Here's some more Reylo!
Written for the RFFA Valentine's Exchange. Rey is pregnant and goes to tell Ben, but has to deal with his jealousy first :)
Please leave your thoughts below!
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Ben stood off to the side, watching her. He always watched her. He liked to see her glow among her friends, wrap herself in their comfort and flourish. He watched her even as she slept beside him in the dead of night, her hair tangled on his pillow, bare limbs sprawled across him. She was radiant now, nearly blinding him with her smiles. She stood with the pilot and the traitor, laughing loudly, head thrown back and careless. Ben wondered if the overwhelming happiness he'd felt explode through the bond this morning stemmed from this. He hadn't had a chance to ask her the cause of such a fluctuation in her emotions, but now he knew he didn't have to.
Today she was wearing an outfit his mother must have picked – a beautiful flowing gown, dark blue that made her skin pale in comparison. His mother was grooming her to take a higher position in the Resistance, even though the war was essentially over. He'd dismantled the First Order when he defected, leaving only small pockets of strongholds throughout the galaxy. There wasn't enough left to rebuild.
He was always amazed at how much her clothing influenced her. When she strolled through the hangers wearing her usual garb, her head was high, eyes focused and confident. She was sharp and determined. She was the woman plucked from the unforgiving sands of Jakku. Wearing a gown unbalanced all she knew. It drained away the confidence she wore like armor, her sharp edges softening in her uncertainty. He could see her studying everyone who looked at her, wondering if they could see what an imposter she was. He found her beautiful, but hated the flicker of doubt in her eyes.
The traitor waved to them suddenly, vanishing into the yawning hanger without looking back. Rey stood with the pilot still, merrily chatting. The golden boy leaned close and spoke softly. Rey's face suddenly fell, eyes wide and slightly panicked. They spoke close to one another; closer than was strictly necessary, closer than he was comfortable with. He felt his hackles starting to rise.
The pilot leaned down and pressed his lips to Rey's cheek.
Rage flared up in him so strong he was momentarily blinded. Rey jolted and Ben knew that he'd left the bond open, creating a highway for his anger. Her eyes wildly turned in his direction. Ben had already shoved off from the way, whirling away towards his ship.
Rey watched as Ben stalked down the hallway, scaring others away as his rage flooded her body.
"Everything okay?" Poe asked, eyes darting from Ben's towering form to Rey's pale face.
"Yes…no," Rey sighed, straightening her back. "A misunderstanding."
Poe thought for a moment. "Ah. I suppose he thinks we…"
"He always does." Rey grumbled, heading off in search of the hulking mass of anger.
When she reached the hanger, his ship was gone. She moved towards the open bay, staring up into the sky and locating his ship immediately. Even from this distance she could hear the strain of the engines as he opened the throttle up in an attempt to flee. With her own anger Rey threw the bond wide open. She could see him hunched over the controls breathing heavily through his betrayal.
"Ben-"
"Get out of my head."
"Not until we talk." Rey protested learning long ago to not shy from his anger.
"Why don't you go talk to that pilot scum?"
Rey knew that Ben disliked Poe – hated him in fact. His mother spoke fondly of the daring pilot often, and Rey knew that Ben craved the same praise she rained freely on a stranger. Poe was cheerful, dashing, and charming. In a single conversation he was able to make friends. Ben was the complete opposite: dark, mysterious, brooding. He only ever opened up to her; she knew even his mother wasn't privy to some of the information he whispered in the dark. She'd caught him on more than one occasion glaring at them from across a room. Rey had often explained that they were only friends, but she could see the insecurity in his eyes beneath his seething hatred. He was constantly afraid that he was too broken for her.
"Ben, you're being ridiculous, just come back so we can talk."
"Does he know where you spent the night?" he hissed over his shoulder, eyes dark and cold. "Does he know where you spend every night?"
Rey stepped forward, her own anger flaring at the contempt in his voice.
"It's hardly anyone's business where I spend the night. I'll have you know that yours is the only bed I've been in and I have no desire to climb into someone else's."
Rey knew that mentioning someone else was a mistake as his fury pulsed through her. She couldn't help it when he tossed their intimacy in her face like that, not when they'd both found peace in one another's arms. Physicality was difficult for them both after living a life without it. She still flinched if he touched her suddenly and took her off guard.
"Poe saw me leaving the Infirmary this morning and wanted to make sure I was okay, that's all there is to it," Rey insisted. "He's simply being a friend. Not everyone is out to drag me away from you."
"Why were you at the Infirmary?" he questioned, carefully watching her from the corner of his eyes.
Rey knew that the only thing that could override his jealousy was his worry for her. Every time she so much as coughed he was a breath away from hauling her to a medical droid.
Rey shuffled forward, trying to keep her hands steady. This was not how she thought this moment would go. She imagined them sequestered away beneath their sheets, listening to his strong heartbeat that fell in tandem with her own. She'd be halfway asleep as he threaded his fingers through her long hair. In a warm whisper she'd tell him all.
"I'm pregnant." She spoke softly because she wasn't sure if she could speak without her voice cracking. "I hope I don't have to tell you that you're the father."
For a long moment he was silent, the color rushing from his face.
"You're…what?"
Rey straightened her shoulders, taking a deep breath.
"You land that ship back on this planet right now, Ben Solo, or so help me I will hunt you across the galaxy."
The bond was abruptly cut off. Rey stood in the sunlight, blinking. He was gone. Certainly that hadn't been the way she wanted to tell him of her pregnancy, but there was no other way she could have done it. He'd have vanished and she would be left with small blips of him through the bond, blips that would be too small for her to tell him. The only reason she broke through to him now was because his emotions were erratic and he didn't have the focus he needed to successfully block her.
But now, now he was…
Rey watched as the small dot in the sky arched around suddenly, turning back towards the hanger. She crossed her arms, her bone-numbing relief causing her anger to intensify. Perhaps one day they could be normal. Every aspect of their relationship up to and including now was fraught with drama. He was emotionally unstable and she dealt with it, but if they were going to work things out, his jealously would need to be put to bed.
The ship landed heavily in front of her, whipping the material of her gown around her legs. Rey knew he'd ignored the landing sequence. The ramp dropped down and he was already striding down it and towards her. Rey glared at him, letting him see just how displeased she was with him. Ben didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care. He kept striding towards her until he was suddenly there, one hand tangled in her carefully pinned hair, dragging her towards him.
His mouth was hot and desperate on her own and Rey was momentarily shocked.
It was no secret around the base that they were together. They'd been caught once too often sneaking from each other's rooms at the crack of dawn to tell people otherwise. Eventually Rey moved her things into his room. While they all knew her and Ben shared quarters, you'd never guess by how they acted around each other. They were always careful to remain neutral, speaking to one another only when they had to, nodding politely when they passed each other in the hall. Ben always told her he was half a second away from dragging her into an empty closet, but Rey insisted on professionalism. She was a scavenger who came from the desserts of Jakku and now she was General Organa's right hand. She'd not have people think she got there by sleeping with the General's son, though the entire base was aware of their relationship (she liked to pretend otherwise).
Now he kissed her for the first time in public, Rey couldn't help but melt against him. Whenever he kissed her Rey felt her muscles relaxing, even in the confines of their room. The tenderness he felt towards her leeched through his touch and into her body. It was difficult for him to voice his feelings, but the bond allowed Rey to feel how much he loved her. It still brought tears to her eyes than this man who'd spent most of his life crushed beneath hatred and anger was capable of caring so deeply for her. She let her anger abate, pushing it aside to deal with later, away from the prying eyes of their companions.
"You know," Rey murmured, pulling away from him just enough to look in his eyes. "We need to work on your jealousy. I don't want to have to constantly assure you that I'm not interested in anyone else."
His eyes were wild, darting over her face erratically. She knew he was deaf at that moment. The wonder of her pregnancy was still blaring inside his head. Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him down to her so she could kiss him again.
By the end of the week they were married – he insisted. Only his mother and her friends were there in the small ceremony that was done in the bright moonlight and far away from the base. At night, wrapped in one another, Ben's large hand was splayed across her stomach, both dreaming of the life growing inside her.
Two months later they left the base and moved to Naboo. Ben had told Rey that his mother had spoken of a house that his grandmother had on a planet where life thrived. He wanted their child raised in a place where the horrors of war wouldn't touch them. He wanted to pour the love they had always wanted from their own parents into their baby. Ben often spoke quietly about wanting to see his child grow up, unlike his own father who was constantly away.
Near the end of her pregnancy, Rey found Ben standing near an open window, having only tugged on a pair of pants. She carefully hauled herself from the bed and waddled to him.
"Ben?" she murmured sleepily, placing a hand on his muscled back.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." His deep voice was rough with lack of sleep. "I just can't help but wonder…"
Rey wrapped her arms around his waist, forcing his arms to come around her. She didn't push him to speak.
"What if she's like me?" Ben's voice was strained and Rey knew he'd spent months worrying about this. "What if she follows in my footsteps?"
"We'll watch over her," Rey assured him. "We can teach her right from wrong, Ben, but we can't force her to follow a set path. She'll make her own choices when the time comes, and hopefully we can guide her in the right direction."
"He came after me when I was young and vulnerable, Rey," he murmured into her hair. "Neither of my parents even suspected. I don't want her to be preyed upon. I don't want that venom poured into her when she's so young and innocent."
"Your parents may not have been there for you, but we'll be there for her. We'll provide a stable home and nurture her so she knows she can rely on us. We know what to watch for, and we'll be ready if it comes."
Ben sighed into her hair before pressing his lips to her forehead. Rey could feel the tension draining from him as she gently steered him back to bed. He fell asleep wrapped around her, hand placed protectively across their unborn child. Rey remained awake for a while longer, trailing her fingers across the back of his hand, listening to his deep and even breaths. She knew she should sleep, but Rey understood that soon the baby would be here – she'd seen it in a vision.
Hours later Rey went into labor, much to the panic of her half-asleep husband who had just vaulted from bed, saber in hand. Rey bit her lip to stop from laughing. There he stood half naked, hair wild, and ready to smite an unseen foe as the pain of her contraction slipped through the bond.
"Darling," Rey spoke calmly, trying to sooth him. "Everything is fine, I promise, just put the saber down before you hurt yourself."
"You're hurt, I can feel…"
"Yes," Rey said rubbing her stomach and carefully propping herself up on a mountain of pillows. "That's what happens when you go into labor, so perhaps you could get dressed and ask the nurse to come here."
If possible his face paled even more. She watched as he hastily donned his robe and dashed from the room, yelling at a passing staff member to summon the nurse. In moments he was back beside her, an endless stream of worries pouring from his mouth.
"Why aren't you as panicked as I am?" he finally asked.
"You're panicking enough for the both of us." She responded breathlessly while patting his hand.
Hours seemed to slip by, with Ben's moods swinging like a pendulum. At moments he was angry at the nurse, others he was leaning over her whispering comforting words while smoothing her hair away from her forehead.
Just as night fell Rey gave her last cry as their daughter finally made her way into the world. The small bundle was placed in her arms as her husband crawled in beside her, peering down.
"She's beautiful, Ben." Rey murmured through the lump in her throat.
They hadn't decided on a name – the arguments would get so bad they wouldn't speak for days on end. A compromise was arranged: they wouldn't name her until at least a day after she was born, so they would be sure.
Rey tucked her head against his shoulder, staring down at the large intelligent brown eyes peering up.
"She's so small." Ben breathed, running the pad of his finger along her head.
Rey laughed, leaning up to press a kiss to his rough cheek (he hadn't shaved that morning). The love flowing through the bond nearly choked them. Rey sighed heavily against his throat before looking back at their daughter. The words seemed foreign. She'd always been an abstract thought in Rey's mind, and now here she was, tangible and absolutely wonderful.
"I love you." Ben's voice was thick with emotion.
Rey turned her face up towards his, head resting on his shoulder. He didn't like crying in front of her, but at this second he was so wrapped up in the moment he didn't seem to care.
"I love you too." Rey responded warmly, sending her feelings through the bond.
He turned his gaze away from their daughter and smiled down at the woman who had dragged his soul back from the dark. Her answering smile was enough to chase away his demons.
Ben lowered his face, pressing his lips to hers, knowing that he had everything he'd ever need, right here in his arms.