The engines of the plane woke Ben up as they roared in his ears, followed with the same tune he'd heard for the last eight hours. A symbol lit up above him, beckoning him to fasten his belt as the muffled voice of the captain informed them of the local time and temperature.
It took him a minute to remember where he was, and where he was headed. The last time he'd stayed in a plane for such a long time was twenty-three years ago, for a family trip in Italy. He'd been too young to remember more than the ice creams and hordes of pigeons, and the long movie marathon he'd made out of the long hours sitting in the plane. He was all crooked and sore, now, and not a single movie had been entertaining enough to keep his mind off the thoughts he'd been spiraling into, most of them about Rey.
They'd talked about it the day before and texted before he boarded -even though he'd told her not to wake up for him- but with every mile, Ben could feel a lump starting to form in his throat. Soon enough, he would finally face Rey; and soon enough, they would both be back to their respective bodies and to being themselves. His hand instinctively went to the pocket of his jacket at this thought, brushing the multiple stones and dried herbs Rose had insisted that he take with him. He'd never been one to believe in the power of plants and rocks, let alone the moon, but after the last two months… well, he couldn't exactly remain skeptical. Besides, the big transparent stone had been a great stress reliever for the past eight hours.
" Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the JFK airport. Please make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and stay seated until we land ."
A foreign feeling seized Ben as the plane began its descent, following him as he dragged Rey's old suitcase through customs and security. There was still a good half an hour separating him from his neighborhood, and probably just as much before he could grab a cab once he found the way out of this giant labyrinth, but the very thought of her was becoming louder with each step he took. The trip had tired him, but knowing she'd never been so close to him was enough to keep him walking. There was an odd joy is walking the long corridors of an airport- there were some of the few places where time didn't seem to pass, so much that Ben felt his heart drop as he checked the time on Rey's phone: nine a.m. She was probably still sleeping: she hadn't called nor texted and didn't have any job to go to anymore. Maybe he'd find her in his bed when he arrived, or maybe she'd wait for him by the TV. A small smile crossed his lips as he passed a bakery, and Ben stopped to get some pastries. He had absolutely no idea what Rey would like, forgot all about her tastes and ended up getting one of each, leaving the shopping area with a bag full of a dozen pastries and a bottle of orange juice under his arm as he followed the exit signs. Bringing breakfast would be a good way to break the ice, or any potential awkwardness between them; food was the way to Rey's, heart, and he definitely-
His heart dropped to his knees when he reached the arrival gate, followed by the orange juice, which met the floor in a thud.
She was here- well, he was; or rather, they were. Hearing his own voice tinted with her British accent was one thing, but looking at his own face displaying a bright smile he'd never seen on himself was something else. It was unsettling and slightly uncomfortable at first, but all these feelings vanished as he processed the fact that this was Rey inside, here and waiting for him with anticipation in her gaze that immediately changed to pure relief when their eyes met.
She waved at him timidly, and his heart missed another beat.
She was here. For real.
The few steps separating them were the longest Ben had ever taken. His heart kept beating faster, his mind blanking as he got closer and closer, wondering what he was supposed to do and could she tell how nervous he was? Was she nervous, too? Judging by the blush painting her cheeks- well, his- she was. One more step, then another, and he found himself squeezed by his own arms in a strong embrace that washed all his doubts away. These weren't the arms he'd stared at for longer than he'd like to admit, sometimes wondering how they would feel around him.
He'd caught himself wondering about their size difference, but hadn't pictured it with him being crushed by giant arms wrapping around his waist with disconcerting ease- but this was only a detail for now. This wasn't a matter of bodies or looks: because right now, this was Rey holding him, and giggling in his shoulder as he held her back in response, slightly trembling with emotion. They were only two people holding on each other like they couldn't let go, chuckling silently at the awkwardness of it all and the sheer relief of finally being to do such a simple thing.
For weeks, he'd wondered if she was even real, and had doubted it more times than he wished to admit; a detail as small as a body swap wasn't going to take any of his joy away. Besides, if everything went according to the plan, they'd be able to hold each other properly in just a few hours.
"I told you not to come," Ben murmured after a moment.
"I know. I couldn't wait."
Neither of them moved for a few seconds, both tightening their grip on each other as various emotions kept washing over them. It was way too early for tears, yet Ben felt like he could easily cry if he kept holding her for too long. She'd felt real through the phone, even more after she'd established their long-distance hand-holding trick, but actually being able to hold her made all of it feel real for good. There was something about holding his own body, too- something that after two months of long questionings and self-exploration felt like an apology to himself. He'd been thinking about it a lot on for the past hours, and had come to the conclusion that whatever happened, he wasn't only taking his body back: he was going to take his life back, too.
"Just to be clear," she mumbled through the hug, "are you hugging your body or me?"
"Both." His answer drew a chuckle out of her, making him smile even more as he realized he would soon hear it from her real voice. "But mostly you."
She squeezed him a little more in response before they both pulled away, all smiles and giggles as they headed towards the exit. Their hands brushed while they waited for a cab, and found each other as they sat on the backseat. By the time they got to his apartment, their fingers had intertwined, leaving Ben pouting when she let go of him to grab his keys and open the lock of the apartment he'd left two months ago.
"Welcome home," Rey murmured as she pushed the door open.
The hinges squeaked as the interior of his apartment appeared before his eyes, barely changed and yet so unfamiliar. There were a few traces of Rey here and there, tiny details such as plants placed on his table and window and a few things scattered around. One big change, though, was the giant Welcome Home, Buddy! sign she'd hung across the living room and modified with a sharpie and some tape to turn it into Welcome Home, Body!
"You've redecorated," he observed with a tiny smile.
Her hand found his as she returned the smile, and Ben found himself staring at his own face again, searching for Rey in his own eyes. These were all his traits, but none of these expressions were his. Every smile, every nose scrunch was hers, making him a little more nervous about tonight and impatient to truly see her. Slightly tightening his grip on her, Ben took a deep breath and glanced at the kitchen, where a few more plants had been added. The whole place felt more welcoming, more personal; another reminder of how much Rey had changed his life in her time here. If this was how the place looked when she was around, he wasn't sure he wanted her to ever leave.
"You should get some sleep," she said softly. "I made your bed and put my things away."
His eyes landed on a pile of books carefully put away on his coffee table. "I don't want to sleep."
"You've had a long trip, you need to rest before tonight-"
"I'd rather stay with you."
His words caused silence to fall between them as their eyes met again. She gave him a smile, surprised and shy- and despite how weird talking to his own body was, Ben felt his heart warm at the reminder that this was Rey smiling at him, Rey taking his hand back in hers and Rey watching him with this look again as she bit her lips and spoke. "You want to watch a movie?"
He didn't say a thing, nodding and letting her guide him to his own couch. They sat side by side, close but not touching save for the hand Rey hadn't let go of. She scrolled through his Netflix list, blatantly ignoring the number of romcoms she'd added lately and stopped after a moment, eyeing him with raised eyebrows. Her choice brought a smile to Ben's lips as he approved with an amused nod, sighing sarcastically as the movie opened on Robin Williams singing an opera piece while ' Mrs. Doubtfire' appeared at the bottom of the screen.
They'd only made it to the first half of the movie when Rey stretched out and let herself flop on her side, her head landing unceremoniously on his lap. Her hand squeezed his briefly, like she was checking on him, and Ben felt his heart warm up at the memory of his hands squeezing each other with her instructions, longing for the day they would be able to do this for real. He was still longing- for her real hand to get wrapped in his- but this was close enough to it for him to light up and squeeze her hand back. He couldn't remember the last time he'd received any kind of physical affection, but Rey- she made it feel all so easy, so natural that Ben found himself stroking her hair- his hair- lazily as the movie kept playing before them. The last person who had touched his hair like this was his mother, long ago, which made him realize how lovingly he'd been running his finger through the dark waves. It'd taken an entirely new person to live in his body for him to start giving it the attention and love it deserved. His movements slowed down when Rey squeezed his hand again.
"Ben?"
"Mmh?"
"We never talked about my box."
His movements stopped and he nodded carefully, his heart beating faster with anticipation. "We didn't."
"Can we?"
Ben hadn't expected the topic to be brought back. Truth be told, he'd expected it to be avoided and forgotten, not talked about until much later when this was all behind them. There was a part of him, tiny but vocal that dreaded another argument, but got silenced quickly by the other part, the rational one who'd noticed the calm tone Rey had used. Still careful, he untangled his fingers from the hair he'd been brushing and frowned. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't…"
"I do. I want you to know." A pain traveled through his legs as she shifted on his lap, brief but sharp. Ben made a mental note not to overestimate the impact of his weight on her body for when they swapped back –maybe a stretch- as she turned around to face him and sat up, never once breaking eye contact. "I want you to know me, all of me- even the ugly me."
"I don't think you could ever be ugly."
A soft smile curled her lips as she tilted her head, reaching for his cheek hesitantly. "Well, you do make me seem hotter than I am with that accent of yours."
"You're one to talk."
A flash of mischief lit up her eyes, then vanished just as quickly. Her hand pulled back carefully, landing on the couch between them as she shifted in her spot to sit more comfortably, a brief sigh crossing her - not quite hers - lips. "What did you see, exactly?"
Flashes of memories played in Ben's mind, bringing him back to the frustration he'd felt that night while going through the relics of her past. He remembered the way his stomach had tightened at the words of her younger self and how his heart had broken with each unfinished investigation she'd written down. A wave of guilt washed over him just like it had after how hurt she'd been at his betrayal, but he quickly put it aside. This wasn't what this was about and this wasn't what she needed to hear, so Ben took a breath and replied as factually as he could.
"The notebook. A few press cuttings." He stopped then hesitated before continuing. "Beebee."
A silent chuckle shook Rey, coupled with a faint smile. "Poor brave Beebee," she murmured. "I should get him out of that box."
"He did look a bit lonely down there."
His serious tone drew another chuckle out of her, sending waves of pride through him as she bit her lips. She went silent for a few seconds then took his hand in hers again, giving it a small squeeze as she cleared her throat.
"I kept looking for them after I turned eighteen," she said after a moment. "I had this idea of this whole situation being a case of misunderstandings and bad luck, that maybe I had someone waiting for me somewhere. That maybe I'd find an old relative who'd be thrilled to discover they had a sister, granddaughter, or a niece." She paused, letting out a bitter chuckle. "Turns out they were not."
"You found someone?"
She nodded, still not meeting his eyes. "My mother's cousin. She barely remembered her, only knew she'd died years ago with my father- alcoholism. I didn't even ask for their names."
Something like a cold breeze grazed Ben at her words, leaving him silent and frowning. After the longing he'd witnessed in her notebook, the pain he'd found in that box, this resolution was just… empty. Unfair . It filled him with anger towards these strangers, and towards whatever force had thrown Rey through so much at such an early age. An anger he was, sadly, familiar with.
"I was technically raised by both my parents. They loved each other and loved me, and I still felt abandoned."
His eyes met Rey's again, and found her staring at him through wet eyelashes. She made him look so young, he could almost feel the absence of his parents as if it were fresh. A single tear dropped from her eyes to land on their tangled hands and she sniffed, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. "I'm not sure I follow."
"There wasn't anything wrong with you," Ben continued. "You were just born from people who didn't know how to be parents."
"Is that what happened with yours?"
He paused for a second, and then nodded. "I think they loved me but didn't know how to show it."
Another silence settled as he dwelled on his own words. It'd been easy to hide behind anger and distorted accusations, but the truth was always so much more simple and frustrating: for every good intention they'd had, his parents always had bad timing and very poor management over their own demons. For every argument, his father would take him for a ride; and for every tantrum, his mother would drop him off to his uncle who, even though the diploma on his walls claimed him to be a therapist, never fixed a single thing. They'd always tried; just never knew they needed to begin with themselves.
"I used to think I wanted to be alone, you know," Rey continued in a murmur. "No friends, no partner, no family- it just felt easier this way. I always said I was afraid to trust someone, but… I think I'm afraid to fuck up like they did."
"You never know until you try."
Her fingers tightened around his for a brief moment before they loosened their grip and trailed up his arm. The space between them diminished as Rey shifted closer, tilting her head and stopping a few inches away, leaving Ben with a fast-beating heart and an empty brain as he watched Rey's gaze linger on his lips- or rather, hers.
"I want to kiss you."
He felt her words graze his lips in a whisper, followed by her steady breathings as she shifted a little closer. She was just an inch away, eyes closing when Ben found it in himself to react and pulled away, his back hitting the arm of the couch in the process and drawing a muffled groan out of him. Rey backed away immediately, leaving a mark on his lips as she bit it, eyes wide and alarmed.
"Sorry, I thought…"
"No- I want it too," Ben hastened to explain, "but not like that. I want to kiss the real you."
Rey's breathing slowed as they both stared at one another with incredulous smiles spreading on their lips. "Makes sense", she murmured.
She crawled back to him with a nod and let her head fall on his shoulder, heavy and quite too big for him- something else to remember for when they switched back. They stayed like this for a moment, their fingers finding each other again as they watched the end of the movie in a religious silence, his thumb stroking her palm from time to time as he lingered on her words. He'd thought about kissing her, holding her and whispering so many promises in her ear. She made him look so brave and vulnerable at the same time, he wondered if getting used to his own face and appreciating it was part of the process- because with each passing minute, each heartbeat pulsing by the tip of his fingers as he caressed hers, his heart beat a little faster with the realization that he'd been falling in love with Rey so fast that he hadn't realized it until now.
A wave of shivers rolled through his spine as his smile grew wider, and it took him a moment to realize Rey's hand had moved to his thigh, guiding his hand to the hem of the leggings he'd put on. She stopped there, eyeing him inquiringly, her smile ever so impish on her parted lips. "Show me."
"I thought you were familiar with that."
"I want to see you doing it."
He barely hesitated, his hand leaving hers to slip under the leggings wrapped around him. His fingers grazed the lace of the underwear he'd chosen, then the skin he'd been exploring for the past weeks. He'd grown to know where to touch, where to press and how much pressure to apply, but took his time as he did so, watching as Rey mirrored his movement next to him.
"I wish I could be doing it to you," he breathed as she slid out of his favorite jeans.
"Soon, maybe."
He watched as she took his cock and gave it a few experimental strokes, breathless and beaming. He was almost tempted to touch it himself if only just to check how her hands looked around him, but the way she looked at him- she was giving his eyes something primal that sent him to the edge, compelled him to hasten his movements and focus on the sounds crossing her lips. He couldn't wait to see her looking at him through her eyes, her real eyes- he was so tired of having to look in a mirror to imagine her expressions.
"I've been thinking about your fingers," she whispered, picking up her pace, too. "How it would feel with them."
" Soon, maybe ."
She grinned at the innuendo then shut her eyes firmly, followed with a groan that he knew all too well as a spasm shook the hand she still had wrapped around his cock. If his body had kept its usual endurance, she wouldn't be long to come- and neither would he. His fingers accelerated, rolling down her clit to her entrance with furious strokes as he tried to align his speed with hers.
"Your- thumb," Rey breathed out next to him. "Use your thumb."
It took him a second to understand what she meant; but a shuddered gasp left him once he did, trading his index for his thumb to rub at her clit, as he buried both his middle and ring fingers in her cunt. She threw her head back, her breath coming out short and unsteady as she reached her climax, her gasps and moans sending him to the edge as well as he pumped his fingers in and out, feeling the now-familiar warmth building in his abdomen. It was growing much faster than it usually did, Rey's presence influencing his mind in a way he never would've suspected. She joined his side seconds later, her eyes fixed on his movements and her still warm hand grazing his arm.
"Fast learner," she murmured in his ear.
Her breath tickled the skin behind his ear, her lips just barely hovering over it. He could hear her smile as he took a deep breath, the growing fire in his abdomen threatening to explode any second.
"Good teacher," he managed between breaths.
She tilted her head to flash him a grin before she disappeared to his blind spot again. Her lips did touch his skin, this time, leaving a kiss on his cheek, way too chaste compared to the way his fingers kept moving just a few inches lower. She lingered there a moment, the ghost of her breath grazing his neck. "Come for me, Ben."
Her words, her accent- she'd definitely intensified this last part, using that soft sharpness he liked so much- it all sent him to the edge, releasing the sweet pain he'd been trying to keep inside. It rolled through him in waves, short and fast and so intense- it'd never been that intense when he was alone. He could feel the pulses around his fingers, the wetness and the warmth of it all as he gritted his teeth and felt his whole body go soft as the waves vanished gradually until he was left with a heaving chest and a stupid smile on his lips.
"That was…"
"Yeah," Rey murmured, just as breathless. "Very much."
They both turned to each other, chuckling incredulously when they processed what had just happened. Their hands found each other again, clammy and trembling, but they couldn't care less: their fingers tangled as they melted into each other, Rey on top of him as Ben reclined along the couch. She was still too heavy in his body, her head too strong against his chest as she fell asleep in his arms, but none of this mattered. All that mattered was that they were together, finally, and that he could feel her heart beating just as fast as his as the movie's credits lulled them to sleep.
They slept through the afternoon until a phone call woke them up with a start, followed by Rose's worried voice echoing around the room when Rey picked up and put her on speaker. The apartment was plunged into total darkness save for the lights shining outside, and Ben felt his heart jump in his chest as his eyes landed on the numbers displayed on the oven: 6 P.M. The moon would soon be full enough.
"Holy shit Rey, that voice really is-"
A muffled noise echoed next to him as Rey threw her hand on her phone, wide eyes staring at him and both cheeks painted with a blush. "Rose, you're on speaker!"
"Oh? Oh, is Ben around? Hi Ben!"
A chuckle passed through them as he greeted her in return, doing his best to ignore how red his face had become under Rey's embarrassment. A series of questions followed, starting with how his flight was to how clear the sky was above them, to which Rey replied when she got up and peeked through the curtain of the closest window.
"Perfect," she announced with pride.
They left the apartment a few minutes later, both wrapped up in heavy coats and scarves with Rose accompanying them through Rey's phone as they walked to the nearest park. Their hands eventually found each other again when they stepped onto the lawn, fingers tangling with difficulty with the cold surrounding them.
"Why do we have to be outside, again?" Rey asked suddenly. Even with her face hidden under the scarf Ben had given her, her frown was impossible to miss. There, she made him look like himself , Ben thought with a smile. She didn't miss it either, giving him an inquiring look he was quick to dismiss with a shake of his head.
"The moon, dummy," Rose replied with an exaggerated sigh. "You're not taking any more risks, I want you to bathe in that moonlight. Ben, you brought what I gave you?"
His hands came to his pocket, grazing the stones and herbs she'd thrown inside his jacket days before. "Yep."
"Don't let go of it, make sure you touch it. Make sure you both touch it."
His eyes met Rey's briefly, both of them repressing a laugh at Rose's wording as flashbacks of the afternoon danced between them. The memory of Rey's eager movements and the little moans that'd crossed her lips; he couldn't wait to hear them cross her actual lips, couldn't wait to touch her with his own mouth and taste every inch of her once they finally-
The sound of Rey clearing her throat dragged him back to reality. They'd stopped walking and were now standing in the middle of the park, her amused look on him as Rose called his name again.
"Sorry- what?"
"The stones," Rose sighed impatiently.
"What do I do with them?"
She let out another sigh as Rey drove her hand into his pocket with a chuckle, pulling out the set of stones and herbs, placing it in his palm and covering it with hers. A shiver ran through him as their skin met, painting smiles on both their lips. "Next?" Rey asked softly.
"I think this is the wishing part," Ben whispered.
A hum of approval echoed from Rey's phone, but she didn't seem to notice. Her gaze seemed to get lost for a moment, slowly getting filled with panic until Ben slipped his free hand to her chin and tilted it back to him. "Hey. What's wrong?"
Her eyes finally found him again, wide and uncertain. "What if it doesn't work?"
For a brief moment, Rose seemed to vanish, falling silent to leave them the space they needed as Rey leaned into Ben's touch. Her free hand came to his arm, wrapping around his wrist as she closed her eyes and left a mark on his lips again as she bit it nervously. What if she didn't work: her real concern was written all over her expressions, a shadow in her gaze as she looked at him expectantly. It took Ben a few seconds to figure out the mechanics in these bodies, but he pulled her closer, beckoning her to drop her head so their foreheads could touch.
"It will," he murmured. "It worked once, it can work twice."
"But I don't want to go back to what it used to be."
Her voice was rendered to a whisper, but he could hear the panic in it just as clear as he could feel her starting to tremble against him.
"Then wish for something else," he replied in a breath.
His lips ghosted over her skin as she leaned in closer, closing the gap between them until Rose couldn't hear them anymore, their faces too close to each other and too far from the phone. He didn't want it either, didn't want her to leave with that smile of hers and go back to his apartment alone again, with way too many demons to face. She'd promised, he knew she'd promised, but the instinctive part of his mind, the one still hurting, couldn't stop him from tightening his grip on her just a little.
"I want us to be ourselves again."
"That's an excellent wish."
She chuckled through her smile, her breath tickling him in the process. Slowly, careful not to let her drop her phone, Ben let his hand slide to the one she'd buried in his coat and raised her fingers to his mouth, kissing her knuckles –his- as they held onto each other fiercely. Her other hand pressed against his, squeezing the herbs and stones between their palms as they both fell into a deep silence, accompanied by Rose's heavy breathing. She gave them a countdown to the exact time she'd calculated, enunciating the seconds as Ben shut his eyes and frowned, gathering his attention on the only thing he wished for. He wished for it with all his strength, with every inch of his being.
He wanted to hold Rey as himself, wanted to see her smile with her own lips and hear her laugh with her own voice. He wanted to get his voice back to call his mother himself, let out the words he'd been repressing for too long and see if his face remembered how to smile and laugh when it wasn't Rey controlling it. He wanted to feel the butterflies in his own stomach when she promised him more than he deserved, to hold her close and carry her with the ease he suspected he would have. But most of all, he wanted to get his lips back and kiss her senseless until none of them could breathe anymore.
"Ben? Everything ok?"
His palm hurt with how hard he'd been squeezing the stones, rendering the herbs to dust. Rose had mentioned rosemary and sage, but she hadn't mentioned they would burn , let alone that much.
"I… yeah…"
The burning intensified as he tried to focus back on his wish, tightening his grip on the stones- but even they were starting to hurt, and why were they so heavy? Rey said something, but her voice didn't reach him, becoming more distant with each passing second. He tried to answer, ask, explain, but not a sound crossed his lips; and when his eyes opened, his vision was blurred and prickly. He wanted to close his eyes, oh god he wanted to, but he couldn't- not when Rey was nowhere in sight and his fingers so numb that he couldn't tell whether or not she was still holding him. Soon enough, his head gave way and started spinning until it met the ground, the only indication of his fall the loud thud that resonated in his ears.
"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?"
It sounded like a dream at first; then like a sharp, irritating alarm pulling him away from a well-deserved slumber. Everything was heavy -damn, he was heavy- and insanely painful, and why was he so cold? His hand instinctively came to the back of his head, massaging the spot that hurt the most. He must've passed out , he realized as he slowly regained consciousness of his body as well as his vision. He soon realized the weird angle of his legs, and the cold grass under his back. He gathered his efforts to sit up, helped by the stranger who kept asking him if everything was ok, and why was he feeling so oppressed? He must've been unconscious for longer than he'd thought, because the man had had time to wrap him in no less than two scarves and-
His eyes drifted to the scarves, then to his torso. The coat he was wearing was definitely not the blue trench he'd picked from Rey's wardrobe but a deep grey wool coat he'd been sporting for years. The stranger asked him something, but he didn't hear it: his attention was on the sensations rolling through his body. A familiar, almost forgotten pain seized him at his knee as he bent a few inches and ran a hand through his hair- shorter than what he'd dealt with for the last weeks. His fingers met his face, trailing down full eyebrows and a long nose that definitely wasn't Rey's. He didn't find her cheekbones as he kept feeling around his face, his fingers tracing the curve of his lips instead- his lips, his Ben lips, a bit too full to his liking but familiar enough for him not to care at this moment.
His heartbeat hastened as he slowly understood what had happened, but his brain was quick to slow his hopes down- it could very well be a dream. The memory of Rey's instruction from two months ago rushed back to his mind like a mantra: blinking, sleeping, reality check.
Sleeping wasn't exactly on the table right now, but he did manage to blink without an ounce of effort. His vision cleared as he did, giving him a better view of his surroundings: the park was still plunged in darkness, barely lightened by remote streetlights and the moon shining bright above them. Nothing out of the ordinary- this felt like a successful reality check, until his eyes landed on Rey, staring at him from just a few inches away.
"Sir, are you sure you-"
His heart made a loop when he saw the smile spreading on her lips, genuine and so Rey . Her eyes had never seemed so bright, so her , they were like an extension of her smile, achieving to enlighten her face.
"Ben-"
She got on her knees, stumbling as she made her way to him, almost throwing herself against him in the process. The stranger took a few steps back, hesitating then leaving them alone when she reached out, cupping his jaw with her hands; her tiny, calloused hands he'd looked at more than he probably should've. He leaned into her touch almost instinctively, his eyes boring into hers while his heart kept drumming inside his chest with such excitement he wondered if it would be possible for it to simply escape.
"It worked." After weeks of imagining and trying to mimic what she would sound like, Ben felt his heart miss a beat. She seemed breathless, ecstatic and unable to set her eyes on one part of his face as she kept touching him with the tip of her fingers. "Ben, it-"
The words died on her lips as she tilted her head and leaned in without an ounce of hesitation, crushing her mouth against his with an impatience that took his breath away.
He knew how soft her lips were, for how many times he'd ran his fingers over it, but kissing them was something else. She tasted like nothing he'd ever met before, and like something he couldn't get enough of. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer until she was on his lap, straddling him and deepening the kiss in a way that had to be inappropriate for the place they were in. Rey broke the kiss after a few seconds, breathless and beaming, her thumbs grazing his lips like she couldn't get enough of him either.
"So what happens, now?"
"Now…" Ben paused to kiss her again, slowly pulling away with a smile on his lips. "Now we get back home," he continued, interrupting himself for another kiss. "And we don't get out for at least a day or two."
A soft gasp crossed Rey's lips as she chased his lips. She stopped just a few inches away, eyes closed. "That's a lot of time."
"I have a lot of things in mind."
A chuckle left her, digging dimples in her freckled cheeks, and Ben was positive he could get addicted to her laugh. Just when he wondered if kissing her again would be acceptable, she pulled at his shirt and tilted her head until her face disappeared into his neck, her lips almost grazing his ears when she spoke again. "Show me."
A loud thud echoed in the apartment exactly eighteen minutes later when Rey's back met the wall, her gasp muffled by Ben's lips crushing onto hers. His keys fell somewhere between the door and coat rack as they kept stumbling along the corridor, hands furiously grabbing at each other's clothes.
She was electrifying, hypnotizing and finally herself. Getting used to living in Rey's body was one thing, but moving along with it was something else. Even though she was far from being small, Ben had to bend his neck a few inches to deepen the kiss; and though he didn't mind continuing to explore her mouth with his, other parts of his body were begging to explore her, too. Slamming the door with a blind kick, he bent a little more to scoop her up, wrapping his arms under her thighs as her legs came around his waist with ease. She squeezed his shoulders with a yelp of surprise, pulling away just enough to look at him. Half her hair was on her face, almost covering the radiant smile she gave Ben when their eyes met again.
"What?"
"Nothing." She shook her head with a chuckle. "Just…feels good to be looking at you."
He stopped himself from retorting some kind of joke about how she'd had plenty of time to look at him, because he knew; oh, he knew what she meant. Because looking at her face in a mirror was nothing like looking at her like he was right now: her features were the same, but there was something in her eyes, in the tilt of her head and the curve of her mouth, something that screamed Rey and Rey only.
"Mmh. Not bad-looking yourself."
His lips trailed down her jaw to her neck, planting kisses along the way. The effect was immediate: a wave of shivers emerged on her skin and her legs squeezed around Ben, making him groan at the friction it created against him- just enough to remind him of the growing erection tenting his pants. His fingers dug into the skin of her thighs, pulling her closer and only increasing the friction. His mouth closed around the sensitive spot he'd just found on her neck, eliciting another trail of shivers to run down Rey's skin.
"Tease," she breathed accusingly.
Ben chuckled, then stopped himself right on the spot when she tightened her legs around him, causing his body to be covered with shivers as well. Repressing a groan proved to be useless as he looked up, finding Rey looking at him with a grin, visibly proud of the effect she had on him. Her devious smile vanished as she dipped her head a few inches and kissed him again, this time slower and deeper.
Her hands left his shoulders to find his collar, ridding him of the two scarves she'd picked when they'd left earlier. She was taking her time, throwing them to the floor one by one before switching her attention to his coat. There, again, she remained agonizingly slow, undoing his buttons and freeing him of the heavy jacket with patience he couldn't mirror right now. As soon as his coat joined the scarves on the floor, Ben turned them away and caged Rey between him and the wall. He was growing impatient and, well, something else was growing and she had to be feeling it- he could feel her smiling through the kiss- but she kept her steady rhythm, her fingers gently tangling in his hair as she returned his kiss with more composure. As much as he wanted it, as desperate as he was to promptly fuck her against this very wall, Rey deserved better than a few hasty thrusts. They deserved better.
Falling in with the rhythm she'd established, Ben deepened the kiss as softly as he could, secured his grip on her and slowly, carefully walked away from the corridor to the living room. They hadn't left too many things back then, thankfully, which allowed him to cross the room blindly and settle Rey down on the couch still fresh with their activities from the afternoon. Her legs unwrapped from his waist, leaving him with a cold sensation as he broke the kiss and knelt before her, his hands still on her thighs.
"I'm glad I know what you're wearing," he said with a smile. His hands moved to her hips, pulling at the hem of her leggings gently until she gave him a silent approval.
"Of all the things I have, you had to pick the cotton underwear."
A smirk painted her lips as her clothes rolled down her legs, followed by a chuckle when they got thrown across the room exaggeratedly. If she was nervous, she didn't let it show: her expression was relaxed, full of trust and desire and she didn't flinch even as Ben wrapped his hands around her thighs. She ran a hand through his hair instead, beckoning him to look at her; and somehow, it made it even easier for him to let his head rest on her thigh. In any other circumstances, being this intimate with someone would've made him overthink his every move, but not with Rey. She knew him just as much as he knew her, and any possible embarrassment had already been dealt with for the last two months.
His mouth was on her within seconds, his open-mouth kisses drawing little gasps out of her. She tasted just like he'd imagined, even better, and he wondered if the butterflies he'd felt in his abdomen for the past weeks were the same she was feeling right now. The hand in his hair grazed his scalp a little more with each passing second, then clench around his hair when he licked a stripe to her clit. Her chest heaved when his lips closed around it, and he knew he was doing it right when familiar noises left her mouth minutes later as his fingers joined his mouth to tease her.
"Ben-"
His name rolled from her tongue several times as he pumped a finger in and out of her. Ben, Ben, Ben , like a song he followed the rhythm of, eager to make her fall apart. She was everywhere, her thighs framing his head as he buried his face a little deeper between her legs, walls clenching around his fingers. With each gasp, her hips rolled against his nose, and Ben gathered his efforts to pin her down the couch every time- but she was already panting by the time he surrendered, her thighs trembling around him when he pulled away to look at her.
"Everything ok?" he asked in a murmur.
Her eyes were wide and dark, her hair disheveled when she nodded. "Come here."
A brief wave of disappointment washed over Ben at her words but quickly vanished as he joined her on the couch, claiming the very same spot he'd sat on hours ago. Still slightly trembling, Rey rolled on her side and threw a leg around his waist, letting her thighs sink on either side of his waist as she settled on his lap with a smile.
"I didn't want it to be one-sided," she explained, fingers brushing his hair away from his face.
It probably made sense, but all Ben knew was that she'd stopped him long before he'd been done. "I could've waited," he murmured against her shoulder, planting a kiss there. His hands finally left his sides to undo the buttons of the shirt she was still wearing, reveling in the warmth emanating from her skin. The fabric slowly slid down her shoulders until only her arms were covered, revealing a plain, black bra that only highlighted the freckles scattered over her cleavage and stomach.
A small giggle crossed her lips when his fingers followed imaginary lines between her freckles, tracing goosebumps as they went. She observed him for a moment, allowing him to continue until she got rid of her shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck, crushing her nose against his as she kissed him again, softly.
"I always wondered how it'd feel being in your arms," she whispered contently.
"I wondered how you'd feel in them."
"I wondered how you'd feel inside me."
"I wonder, too."
She let out another chuckle and resumed kissing him for the following minutes, slowly rolling her hips against him. Her hands eventually moved, toying with the collar of his shirt and trailing down his chest until she found the hem of it and pulled it up. Ben was faster and picked up, throwing the shirt across the room impatiently. Her hands were back on him immediately, splayed across his chest as she kissed him harder, longer.
With each movement, they both lost what was left of their restraint. They also lost what was left of their clothes, all piled up somewhere in the room- they didn't know where, didn't care. Rey had enough body heat for them both, and Ben- the desire growing inside him was enough to burn a city.
"You're huge," Rey murmured against his lips as she settled back on his lap.
Her thigh brushed his cock in the process, and Ben thought he was going to die- but her hands wrapped around him, and this was how he was going to die. She flashed him a grin, hand already going up and down his length with an ease only she could have.
"You knew it," he managed to mumble.
She hummed in approval, and his teeth gritted instinctively. Any word, any sounds coming out of her was another step towards heaven. His cock twitched in response, begging to be taken care of, and he couldn't help the moan that escaped him when Rey crushed her lips against his again, fingers tightening around him with each experimental stroke she gave.
Her name left him just a few seconds later, and Ben found himself immensely grateful that she'd seemingly explored his body by herself enough to know what it meant. Her grip loosened around him as she hauled herself a few inches, her free hand on his shoulder for support. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she sank down on him, brow creasing with a frown.
"Slow down," Ben murmured against her skin. "Take your time."
His hands came to her hips, guiding and supporting her in her descent. He hadn't forgotten how her body was made, and as much as he wanted to feel surrounded by her, as wet as she was, their respective sizes required care and attention. She took him inch by inch, her breath hot against his neck with every gasp as Ben stroked her sides encouragingly. Even like this, she looked divine.
She found her limit seconds later, rolling her hips against him with an impatience that made Ben smile. Her hands were on his chest in no time, hovering above his fast-beating heart and warming his skin in the most delightful way. Everything from her movements to her smiles was a mix of vulnerability and confidence, something typically Rey that made him feel dizzy with feelings as he watched her silently. His mouth found its way back on her skin as she picked up her pace, tasting her neck and cleavage with curiosity. He could still feel her on his tongue, and yet the salt of her skin made it to him. She let out a muffled moan when he circled her nipples, her thighs squeezing around him in perfect sync with the movements of his lips.
Her moans doubled, increased; and all of a sudden, Ben felt her walls clench around him. Her back arched into his arms, legs trembling around him, sending him to the edge as well with a cry the neighbors probably heard.
Their movements eased off gradually as waves of pleasure washed over Ben, Rey's hips slowing down and her chest heaving deeply as she regained control over her breath. Her hands had somehow found their way back to his hair, fingers tangled with his waves, but Ben didn't care; her touch had become soft again, loving as she held him close to her. He could hear her heart drumming in her chest, threatening to equal his as her face fell on his shoulder with a loud, satisfied sigh Ben mirrored.
"You were serious?" She asked after a moment. "About not going out for two days?"
"Very much," Ben assured with a smile. His hands trailed up her back, rubbing small circles along her skin. "Why?"
She straightened up in his arm, pulling away just enough to meet his gaze with hers. "Because I love this idea."