Chapter Text
Rey decides to wait to return to the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss until Ben is healed. Although weak herself, she has to half drag a limping and exhausted Ben who was just on the brink of death from the Sith Citadel to their starfighters.
No, not the TIE. He barely gets out through their Bond as Rey helps him towards the First Order TIE Fighter. The effort alone makes his weight sag against her a little more. As she opens her mouth to question his decision, she realizes a fighter associated with the First Order is now a target.
“Okay. Okay. Almost there. Just hang on,” she grunts out as she uses as much energy as she can manage to get them to the X-Wing. Ben manages to get himself into the cockpit of his uncle’s fighter, much to Rey’s relief, and makes as much room for her to squeeze in. “We just need to make it off planet to the closest safe one. Then we can rest,” she tells him. He groans in agreement as she flips the instrument panel on and begins their navigation off the crumbling planet. Resistance fighters and associated ships still dot the atmosphere, but don’t make contact with the retreating X-Wing.
Miraculously, they make it into lightspeed out of the Exogol system and back to Ahch-To where she knows they’ll both be safe and can heal in peace. She doubts they would have even made it to the Outer Rim in their state. “It’s safe here,” Rey explains once they land on the stone slab overlooking the water. Ben nods in agreement, leaning forward against Rey’s shoulder. It’s cramped in the cockpit of the fighter, but both dread the exertion it will cost to get out and into the closest hut.
“Let’s just rest here. For a few hours at least,” Ben murmurs against her shoulder. She breathes out a chuckle, feeling him tighten his arms around her gently as if settling in for a long nap.
“I’d argue but those stairs are hell.” She replies, slowly maneuvering herself around so she can rest her head against his chest. His warmth is slowly returning to his body after his brush with death. The thought makes her clutch his lightsaber torn shirt a tighter and press herself closer. It’s the first time she’s truly been able to think about what they just went through and she knows his thoughts are wandering in the same direction.
I almost lost you. You died. Before I even really had you, I could have lost you. He quietly murmurs across the Bond, arms tightening around her as he presses a kiss into her sweat matted hair. There’s an unspoken, yet mutually accepted feeling through their Bond of home; a feeling neither has truly felt in a long, long time. It’s not yet love, they both know that will take time to build to, but it’s a mutual comfort to be in each other’s arms.
I’m right here. She silently assures him. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. We have a lifetime together. There’s still so much to talk about, yet each point slips from her mind as her head grows heavier against his chest.
“Thank you, sweetheart, for saving me,” he whispers against her hair as he too drifts into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
X
Ben is the first to slowly wake in the late afternoon judging by the looks of the sun in the sky. The woman in his arms is unsurprisingly still in a deep sleep, one hand gripping at his sweater and the other resting on his side near the singed hole in his sweater from their lightsaber duel on the Death Star. He blinks down at her, admiring the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks and the long lashes casting shadows on her cheekbones. He’d never been given the chance to really look at her until now; to openly admire the fierce woman in his arms. His fierce woman, he realizes proudly. He left the First Order, the clutches of Palpatine, the power, everything. All for her. How foolish he’d been to ever think he could resist her Light. Sighing, he gently maneuvers his arm around her to pop the hatch of the fighter open slightly to let in the fresh air. It would be good for both of them. The salt in the air burns lightly at his nose as he inhales deeply and stares out at the endless ocean ahead of them.
X
Rey wakes an hour or two later to fresh air and strong arms around her. She nuzzles her face into the sweater she’s resting against before opening her eyes fully to the sunset. A large hand caresses the back of her head gently; a soft kiss is pressed into her crown. Rey hums in comfort and looks up smiling into the face of her raven-haired man. He smiles back at her, scanning her face with large glassy eyes.
“Hi,” she whispers. His smile grows.
“Hi,” he replies, his deep voice reflecting his smile.
“How do you feel?” She snuggles farther into his arms.
“Much better than last night. How are you feeling?”
“Like new. It seems I have much to learn from you in the ways of the light side of the Force,” he teases, twisting a loose lock of her hair around his finger. She grins at him.
“I suppose you do need a teacher, although it seems you’re a quick learner,” she quips back. He laughs, a deep rumbling laugh she can feel in his torso.
“Let’s spend a few days resting before we begin training,” he suggests, wanting nothing more than to simply spend time with the woman he knows he’s coming to love.
“Afraid I’ll beat you in a spar?” She asks, eyebrow quirking in mock challenge. His arms tighten around her as he leans down to press his lips against the shell of her ear.
“Believe me sweetheart, you have it in you,” he replies. She shivers at the slight husk to his tone and twists to come face to face with him. Their thoughts align perfectly as they crash against each other. This kiss is different than the one they shared on Exegol. It’s a passionate, soul-crushing kiss derived from their near loss of each other and the future they know is now possible. It feels like home.