Thank you so much to those of you that wrote lovely reviews or PMs! I was lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend creating all this writing opportunity!
This chapter is a bit more fluff, but I hope to be setting myself up for the next few. Enjoy!
Ben rolled stiffly in his sleep, expecting the pain from his ankle to make itself known. When he realized he only felt a dull ache of healing, he was suddenly alert, his eyes flying open. How long have I been asleep for? Has it been hours, days? Where is Rey?
Sitting up from the meager bed roll on the dirt and moss covered floor, he felt a panic when he noticed he was alone. He appeared to be in some sort of small, cave-like room and he was unable to immediately sense Rey's presence nearby. A few minutes passed before he heard yelling from outside the door and felt relief when he could sense Rey's light, though it was white hot and pulsing. Ben felt that she was angry, furious even.
Could she have been reminded of one of his many crimes, possibly causing the love and unity now between them to fall away? Fear spiked within him, sending an icy chill up his spine at the thought.
Before he could get too deep into his own anxieties, Ben could hear the voices coming closer, and he hesitantly approached the only door to the room. Though he was sure that the door was locked, he tried the rusty handle anyway without success. Instead, he pressed his cheek to the door, eyes closed in concentration, trying to hear the conversation.
"I've told you Poe! That is not who he is anymore! He gave his own LIFE for ME! How could someone so completely evil make such a sacrifice?"
"Sorry, Rey, I cannot go on trust alone. You're my friend, but you cannot imagine how he tore through my mind in that interrogation room, let alone ignore the fact that he nearly killed Finn on Starkiller! How can we just live with him happily-ever-after now that he's done one damned thing right?" Poe countered, his voice growing louder with frustration.
They moved further from the door and the argument became more muffled, but he could still sense Rey's anger and desperation. His heart beat unevenly at knowing she was trying to reason with her friend in his defense. Before he could contemplate long on this revelation, the voices circled back. He imagined it was a hallway of sorts, and that Rey was pacing up and down it.
"I don't CARE what they think, I cannot not let you keep him locked up in there!" She yelled, almost snarling.
Unexpectedly, the rusty hinges on his door groaned, and Ben stumbled back a few steps as the door began to vibrate. It flew open, revealing Rey's rigid stance with her right arm out, palm facing Ben's surprised face.
Poe's speechless figure standing behind her spoke volumes. She had just defied her friend and new general and blown Ben's door open by way of the Force.
Rey seemed a little stunned herself, looking down at her hand briefly before hurriedly looking to Ben. He closed the gap between them in seconds, engulfing her in his arms tightly and bringing her head to his chest with his right hand. The Bond practically sang with relief.
He bent his head until his mouth was practically in her hair and breathed deeply before softly whispering, "I woke up and I could't feel-"
"I know, I felt the fear," She replied wretchedly, squeezing her arms tighter around his midsection.
Still in the hallway, Poe huffed and threw up his arms in exasperation, "I just can't with you two right now. This discussion is not over, Rey!"
With that, the young general turned on his heel and left, leaving the two in their embrace. Ben held her like that for a long moment, trying to piece together what had happened since their not-so-welcomed arrival.
After her inspection of the couple, Maz had ushered them to a sort of dining area and sat them down without a word. A large tray of food had been set in front of them, and both Rey and Ben quickly had reached for the first thing in front of them, realizing how famished they were. They hadn't eaten even close to their fill when drowsiness began to set in and their heads began to droop. After that, it was a blur. Had he fallen asleep right there on the table only to have them drag him to a cell?
Slowly, Rey pulled back and looked up at him, reaching to touch his jawline, "Ben, I am so sorry."
Ben closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. He had known this transition would not be simple. The history was too great, and the galaxy had suffered far too much to sweep his actions under the rug in the face of one redeeming feat.
"This is my wrong to right, Rey. None of it is your fault. I did this," he sighed before continuing, "I don't know what I have to do yet, but I will have the strength to it, thanks to you."
Rey turned her eyes away, moving her focus to the tears on his tunic, plucking nervously at the loose threads. She was sad with the knowledge that what he was saying was true, especially to others. Even so, a sense of hope and pride filled her at his promise to set things right. Through the Bond alone, she felt as if she had already forgiven him for what he had done long before Exegol. Kylo Ren had been a puppet of Palpatine since he was a child, but Ben Solo had always been there in some form, hiding and surviving. Now, Rey could see them as two separate people, yet knew it would never be so easy for the others to see that same contrast.
Changing the subject, if just for a moment, Rey stepped back and looked back up to his face, "I cannot believe they didn't even leave you some new clothes! The nerve of that kriffing pilot."
The corner of Ben's mouth twitched before he gave her a sweet grin, almost embarrassed at her level of concern for him. He had not felt that kind of concern for his well-being since he was a teenager. The smile faded and Rey sensed his thoughts on the subject, reflecting his facial expression.
"Wait here," she patted his chest once in reassurance and quickly marched out of his room, not even sparing a second glance for the door that was now hanging off its hinges. He did as he was instructed but could not take his eyes off of her, noting that she had not had to go far to find what she was looking for. He lost sight of her when she stepped into what appeared to be a utility closet, but could hear her rustling through various items.
She returned quickly, arms full of clothes, a pair of boots, and soap. He held out his arms, eyeing the grin she was giving him skeptically.
"Welcome to the Resistance," she laughed.
Had being clean ever felt this good before? Ben was sure his answer in that moment was a solid no. He gave his head a flick, flinging his wet hair out of his eyes as he wrapped a towel around his torso and walked out of the 'fresher.
"I thought you may have drowned in there," Rey called out to him from the hallway just outside the changing room he had just stepped into.
He couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape at her quip. The water had been slightly brown and the temperature had been tepid at best, but he had stayed in there long after he was clean, finally feeling revived. He walked over to the neat stack of clothes Rey had procured for him and held out the shirt. It was simply a beige standard issue long-sleeved button-down shirt. Inwardly he chided himself for his vain judgement on the color of his new wardrobe. However, if he wanted to be seen as changed, the least he could do was start with his attire, right?
He finished dressing and was rolling up his sleeves when the door to the room inched open and he could see one of her eyes peeking through.
"Decent in there?"
"It appears you already know the answer to that," he smirked as made the final roll on his sleeve.
She opened the door the rest of the way and approached him, silently appreciating how he looked now that he was properly clean and dressed. Rey could not help but want to be near him, this newfound feeling of completeness within the Force when they touched being stronger than anything she had felt before. She immediately reached up to his face, moving a lock of wet hair from the left side of his forehead and tracing a path down his face.
"I'm glad this is gone," Rey said softly, ending the line she was tracing at the bottom of his jaw.
His eyes flew to hers in shock as he reached up to touch his face, expecting to feel the familiar ridges of the scar she had traced.
Rey looked at him quizzically, "Your scars, they're all gone. Did you not know?"
"When? How?" He quickly unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt and checked his shoulder for the round, puckered saber scar that was once there, running his fingers over the now smooth and unblemished skin.
"It was on Kef Bir, when I…healed you," She looked down, her fingers now lightly gliding across his abdomen where she had mortally run him through with his own lightsaber.
He turned from her slightly, looking at his reflection in small, dirty mirror hanging on the wall. He could not remember the last time he had looked at his own face for more than a moment, perhaps subconsciously avoiding seeing his hatred for his self.
Rey watched as Ben quietly inspected his own reflection, sensing he was finally seeing the Ben Solo she had always seen inside him. The moment was tender and made her reflect on the innocence lost in the many years he had been poisoned and seduced by the dark side and Darth Sidious.
Ben turned away from the mirror and back to Rey, his cheeks tinged with color, embarrassed at his own lack of self-awareness. She truly was the cure for him in all the ways he needed. He brought his hand to her cheek affectionately, his large hand almost cupping her head as his fingertips grazed her traditional hairstyle of three buns. She pressed her own hand over his, closing her eyes in the satisfaction that touch brought them.
As he looked her over, he noticed that she wore the same gray and white ensemble that she had been wearing when their first Force connection opened on Ahch-To, though now excluding the forearm wraps. The collared grey vest created sharp edges around her while still letting the softness of her features shine through. He thought it complimented her beautifully.
Without warning, Ben closed the gap between their faces and met her lips in a kiss, bringing his other hand to the small of her back. Her initial shock was quickly replaced by fervor and she threw her arms around his neck. They had not shared a kiss since Exegol, which had only been two days past, but that already felt like an age. The Bond was insatiable in its need for them to as physically close as possible.
Once again, thank you to all who took the time to read this! This story is coming out just as I write, so I love reviews to tell me if I'm writing in a direction that others want to see (and if I'm staying as on character as I hope to be!).