After their overwhelming encounter, Ben puts on a private show while Rey comes to some conclusions about their relationship and what she wants going forward.
Rey sat in a stupor while trying to make sense of just what the fuck happened between her and Ben. Of course, they were attracted to each other, but she'd been attracted to other people before and it had never felt like that. It was almost like that strange power within him had stirred something within her, but that didn't make any sense.
She'd only ever had herself to rely on—her wits, her strength, her determination. Okay, and some luck. But what she'd shared with Ben had felt spiritual and unlike anything else. For a moment, it seemed like her eyes were really and truly open and that she could feel beyond the immediate moment, searching into the great unknown and finding that the answer was him.
It was frightening, but also strangely comforting. She'd been alone for so long and, though she was coming to trust her friends, it wasn't the same kind of connection as this. A little voice inside her head said that she'd always been drawn to Ben, and she knew that was true. It was hard to resist him, as charming and handsome as he was. Even when he was driving her nuts, she still couldn't ignore the way her body and soul were pulled towards him.
"That was something else," he finally said while catching her gaze in the mirror.
"Yup."
"Talk about it later?" he suggested before getting back to his makeup.
"Might be a good idea," Rey agreed, though with some reluctance. She wasn't a 'talk about your feelings' kind of person. She had a hard enough time getting to know anyone, let alone talk about feelings or semi-mystical connections that were pushing her well beyond the realm of desire, and into something strangely akin to love.
That was terrifying.
Evidently, she'd have a lot of time to spiral, as Rey was experiencing first hand why Ben took so damn long to get ready. He was meticulous with his hair and makeup. Though a droid would have made this process faster, Rey wasn't sure whether anyone else would be able to capture Ben's unique beauty quite so well as he did.
He highlighted his positives and drew attention away from anywhere he didn't want curious eyes to focus on. His full lips were colored into the perfect pout, bloodred with a pop of white in the middle. His nose was prominent, but it only served to make his face look more roguish. Long lashes glittered and were highlighted by the shine of his shadow. And just when she thought he was finished with the look, his hand returned for something more to add.
Rey watched as his hand wove through the excess of makeup options. She'd never seen such an elaborate spread before. It was at least triple what Finn would pack for assignments, and even Rose didn't have this much to work with.
He was beautiful, even without the makeup, but with it he looked otherworldly. After finishing up, or at least getting himself to the point that he was mostly satisfied with his look, Ben slipped up from his hover-chair, kicked off his impressive heels, and let his outfit fall to the ground in a silky heap, leaving him in hardly anything at all.
Though she'd seen much of his body before, she'd never seen it in person quite like this. Rey didn't consider herself much of an aficionado for art or sculpture or anything like that. Poverty and the need to survive meant that her hobbies were limited and certainly hadn't included art.
But even she could recognize the brazen appeal of Ben's physique. As much as she'd traveled, and the worlds she'd seen, there were always great monuments to beauty and galactic achievements, though they were hard to appreciate while avoiding blaster fire. But every so often on a run, or during recon, they'd come across something truly special. Rey wouldn't have been surprised to see an effigy to someone like Ben Solo out there in the greater galaxy.
Dressed in only his dark tights, every flex and pull of his muscles was visible and Rey, though she probably should have turned away, let it all sink in. For his part, Ben didn't seem to mind her staring, but he always seemed to indulge her desires.
And if the heavy weight hanging between his legs was a little more pronounced than it would have otherwise been, Rey didn't mention it. She was so wrapped up in staring that she didn't realize that Ben had hooked his fingers into the waistband of his tights and was slowly stripping them from his body, which left him only in his underthings—lacy, short, shiny-black, and decorated with a tiny blue bow on the front.
Rey's brain short-circuited as she tried to think around what he was planning to wear next atop such a scrap of clothing. The bands of fabric dug into his thighs a little as his muscles pressed tight and it was a good look and reminded her of when she'd gotten up close and very personal with Ben's muscular, thick thighs.
He turned a little, ass facing her as he dug through the hovering wardrobe. The shorts were so tight that they made his small butt look pert. And she was staring at his ass and didn't quite realize it, even though she was mentally critiquing it, until Ben casually pulled the leg of his short-shorts out of his ass. Rey couldn't smother her laugh fast enough.
"What?" he asked without looking back. His hand returned to the wardrobe and smoothed over the gleaming fabric within as if looking for any imperfections or wrinkles in his clothes.
"You're one of the fanciest people I know, and even you get your underwear stuck in your butt," she said with a snort.
He did look over at that. "First of all, it wasn't stuck in my butt, it was stuck under the curve of my ass cheek. There's a difference. Second, if you weren't staring so intently at my ass, you wouldn't have noticed."
Oh, so he'd done it on purpose? To bait her? Yeah, it worked. Rey's cheeks flushed pink at being caught, but she wasn't about to back down from this one. "And I wasn't supposed to notice? You're practically putting on a show."
Ben laughed. "If I was putting on a striptease, you'd know it."
"Would I, now?" Rey snarked as her mouth got ahead of her.
Of course, Ben would take great pleasure in proving his point and she only realized her mistake when he turned, Loth-wolfish grin in place as he tipped his head to the side, dark hair spilling over in a glorious wave. His hand pressed tight against his abs, slipping slowly upward, fingertips tripping over a taut nipple, along his chest and neck before finally delving into his long locks. His finger swirled enticingly around the length of his hair, pulling tight before tracing over his full lips.
A long finger dipped within and he gave one agonizingly slow suck before pulling his finger out with a languid pop. Slick and shiny, Ben let his hand hover over his chest before he swirled it suggestively over a nipple, his rosy flesh tightening in response. His lips parted and he let out a soft moan.
Rey swallowed hard. Ben locked eyes with her, tongue darting out, finger still swirling over his nipple as he waited patiently. Somewhere along the way, Rey had leaned forward, mouth falling open, as she was utterly overwhelmed by his display.
Voice low and eyes dark, Ben purred, "Do you see the difference?"
With a shuddering breath, Rey managed to find her voice again as she settled back into the couch. "Okay, I see your point."
Ben nodded his head, expression smug as he turned back to his clothes. "Sometimes, you just have to trust me, smuggler."
Rey huffed. "Yeah, I'm beginning to learn that."
Ben hummed thoughtfully as he slipped through layer after layer of fabric. At one point, he even stepped away from the wardrobe a little, and Rey thought he'd settled on wearing what he had on—every scant inch of it. The shorts would keep him decent, kind of. Okay, so not at all given the obvious size of his dick, but it was something?
What could he possibly deciding between? Rey wondered.
He'd even sent 3PO back to grab something for this costume change, so it had to be good. She was about to ask him whether he was just going to wear the short-shorts for a scandal to tease him, but Ben eventually pulled out what could only be described as one of the most stunning pieces of clothing Rey had ever seen.
This must have been what he'd sent 3PO back for, she mused as Ben gently drew a long flowing gown from the wardrobe.
Thin jeweled webbing had been sewn into translucent fabric in elaborate detail. The fabric glinted and as Ben gently drew the gown out of his wardrobe, the patterned fabric almost seemed to be winking at her—no, not winking.
Delicate blue wings seemed to flap as he pulled the fabric against his chest. His pale skin would show through from beneath, peeking out as a glorious contrast to the stunning gown. And his short-shorts would also be making an appearance because they'd be completely visible beneath this gown.
"It reminds me of the butterflies on Endor," Rey marveled. The same vivid blue, edged with black, was apparent in the delicate pattern of his dress.
"You've been to Endor?" Ben asked.
"Twice on runs to the forest moon. Really pretty, but I didn't get to spend much time there. Never met any Ewoks, either. Which was disappointing."
"My dad's had some run-ins with them. 3PO, too. You should ask him about it."
Rey scrunched her nose a little. "Your droid's met Ewoks?"
"That's one way of putting it. The Ewoks were a large part of why the Rebellion was successful during the Battle of Endor."
Rey nibbled her thumb thoughtfully. "I'll have to read a bit more about it. I didn't know your history was so tied to the moon."
"I was conceived there. Probably," Ben said, so casually that Rey had to think hard whether she'd just heard what she'd thought she'd heard.
She made a strangled sort of noise when she realized that yes, he had been talking about his parent's sex life. "That is a very weird thing to know," she finally said.
Ben gave her an amused look over his shoulder. "It was the end of the war. It wasn't hard to put two and two together."
"The end of the war… Wasn't your family also wrapped up in the struggle?"
"Something like that," Ben replied with a smile before turning his attention back to the gown. He didn't elaborate, which only made Rey more curious.
Rey'd read a little about the Galactic Civil War, but only had a passing knowledge of it from what she'd been able to glean from gossip, as well as from the onboard computers of Star Destroyers and other Imperial relics that she'd scavenged. Not much time for history lessons when you're trying to survive. But later, as her interest in Ben had grown, she'd managed to learn a little about his family history through the gossip holos.
Most of it was concerned with Ben's society life or Leia's work in politics, but there were a few scandals in their past and his reticence to talk about was interesting. What else was he hiding from her? Something to do with his family, maybe? Rey didn't know much about her family and, honestly, she'd concluded that only disappointment awaited her at the end of knowing. They were gone. Probably dead or at least didn't give enough of a shit to make sure she was okay on Jakku. She knew more than enough about them from that alone.
Ben coughed softly and distracted Rey from morose thoughts of her past by swirling around and asking, "Can you help me with this gown? There's a hidden zipper on the side, but I'm going to need help pulling it on."
Rey hopped up from the couch, probably with a little more enthusiasm than she should have, but who wouldn't jump at the chance to help dress Ben Solo? She wasn't above admitting that the thought of running her hands over his body made her feel pretty damn excited, but she'd do her best to be professional about it. Probably.
He just made you come without actually touching you. How professional is this anymore? she thought to herself as she reached out for the dress. Not very, she decided.
The dress was silky soft and heavier than she'd expected. She didn't often wear dresses and, truthfully, wasn't much of a fan—suits suited her just fine. But on Ben… he always managed to look stunning no matter what he was wearing. Really put truth to the fact that as long as the wearer was confident, anyone could pull off any look.
Ben dipped and gently gathered the bottom of the dress before handing the edge to Rey. "Holds this. I'm going to dive in."
"'Kay," she replied. Ben curved his tall body and slid into the dress, wiggling gently so the fabric could flow down with gravity.
Rey helped it along, pulling where it bunched or smoothing where needed. The edge of the dress just skimmed the floor. Rey'd been right, against his pale skin, the butterflies almost seemed to glow and the little shorts looked obscenely divine as they peeked through the transparent parts of the gown.
Ben turned his side towards her, arm lifted to reveal the slit along the seam. "Do you mind?"
Rey shook her head and deftly sought out the little nub of the zipper, pulling gently until it the fabric was cinched tight around his body. It fit like a glove.
"You look beautiful," Rey finally managed, and it was true, not that it was out of character for him, but there was something about the blue butterflies that was just so… Ben.
"Let's hope it brings in a lot of credits for Armitage's charity."
Rey couldn't see how it wouldn't. Ben alone would probably bring in thousands, what with the prize being alone time with him, and all. But in this gown? He looked like he was out of one of Rey's fantasy holos—a creature so wild and untamed that they existed only inside the realm of imagination. No, even beyond that, for Rey had never imagined someone quite so brilliant as Ben ever being real.
Ben smiled down at her, catching her staring. "I'll have to pull this one out again if you like it so much."
Rey squared her shoulders a little, refusing to feel bad at all for staring. How could she not? "You should. Might get you somewhere."
"Oh?"
Okay, so maybe she didn't mean to let that last part slip, so she might have stammered a little while feigning confidence. "I mean, who could resist you in that?"
"Who indeed?" Ben murmured. "Well, I'll file that away for later, scavenger. Finally divining a few more your weaknesses, aren't I?"
Rey huffed. "I don't have many."
Ben reached out and gently cupped her cheek, his tone uncharacteristically serious as he agreed. "No, you're strong and fearless, aren't you?"
"When you don't have much to live for…," she started, but couldn't finish. In part, her bravery had been because, for the longest time, she didn't have anyone waiting on her return, but now… that wasn't really true anymore, was it?
Ben leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Whether he meant for it to be a quick peck or something more, she wasn't certain of. What she was certain of was how she wanted more, and she couldn't keep her lips from sliding open, tongue darting out and gently slipping along the seam of his plush mouth.
A little growl rumbled in the back of his throat, so she deepened the kiss. Carefully, her hands skimmed over his chest, fingertip tripping across the delicate fabric of his dress while enjoying the warmth of his body. His arms wrapped around her middle, holding her tight in place as he deftly angled her back. He cradled her like she was a treasure and kissed her like she was his. No one had ever kissed her like Ben did.
It wasn't just a kiss, it was a promise. Of things yet left unsaid between them, and things that were to come. It left her breathless, aching, and wanting more than she could have in the scant minutes they had before the auction was to start.
In a life where companionship and the prospect of sex had always been an afterthought, Ben pushed it all to the forefront until it was almost all she could think of. But it wasn't just the idea of sex with him, it was the idea of giving herself to him—and he to her. It was a level of connection that she'd rarely allowed herself and was almost afraid to take because she knew between Ben and her…
"Oh," he breathed softly against her lips. "It could never be casual between us, Rey."
Damn him for reading her mind and heart so well. But he was right. Things already weren't casual between them, and while the thought frightened her, it also filled her with a strange sort of hope that she was not used to feeling, and maybe that was the most frightening thing about it all. Hope was a dangerous thing for a woman like Rey.
"You're the worst," she teased as he gently righted her body. For reading her mind, for knowing her heart, and mostly for always seeming to be able to give her what she wanted before she even realized she wanted it.
She said the phrase so often, it hardly had any meaning anymore. And he wasn't the worst. Not by a longshot. He was rapidly becoming one of her favorite people, which was hard to contend with after a lifetime of distrusting everyone. But there was something so right about Ben, she just couldn't help herself.
"Only when I'm with you," he assured her, which made her stomach do a little flip as he pulled away. What was he really saying to her? So often, and so much of what he did, he only did for her. It was getting harder and hard to believe that he didn't care for her. That he wasn't…
Falling in love, she thought before she could stop herself.
She hoped he couldn't sense it. She liked what she had with him, whatever it was. And the last thing she needed was to complicate matters by actually falling in love, right? Rey hazarded a glance over at Ben, who was digging through his wardrobe again.
He hadn't seemed to notice, or was pretending not to notice, her errant thought. His dress gleamed as he moved, shimmering in the low light of the wardrobe. Under the lights of a stage, he'd be breathtaking, she was sure of it.
Who'd have thought a stupid, rich, indolent, Aristo like him could be such a great person? It was beyond belief. He'd blown apart her preconceived, and well deserved, notions of the Aristos entirely.
I guess they can't all be bad. Leia's pretty great too, from what I've seen, Rey mused while Ben slipped a heavy-looking cape over his shoulders. A silver clasp held the garment in place and the long length of the fabric-covered most of his fabulous dress.
"Saving the dress for a dramatic reveal?"
Ben grinned. "Of course. Can't disappoint adoring public down, can I?"
Rey watched as he fished around along the edges of the cape, searching for something. Finally, he pulled out a long, dark cylinder with a satisfied, "Ah-ha!"
"Spice?" Rey wondered.
Ben shook his head as he stepped into a pair of metallic-navy heels. "I don't indulge anymore—not intentionally, anyway."
Rey thought back to the time she'd been accidentally drugged at Dev's on Cantonica and assumed it was the danger of running in Aristo circles. They mostly seemed to assume that everyone wanted to be spiced up, but while Rey could understand the appeal of losing your senses, it seemed that the drug became more of a problem the more that people indulged.
She'd seen perfectly respectable-looking sentients dragged very low by their addictions. And the Aristo world seemed to do nothing but encourage the excess until there wasn't much else left. Ben, at least, hadn't succumbed to the temptation of spice addiction, even with his reputation for being indulgent.
Much of what everyone seemed to think they knew about him was about as far from the truth as possible, Rey was beginning to realize. It was almost as if he had a public persona that was carefully crafted, and a private persona that he kept hidden from the galaxy. At least, it seemed that way to her.
"What is it, then?" she finally asked.
Ben looked a little sheepish, which wasn't like him. He coughed, clearing his throat before admitting, "It's an herbal concoction that my mom has made for me. A Chandrilan floral blend."
"What's it for?"
Ben's lip quirked into a smile as he admitted. "Nerves."
"Nerves!" Rey sputtered. "I just watched you walk through that line of holonists like it was nothing!"
"It was nothing, but I also have a scent-cartridge sewn into the hem of my clothes, in case things start to get stressful…." Ben quickly ran his hand through his dark hair, as if he was smoothing it in place, which must have been how he took a moment for himself in all the chaos.
"What else are you hiding in those voluminous sleeves?" Rey wondered. Ben only smiled in response, so she added, "You're such a natural at it all and make it seem so effortless."
"There's nothing natural about my life, Rey," he assured her. And Rey had to agree. Even the most extroverted person would have a hard time with the level of visibility that Ben maintained. And to find out that he had a hard time with it, even just a little, was endearing to her.
"And here I thought you were superhuman and beyond all mortal limitations."
Ben laughed. "Smoke and mirrors."
Rey crossed her arms and feigned anger. "What else have you been hiding from me?"
"Not much," he replied, but she knew that was a lie.
"Notorious warlord in your spare time?" she guessed.
"Only on Centaxdays," he drawled as his lip quirked. "But really, what gossip were you most interested in confirming?"
It was a leading question, and she knew it. Rey's tongue darted out as she considered what she wanted to know. She was most definitely not going to ask about his reputation in the bedroom—all she'd heard and seen was over the top. He had a legitimate fan club and sentients begging for the chance to get into his bed with good reason.
It's interesting that the only bed he seems interested in getting into is mine, she thought, maybe a little jealously. But it was true. The only person he was actively courting, that she'd been able to divine anyway, was her.
And she wasn't sure how to feel about that, but it was a little nice to have that kind of power. Everyone wanted Ben Solo. And he wanted her. For the most part, it seemed like people were obsessed with who he had fucked or who he was fucking, and that was the least interesting thing about him.
Ben was… well, he was a lot more than he seemed to be. But that was probably intentional. People don't look too close if they already think they know everything there is to know, but why the façade? What was going on in his life and did his mother know? Or have something to do with it all?
Finally, she settled on something she was certain he wouldn't answer. "Why do you really need a bodyguard?"
Ben sighed, shoulders heaving with his breath, dress glimmering with the movement. "I've been a bad boy."
"That's kind of your entire reputation. You're going to have to be more specific," Rey insisted.
He faced her, staring into her eyes for long moments as if he was searching for something. Finally, he reached out his hand to her. Rey let him pull her close, tucking her right up against his broad body. The fabric of his dress combined with the hard press of him was a wicked contrast. Soft. Hard. Sweet. Wicked. Honest. Liar. He was so many contradictions, but who was the true Ben?
He leaned in, breath ghosting over the shell of her ear as he murmured, "Sometimes, we do things for the people we love. And sometimes, that gets us into trouble."
"And you think I can keep you out of trouble?" Rey asked.
"No."
"Are you going to get me into trouble, Ben?"
His lips brushed against the side of her head, skimming across her skin as he purred, "Oh, I hope so."
He'd already gotten her into trouble just by being his horribly appealing self—not to mention what had happened when he'd shown her how he could use his power. But it didn't feel like it was only Ben working to keep them together. Some strange presence seemed to be pushing them to be closer and feelings of understanding were shifting into something dangerously akin to love.
Ben pressed a gentle kiss into her head and seemed like he was about to say more, but a chime sounded throughout the room, and it seemed that someone was waiting for them on the other side of the door.
"Ready for work, my beautiful bodyguard?" Ben asked, and he almost sounded disappointed, like he was enjoying the intimacy between them as much as she was and wasn't looking forward to going out into the business of the event.
Before thinking better of it, Rey reached up and gently cupped Ben's cheek as she urged him to dip his head. Standing up on her toes a little, Rey kissed him—once, hard, and brief before declaring, "You'll have to show me just what kind of trouble you've got planned for me later."
Ben stared down at her, brow furrowed before her words registered. A grin worked its way onto his handsome face. "Anything you want, sweetness."
The dressing room door slowly shifted open, revealing the tall, inky-dark protocol droid from before. If the droid was human, Rey would have expected to see them tapping their foot with impatience. Given that they were a droid, they stood stock-still and cast their unblinking gaze on Ben and Rey, which had a similar effect.
"Governor Hux will see you now. If you will follow me," the droid said without waiting to see if they did so.
Rey kind of admired the droid's spark. While many were obsequious to the point of annoyance, this droid evidently had better things to do with its time than show a few sentients around.
"Ready?" Rey finally asked as Ben made his final preparations. He looked magical and she could only wonder how the crowd would react when he finally revealed himself.
"Ready."
She held out her arm for him. "I'll be your escort for the event," Rey joked.
Without missing a beat, Ben stepped close and gently curled his arm around hers. "It is to my utmost pleasure that I'll be escorted by such a lovely and beautiful sentient."
"Don't have much of a choice," Rey added before they both fell behind the droid.
"That's where you're wrong, smuggler," he assured him and she was about to ask him what he meant by that, but then Rey realized that, unlike before where no one had taken a second look at her, all eyes seemed to be on her and Ben.
And he held her arm all through the hallways as they dutifully trailed the gleaming, dark droid. Everyone noticed and Rey did her best not to blush as she kept her shoulders squared and her head held high. No doubt, everyone would write it off as one of Ben's particular quirks, as he always did what he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Truthfully, she should have been worried about the wrong eyes seeing her, but they were behind the scenes of the event, so she probably didn't need to worry. It also felt a little special that he wanted her close and felt safe with her. With his hand against her, he was declaring that he wasn't ashamed to be near her. Just a bodyguard, and yet his arm was wrapped around hers. He was Ben Solo and, for the moment, he was hers.
A warm feeling settled in her heart as she recognized the feeling as belonging. She'd spent her life yearning for it, crying herself to sleep at night for her loneliness and then—Ben. And now, for the first time, she felt it.
His hand squeezed tight on her arm, steadying and comforting her as her mind reeled. He was there. Somehow, it felt like he'd always been there. Deep inside, Rey knew he'd be there for her now, despite what challenges life would undoubtedly continue to hold for her, and despite what was yet to come—for them both.
Author's Notes: Did I spend an inordinate amount of time studying Michelangelo's David while thinking about how Ben would look here? Yes. Does David have a better bum than Adam, absolutely, but I won't hold that against Adam and maybe Ben's been doing some squats. Vascularity my dudes, the HANDS. The way I always expect that sculpture to take a breath and move—UNCANNY. Am I in love? Undoubtedly! I also have a crush on Antinous in the Vatican Museum. Get you a man (Hadrian lol) that turns you into a god after your death because they love you so much (true story). Anyways, that's a lil art history for today, I guess. I also watched clips of Adam on Girls because he basically doesn't wear a shirt for most of the first season, and much of the final. Oh, and GQ Running Adam, because this Ben doesn't spend quite so much time lifting as Kylo Ren.
Fun fact, one of the original titles for this story was "Hope is a dangerous thing," taken from the LDR song, "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have—but I have it." And I'm sorry for the "Loth-wolfish grin" part (cheese), but it made me lol too much to not put it in (should just be wolfish because obviously there are wolves in the gffa, but Loth-wolfish was TOO MUCH FUN I HAD TO). Anyway, thanks for your patience. My health hasn't been the greatest lately (not that it's ever great, but it was particularly bad) + some family shit, + you know, *gestures vaguely* everything lol. Thanks so much for reading and for all of your lovely reviews Hope you're taking care!
