ILoveToWatchUGrow on Archive wanted more Smuggler Ben Solo and Dark Side Rey, so here it is. Ben is a soft boi and Rey just needs a hug.
"You know you don't have to do this," Ben whispered, eyes trained ahead on the elevator door.
Rey scoffed. "That is not for you to decide, Scoundrel." She willed the lift to move faster. "You have no control over me."
"I would hope not." Ben shrugged. "I wouldn't want control over you. You're not anybody's puppet. You don't deserve to be treated as such."
"And how would you know that?" Rey inquired. "How do you know that I don't deserve it?"
Ben was silent for a moment, before answering, "we are bonded to each other. I have seen inside your mind, just as you have seen mine. You never asked for-never wanted any of this." For the first time since he arrived, his eyes met hers. "You just wanted a home. To feel like you belong."
Rey glared at him. "You're delusional."
"So I've been told," he drawled. "But I can see the truth. You feel alone." He turned towards her. "You believe yourself to only be capable of it, and tell yourself that you are fine with it. But I know otherwise." Ben took a step forward. "You crave companionship. To be told that you are welcome, that you belong. That you aren't nothing. You want to know that you will never have to be lonely again."
"Stop talking."
"Rey, you're not alone." Ben stepped closer. "And you are not nothing. Not to me." He was in front of her now, and Rey could feel the warmth radiating off of him. "You will not be another one of Snoke's mindless pawns. I know you can do the right thing."
"And what is that," she sneered, "turning to the Light Side?"
"No. I'm not asking you to choose the Light. I'm asking you to not choose the Dark."
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can. I'll help you."
"How could you possibly help me? You're just some lowly smuggler."
"And I am the same smuggler that bested you on Starkiller Base," Ben countered. "The same smuggler that was Snoke's first target. That was sent away when he first showed signs of being a powerful force user. That refused to become the Jedi his uncle wanted. That refused to let a dead legacy define him." He lowered his voice. "The same smuggler that believes in the good in you." He smirked, looking so much like his father. "Sweetheart."
The doors of the elevator opened, and Ben turned around, straightening his posture and raising his head defiantly. Without waiting for her, he entered Snoke's chambers, and Rey was left feeling more lost than ever.