Work Text:
The potential of your bloodline.
The voice keeps hissing around them, making Rey’s head spin as her legs struggle to support her. They’re just voices, shadows from the past- yet their presence is strong. Strong enough to make even Ben struggle to keep his balance next to her.
She’s been sensing his inner turmoil since the moment they passed in through the doors. In a way, she can understand; the last time he’d escorted her handcuffed, they’d only made it out alive thanks to an insane amount of luck and trust in each other. Thankfully, the trust is still there today. Luck, on the other hand… she can only pray they remain as lucky as they’ve been so far.
The deed split your spirit to the bone.
You failed.
Even though she can’t see his face, Rey can easily feel the panic seizing Ben. It washes over their bond, pulling at her stomach with a hint of anger. She wasn’t fond of the idea of him wearing the mask again, but it appeared like a rather clever plan when the Stormtrooper guarding the building let them pass without further questions. For the first time, she’d felt quite grateful of his status, and even more of his discretion concerning his last whereabouts. Associating with the last Jedi surely isn’t what the First Order expects from its leader. A shiver runs down her spine as she recognizes the voice echoing from the helmet, and its next words.
It was I who bridged your minds.
The luminosity of the room around them seems to disappear, and for a moment, Rey is back on the Supremacy. The red walls, the metallic smell of the room- she can almost hear Snoke’s laugh again and freezes, hoping Ben isn’t experiencing it too. She hears the familiar buzzing of his lightsaber, followed by its red ray as the light flickers around them. Another voice joins the first, different; and this time, Rey shivers, too.
I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger.
Now your journey nears its end.
The pale blue of her own weapon blinds her as she feels Ben’s heart rate increasing through the bond. Nothing in his posture betrays the feelings rushing through him, through them, and she understands now. She understands the mask, the name, the denial; she understands wanting to escape such overwhelming feelings and thoughts. A vibration shakes the helmet placed before them and they both take a step back, Rey’s heartbeat quickly mirroring his as she tightens her grip on the lightsaber.
They need to do it together. It’s the sole reason for her presence here, of this whole plan: combining their forces to destroy the relic, and with it the mysterious shred of dark force calling him. And yet, Rey can’t help feeling like this isn’t her fight. Words from another time make it back to her mind- words she’d buried deep inside, but probably not enough.
“I don’t belong in any of this,” she breathes out.
She doesn’t move from where she stands until Ben turns his face to her- or rather, his mask. “You do. I need you to do this with me.”
The voice modulator takes her back to the first time she saw him, and his first words to her. How trapped she’d felt, how scared and angry. It feels like a lifetime ago. She was so different- he was so different. So much has changed, and yet it’s still the two of them, except this time they’re not facing each other. This time, their minds work alongside each other, and what had once scared her now feels familiar enough to keep her grounded as the helmet gives another vibration.
“Together,” she says with a nod.
She’s not sure whether it’s a request or an affirmation, but Ben doesn’t seem to mind. “Together,” he confirms with the same brief nod.
It’s enough to convince her. The voices intensify as they both raise their lightsabers, meddling together in a cacophony Rey can barely grasp any word from. Heir, son, deed, destiny, apprentice- the whisperings increase in a desperate attempt to reach them, to grasp something before they strike. It’s almost a whistle when Rey feels the blade of her saber hit its target, then it stops, muffled by the explosion of the relic and the combined buzzing of their weapons.
A cloud of black fragments shatters around them, followed with the smell of smoke and burnt metal and a sudden, heavy silence. Rey’s arm swings back to her side as she stumbles back, Ben mirroring her movement. None of them talk for a few seconds, only the sound of their heavy breathing breaking the silence along with the pieces dropping to the immaculate floor. Her face instinctively turns to Ben, a smile starting to blossom on her lips until she notices the hand stuck under the base of his mask. Frustration washes over the bond, and with it, impatience.
“Here- let me…”
Her steps echo around the room in a way that makes her a little too conscious about it. Carefully, she switches her lightsaber off and hooks it back on her belt before closing the gap between Ben and her. Her heart is still beating a little too fast, and her breathing is still a little too deep but she chooses to blame it on the smoke. One of her hands timidly reaches for Ben, who shudders at the contact.
They haven’t touched since the first time, she realizes when her own hand jolts in response. Not like that. There’d been his hand on her back earlier as he guided her through multiple corridors, trying to make it seem like she was his prisoner. They’d fought twice before coming to this agreement, and she may have hit him once or twice in the process- but their skin hadn’t touched again until now. It hadn’t felt like a necessity until now.
Slowly, she raises her hands again and slips her fingers under the base of the mask with as much caution as she can. She searches for the button for a moment, careful not to dig her nails in his chin, and lets out a sigh of relief when the clinking sound echoes under the black material. A hissing follows, but Ben doesn’t reach out for the mask. His hand falls to his side instead, his eyes fixed on her through the dark visor as he switches his lightsaber off in turn. A wave of heat washes over Rey when she reaches for the sides of the mask and cautiously takes it off.
His eyes are on her as she brings the mask between them, intense and curious. He looks tired, incredibly tired, and the mess that is his hair only adds to the feeling that he’s been through a storm and back. His lips are faintly parted, his chest heaving as she keeps scrutinizing his face like it’s the first time she’s seeing it, and she does remember the first time she saw it. Her eyes stop on the scar running down his face, and she raises her free hand to trace it with her thumb, her palm cupping his cheek with a tenderness she didn’t see coming.
Pride seizes Rey as she keeps staring at him. They’ve come a long way, and certainly not the way she thought they would- but no regret fills her mind. For a moment, all she feels is peace and certainty as they both stare at each other, their chests heaving in unison.
“We should go,” Ben reminds her softly.
The movement of his jaw tickles her palm a little, and she nods with a smile. “We should,” she agrees in a murmur.
Her other hand lets go of the mask to reach the other side of his face. For a split second, she feels like he’s about to move out of her grasp, but feels her heart skip a beat when, instead, he leans into her touch and closes his eyes. He looks almost peaceful like this, increasing Rey’s desire to hold him close and never let him go. The familiar buzzing of their bond intensifies at her thought, and she’s pretty sure she can see the corner of his lips twitching into the hint of a smile. Seconds later, her fingers slip into his hair and she’s pulling him closer, forcing him to bend of the few inches between them. The ease with which he complies is unsettling, and only encourages her to follow her instincts. When his face finally levels hers, she brushes his lips with her finger, studying him for any hint of disapproval. She doesn’t see any; only hope and anticipation, and just as much nervousness as she can feel cursing through her veins.
The last few inches are the most difficult to take, but she doesn’t take them alone; his face tilts briefly as hers comes closer, and she swears she can feel a wave of encouragement washing over her through the bond. The familiar whistle between them grows stronger as they come together, lips grazing with hesitancy, then stops when her mouth finally crushes against Ben’s. Everything becomes a blur and time seems to stop, wrapping them in a bubble of comfort belonging as they melt into each other, their kiss deepening with each passing second.
They should go. But she’ll indulge herself with a few more seconds of this. It’s only fair after everything they went through; just a few seconds out of time, away from the war, reveling in each other’s warmth and the knowledge that even though it’s far from being over, at least she’s not alone, and will never be again.
“Let’s go,” she murmurs after what feels like an eternity, and yet not enough.
Ben nods again, then rests his forehead against hers. One of his hands finds the one cupping his cheek, and their fingers lace. His lips are swollen, inviting, and soon enough, back on hers for a brief kiss. He doesn’t talk, but Rey doesn’t need him to; she can feel everything he’s trying to convey through the gesture. Happiness, closely tangled with fear that this might be the chance of a lifetime, fear that this could all end soon and not the way they intend. Fear that, it is, maybe, too late. A frown betrays his thoughts. Slowly, Rey moved her hand up his brow and brushes his hair back, easing the worry away from his face.
“Together,” she reminds him in a whisper.
And just like that, his eyes are back on her, and Rey realizes what she’s been searching for all this time is right there, in the palm of her hand, smiling at her. The tenderness in his eyes warms her entire body despite the room’s cold temperature as the depth of his voice takes her back to that comforting bubble they just left.
“Together.”