

Ben sighs as he settles down behind you, nuzzling his nose against the back of your neck. His breath is perfectly warm on your skin and the weight of his arm on your waist provides a comfort you didn’t even know you needed.

For a moment, you lay there, appreciating the sensation of his body pressed against yours. But it isn’t long before concern comes knocking at the door in your head. You swallow.

“We probably shouldn’t sleep like this,” you whisper, “Master Skywalker could come in at any time. If he knew we were…” You pause, not really sure how to put your budding relationship into words. “He’s not going to be pleased.”

“Relax. My uncle’s not going to find out. I’ll be awake long before he makes his rounds in the morning, I promise. Just go to sleep.”