Rey and Ben stayed to help the villagers finish disposing of the remaining dead Carja. To Rey's relief, no Lanai was hurt, aside from a few bumps and bruises. Ben was the one who looked like he had taken the worst beating. His First Order grade undershirt was now even more torn and stained with sand. His long, black hair stuck to his sweaty face in unruly tendrils and he sported scratches and bruises that purpled under his pale skin. Rey noticed blood trickle from his mouth, and she at one point sneakily force healed him by touching his cheek as if examining his injuries.
He had noticed and glared at her briefly before relishing in the feeling of the pain melting away.
They entered the Falcon to hop over to the main landing area closer to Luke's hut. 3-PO kept his distance from Ben and R2 whirred alarmingly before Rey calmed him down, reassuring the droid that he was no longer an enemy.
People are complex and they change. Add the influence of the force into that, and things are even more complicated. Even droids had to understand that.
After they landed on the main flat outcropping of rock, Rey went to grab the large, bulky satchel, but Ben interfered, stepping in front of her and slinging the bag over his shoulder. She wasn't used to someone stepping in to take a job that she was so accustomed to doing. She assumed this was what she had heard about in fantasy tales as 'chivalry'.
The moon was high in the sky, beautifully lighting the path to their shelter. They entered the hut and Ben slung the satchel down on the ground, rubbing his shoulder. Rey walked about and ignited a few of the lanterns in the hut.
"What'd you pack in that thing?" He asked in his low voice, turning to her.
Rey leaned her staff against the stone wall and removed her haversack, "Well, let's take a look." She motioned to the bag, smiling, and walked towards the satchel. She felt a tinge of excitement build in her as she crouched down and untied the leather straps. Ben leaned up against the adjacent wall, arms crossed and looking down at her, a small smile creeping across his face.
"Ok, so some important things like..." She felt his eyes on her as she dug around and began pulling out items at random, "ration portions...tools...extra bandages...fire igniters...macronaculars...oh!" She stood, pulling out a collection of black cloth and extending it to Ben, "A change of clothes. Figured you needed that."
Ben took the clothes in his large hands, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Thank you." He looked down at his dusty undershirt with the hole in it from when she had stabbed him.
Then, seemingly without thinking, Ben crossed his arms over the tail of his tattered shirt and pulled it up over his head, exposing his perfect white skin.
Rey felt her eyes bulge, not expecting the sudden intimacy. She had seen him without a shirt before and it had made her blush then, but now...
Force, he is massive.
He was intimidating with clothes on, but without it was ten-fold. She had never seen a man half-naked before Ben, and she was still not used to the way it may her feel. Were all men carved like this?
His arms and shoulders were covered in thick bands of muscle, and his stomach was tightly cinched in a strong girdle from years of rigorous training.
She realized after a few moments that she was staring silently, lips parted.
She cleared her throat, flitting her eyes away from him to the ground, attempting to give him some privacy. She felt a strange heat build inside her core and she smashed her teeth together as she focused on the stone ground.
He was unfolding the new shirt when she felt his dark eyes on her, sensing her reaction.
Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it...
If there was anytime to not have a force bond, it would be now. She knew he could feel everything she was experiencing, and it made her feel like she was just as naked in front of him.
He swiftly fitted the new shirt on, smoothing it down and moving around to adjust to the feel. She smiled up at him, admiring the way the black fabric matched his dark features.
She blinked rapidly and took a deep breath as she crouched back down and kept digging around in the satchel.
"Toolkits from Jakku" she whipped out her old toolkit, home-made but useful. "So many things, let's see...ah!" Her hand hit a long, glass neck and she whipped out a bottle of Red Corellian wine. She stood back to her full height, holding up the bottle and flashing her white teeth at him.
"Figure we deserve a little celebration."
He grinned back at her in response, "Agreed."
Ben turned and snatched up two cups from Luke's belongings. He walked to the bed and sat on one end while Rey plopped down on the other end. She sat cross legged facing him, while Ben rested his back against the stone behind him.
She groaned and frowned down at the bottle as she grasped the wine cork and pulled hard. When it wouldn't budge, Ben stuck out his hand and curled his fingers towards him, motioning for her to give it to him. Her eyebrows furrowed together, but she handed the bottle over.
Ben grabbed the cork and plopped it off with ease. He poured out two portions into the cups, handing one to Rey. "So, the resistance have some sort of secret stash of Correllian wine hidden on that base of theirs?"
"Actually..." she cocked her head to the side, hesitating, "Leia has a stash. I figured she wouldn't mind if I took a few bottles..." She eyed him nervously, taking a sip. She worried her mention of his mother may darken the mood.
Instead, Ben surprised her, chuckling. "That sounds like her." He sighed, leaning back, "Anytime my dad would take trips to Corellia, she would insist that he bring back a few cases of this stuff." He swirled his glass and flicked his dark eyes to her.
Rey inhaled deep and smiled at his easy mention of his parents. She hoped these little stories about his past would continue to flourish.
She raised her glass in the air to Ben's, "To the end of the war."
He raised his glass in response, clinking it against hers, "And to new beginnings."
Ben finished his sip and looked at Rey, "So, how'd it go? I see you, uh, were able to get a better ship than that tie."
He clearly was asking about her short trip to Ajan Kloss, "Mhmm." She nodded, "I saw Lando while I was there," Ben's eyes sparkled at the mention of another member of his past, "and he insisted I take it." She laughed, "I think more than anything he saw a business opportunity with that tie fighter."
"And your friends?" He pressed on. "I felt a...disturbance. I take it they didn't like what you had to tell them. That you are here, with me."
She shrugged, "They took it better than I expected. As for what you felt, I just..." she shook her head and looked down into her glass at the red liquid, "that was just me, I lost control of my temper there for a second, I don't know what it was. It was nothing."
Ben's eyebrows furrowed, seemingly still not satisfied with her answer. He paused then looked intently into her eyes, "Rey. If you miss your friends, if you want to be with them, you should go. You don't owe me anything, you don't need to be here with-"
She felt the sting of rejection and shook her head rapidly, "But I want to be with you." She shrunk back, blushing "h-here with you, I mean. I want to be here with you." She took a deep breath, composing herself. "You have been manipulated, your mind clouded for years. You've only just turned. I promised I would help you, and I intend to keep that promise. For you, for Han, and for Leia."
She was sure of how she truly felt about Ben, but she didn't want to force that on him. They had a bond that was engraved in the force, yes, but did that also mean that he too wanted more?
She looked down at her glass, feeling the blood pool under her cheeks as she waited for his response.
Ben floated his arm across the bed, placing a gentle finger under her chin. He lifted her head up to meet his gaze.
He leaned in slightly, eyes dark and intense "I want to be with you too."
She felt like her heart dropped straight through her stomach and down into the core of the planet.
He let his hand drop into her lap, finding her hand and taking it in his. She relished in the feeling of his warm skin. She still wasn't used to the absence of a black leather glove blocking their contact.
He continued, "Rey. I never wanted you because of your power. Please know that. I only ever wanted you by my side for who you are. Yes, we are a dyad, but more than that, you were the only person in the galaxy who understood me - what I had gone through and what I was going through." He smiled softly, his dark brown eyes glistening, "You always saw the good in me, even when everyone only saw the monster."
She smiled and placed her glass of wine in between her legs as she lifted her other hand behind his neck, curling her fingers into the dark tendrils of his hair. She leaned forward and placed her forehead against his, eyes closed, "And I always knew you, Ben Solo, were in there."
They stayed there for a few beats longer, heads together and eyes closed. All she could hear was the sound of their breathing. All she could feel was the heat from their contact and the pulse in his neck under her hand.
Her heart felt like it was trying to escape from her body. His hand grew tighter around her smaller one. Just when she wasn't sure what move to make next, he made that decision for her.
Without breaking contact from her, he placed his glass of wine on the table next to him. He snaked his large hand across her cheek and behind her neck. She remained still, eyes closed and lips parted.
He pulled her neck closer, tilting her head back as he met his lips to hers, gently, carefully... Rey's heart sang at the feeling of his lips on hers again. His were soft and gentle, full and warm. His grip around the back of her neck tightened as she snaked her free arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer.
A familiar heat was building inside her and her heart continued to race as if she was working through a practice drill. She felt through their bond Ben's feelings too - he was radiating heat and warmth and desire.
They held the kiss for a few moments longer, basking in the way their contact rippled through the force. Everything about it felt good and right. She had thought about how it would feel to kiss him so many times before, but never thought she would be that lucky some day.
Rey was first to back away, placing her forehead back on his. She looked at him but he kept his eyes closed, stroking her cheek. She studied his face, so dark yet gentle and soft. She thought he was the most beautiful being in the entire galaxy, and she could have gazed upon his features forever.
How did we get here? This man I used to call my enemy, now my closest companion...
She shook her head and laughed softly, shaking the bed beneath them. His eyes cracked open, as he pulled back from her.
As if he had read her mind, he smiled and cocked his head to the side, "And here we were trying to kill each other just a few days ago." His humor reminded her of Han and it warmed her heart. He certainly got that from his father.
She placed her hand on his stomach where she had stabbed him, "Hmmm...well one of us succeeded." She winked.
He laughed, "Yeah, yeah..." He ran a hand through his black hair and picked up his wine glass off the side table.
He leaned back and fixed his eyes back on her. "So, tell me, scavenger. What's there to do on this island?"