"Shhh," she shushes through giggles. He's snickering and it threatens to turn into true laughter. He might have had a few drinks himself. They've just managed to make it back to the apartment and had been caught kissing furiously in the lift by his stern neighbor. He's the diplomat of some system or the other.
The lights are all out, except for a low light in the foyer, so he's sure his parents have gone to bed. Rey is right, they need to be quiet.
She's kicking off her shoes, and then she's doing something he's never seen before. She's freeing her hair from those blasted buns and he's transfixed. He's wanted, so badly, to see her hair free and loose.
Sighing in relief, she shakes her head and her hair tumbles around her shoulders. Force, does she have any idea what it's doing to him to see her hair like that? Alderaan has very precise traditions about hair, and seeing a woman's hair free like this, well … it means something.
He can't help it, he has to get his hands tangled in her glorious mane, and he pulls her to him in the middle of the foyer, burying his hands in her hair as he kisses her again. He groans lewdly into her mouth as his hands card through her tresses.
Yes. It's even more exquisite than he'd imagined—so soft and silky.
"I love your hair," he breathes out between caresses.
I love you.
"I love your hair," she says as her hands slide through his hair.
Somehow, they make it to the wide settee in the sitting room, and they're tumbling down into the cushions. He lands on top of her, only just managing to catch most of his weight on his elbows and knees.
"Are you alright?" he asks, worried he's crushing her.
"I'm amazing," she beams and she grabs his face, pulling him down for more kisses. He's fully aware that there's far more to be had than kissing, but feeling her lips on his, her tongue in his mouth, he truly can't imagine anything being better than this.
His eyes just about fall out of his head when she snags his hand and rather forcefully places it on her breast. Even through her tunic, he's never felt anything like the soft mound under his fingers. It's firm, but yielding and oh gods, he's touching Rey's breast!
HIs entire universe narrows down to the slight weight in his hand. She's letting him feel her like this and, stars, his cock is so hard it hurts.
Rey giggles and says, "Haven't you touched a breast before?"
Eyes flying to hers, he shakes his head. "I've never done anything before. Just kissing," he admits sheepishly. Then he's trying to quiet the roaring jealousy in his chest as he realizes that other man has probably had all of Rey. No. He doesn't matter. Rey is all his, now.
But he does want to know, he wants to know desperately.
Rey's huge yawn interrupts his spiral of grasping envy, and her hand flies to her mouth. "I'm sorry!"
"You're tired," he observes, regretfully pulling his hand away, but not before his fingers graze her nipple and she gasps lightly.
"No, I'm fine," she says a bit mulishly.
A wave of exhaustion comes over him then and the mood evaporates with their shared tiredness. "We should get to bed."
"I don't want to be parted from you," she whines.
He's the one to yawn, now, and he's shifting off of her, but she grabs him around the shoulders and pulls him back down.
"Not yet!" she cries in a bit of panic.
He pauses, hovering over her, then he slides to her side, maneuvering himself until his back is to the cushions, and he gathers her in his arms.
"Just a little while," he whispers.
"Okay," she agrees, as she settles into his arms, his front to her back.
Nuzzling her neck, he doesn't even remember falling asleep to the scent of his Rey.
"Well, I guess you didn't sneak her into your room," his mother says in a stern tone laced with affection. It only just breaks through his haze of sleep and his head feels like death.
He tries to open his eyes, but the morning glare makes him swiftly close them again.
Rey flips in his arms and buries her face in his chest. "Sleeping," she complains.
"Awe, come on Leia, they're so cute!" his father's voice joins the chaos that is Ben Solo's life right now. Was it too much to ask to have woken up before his parents could find them?
Bearing the brunt of the light, he opens his eyes again and blinks against the brightness. Oh hell, why'd his mother have to open the drapes?
"Mother," he says flatly.
Her lips purse in disapproval. "I thought I was clear about sleeping arrangements."
"We didn't mean to, we just fell asleep," he defends with a quiet voice, trying to keep from disturbing Rey as she snores softly. Gods, she's adorable.
"Hmm. Well tonight, so that there's no confusion, you sleep in your bed and she sleeps in hers."
"But for now, just go back to sleep, Son," his father offers.
"Han!" Leia sputters.
"Have you seen the hickey on your neck? Just be grateful they're still clothed and leave the kids alone."
That's the point where Ben clenches his eyes shut. He does not want to see evidence of his parents … activities.
When he wakes again, his head isn't pounding so much and he smiles when he sees the pitcher of fresh water waiting on the low table next to the settee. There's also a packet of headache tablets and he figures his mother has forgiven them.
"Rey, darling," he croons lowly into her ear. "We need to wake up." He doesn't even begin to know what time it is.
"Don't wanna," she mumbles.
He shakes her a bit, and her eyes finally open slightly. Then she groans, "Oh gods, my head."
"I know, sweetheart. Sit up for me and I'll get you some water." He's trapped behind her and he doesn't want to jostle her.
She stretches out and her breasts jut out, transporting him back into memory. Rey let him touch her breasts! Rey had wanted him to touch her breasts. He suddenly wants to have a serious conversation with his mother about this whole not sleeping together business. Maybe his father can reason with her.
Yawning, Rey finally drags herself up, and he manages to wriggle himself into a sitting position next to her. He bends forward and pours two glasses of water. "Here," he offers.
Rey's eyes go wide and she positively gulps down the water as he opens the packet of headache pills. He offers her one and she swigs it down swiftly as he takes his own.
She puts her water down and rubs her temples. "I only had two drinks," she complains.
"Yeah, but do you know how strong they were?" he asks.
"No?"
"Strong, very very strong. That club doesn't mess about." The way he's feeling, he's not entirely sure they weren't spiked with spice, as well.
That makes his stomach fall to the floor. Did Rey want him to touch her like that, or was it just the drinks?
Furtively, he looks over at her. She seems fine, but he has to know.
"Are you alright?" he asks tentatively.
"Apart from feeling like my head is full of womp rats, I'm fine."
"I mean … I know you wanted to go slow, and last night … did you … did you really want … that?"
Her eyes blink and real fear fills them. "Uhm … it's a little fuzzy, did we … did we …" She gestures between them meaningfully and his eyes go wide.
"No! I meant, I meant … touching you … your breasts," he mumbles the last word awkwardly.
"Oh!" she exclaims with relief. "Yes, I wanted that. I wanted a bit more than that, honestly."
"You did?" he asks dumbly, his body immediately reacting to her words.
"Mmmhmm," she says with coquettish eyes.
"Great! You're up," his dad says with a loud voice.
Ben's eyes clench shut and he snags a cushion from the settee, placing it strategically to hide the evidence of what Rey always does to him. He's going to have to find a bit of alone time soon, or he's liable to burst.
"Hey, Dad," he grumbles as Rey greets him with, "Good morning, Han."
"Morning! Ha. It's after lunch."
Ben finally thinks to check his chrono and is shocked at how late it is. He has no idea when they made it back to the apartment, but clearly he'd fulfilled his father's wishes.
Rey's tummy growls, and Han grins knowingly. "Come on, Son. I'm gonna show you the patented Solo cure for hangovers." His father starts towards the kitchen.
"Uhm, I guess I better go with him, find you some food." Thankfully, his body is cooperating again.
"You're always feeding me," she says with a smile.
He leans forward and kisses her cheek. "And I always will."
Her eyes shine as he follows his father, watching her for as long as he can as he moves towards the kitchens.
"The trick is whilk butter. Everything you cook, you use as much of the stuff as you can. I'm telling you, nothing will turn a hangover around like a pile of eggs with whilk butter sauce."
His dad has always been the cook in their family, though the droids usually handle it. But weekend breakfasts were a special treat, and he remembers this dish fondly.
As his dad whisks the sauce, he says, "I think your mom has changed her tune after having tea with your girl. She really is a keeper, that one."
"I know," Ben says.
"Listen, I know I said you were too young, but I think maybe I was wrong about that. There's something about you two … can't put my finger on it, but anyway. I approve and I think your mom does, too."
Ben wonders if he should tell his father about Rey being from the future, being literally his soul, but his dad has never liked 'all that Force mumbo jumbo' so he decides to keep it to himself.
Clearly having overheard Han, Leia wanders into the kitchen. "I do. Rey is … special."
"I'll say, knows her way around the Falcon, let me tell you!"
"Now, don't send out the wedding invitations just yet, Han," his mom teases.
"What, I just appreciate anyone who knows their stuff!"
Leia comes around Han and puts her arms around his waist as he flips the eggs. "Uh huh."
A happiness settles in Ben's chest. He loves it when his parents aren't at each other's throats, when he can see why they got married in the first place.
He and Rey had spent the afternoon cuddled up on the settee, just talking about nothing and everything. She's much less guarded and had opened up a bit about her life on Jakku and he'd entertained her with stories of his early time at the training temple.
Now they're having dinner with his parents and everything is going surprisingly well. He's been able to avoid thinking too much about why Rey would travel through time just for him, and his parents continue to be in good spirits.
"Oh! Remember the time that Poe told you the floor in the sitting room was lava?" Leia asks.
Rey looks at him sharply. "Poe?"
Ben really doesn't want to talk about Poe Dameron. He's older than him and they'd been friends out of necessity, their parents socializing often.
"Oh, he's an old family friend, he and Ben used to be so cute together!" Leia gushes. "Anyway, Ben believed him. He was hanging off of the banister, terrified of falling in!"
"Mom, I think that's enough humiliation for one evening," Ben pleads.
"Oh, you're no fun." She makes a mock glare. "But that does remind me, he's going to be in town next week, he's on a break from the Academy. So he's coming to dinner; I thought you'd like to see him."
"I'd love to see … meet him!" Rey says with a note of enthusiasm that makes Ben wince. Of course Rey would know Poe Dameron and then his blood turns to ice.
Could he be the other man?
He'd been silent through the rest of the meal and had kept his distance as Rey and his father had talked ships late into the night.
Now, he's walking Rey to her room, and she keeps glancing at him warily.
When they reach her door, she asks, "What's wrong? You've been strange since dinner."
"It's nothing," he says tightly.
"Please, don't hide from me." Her face is so open, her eyes pleading, and he crumbles in an instant.
"It's just so hard. I can't ask you about the future, but I can tell when something reminds you. You've obviously met Poe before."
"I have," she acknowledges. "He was a good friend."
"Only a friend?" Then he cringes. "Sorry, no questions."
"No, no, that's fine. Of course only a friend, Ben."
The roiling jealousy that's getting harder and harder to control settles down and he smiles down on her. "I just … I'm sorry, Poe and I … we have a history."
"Well, remember, together. Just us." She strokes his face and for that moment, everything is perfect.
He tries to keep his kiss soft, gentle, but that doesn't appear to work when it comes to his Rey, and soon they're tangled, panting and gasping. Just when he's about to push her into her room, see just how much further she'd wanted to take things last night, he remembers himself and steps back from her.
"Sleep well, sweetheart," he says with a tinge of a growl.
Rey pouts and shifts on her feet. "I wish I was sleeping with you."
"So do I. So do I," he says regretfully.
By the time he reaches his own room his core is aching, and he knows he's going to have to do something about the situation in his trousers. And now he has so much more fodder for his fantasies. He knows what her delectable breasts feel like. Gods, maybe soon he'll even know what they look like!
Quickly, he shucks his clothes and climbs into bed, his hand immediately finding his already weeping cock. Oh, Maker, it feels so good.
He strokes himself firmly, imagining Rey's hand instead of his own. Force, maybe she'll touch him there soon! The thought alone makes him jolt forward, and he knows he won't last long. His mind is filled with images of Rey.
How delectable she'd looked at the falls with water streaming down her body, her tight little nipples straining against the cloth.
Rey, under him last night, her face flushed and her eyes full of intent as she'd placed his hand on that perfect breast. Gods, she'd felt amazing.
Grinding himself against her in the club, how their bodies had moved together as if they were made for each other. And now he knows that they were.
Rey, his other half, his heart, his soul. The pleasure builds swiftly, lighting up his spine, and he's calling out, "Rey, I love you!" as his release is pulled from his deepest places.
Panting, he lets the bliss suffuse his limbs before he pulls a cloth to him with the Force, cleaning himself up.
He's just put on his sleeping pants and laid back down when the voice breaks into his mind.
"You've been very hard to find in the Force, my boy," it says with a touch of venom. "Have you been hiding from me?"
He honestly answers, "No." But he does begin to wonder if its absence is somehow due to Rey.
"No matter, I'm here now. And we have a great deal to talk about."
Fear turns in his belly and he wonders what the voice knows. It never likes when he keeps things hidden.
"Tell me about the girl," the voice purrs.
A/N: Thank you, ArtemisBare, whose suggestions are all over this chapter. You're a peach!
Thank you, Readers! This is officially the longest writing streak I've ever had! I wonder how long it'll last. Thank you all so very much for giving your time and enthusiasm to this story. All my love.
