Work Text:
Rey has always loved the rain. The new life it brings, the smell and freshness in the air afterward. During a warm summer rain, she loves to stand out on the sidewalk and let the falling water wash over her or sit on their covered porch with a cup of tea and read. When it’s cooler out, she’ll open some windows in the house to let in the soothing sound.
But she hates the thunder that sometimes comes with it.
Ever since she was a little girl, the loud noise has frightened her, made worse by not having someone there to comfort her. Over the years it’s gotten easier, but she still tenses up whenever the loud boom cracks in the air, whenever she sees lightning spread across the sky.
Ben knows all of this, which is why he tries to stay awake when he realizes tonight’s rain will surely turn into a storm. He holds her with her back pressed against his chest, his arm loosely draped over her waist, his nose nuzzling just under her ear.
The sound of heavy rain against the window lulls him into that place in between consciousness and sleep until a streak of lightning flashes through the curtains and a low rumble fills the air. Rey shifts in her sleep at the sound.
The next one is a lot closer to the house, the thunder loud enough to wake her. Ben feels her body stiffen, hears her breathing turn a little ragged. He tightens his arm around her waist and brings his knees up to cradle her into the curve of his body.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he murmurs into her ear, pressing a kiss to the corner of her jaw. She relaxes a little, then turns in his arms to press her face into his neck. He rubs her back and kisses the top of her head. Another roll of thunder sounds and she whines, wrapping her arms around his torso and pressing closer to him. His arms tighten around her. He knows she won’t be able to go back to sleep until the storm passes, so he tries to think of ways to distract her.
“Okay, come on. Get up,” he releases her from his arms, pushing her gently away from his body by her hips.
“What? Why?” Rey pouts, trying to keep hold of him.
“It’s a secret,” he sits up and gets out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweatpants that had been discarded on the floor. He puts his phone in his pocket as he walks around to her side of the bed. He holds out his hands. “Are you gonna get up, or shall I carry you?”
She sighs and sits up, taking hold of his hands and letting him help her out of bed. He pulls her into his chest as a flash of lightning makes her flinch. He smooths a hand over her hair and kisses her forehead, swaying from side to side until the thunder passes.
She lets him guide her into the dark kitchen and squeaks when he grabs hold of her waist and hoists her up onto the counter. “Ben!”
He just smirks and flips a switch to turn on some smaller lights, leaving the room still dim without the larger overhead lights.
“What are you doing?” Rey questions as she watches him pull things from various cabinets and drawers; a couple of baking sheets, two large spoons, wax paper.
“Distracting you,” he says as he sets everything down beside her on the counter.
The storm outside is moving closer to them, evident by the bright flash quickly followed by a very loud boom that makes both of them jump. Ben stands in front of her, one hand going to her waist and the other cupping the back of her neck.
She leans her head against his shoulder and huffs out a laugh. The hand on her waist rubs up and down her side.
“How were you planning to distract me?” she says after a moment. He squeezes her hip and slowly pulls away, but not before softly kissing her cheek. A small smile spreads across her lips as she watches him open the fridge and pull out a large bowl of cookie dough she had put in there earlier that afternoon to chill. He hands her the bowl and a spoon.
“Start scooping,” he says, pulling out his phone.
Rey shifts on the counter to set the bowl down and prepare the baking sheets with the wax paper. Soft music starts to play out of the speaker they have hidden on a shelf and Ben turns on the oven.
They scoop out the dough and place it on the sheets together quietly. Ben stands close enough for her to lean her head on his shoulder. He hums a bit to the music playing, turning his head to press a kiss to the top of her head whenever the thunder comes.
Once all the dough has been either scooped or eaten, Rey hops down from her spot on the counter and puts one of the sheets in the oven. As she sets a timer, she feels Ben wrap his arms around her from behind. She relaxes against his chest and closes her eyes.
Another roll of thunder sounds and he tightens his arms around her, kissing her temple and swaying her from side to side.
The next song that plays makes her smile. It’s the song they danced to at their wedding, her favorite memory from that day aside from marrying her husband.
Said husband moves his hands to her hips and turns her around to face him. He smiles down at her as she winds her arms around his neck and rises up on her toes to kiss him.
“Hi,” she whispers, lowering her heels back to the ground.
“Hi,” he replies, reaching up with his left hand to pull her right from around his neck, still holding her close with the other splayed across her back.
Rey smiles and rests her head on his shoulder as he starts to dance them slowly around the kitchen, moving in time with the music. They go through a few songs until the timer rings, and Rey reluctantly extracts herself from Ben’s arms to pull the cookies out and put the other sheet in the oven.
When she turns around, Ben is leaning against the counter, watching her with a soft expression. She moves to stand in front of him and his hands go to her waist, pulling her closer.
“Feeling better?” He says as she wraps her arms around his torso.
“Mmhmm,” she hums. Rey leans against him and his hands move up and down her sides and back. Her next words are just above a whisper, “Thank you.”
He lifts a hand from her back, tilting her chin up to look at him. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
His thumb caresses her cheek before he dips his head down to press his lips against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”