Chapter Text
“Careful! Out of the way please! Horse-man coming through! Thank you!”
“You know, try being a little louder, I think those people over there aren’t staring yet.”
“Ben, I say this not because I love you...”
“...which you do though, right?”
“Which I do…”
“Just checking.”
“I say this not because I love your insecure equine ass, no, I say this from the perspective of someone who’s 5 foot 7, and trust me: everyone is staring, whether I yell or not.”
“Noted.”
“We can stop here if you want.”
“Just… hold on. I want to go over there.”
“To that other, equally crowded piece of pavement? Sure. But I would like to state for the record that you’re weird.”
“The passenger will remain quiet until we’ve reached our final parking position.”
“Passenger, huh?”
“I said quiet in the cheap seats.”
“You’ve gotten bossy. What happened to that insecure, sweet horse-boy that I met last year?”
“He got laid.”
“Mhm, did he now?”
“Yeah, though if you don’t remember, maybe he needs to practice a little more.”
“I’m not opposed to that, in principle, but I think he’s doing OK.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Aren’t we smug today?”
“We are.”
“So, what’s so special about this spot?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Uh… no?”
“It’s where me met.”
“Huh… really?”
“Give or take a yard, yeah. I remember standing in front of this deli, and trying to avoid trampling the mailbox, when this cute brunette got all handsy.”
“Oh...”
“Rey?”
"Yeah?"
"You still with me?"
“I’m here.”
“I know. It’s kind of hard to forget with how your wallet is digging into my spine.”
“Crap, why didn’t you… hang on… is this better?”
“Yeah.”
“You know, this wouldn’t be a problem if we got a saddle.”
“Or, and here’s a hot thought, how about we don’t do that?”
“Spoilsport. What if I had a leather fetish?”
“I feel, seeing that your brain-speech-barrier is non-existent even at the best of times, that that might have come up at this point.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Yes. I head you the first time.”
“With ears that size I’d hope so.”
“Ouch.”
“They’re cute though.”
“Hmpf.”
“Ben?”
“Huh?”
“It’s sweet, that we’re, you know… here. I didn’t think you’d remember the exact spot. We didn’t know, in that moment, where it would all lead, didn’t we? I was just a stranger to you. And, I mean, I myself was too distracted by the hot piece of horse-flesh I was feeling up, so I think I can be forgiven, but still… “
“Did you really think I was hot?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good to kn...”
“And sweet, adorable even, weirdly shy for someone who looks like he’s just escaped from a glossy perfume ad. I couldn’t quite figure that one out until, well, later. But, you remember how I though you might be mute, and I got all rambly? And then you sort of looked down at me and smiled? I think that’s the moment I knew I was screwed.”
“Mhm. What a coincidence. Me too.”
“This is technically only out second date, you know?
“How do you figure?”
“Well, I think a proper date constitutes of two interested parties meeting in a neutral, public location.”
“Neutral and public?”
“Yeah, at home it’s just Netflix and chill.”
“We only have HBO and Disney, because Netflix doesn’t have Doctor Who.”
“Potayto, potahto. But we should finish watching that some time, we just keep getting distracted … your fault, not mine, by the way. But it’s the show that sort of started all this, after all. Well, that and Harry Potter, but I’m not watching those again.”
“Yeah, sure. If you want.”
“Ben?”
“What?”
“You seem distant.”
“Thinking.”
“Good things?”
“I… Rey?”
“Yeah?”
“They’re both yours, you know? My hearts. I know it sounds sappy, but they are.”
“I...”
“I just need you to know that. That day, last year, that was the best day of my life. I can’t believe that I met you, and that you just… stayed. That I got to keep you. I never thought I’d have that. Hell, I never thought I wanted that. And now that I have it - now that I have you - I never want to let go again. I love you, Rey.”
“I... love you too. I only… got the one heart, but it’s yours.”
“One is more than enough.”
“You don’t mind if I cry on you, right?”
“Never.”
“Good, because that ship has sailed.”
“I’ll live.”
“Good.”
“For as long as you’ll have me.”
“I like that.”
“You bet. Come here.”
“People - mhm - are - mhm - staring, love.”
“Have they never seen a centaur kiss an amazon before?”
“I don’t think they can tell that I’m an amazon. I’m just a chick with a bow and a toga. They probably think I’m cupid.”
“Uneducated boors, the lot of them. I think we should kiss some more, just to confuse them.”
“I don’t see how… oh, mhm.”
“You know I’m right.”
“I think you just want to kiss me.”
“Yes, and…?”
“If you put it like that.”
“I don’t hear you complaining. OK, I do hear you complaining, but never about that.”
“I am not. You’ve gotten quite good at this kissing thing.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but you still swish your tail when you get flustered. Am I flustering you, Ben Solo?”
“You know you are.”
“But you like it?”
“Very much.”
“Oh, oh! Ben! I think I can see the parade.”
“See, I said I would take you.”
“That you did, horse-boy. That you did.”