This is for reylo-dumpster for the Reylo Valentine's Day Exchange over at tumblr.
Rey was having a perfectly good sleep when she was pulled from pleasant dreams by a disturbance in the Force. It wasn't a major disturbance, like a strong shift to the Dark Side. Rather, it was a small discomfort, a feeling no doubt projected by one or both of the twins sleeping in the adjacent room.
She turned over in bed, sleepily poking her husband wherever she could reach him. Ben Solo was a deep sleeper however which made waking him a bit difficult.
"Ben," she murmured, not even opening her eyes. "Ben wake up."
He groaned, rolling from his side to his back. Not fully awake, but definitely getting there. Rey resumed her poking.
"Ben," she said, a bit more forcefully than before. "Ben the twins."
"Huh?" he replied, pausing with a big yawn. "Twins?"
"They need something," she said. "It's your turn to see what it is."
"But," another yawn. "I just got up a few hours ago."
Rey would have felt sorry, she really would have, if she weren't so tired. Who knew that having children would be so draining? When the twins were happy and smiling, things were fine. But when the both of them decide to cry at the same time but for different reasons, things became difficult.
Coupled with the fact that both she and Ben still had regular classes to teach in the Jedi school that taught Force sensitives how to control their abilities, being full-time parents was just so challenging.
"Ben," Rey said, her voice brooking no arguments.
Rey felt it as Ben turned to look at her. She knew that dark circles ringed her eyes, his eyes looked the same. They really should have accepted that leave of absence his uncle had offered when the twins were newly born. They had thought they could handle things, but they were wrong.
He got out of bed, cursing softly when his feet missed his slippers and touched the cold floor. Rey chuckled as she rolled over to his side of the bed, revelling in the warmth his body left behind.
That Kylo Ren would turn out to be such a wonderful father was a surprise.
Then again, Ben didn't like to be remembered by that name. He always insisted that it was an undercover job, nothing more. But Rey didn't think so. When you were being someone else for that long, there was no way that all of it was just an act.
General Organa had a hard time debriefing her son after the war. Master Luke and Rey were pulled in to help, and only because they were Jedi. It was a long and difficult road for Rey and Ben. Those early days, they were more likely to draw sabers on each other.
But they had found a common ground: loneliness. Even with her time in the Resistance, her solitude on Jakku left an indelible mark on her soul. Ben had the same mark. As a child, he had always been different. Being the son of Princess Leia Organa and War Hero Han Solo was already quite a legacy to bear. When he was sent to Luke's first school, the fact that he was Darth Vader's grandson kept him from having close friends.
Rey understood that depth of loneliness in him, as he understood the one in her.
She got out of bed, hearing him singing to one twin. She could hear the other one still crying in her crib. They were a team. Ever since the end of the war, they had been a team. She couldn't really leave him to face their children alone.
Rey padded over to the twins' room and paused at the doorway, smiling at the sight.
Ben was cradling both twins in his arms, their bottles held steady with the Force. It was improper use of the Force, but Rey wasn't about to call him out on it, after all, she did the same thing.
"Need help?" she asked, entering the room.
"If you want," Ben smiled at her.
She held out her arms and took one twin from him. It was Hana that he handed over. The daughter that they named after Han. It had been Rey's choice to name one daughter after Han. Rey held the bottle for her daughter and started bouncing to comfort her.
Annie, named for Ben's grandfather, seemed to be nodding off. Annie was the easier twin to handle. She was an easy baby, comforted by the mere presence of either of her parents. Only a few months old, and she was already living up to her namesake, her presence in the Force stronger than Hana's.
Hana, who was currently putting up a fuss for some reason. Rey sought out her daughter's thoughts through the Force. While Annie was the stronger Force Sensitive, Hana was by no means weak. Rey snorted when she realised what her daughter wanted.
"Ben," she whispered, taking care as to not wake Annie. "Hana wants a lullaby."
"Can't you do it?" Ben asked, quirking his mouth.
She rarely sang. She didn't think she could carry a tune. In fact, Poe and Finn had repeatedly informed her that she couldn't carry a tune. But love was blind, or in this case, deaf because Ben loved to hear her sing. Their daughters, not so much.
"It has to be you," Rey shook her head. "Hana demands it."
"Switch?" Ben asked, passing Annie over and taking Hana from her. "What Princess Hana wants, she gets, apparently."
Rey listened as Ben sang. He had a beautiful voice. The song was an old Alderaanian lullaby, which very few people now knew. Ben wanted to keep his mother's heritage alive. It was the twins' favourite song.
She smiled as Hana finally settled down and started dozing. Ben was about to end his song, but Rey stopped him.
"Please continue," she asked.
Ben nodded and carried on the song. It wasn't only the twins who loved to hear him sing. They were very much their mother's daughters in that regard.
As Ben ended his song, they put their daughters back into their separate cribs and stood there for a while, just looking as the precious gifts that they had.
Ben wrapped an arm around Rey and pressed a kiss to her head. She understood exactly what he was feeling. Her heart was just so full of love for the twins, and for her husband.
Despite being bone dead tired, despite the dark circles under their eyes, despite having to wake up in two hours to lead a meditation class, life was good.
a/n: This was fluff, yes? Fluff is good. Reviews are also good. ^.^